BADMINTON
Lee twins advance to finals
Taiwanese badminton twins Lee Fang-jen and Lee Fang-chih beat their compatriots Su Ching-heng and Ye Hong-wei 22-20, 21-19 in 47 minutes in the men’s doubles semi-finals at the Madrid Spain Masters. The Lee brothers were to play He Jiting and Zhou Haodong in the final after press time last night. The world No. 18 Chinese duo also bested their compatriots to advance, beating Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang 19-21, 21-15, 21-15 in a tense 51 minutes.
ATHLETICS
War kills 262 athletes: Kyiv
Russia’s war against Ukraine has claimed the lives of 262 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed 363 sports facilities, Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Huttsait said on Saturday. Meeting International Federation of Gymnastics president Morinari Watanabe, Huttsait said that no athletes from Russia should be allowed at the Olympics or other sports competitions. “They all support this war and attend events held in support of this war,” Huttsait said, according to a transcript on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Web site. Reuters could not independently verify the number of Ukrainian athletes killed or how many facilities have been destroyed. Among those killed this year alone have been figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who died in combat near Bakhmut, and Volodymyr Androshchuk, a 22-year-old decathlon champion and future Olympic hopeful.
CRICKET
India’s Durani dies aged 88
Tributes yesterday poured in for former cricketer Salim Durani, a hero of India’s maiden series victory over England, who has died at the age of 88. An attacking left-hand batsman and a left-arm orthodox bowler, Durani played 29 Tests for India between 1960 and 1973 and scored his only century against the West Indies. “Gutted to hear about the passing away of one of Team India legends Salim Durani,” Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jay Shah wrote on Twitter. “Today, we have lost one of Indian cricket’s crown jewels. Condolences to his family. RIP Salim Durani ji.” Born in Kabul, Durani played for the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and the former Saurashtra in first-class cricket and was loved by fans for his six-hitting prowess. “I have had the opportunity to interact with him and was deeply impressed by his multifaceted persona. He will surely be missed,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.
BOXING
Ramirez wins featherweight
Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez on Saturday dominated Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe to win the vacant World Boxing Organization featherweight title by unanimous decision. Ramirez, gold medalist at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, was always in control as he scored an emphatic victory at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 29-year-old Ramirez won by large margins on all three judges’ cards, with the scores coming in at 117-110, 118-109 and 119-108. Ramirez improved his record to to 12-1 with seven knockouts. “This is a new history that I’m writing,” Ramirez said after the win. “I did everything I had to do as an Olympian, I won two Olympic gold medals — now I can call myself a world champion.”
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
France’s Kevin Aymoz snatched the men’s title at Skate America on Saturday, winning his first grand prix title with a battling free skate, while short program leader Kazuki Tomono faltered. It was an emotional triumph for Aymoz, who made his grand prix level debut in 2017, with seven prior podium finishes, but no gold. He had struggled with a painful foot injury since a disappointing 10th-place finish at Skate Canada last month. “It was so difficult,” the 28-year-old said. “After Skate Canada I wanted to give up so much and today I’m here and it’s so beautiful to be with my friends competing
Australian restaurant chain Grill’d has made a cheeky apology for putting a “curse” on Oscar Piastri’s Formula One title hopes with their offer of a free burger for every time the McLaren driver gets on the podium. The Melbourne native has not finished in the top three since the promotion relaunched five races ago, losing the championship lead to teammate Lando Norris and now 24 points behind. Online conspiracy theorists have been quick to put two and two together. The chain’s Piastri 81 Burger debuted ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March, with his endorsement, and was relaunched in September after he
RSS