Artistic gymnast Tang Chia-hung of Taiwan, who won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar at the Paris Olympic Games last year, on Friday secured a place in the final at the World Cup Osijek with the highest score in the round.
Tang finished first among 30 competitors in Croatia, earning 14.933 points, including 5.9 for difficulty — the most difficult routine performed in the qualification round.
He was given 8.933 points for execution and was awarded 0.1 bonus points for his dismount.
Photo: AFP
“I feel good overall. This 5.9-difficulty routine does not include any new elements, so it’s kind of conservative, [but] this is just my first tournament in the new Olympic cycle, so I want to adjust myself first,” Tang told reporters after advancing to today’s final.
Tang, who had not competed in any other tournaments since the Paris Olympic Games in August last year, said that he was “a bit nervous.”
“I haven’t competed for a while, so I did feel a bit nervous before performing, but I found that old feeling again once I started the routine,” he said.
Before traveling to Croatia, Tang had announced his intention to debut new elements in the tournament and seek official recognition from the International Gymnastics Federation.
However, that plan might be delayed, as he is still consulting with the judges, he said on Friday.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
‘HELLA ENERGY’: Minnesota’s 42-point victory set a club record for points in a playoff game, but the team have to keep up their momentum to stay in the series, Edwards said Anthony Edwards on Saturday night scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists. while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. However, moments after the 42-point win, Minnesota were determined to forget all about it. Such is life in the NBA playoffs. “You’ve got to erase this one,” Edwards said. “This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in