GOLF
Taiwanese tied at third
Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia and Hsu Wei-ling were on Saturday tied at third place, two strokes behind South Korea’s Jenny Shin, entering the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. Cheng, 26, shot a six-under 65 in the second round with five birdies and an eagle on the third hole, which with her 69 on Friday put her at eight-under for the tournament. Hsu, 29, shot a 69 on Saturday, after firing off eight birdies in the first round for a 65. They were tied with Meghan Khang of the US and South Korea’s Narin An, one shot behind Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela.
OLYMPICS
No men in artistic swimming
Despite World Aquatics’ bold move to let men compete in artistic swimming at the Olympics, no male swimmers among the 10 countries in the team event in Paris would participate, after the US left pioneer Bill May out of their squad. “This should have been a landmark moment for the sport,” the global federation said in a statement. “We understand that it was always going to be a challenge for men to earn a spot on a team in time for Paris 2024, considering that their eligibility was only confirmed 18 months ago, but we were still hopeful that some would succeed.” The 45-year-old May has long been one of the leading voices on male inclusion. Battling for a spot with women half his age, he was part of the squad at the World Aquatics Championships in February and helped the US win silver in the acrobatic routine at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, becoming the first American male to climb the world medal podium in a team event.
CRICKET
W Indies dominate Uganda
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein’s career-best figures of five for 11 devastated an inept Ugandan batting line-up as the West Indies romped to a 134-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday. Set a daunting target after the tournament cohosts posted 173 for five batting first, the World Cup debutants looked completely out of their depth in being routed for 39 off 12 overs. The score equaled the record of the Netherlands against Sri Lanka at the 2014 tournament for the lowest innings total in the T20 World Cup. In Barbados, England suffered a 36-run defeat to ruthless Australia in Group B, while in New York, South Africa overcame a stunning early batting collapse to seal a four-wicket victory over bogey team the Netherlands in Group D.
HORSE RACING
Dornoch wins Belmont
Dornoch on Saturday won the 156th Belmont Stakes, with jockey Luis Saez piloting the 17-1 longshot to victory in the third jewel in US flat racing’s Triple Crown at Saratoga Race Course. “It was perfect,” Saez said after Dornoch held off a challenge from Mindframe in the final straight. Sierra Leone, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, was third. Trainer Danny Gargan claimed a first Triple Crown race win, while Saez earned his second Belmont victory. The Panamanian won in 2021 aboard Essential Quality. This year’s edition had a different feel, having shifted to the track in Saratoga Springs because of renovations at Belmont Park.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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