TRACK AND FIELD
Hobbs qualifies for Olympics
Zoe Hobbs on Sunday became the first female sprinter from New Zealand to qualify for an Olympic Games 100m in nearly 50 years after setting a personal best to win her heat at the Continental Tour Challenger in Switzerland. Hobbs, 25, ran 10.96 seconds in the heats at La Chaux-de-Fonds before winning the final in 11.13 seconds. The previous New Zealand female sprinter to compete in an Olympic Games 100m was Sue Jowett in 1976 in Montreal. “When I saw the time come up I couldn’t believe it,” Hobbs said, adding that it “takes a massive weight off my shoulders.”
CRICKET
Bangladesh pays to stay
Bangladesh cricket authorities yesterday said they had compensated three senior players a total of US$65,000 for choosing to play for the national team rather than in the lucrative Indian Premier League this season. “This is just a small gesture on our part,” Bangladesh Cricket Board cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said, with the cash to be split among Shakib Al Hasan, Taskin Ahmed and Liton Das. “They did not demand any money from us formally, but we felt they should be at least partially compensated, if not fully.” Jalal said this would not be a regular practice.
SOCCER
US heads to Gold quarters
Jesus Ferreira on Sunday became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks for the US as the Gold Cup hosts beat Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals. Jamaica also qualified for the last eight from Group A with ease after beating St Kitts and Nevis 5-0 in Santa Clara, California. In Group B, Qatar stunned Mexico 1-0 to advance. The win over the already-qualified Mexico denied Honduras, who beat Haiti 2-1.
TRACK AND FIELD
Olympian boos protesters
Norwegian Olympic champion Karsten Warholm on Sunday won his 400m hurdles race and then turned to join the crowd in booing environmental protesters who disrupted the Diamond League event near the finish in Stockholm. Three people kneeled on the track about 8m from the line holding two banners that spanned from lanes one to six, forcing runners to break through them. No athlete appeared to be hurt. Running in lane eight, Warholm had no barrier in his way, but was visibly angry with the protesters as they were led away while spectators booed. “It is permissible to protest, but this is not the way to do it,” Warholm told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “It is disrespectful to those who are here to do a good job. I must honestly admit that I’m pissed off.”
ICE HOCKEY
Union approves new league
It is game on for a new, yet-to-be named women’s pro hockey league to launch in January after union members cleared the final major hurdle on Sunday by unanimously ratifying a collective bargaining agreement and a constitution, a person with direct knowledge of the vote said. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association has not announced the result of the vote conducted by its 97 members. The ratification effectively clears the way to launching the new league, which would bring together the top female stars in North America.
Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen, on Saturday bowed out in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Thailand Open after losing in straight games to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The world No. 6 Chou, seeded fourth at the Super 500 tournament, lost to the world No. 2 Thai 21-7, 21-19 in 53 minutes. The victory improved Vitidsarn’s head-to-head record against Chou to 3-5. Chou, 36, trailed throughout the opening game after the score was tied 2-2. His relatively passive approach allowed the 25-year-old Thai to capitalize on Chou’s defensive clears with powerful smashes while committing few unforced errors. The Taiwanese
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
West Ham United’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday left Tottenham Hotspur realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for English Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Spurs can avoid dropping out of the English top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years with victory at Chelsea today, but a draw would also likely suffice thanks to their much superior goal-difference over West Ham. “Overall bad performance. Too many things [went wrong], I think we gifted them the goals,” West Ham head caoch Nuno Espirito Santo
MLB is experiencing an epidemic of guys being dudes. At ballparks all across the US, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that is loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head. Soccer-like chants or singing usually follow — injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that is occasionally chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium. After getting its start in St Louis, Missouri, on
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