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.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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