GYMNASTICS
Biles wins third straight gold
The US’ Simone Biles on Thursday tumbled her way into the history books by winning a record third consecutive all-around women’s gold at the World Gymnastics Championships ahead of teammate and Olympic champion Gabby Douglas. It might not have been a sleek performance as the 18-year-old fought to stay on the beam and stepped off the mat during the floor routine, but it was enough to give her an eighth world gold. She scored highest on the vault and the floor to lead a US one-two ahead of Olympic all-around and team champion Douglas, who got her first world individual medal as she returns to competition after a two-year break following her 2012 London success. Romania’s Larisa Andreea Iordache snatched bronze at the SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
CRICKET
Match canceled over pitch
New Zealand’s warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI was abandoned yesterday over a pitted and deteriorating pitch described as “rolled mud,” leaving the tourists searching for more practice ahead of next week’s opening Test. Stumps were drawn by the umpires during the lunch interval on day two of the three-day game in Blacktown, Sydney, when the Cricket Australia XI declared their record first innings at 503-1. The Black Caps had been due to bat in reply in their final build-up game ahead of the first Test against Australia, starting in Brisbane on Nov. 5. The highly unusual abandonment seriously disrupts New Zealand’s preparations for the Test series opener, with last-minute arrangements now being made to allow for extra practice. New Zealand was far from amused over the state of the pitch and the loss of valuable batting time ahead of the Gabba series opener against Steve Smith’s Australians.
SOCCER
Carneiro serves Chelsea
Lawyers for former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro have served the club with notice that she intends to seek a claim for constructive dismissal, according to media reports on Thursday. Several British media outlets said that legal papers were served to the London club this week, which will lead to an employment tribunal unless an out-of-court settlement can be reached. British employment tribunals are held in public, which could have the potential to embarrass Chelsea, who is currently floundering in 15th place in the Premier League table. Carneiro left Chelsea after being removed from first-team duties by manager Jose Mourinho, who had rebuked her and physiotherapist Jon Fearn for running onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard during his side’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City on the season’s opening day, which temporarily left Chelsea with nine players.
SOCCER
Gascoigne pleads guilty
Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne on Thursday pleaded guilty at a British court to harassing his former girlfriend and assaulting a photographer. The 48-year-old, capped 57 times by England, admitted to harassing Amanda Thomas and beating Steven Shepherd, a photographer who worked with her new partner, at Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court on the English south coast. Gascoigne, popularly known as “Gazza,” was given a two-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Thomas or posting about her on social media. The former Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers star was also fined £100 (US$153.37) for the harassment and ordered to pay £1,535 in compensation and court costs.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
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