SKIING
Avvakumova beats Takanashi
Home hopeful Irina Avvakumova triumphed at the FIS Ski Jimping World Cup at the Russian resort of Chaikovsky on Saturday, inflicting a first defeat of the season on Japanese starlet Sara Takanashi. A day after finishing third at the same venue, the 22-year-old Avvakumova claimed her first victory on the circuit with two jumps over 100m for a total of 249.2 points. Germany’s Carina Vogt finished second for the second straight day with 244.9 points, while Takanashi was third on 243.1 points. The 17-year-old Takanashi, who won the first four events of the season, remains comfortably in front in the overall standings, with Avvakumova in second. “My jumps were not as good as I wanted today,” the teenager said. “I hope it’ll go better again next time.”
RUGBY UNION
Welsh rugby bodies clash
Regional Rugby Wales (RRW), the body that represents the Welsh regions, strongly criticized the Welsh Rugby Union on Saturday as the disagreement between the two deepened. RRW wants the union to follow it by backing plans for the Rugby Champions Cup, a breakaway alternative to the European Cup initially proposed by English and French sides. The regions — the Ospreys, Scarlets, Newport Gwent Dragons and Cardiff Blues — gave the union until Jan. 31 to support the new competition. In response, the union on Thursday said it was prepared to offer the regions a new contract, but has since sent a letter to its 32 member clubs expressing support for the European Cup and opposition to an Anglo-Welsh league, which the regions are expected to seek if talks to resurrect the Rugby Champions Cup later this month collapse. In a statement, RRW reaffirmed its desire to see the regions play in the Rugby Champions Cup, saying that any tournament held by European Cup organizers European Rugby Cup would be “inferior.” It also accused the union of “failing miserably” to secure equal revenue distribution with clubs in England and France, and launching “vitriolic and disingenuous” attacks on the regions.
BOBSLED
Germany win World Cup race
Maximilian Arndt drove to gold and Francesco Friedrich piloted his sled to silver on Saturday, as Germany dominated the FIBT World Cup four-man bobsled race on one of their home tracks. Arndt and teammates Marko Huebenbecker, Alexander Roediger and Martin Putze finished two runs in 1 minute, 49.97 seconds. Friedrich and Jannie Baecker, Gregor Bermback and Thorsten Margis clocked 1:50.14. The Russian team of Alexander Zubkov, Alexey Negodaylo, Dmitry Trunenkov and Aleksei Pushkarev took third with 1:50.17. Arndt took the top spot in the four-man season standings, 70 points ahead of US pilot Steven Holcomb, who crashed in the second run, likely costing him a podium finish.
SOCCER
Bordeaux sign striker Hoarau
Girondins de Bordeaux on Saturday announced the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain striker Guillaume Hoarau on a free transfer. Hoarau, 29, was a free agent after leaving Chinese club Dalian Aerbin following a disappointing spell. Hoarau, who hails from Reunion and has won five caps for France, was due to undergo a medical yesterday before penning a contract, the length of which has not been revealed. The tall center-forward scored 38 goals in 114 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG between 2008 and January last year, and scored the winning goal for the capital club in their 2010 Coupe de France final triumph against AS Monaco.
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
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
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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