TABLE TENNIS
Taiwanese take bronze
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Chuang Chih-yuan on Friday clinched a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the World Table Tennis Singapore Smash after losing in the semi-finals. Lin and Chuang were bested by Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea 13-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5 in 47 minutes, dashing their hopes of competing for the gold medal. In the first game, Lin and Chuang established an early 10-8 lead, but failed to hold their advantage. They rallied in the second game, but the world No. 3-ranked South Korean duo forced the pace to closed out the next two games. Lin and Chuang took bronze, as did Japanese pair Yukiya Uda and Shunsuke Togami, who lost to Chinese duo Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin — who beat Jang and Lim in the final — in the other semi. There was another bronze for Taiwan in the mixed doubles after Lin Yun-ju and Chen Szu-yu lost against Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9.
CHEERLEADING
Monkeys sign Lee Da-hye
The Taoyuan-based Rakuten Monkeys on Friday announced the signing of South Korean cheerleader Lee Da-hye. Lee, a former member of the Kia Tigers cheerleading squad in the Korean Baseball Organization confirmed her move to Taoyuan and the CPBL on Instagram. “Last December, I received an offer from the Rakuten Monkeys. It’s not an opportunity that every cheerleader can have. I thought about it, and at the end of my thoughts, I decided to transfer” to Taiwan, Lee wrote, calling the transfer a “difficult decision.” In an earlier statement, Lee said she was “thankful for the stage offered by the franchise and being able to join the Rakuten Girls. It’s a chance for me to spread the [South] Korean cheering culture and learn Taiwan’s cheerleader culture. I hope you guys like my cheerful smile.” Lee said she would take this opportunity to go overseas as a stepping stone and a chance to grow. The 23-year-old, one of the most popular cheerleaders in South Korea, made her debut with the Tigers in 2019. However, the ensuing “Lee Da-hye mania” played a role in her eventual departure from the Tigers in October last year. Shortly before she left the Tigers, the leader of the team’s cheerleading squad implied that Lee was seeking to upstage the club’s players by releasing the squad’s schedule and taking pictures with fans.
CRICKET
Double tons power NZ
Double centuries yesterday for Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls powered New Zealand’s dominance in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington. The Black Caps declared their first innings at an imposing 580-4 before reducing Sri Lanka to 26-2 at stumps on day 2. Williamson scored 215 and Nicholls posted a career-best 200 not out, with the pair’s third-wicket stand of 363 virtually batting Sri Lanka out of the contest. Their partnership was the fifth-highest by any New Zealand combination, and they became the country’s first batters to reach 200 in the same innings. Sri Lanka were 554 runs behind at stumps after losing two wickets for 26. Matt Henry removed opener Oshada Fernando for six before fellow seamer Doug Bracewell dismissed Kusal Mendis without scoring via a spectacular catch at point from Devon Conway.
A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday. The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online. Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph. She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah on Tuesday said that he would leave the English club at the end of the Premier League season, marking an earlier-than-planned departure for one of the club’s greatest-ever scorers and soccer’s biggest names. The 33-year-old Egypt forward, who has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool, “reached an agreement” to quit the team a year before his contract was due to expire, the Premier League champions said. Salah’s form has dipped in his ninth year at Anfield, to such an extent that he was dropped for a stretch of games late last year — leading to the
There were some big games to be played yesterday in the NBA, with the Atlanta Hawks to play the Detroit Pistons in a matchup pitting a Hawks team who are rolling against a Pistons team trying to lock up the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed. The Oklahoma City Thunder were to play the Boston Celtics, a showdown featuring the two most recent champions, while the Houston Rockets faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, a game that could factor mightily into Western Conference seeding. Elsewhere, the Washington Wizards were to play the Utah Jazz, with the Wizards on a 16-game slide visiting against a team
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