POOL
Chang wins in Las Vegas
Taiwanese veteran Chang Jung-lin on Saturday defeated James Aranas of the Philippines 9-5 in the final of the Diamond Las Vegas Open, a 10-ball pool tournament. Chang, ranked No. 5 in the world, took home the US$17,000 prize from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Nevada. The victory marked his first international trophy of the season. The 34-year-old was world No. 1 in eight-ball pool in 2012 and runner-up in last year’s World Nine-ball Championship in Qatar. The Las Vegas Open is part of the CueSports International Expo, an international pool extravaganza, but due to concerns over COVID-19 the organizers on Sunday canceled this week’s Predator World 10-Ball Championship, as well as the WPA Players Championship that had been scheduled for April 7 to 11.
BASKETBALL
Gobert voices remorse
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19, on Sunday said that he is feeling better every day, but wishes he had taken it more seriously. The 27-year-old Frenchman updated his condition in a video on social media in which he urged people to take precautions not to spread the coronavirus. “It’s all about protecting yourself and the people around you,” Gobert said. “I wish I would’ve taken this thing more seriously and I hope everyone else is going to do so because we can do it together. Take care and stay safe.” Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 just before the scheduled tip-off between Utah and Oklahoma City on Wednesday last week and the game was postponed. Gobert showed how he did not take the coronavirus threat seriously on Monday last week at a news conference. As he departed, Gobert made a point of touching all reporters’ recorders and a microphone he used — unaware that he would test positive two days later. Utah teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive on Thursday last week. In the video, Gobert urged people do such basics as wash their hands well and refrain from touching their face, and thanked those who have supported him since his positive test.
GOLF
Koepka to snub PGL
Brooks Koepka on Sunday said that he has no interest in the Premier Golf League (PGL), another setback to a league promising guaranteed money and a team concept that now is missing some of the sport’s biggest young stars. “I am out of the PGL. I’m going with the PGA Tour,” Koepka said. “I have a hard time believing golf should be about just 48 players.” Rory McIlroy, who replaced Koepka at world No. 1 last month, has also said that he is not interested in the new league. Koepka spoke about the majority of the PGA Tour who he fears would be left out if all the attention was heaped on top stars competing in a team format. “I get that the stars are what people come to see, but these guys who we see win, who have been grinding for 10 or 15 years, that’s what makes the cool stories,” Koepka said. “I’d have a hard time looking at guys and putting them out of a job.” Koepka failed to advance from PGA Tour qualifying in 2012. He played remote spots on the Challenge Tour, earned a European Tour card and eventually made it to the PGA Tour. “I don’t forget where I’ve come from,” Koepka said. “There are guys from that top 125 who could be the next star.”
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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