GOLF
Yani Tseng to get top award
The world’s No. 1 female golfer, Yani Tseng (曾雅妮), was unanimously selected as one of 10 Taiwanese to receive the country’s Outstanding Young Persons award this year, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who heads the selection committee, announced yesterday. The 22-year-old golfer’s hard work, diligence and emotional control have contributed to her success, Wang said. He added that she projects elegance and good posture on the golf course. Tseng’s father, Tseng Mao-hsin (曾茂炘), said at the news conference where the announcement was made that his daughter was very happy to be selected for the award, but would not be able to attend the award ceremony because she was busy with her training in the US. However, she is expected to give an acceptance speech via teleconferencing.
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Jesus painted as All Black
A New Zealand cathedral has taken the country’s devotion to its national rugby team to a new level, exhibiting a painting depicting Jesus as an All Black. The work by artist Don Little, painted in the style of a Russian Orthodox icon, shows a haloed Jesus wearing an All Blacks jersey as he dispenses blessings while clutching a white rugby ball. The painting went on display this week at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Wellington and sold within a few days to an Australian collector. Cathedral dean the Very Reverend Frank Nelson, said: “Central to Christian belief is that God became a human being in this world ... he happened to do that 2,000 years ago in Palestine. What intrigues me about this, and what I want people to think about, is that if it were to happen today, why should he not be an All Black?”
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Aussie, Kiwi rivalry sours
Rugby World Cup chief Martin Snedden yesterday described New Zealanders’ treatment of Australian fans as “disappointing,” after fierce trans-Tasman rivalries took on a spiteful edge. Australian fans complained of being spat on and abused when the Wallabies slumped to a shock defeat against Ireland in Auckland last weekend, identifying New Zealanders, not traveling Irish fans, as the culprits. Snedden told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The overwhelming response [in New Zealand] has been one of welcoming and supporting the visiting teams and their fans. If some visiting Wallaby fans have not been welcomed this way, we would be very disappointed.”
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Tindall’s royal wife surprises
Zara Phillips has made a surprise arrival in New Zealand, but has yet to see her husband, England center Mike Tindall, the New Zealand Herald reported yesterday. The granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was pictured at an evening charity event for the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust in Auckland. The newspaper said that Phillips made no mention of the headlines that followed her husband’s boozy night out in Queenstown after the game against Argentina. She told the audience: “Hopefully there will be an All Blacks-England Final.” Phillips, 30, who married Tindall less than two months ago in Edinburgh, had not been due in New Zealand for two more weeks, but brought forward her trip, the newspaper reported. Tindall has not spoken publicly since he and other members of the England team were caught on security cameras in a bar during their night out, celebrating the win over Argentina in their opening World Cup match.
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
PINA BRACE: Claudia Pina scored in the 61st and 74th minutes, while Vicky Lopez added one as Spain notched their third victory in a final in the past four tournaments Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg. Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday. Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save
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