RUGBY UNION
Japan told to speed up
Japanese organizers were yesterday warned to accelerate their preparations for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with training venues a key area of concern. Following the conclusion of evaluation meetings in Tokyo, Rugby World Cup Tournament Director Alan Gilpin was underwhelmed by the progress made with two years to go before the sport’s showpiece competition comes to Asia for the first time. “There are some areas where the organizing committee has not progressed as much as we would expect by this stage,” he said in a media release. “The Japan Rugby 2019 organizing committee recognize that they need to accelerate the selection of training venues,” Gilpin added. “These venues must be of a world-class standard that provide the platform for the players to perform at their best.”
GOLF
Leishman in command
Marc Leishman on Saturday fired five birdies in a three-under par 68 to stretch his lead to five strokes over fellow Australian Jason Day and Rickie Fowler in the BMW Championship. Leishman started the day with a three-shot lead. His solid performance at Conway Farms put him on 19-under 194 going into the final round of the penultimate tournament in the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff series. Day and Fowler both carded one-under par 70s for 199. England’s Justin Rose signed for a 66 that put him in solo fourth on 201. Spain’s Jon Rahm carded a 65 to head a group of seven players on 202. Leishman capped his round with a birdie at the par-five 18th to put himself in prime position to seize a third US PGA Tour title.
TRIATHLON
Mola, Duffy win grand final
Mario Mola of Spain and Flora Duffy of Bermuda on Saturday won their second-straight triathlon world championships when they reached the podium in the world series grand final. Mola was third in the men’s race, and Duffy won the women’s, her sixth win out of nine races in the series this year. Mola won four races this year and finished 10 seconds behind grand final winner Vincent Luis of France. Luis broke from the leading pack of four in the last few meters of the run. Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway finished second to replace Richard Murray of South Africa in third place for the season. Five-time world champion Javier Gomez Noya, fourth in the race, was second overall to compatriot Mola. Duffy dominated the women’s race to win by nearly one minute. “Today went just how I wanted it to,” Duffy said. Katie Zaferes of the US was second to finish a career-best third overall. Ashleigh Gentle of Australia was also a career-best second overall, and sixth in the final.
TENNIS
Apology for racist gesture
Brazilian tennis player Guilherme Clezar has apologized after making a racist gesture in a Davis Cup match in Japan. The 24-year-old Clezar put his fingers to the edge of his eyes and then stretched them after successfully challenging a line call. The Brazilian on Friday lost his singles match against Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in Osaka. Clezar was fined US$1,500 by the International Tennis Federation on Saturday for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” In a written apology, Clezar said: “Even though I didn’t mean any prejudice ... I want to express my regret and my most sincere apology.” The federation said it “condemns any form of offensive behavior.” Sugita won 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (5) as Japan took a 2-0 lead over Brazil in their World Group playoff in Osaka.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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