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.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said