ULTRAMARATHON
Taiwanese finishes third
Taiwanese runner Tommy Chen on Friday completed the Classic Edition of the 6633 Arctic Ultra, a non-stop 617km foot race along the arctic circle in Canada. Chen completed the race in 7 days, 23 hours, 19 minutes, behind British athlete Guy Belchier, who was second, and Australian Aaron Crook, who was first in 7 days, 22 hours, 35 minutes. Seven runners competed in this year’s Arctic Ultra, which started at Eagle Plains in Yukon territory and ended on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, the event’s Web site said. The 38-year-old Taiwanese was the only Asian athlete participating in the race this year. When he was in Taiwan last month, Chen said he trained hard for the race and expressed hope that more people would bravely take action to pursue their dreams. “When you put your heart and soul into it, you will be closer to achieving your dreams,” he said.
BADMINTON
Taiwan’s Lin makes semis
Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi on Friday bested countryman Lee Chia-hao to advance to the men’s singles semi-finals at the Orleans Masters in France. Lin was to play Ayush Shetty of India in the semi-finals after press time last night. It took Lin, ranked No. 14 in the world by the Badminton World Federation, 59 minutes to beat Lee 18-21, 22-20, 21-12 in the quarter-finals at the Palais des Sports arena. In the opener, Lin lost momentum after leading 8-3. He bounced back in the second game and played aggressively in the third to shut Lee down.
RUGBY UNION
Barrett injures hand
The Auckland Blues yesterday said that All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett would be sidelined for an undefined period after fracturing a hand in his team’s 21-20 Super Rugby Pacific loss against the ACT Brumbies on Friday. Barrett was forced off during the first half at Eden Park with the injury after helping his team to take the lead. In the 33-year-old’s absence, the Australian side fought back to secure their first win in Auckland since 2013. “The Blues medical team has confirmed that Beauden Barrett, who was forced out of the game at halftime, has suffered a hand fracture,” the Blues said in a statement on Instagram. “The injury requires ongoing assessment before determining details of treatment or time required for recovery. We’ll update when we can.” Hand fractures typically have a recovery time of six to eight weeks. Brumbies prop James Slipper became the second-most-capped Super Rugby player of all time, making his 186th appearance to pass former Otago Highlanders scrumhalf Aaron Smith. Former Canterbury Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett holds the record with 202 matches. In results from round four games played yesterday, the Fijian Drua beat the Waikato Chiefs 28-24 in the rain in Lautoka, Fiji. The win ended the visitors’ unbeaten start to the Super Rugby Pacific season. Ponipate Loganimasi’s stunning try helped put the Drua in a winning position. Loganimasi gathered a kick inside his own half, spun through a tackle and kicked ahead before winning the chase for the touchdown. Elsewhere, Moana Pasifika downed the Wellington Hurricanes 40-31 and the NSW Waratahs defeated the Western Force 34-10. The Canterbury Crusaders face the Queensland Reds today.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
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