GYMNASTICS
Japan overturn China’s run
Kohei Uchimura’s Japan finally toppled China at the world gymnastics championship, but Britain warned they were ready to challenge for Olympic gold after taking men’s team silver. The Japanese scored 270.818 points to take gold after four consecutive silver medals as Britain won their first world men’s team medal with 270.345 and China bronze with 269.959. It ended Olympic champions China’s 12-year domination of the world team event in which they had won six straight titles. The much-hyped clash between the Asian giants failed to ignite Glasgow’s Hydro Arena, with Japan leading out-of-sorts China all the way despite a fall by Uchimura and two by Yusuke Tanaka. Britain showed that they are ready to challenge for Olympic gold after their historic bronze in London 2012 behind China and Japan. “This has definitely thrown a spanner in the works being so close to Rio [de Janeiro],” Britain’s Louis Smith said.
CRICKET
Afghanistan win T20 series
Afghanistan clinched a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe in their two-match Twenty20 series on Wednesday and dedicated their win to people affected by this week’s earthquake, which rocked their nation and Pakistan. Four days after becoming the first non-Test side to beat a Test-playing nation in a one-day 50-over series, Afghanistan hammered home their superiority with a five-wicket win. They won the first Twenty20 clash at the same Queen’s Sports Club venue by six wickets on Monday. “Our win is dedicated to all quake-smitten people of Afghanistan’s major earthquake,” tweeted Mohammad Nabi, the team’s leading all-rounder in reference to Monday’s magnitude 7.5 quake, which left almost 400 people dead and thousands homeless.
SOCCER
Bologna hire Donadoni
Former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni on Wednesday was named as Bologna’s new manager to succeed Delio Rossi, who was sacked by the Serie A strugglers earlier in the day. Donadoni, 52, penned a two-year deal with Bologna, who are third from bottom with only six points from 10 games after losing 1-0 to Inter on Tuesday. Donadoni won the Champions League three times as a player with AC Milan and has already coached SSC Napoli and Parma in the top flight as well as taking charge of Italy from 2006 to 2008. Rossi was the second top-flight coach to be sacked this season after Fabrizio Castori, who had been in charge of rock-bottom Carpi.
SOCCER
Mascherano banned for two
Barcelona will be able to call on Javier Mascherano for next month’s clash with Real Madrid after the Argentine received just a two-game ban for the red card against Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, the club said on Wednesday. Mascherano was sent off seven minutes from time in Barca’s 3-1 win over the Basque minnows on Sunday by referee Carlos del Cerro Grande for a comment regarding the official’s mother, according to the referee’s report. The former Liverpool man will be absent for tomorrow’s visit to Getafe and a home match against Villarreal on Nov. 8. Mascherano could have been banned for at least four games had the comment been deemed as a grave insult, which would have meant him missing the trip to Madrid on Nov. 21. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the club would not appeal the decision, despite vice president Jordi Mestre claiming earlier in the week it was a “moral and legal obligation” to defend their player.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take