BADMINTON
Chou wins Finland title
Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen last night edged Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn to win the men’s singles title at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland. Chou, seeded second in the Super 500 tournament, handily took the first game 21-11, before losing 21-13 to the 24-year-old world No. 3. Neither opponent seemed willing to give up any points in the tight third game, with world No. 9 Chou, 35, narrowly defeating Vitidsarn 21-19 to take the match. Prior to their final showdown, Chou had won four of their six matchups, most recently in the quarter-finals of the China Open in July. The win was Chou’s best finish so far this year. He next heads to Odense for the Denmark Open, which starts today.
Photo: AP
MOTORSPORTS
Payne, Tander win Bathurst
Matt Payne and Garth Tander yesterday won a dramatic Bathurst 1000 in a Ford Mustang despite crossing the line in second place and after starting from 18th on the grid. James Golding was first across the line in a Chevrolet, but was carrying a five-second time penalty that lifted Payne into first place. Torrential rain, low clouds, multiple crashes, safety cars and repeated lead changes in the final laps produced some of the most extraordinary scenes in the 65-year history of Australia’s most prestigious auto race. Payne, a 23-year-old New Zealander, only led for three of the 161 laps of the endurance classic, but stayed close to Golding in the final laps, knowing the outstanding time penalty would hand him his first victory in the race and the sixth for the veteran Australian Tander.
ATHLETICS
Lovseth wins Ironman
Norwegian Solveig Lovseth on Saturday pulled off a dramatic finish at the Ironman World Championship, overtaking American Taylor Knibb on the final climb of the run to seal victory in 8 hours, 28 minutes, 27 seconds, in the last standalone women’s event in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Knibb had led much of the race, and was favored to win when Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay withdrew near the Energy Lab after struggling in the sweltering heat. With Charles-Barclay’s exit, Knibb appeared to ease her pace, walking through an aid station and slowing slightly with fewer than 10km to go. Lovseth, down by 3:23 at that point, mounted a powerful surge and in the final 3.5km, Knibb collapsed on the pavement, allowing the 26-year-old Norwegian to storm past to the finish.
RUGBY UNION
RFU mulls ‘anti-pee paint’
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has proposed using “anti-pee paint” that would leave public offenders “covered in their own urine” to ease residents’ fears over plans to increase the number of music concerts staged at Twickenham. The union has encountered strong resistance from residents, many of whom are concerned with anti-social behavior at England matches and late-night events. At a local council meeting last week people complained that “there are regularly drunken adults urinating on properties,” as well as shouting, swearing and sometimes fighting in the streets. One representation read: “The pavements and roads are unhygienic, and children are having to walk and scoot through dried urine and excrement,” while another provided evidence showing “urination and indecent exposure” on the individual’s property.
Jesper Boqvist on Tuesday scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period as the Florida Panthers, after raising their second straight NHL Stanley Cup banner, opened the defense of the title by beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Mackie Samoskevich — getting his second assist, the fifth two-point game of his career — chipped the puck toward the goal and Boqvist knocked it out of the air for the lead with 10 minutes, 20 seconds left. A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe also had goals for Florida, who got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist and Teuvo
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Monday said that he was playing “terrible tennis” after he was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters by France’s Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. His exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the tournament’s top-ranked player, increasing the 38-year-old Serb’s chances of winning a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub. In stifling conditions, world No. 54 Rinderknech came back from a set down to stun an increasingly rattled Zverev into submission. It is the second time the Frenchman has beaten him, after bundling him out of Wimbledon earlier this year. A despondent Zverev told reporters the match had
Mexico’s teenage playmaker Gilberto Mora has lit up the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile as he basks in the limelight afforded by the absences of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lamine Yamal and Franco Mastantuono. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest star, and I’m not really interested in that. I think you can always give more,” 16-year-old Mora said before Mexico’s 4-1 win against host nation Chile in the round-of-16 on Tuesday, in which he provided the assist for the opening goal. Next on Mora’s schedule is a quarter-final clash against Argentina this morning Taiwan time, but after
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Nathan Lukes hit a two-run single and Addison Barger had three of Toronto’s 12 hits as the Blue Jays bounced back After taking down the storied New York Yankees in their own ballpark in their American League Division Series on Wednesday, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ready to revel in the triumph. “Start spreading the news,” Schneider said while popping a bottle of bubbly to set off the Blue Jays’ jubilant celebration inside their Yankee Stadium clubhouse. With the party under way, the familiar lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s version of New York, New York — the Yankees’ long-time victory anthem — sounded in the background as roaring Toronto players sprayed each other with booze in the Bronx. This time, it was their
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