BADMINTON
Sung takes top Taiwan spot
Tai Tzu-ying has been replaced by Sung Shuo-yun as Taiwan’s top-ranked female player, BWF rankings released on Tuesday showed. Tai, 30, fell six places to 25th place, after having points deducted for not competing. The Taiwanese ace is still recovering from knee injuries that plagued her throughout last season. She applied for a three-month injury-protected ranking in October last year before undergoing surgery on her left knee in early December. Tai said that she “has never paid too much attention” to world rankings since they “always change,” and is instead focused on rehabilitation. Sung rose one place to rank 19th in the world in the latest weekly rankings. Wen Chi-hsu fell one spot to 26th, while Chiu Pin-chian remained No. 27. Sung on Tuesday lost 21-18, 21-16 to Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in the opening round of the All England Open Badminton Championships.
Photo: EPA-EFE
BOXING
Eubank fined over egg throw
British boxer Chris Eubank Jr has been fined ￡100,000 (US$129,385) for smashing an egg into the face of rival Conor Benn during a media event two weeks ago. The British Boxing Board of Control on Tuesday said that Eubank was fined after being found “in breach of Regulation 25 for his conduct at the press conference in Manchester.” The fighters had gone face-to-face as part of the promotion of their scheduled April 26 middleweight bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 35-year-old Eubank then reached into a pocket, pulled out an egg and smacked the right side of Benn’s face. Security guards rushed in to keep the pair separated. They were scheduled to fight at London’s O2 Arena in October 2022, but it was called off after Benn’s voluntary urine test showed trace amounts of fertility drug clomiphene, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels while burning fat. The 28-year-old Benn later successfully argued that his consumption of eggs elevated his testosterone levels.
Photo: AP
GOLF
PGA takes aim at slow play
The PGA Tour might be unable to conclude a deal to unify professional golf, but there is finally progress on another key issue for spectators: slow play. Speaking ahead of the Players Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan revealed the imminent arrival of new sanctions that could include the naming and shaming of offenders. The two-time major champion Collin Morikawa had already made clear that the PGA Tour’s current pace of play policies — which only occasionally sees golfers fined — are unfit for purpose. “I think you just have to start stroking guys and giving guys actual penalties, whether it be strokes or FedEx Cup” points, Morikawa said. “What I’ve learned is that monetary fines are useless. We make so much money and some guys frankly could not care less.” Monahan, who had previously rebuffed the widespread sense that slow play was an issue worth tackling, has taken note. He said the Tour would publish speed-of-play statistics later this season and begin testing a new speed-of-play policy. Although Monahan would not directly address whether those punished would have their names shared with the public, it is understood that plan is under consideration.
Photo: AFP
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
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