CRICKET
Flintoff steps down
Andrew Flintoff has stepped down as the coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, suggesting that he did not feel valued by the franchise’s new owners. The former England all-rounder coached the men’s team of the Headingley-based franchise in the past two editions of the tournament. Appearing on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, cohosted by Superchargers spinner Adil Rashid, Flintoff confirmed his talks with the Sun Group, which bought the full 100 percent stake in Superchargers in February, had broken down. “I genuinely don’t do it for the money, although it’s nice, but I’m worth more than just over a quarter of the [salary of] other head coaches,” the 47-year-old said. “I wasn’t encouraged they wanted me anyway, but then also you want to feel valued. So I said that it’s not going to work for me, and they weren’t going to move on it.” The BBC quoted a Sun Group spokesperson as saying: “We had discussions with Freddie and extended an offer, which was an increase over his current salary at Northern Superchargers. While we would have loved to have him on board, we respect his decision.” Flintoff, also the head coach of the England Lions, is tipped as a future coach for the England national team.
Photo: Reuters
SOCCER
Player breaks neck
Togo international Samuel Asamoah broke his neck after colliding with a pitch-side advertising board during a domestic fixture in China, his club said, fearing he might be left paralyzed. Video footage showed the 31-year-old being shoved by an opponent during a match on Sunday in China’s second-tier League One as they jostled for the ball, plowing head-first into an LED advertising panel. The midfielder’s club, Guangxi Pingguo, said that Asamoah sustained fractures in his neck and nerve damage, and subsequently underwent surgery. “He is at risk of high-level paraplegia and will miss all remaining games this season. His career may also be seriously affected,” the club said on Monday. On Wednesday the club said that Asamoah was recovering from surgery and was in a stable condition. “Guangxi Pingguo FC sincerely thanks all fans and all walks of life for their concern and support for Samuel Asamoah,” the team said. “His recovery progress will be announced in due course after follow-up examinations.” Asamoah spent most of his career in Belgium before moving to China last year. He has played six times for Togo, according to statistics Web site transfermarkt.com. Citing Chinese soccer authorities, The Paper reported that the advertising display was positioned 3m from the field in line with international standards. The opposition player, Chongqing Tonglianglong midfielder Zhang Zhixiong, was given a yellow card following the incident.
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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