BADMINTON
Lee, Yang romp to final
Taiwan’s men’s doubles duo Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday took just 36 minutes to upset sixth-ranked Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in their BWF French Open semi-final. Lee and Yang, who are ranked 16th in the world, beat the Japanese 21-18, 23-21. They were to face world No. 1 players Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India after press time tonight.
BASKETBALL
New Taipei Kings take fourth
The P.League+’s New Taipei Kings yesterday placed fourth in the East Asia Super League after losing their third-place playoff match against the Korean Basketball League’s Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters 76-78. The were playing at the Lapu-lapu Hoops Dome in the Philippines after a 92-84 semi-final loss to the JBL Super League’s Chiba Jets Funabashi on Friday. Eight teams, including the Taipei Fubon Braves, competed in the tournament featuring clubs from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Philippines.
SKIINIG
Boozed-up spectators fight
The 50km women’s classic cross-country race in and around Oslo’s famous Holmenkollen stadium was on Saturday marred by drunken brawls among spectators. Several fights broke out, with some people storming the barriers toward the ski slope and falling over a fence. “There was fighting and there was also lashing out against the police,” Oslo police said. A Red Cross manager was reported as saying that 130 people aged 16 to 20 required assistance from the Red Cross station in the area, either due to injuries or intoxication. The race was won by Sweden’s Frida Karlsson who did not notice the spectacle, but was booed as she approached the finish line. Swedish skier Moa Lundgren told the newspaper Expressen that she had sensed a boozy atmosphere as she raced. “It really smelled of alcohol and something sweet out on the track,” she said. “It was a naval battle,” she added, using a common Scandinavian expression for drunken chaos.
TENNIS
Djokovic pushed for win
Novak Djokovic on Saturday struggled to a winning comeback at the BNP Paribas Open five years after his last appearance, defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. World No. 1 Djokovic, who had not played since losing an Australian Open semi-final to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in January, is chasing a sixth title at the desert venue in the season’s first Masters event. “I was a bit nervous at the beginning, you know, whether I’m going to start off well... I had not played a match in more than five weeks,” Djokovic said. “He made me produce some really important points in games in order to prevail. I’m glad that I was pushed, which is important.” Djokovic was not the only top player to be tested. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka saved four match points on the way to her 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) second-round victory over 64th-ranked Peyton Stearns, and US Open champion Coco Gauff rallied in the final set to beat France’s Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). “This match definitely goes into the book of craziest and the best matches of my career,” world No. 2 Sabalenka said. “She played incredible tennis. I kept telling myself: ‘Stay there, fight for every point. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38