WEIGHTLIFTING
Taiwanese win medals
Taiwan’s Hsu Shu-ching won a silver medal on Sunday in the 53kg women’s event at this year’s Universiade competition in Shenzhen, China. Hsu, a student at Chengshiu University in Greater Kaohsiung, recorded a combined total of 207kg to finish second in the event. It was the second medal for Taiwan in the world university sports extravaganza that runs through next Tuesday. On Saturday, Tang Chi-chung, clinched a bronze medal in the 56kg men’s event. Tang, a student at Chang Jung Christian University in Greater Tainan, lifted 105kg in the snatch and 131kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a total of 236kg. He fell to third place after failing to jerk 136kg.
RUGBY UNION
Springboks recall three
South Africa have recalled fullback Patrick Lambie, wing Lwazi Mvovo and hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle to their squad for Saturday’s Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth. The trio were dropped after the Springboks’ unsuccessful away leg of the competition, but were added to the squad on Sunday following the 14-9 defeat by Australia on Saturday. Lambie, the 20-year-old Sharks playmaker has an excellent chance of being included in the match-day squad instead of Racing Metro’s Francois Steyn. Steyn, who played fullback against the Wallabies, limped off in the first half with a hamstring injury. Also on Sunday the Springbok team management denied reports that captain and hooker John Smit, who left the field late in the match with an arm injury, would miss the World Cup.
INDYCAR
Huner-Reay lands first win
Ryan Hunter-Reay raced to his first IndyCar victory of the year after a slippery, crash-marred finish in New Hampshire that left drivers upset that it was restarted in rain with about 10 laps left. Moments after the race resumed on Sunday, Danica Patrick’s car slid sideways, starting a chain reaction that knocked Will Power and Takuma Sato out of the race. Officials reverted to the race order that existed before the final restart, leaving Oriol Servia in second place and Scott Dixon in third. Power, second in the series point standings, was irate as he left his car and flashed an obscene gesture. However, he cut Dario Franchitti’s lead from 63 points to 47 with five races left.
GOLF
Kang defends Amateur title
Danielle Kang became the first player in 15 years to successfully defend the US Women’s Amateur title, beating Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn 6-and-5 on Sunday in the 36-hole final in rainy and windy conditions at Rhode Island Country Club. Kang, the 18-year-old from Westlake Village, California, had a 4-up lead after 18 holes and finished off Jutanugarn with a par on the par-four 13th. “I feel great,” said Kang, who had 11 birdies — three conceded — and one bogey in 31 holes. Kang, who plans to turn pro, won last year at Charlotte Country Club in North Carolina.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Brazilians top in London
Brazilian duo Liliane Maestrini and Angela Vieira won a women’s beach volleyball event on Sunday ahead of next year’s Olympics. Maestrini and Vieira came from behind to behind American duo Jennifer Kessy and April Ross 10-21, 21-15, 15-13 in the final at Horse Guards Parade in central London. In the match for third place, Brazil’s Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima recorded a 21-19, 21-18 win over Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton of Britain.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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