SWIMMING
McKeown on a record roll
Kaylee McKeown on Saturday smashed a second world record in as many days, with the star Australian swimmer bettering her own 100m backstroke mark. The 22-year-old touched in 57.33 seconds at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Budapest to shave 0.12 seconds off the time she set in Adelaide before the Tokyo Olympic Games. McKeown now has the five fastest times in history as she builds up to next year’s Paris Olympics. The new mark comes a day after she clocked 26.86 seconds for a new 50m backstroke world record, improving on the previous best of 26.98 seconds set by China’s Liu Xiang in 2018. That made her the first woman ever to hold world records in all three backstroke disciplines and the first swimmer since the US’ Lenny Krayzelburg set all three men’s marks in 1999. “No, I honestly didn’t think about swimming a world record,” McKeown said after her 100m exploit. “I was really relaxed coming into tonight. I tend to swim better when I go out a bit faster, I am trying to learn to swim a bit sharper... I’m happy that some of the things we are trying are working.”
SKATEBOARDING
Teen wins gold in Santiago
Brazil’s 15-year-old skateboarding sensation Rayssa Leal, one of the favorites to win a gold medal in the street event at the Paris Olympics next year, won her first Pan American Games crown on Saturday. The sport is debuting in the largest multisport event on the continent. The teen has become one of the biggest names in the sport since she won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She showcased her board flips, slides and grinds to score a total of 236.98 points in Santiago. Her compatriot and friend, Pamela Rosa, finished with the silver medal, 25 points behind. The US’ Paige Heyn, another 15-year-old, won the bronze . Dressed in black, Leal looked effortless throughout the competition, spending more time on her cellphone than watching her adversaries. A different scenario awaits her in Paris, with her most likely rival being once again 16-year-old Momiji Nishiya of Japan, the gold medalist at the sport’s Olympic debut in Tokyo. “This does help me get more confidence for Paris,” Leal said. “The Olympics and the Pan American Games are different from the tournaments I usually compete. It is less about being playful. Being here today helps me prepare better for what is to come next year.”
ICE HOCKEY
Vegas break Cup record
Nicolas Roy, Mark Stone and Paul Cotter scored in the third period, as the undefeated Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Saturday night. The Golden Knights became the first Stanley Cup champions to begin their title defense with six consecutive victories. “We’re playing good hockey,” Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “We have some stretches where we don’t like our games, but we’re finding ways to win.” William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Vegas, who extended their franchise-record start. Adin Hill made 21 saves. “We knew after two periods that we were going to have to be better if we expected to win, and I thought we responded well,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. Connor Bedard, Reese Johnson and Corey Perry scored for Chicago, while Arvid Soderblom made 19 stops.
The Taiwan Daredevils yesterday won one and lost one in the Taiwan Premier League, dispatching TCA with ease, but stumbling against Formosa. In the morning match at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), the Daredevils’ Johan Koekemoer carried his side to 141-6 with 44 from 45 in their 20 overs. George Klopper’s right-arm spin dominated in the run chase. He claimed 4-5 from 3.3 overs as TCA slumped to 77 all out. The highlight of the innings was a stunning catch at cover as Jeff Black turned back the years to pull in a full-blooded drive on the dive
The Hsinchu Titans yesterday made a strong start in Group A of the Taiwan Premier League in Taipei, winning two games as the 10-team T20 competition began at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground. Chetan Sharma scored 57 from 30 deliveries in the morning match as the Titans made 178-7 against the Taipei Indians, who helped their opponents’ cause with 26 extras. Pramod Mandal took 3-11 as the Indians struggled to 126-8 in reply. The Taipei Stallions posed a greater hurdle to the Titans in the afternoon match, posting 163-7 after choosing to bat first. Hassaan Samad smashed 77 from 44 with seven fours and six
Alexander Zverev on Wednesday reached his 18th ATP Masters semi-final in Rome, but only after a worrying fall which sparked memories of the horror injury he had at the French Open two years ago. The world No. 5 from Germany defeated Taylor Fritz of the US 6-4, 6-3 in Italian Open to set up a last-four duel with Alejandro Tabilo, the Chilean journeyman who had stunned world No. 1 Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament. Zverev’s moment of concern came in just the third game on center court at the Foro Italico when he fell on the clay and landed on his
Andre de Grasse, the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 200m, and many other top-class international athletes are to showcase their talent in Taipei at the Taiwan Athletics Open early next month, according to the event’s official Web site. The Canadian sprinter, who clocked 19.62 seconds to top the podium in Tokyo in 2021, is to compete at the Taipei Stadium after the two-day event was upgraded to a leg of the World Athletics Continental Tour. The elevated status of the Taiwan Athletics Open means participants can earn more ranking points, making it possible for the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association (CTAA), the