Sun, Jun 19, 2022 page7

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Staff writer, with agencies
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  GYMNASTICS

  Taiwan men win bronze

  Taiwan on Thursday won bronze in the men’s team event at the Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Qatar to earn a spot in the World Gymnastics Championships in October. Taiwan scored 249.211 points to place third, behind winner China (255.299) and Japan (249.5). Taiwanese Tang Chia-hung, who was competing in his first international event since the Tokyo Olympics last year, finished finishing fourth in the men’s individual all-around competition, with a score of 83.6 on six apparatuses. The Asian Championships are a qualifying event for the World Championships, scheduled for Oct. 29 to Nov. 6 in Liverpool, England.

  RUGBY UNION

  Black Ferns win Pacific Four

  New Zealand winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga yesterday scored a hat-trick as the Black Ferns continued their preparations for hosting the women’s World Cup with an emphatic 50-6 win over the US to wrap up the Pacific Four title in Whangarei, New Zealand. Leti-I’iga crossed for her first try in the opening minute and six more followed from the home side despite the rainy conditions at the Northland Events Centre, where the US are to start their World Cup campaign against Italy on Oct. 9. Three victories in similar conditions over the past three weeks gave the world champion New Zealanders the title. Canada came second, overhauling a 10-0 deficit for a 22-10 victory over Australia in their third game.

  FORMULA ONE

  Sainz dodges groundhog

  Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz on Friday had to take evasive action at the Canadian Grand Prix when a groundhog ran out onto the circuit. Sainz was traveling at high speed during opening practice for today’s race when the animal appeared between turns two and three. “Whether you want to call it a marmot, a groundhog or a beaver, a cute little brown furry animal was very lucky not to be squashed by a Ferrari during FP1,” Sky Sports F1 wrote on Twitter. It came close to the Ferrari’s right wheel before Sainz managed to avoid a messy encounter. Appearances by groundhogs at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit on Montreal’s Isle Notre Dame, where they are indigenous and protected, have become common on race weekends. In 2018, French driver Romain Grosjean damaged the nose of his Haas car when he hit one in practice. “It was a big impact. It was a big animal,” Grosjean said at the time.

  CYCLING

  UCI changes trans eligibility

  Transgender cyclists’ eligibility period before racing in women’s races would be doubled under new regulations outlined by International Cycling Union (UCI). The move prompted Sandy Sullivan, the mother of British transgender cyclist Emily Bridges, to accuse the body of “moving the goalposts.” UCI said their decision was based on information from the latest scientific publications. “Given the important role played by muscle strength and power in cycling performance, the UCI has decided to increase the transition period on low testosterone from 12 to 24 months,” it said in a statement. “As you can imagine this uncertainty and moving of goalposts has created a significant amount of distress and upset to Em, to us as a family & the wider trans community,” Sullivan wrote on social media.
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