BOAT RACING
Taiwan wins Championship
Taiwan emerged victorious at the 11th World Dragon Boat Racing Championship on Friday, beating 24 countries, with a result of 2 minutes, 8 seconds. In their debut victory at the race, Taiwan topped the 500m premier mixed category, with the runners-up being Thailand (2 minutes, 10 seconds) and Russia (2 minutes, 14 seconds). Last year, Taiwan won the 200m mixed title at the Asian Dragon Boat Championships. The 11th World Dragon Boat Racing Championship, held from July 24 to July 28 in Szeged, Hungary, has attracted players from countries including the US, Germany, Italy and Japan.
ATHLETICS
Gay’s B sample fails test
Former world sprint champion Tyson Gay’s “B” sample from an out-of-competition test in May has been confirmed positive for a banned substance, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Friday, while adding he had returned another positive test. “We can confirm that the ‘B’ sample analysis of a sample collected from Mr. Gay has been completed and that the ‘B’ sample analysis has confirmed the ‘A’ sample findings,” USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said in a statement. Tygart added that an additional sample collected from the US sprinter had also returned “an adverse ‘A’ sample finding.”
SOCCER
Klinsmann banned for final
US coach Jurgen Klinsmann will not be on the sideline for his side’s Gold Cup final against Panama on Sunday, CONCACAF ruled on Friday. Former Germany star Klinsmann was sensationally sent off in the 87th minute of the US’ 3-1 semi-final triumph over Honduras on Wednesday for an angry outburst over a hard tackle on DaMarcus Beasley. CONCACAF, soccer’s governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, said on Friday that it had reviewed the incident and suspended Klinsmann for one match. A statement from CONCACAF noted that Klinsmann showed “dissent towards the referee by throwing the ball in a violent manner” in the incident in the match in the Dallas suburb of Arlington.
BOXING
Lomachenko goes pro
Two-time gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko is ready to begin his pro boxing career. Top Rank has signed the Ukrainian Olympic star, the promotional company announced on Friday. Lomachenko is widely considered one of the greatest amateur boxers of the past several decades. He won Olympic gold medals with unbeaten runs in Beijing and London, and he claimed two world championships in between. After considering a career with the professional arm of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) last year, Lomachenko interviewed with several top North American promoters last month, eventually choosing Bob Arum’s company. Lomachenko is expected to begin his pro career as a featherweight. Last month, he said he hopes to fight for a world title within a year.
SOCCER
Hull agree to buy Sagbo
Premier League newcomers Hull City have reached a deal to buy Ivory Coast striker Yannick Sagbo from Evian Thonon Gaillard, the Ligue 1 club announced on Friday. Sagbo scored six league goals last season and has made two international appearances. The 25-year-old will join on-loan Danny Graham and George Boyd as part of Hull’s forward line. They begin their Premier League campaign at Chelsea on Aug. 18.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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