SOCCER
Jules Rimet piece found
A piece of the original World Cup trophy, which was stolen in Brazil in 1983 and never recovered, has been found in a basement at FIFA’s headquarters — part of the base of the Jules Rimet trophy. It is engraved with the names of the first four World Cup winners, who were Uruguay in 1930 and 1950, and Italy in 1934 and 1938. The trophy, which was handed to Brazil permanently after they won the World Cup for the third time in 1970, was also stolen three months before the 1966 World Cup was staged in England. That time, it was recovered a week later after being found in a south London hedge by a dog named Pickles. David Ausseil, the creative director of FIFA’s museum that is due to open in March next year, said the 10cm high octagonal relic will be displayed in the museum. In the early 1970s, FIFA commissioned a new trophy for the 10th World Cup in West Germany in 1974. Unlike the previous trophy, which was awarded to a nation winning three World Cups, the current trophy remains in FIFA’s possession, but a replica is awarded to three-time winners instead.
SOCCER
Milan reach quarter-finals
Nigel de Jong scored an 86th-minute winner as AC Milan beat US Sassuolo 2-1 on Tuesday to reach the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and avenge a defeat to the same opponents last week. Giampaolo Pazzini put Milan ahead after 38 minutes at the San Siro with an acrobatic shot following a cross from newly signed Alessio Cerci. Nicola Sansone equalized with a penalty in the 64th, but De Jong prevented extra-time by volleying in the rebound after a shot by Andrea Poli hit the crossbar. Last week, Sassuolo beat Milan 2-1 in Serie A. Milan next face either Torino or SS Lazio.
CLIMBING
El Capitan to be conquered
Two climbers trying to become the first to scale a 900m face of the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California, without bolts or climbing tools, believed they would reach the top yesterday, representatives said. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, who began their latest attempt to conquer El Capitan on Dec. 27 last year, started climbing the final 11 “pitches” of the so-called Dawn Wall on Tuesday, spokeswoman Jess Clayton said. The Dawn Wall of El Capitan is divided into 32 climbing pitches, which are varying lengths of rock that the climbers are trying to master with only their hands and feet. The wall has been scaled before, first by legendary climber Warren Harding in 1970, but never before without climbing tools. Caldwell and Jorgeson are using safety ropes in case of falls, and using ropes and other tools to move back and forth from their campsite perched high on the rock.
SOCCER
US keeper case dismissed
A domestic violence case against US women’s soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo was dismissed by a Seattle judge on Tuesday, her attorney said. Solo, 33, who has played on two Olympic gold medal-winning teams, had pleaded not guilty to striking her sister and nephew during a dispute in June last year at her home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. She had been slated to stand trial next week. “Today’s decision brings closure to what has been one of the most difficult and emotionally draining times of my life,” Solo said in a statement on Facebook in which she thanked her fellow players, coaches and others, “all of whom, under great pressure to do otherwise, chose to stand by and believe in me.”
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
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