BADMINTON
Tai eases past first round
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday thrashed her opponent 21-11, 21-8 on the second day of the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur. The world No. 2 took just 24 minutes to beat World No. 46 Sim Yu-jin of South Korea in their round-of-32 match. World No. 4 Chou Tien-chen took significantly longer in his men’s singles match, beating World No. 29 Sameer Verma of India 10-21, 21-12, 21-14 in 52 minutes. Wang Tzu-wei slogged through a 1 hour, 33 minute game to beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 16-21, 21-18, 27-25. In the men’s doubles, Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei beat China’s He Ji-ting and Zhou Hao-dong 18-21, 21-13, 21-18. In the mixed doubles, Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang progressed due to a walkover, while Lee Jhe-huei and Hsu Ya-ching lost their match.
ATHLETICS
Shoes trip up Yulimar Rojas
Venezuelan triple jump world record-holder Yulimar Rojas will not compete in the long jump at this month’s world championships after her qualifying mark of 6.93m was deemed invalid due to unapproved shoes. The back-to-back triple jump world champion surpassed the long jump qualifying standard at the Reunion de Atletismo Ciudad de Guadalajara last month, but was wearing triple jump shoes, which are not allowed in the event, World Athletics said. “Ms Rojas had intended to compete in the long jump after this event, with approved shoes, to qualify for the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022, but injury prevented this,” World Athletics said in a statement. The approved sole thickness limit for shoes in the long jump is 20mm and for the triple jump is 25mm.
SOCCER
‘Impractical’ scores probed
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has launched an investigation into two first-division matches that finished with scorelines of 91-1 and 95-0, describing them as “impractical” results. The West African country’s soccer governing body said it was investigating officials and players who were involved in the two fixtures, in which Gulf defeated Koquima Lebanon 91-1 and Kahula Rangers beat Lumbenbu United 95-0. The SLFA said it has zero tolerance for match manipulation or anything of the sort. “The general public is therefore assured that the said matter will be thoroughly investigated and anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” it said in a statement. If confirmed, the two scorelines would rank among the highest recorded in soccer history. The highest is thought to have occurred in Madagascar in 2002 when AS Adema beat SO l’Emyrne 149-0. The SO l’Emyrne players intentionally scored one own-goal after another in protest against refereeing decisions with which they disagreed.
BASEBALL
Mets mar Scherzer return
The New York Mets on Tuesday wasted a stellar performance by Max Scherzer in his return from an oblique injury, losing 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Mike Moustakas’ game-ending sacrifice fly. Scherzer struck out 11 while pitching six innings of two-hit ball in his first big league start since May 18. Throwing mostly fastballs, Scherzer —who turns 38 in three weeks — allowed only one runner to reach third, and he responded by striking out Matt Reynolds to get out of the second inning.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
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