TENNIS
Russia loses a player
Anastasia Potapova has become the latest Russian-born tennis player to switch international allegiance after the world No. 51 said her application for Austrian citizenship was approved. Potapova, 24, has been playing on the WTA Tour as a neutral athlete after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing under their own flags following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Daria Kasatkina (Australia), Varvara Gracheva (France), Elina Avanesyan (Armenia), Maria Timofeeva (Uzbekistan) and Natela Dzalamidze (Georgia) have all switched allegiance since the Russian invasion. “I am delighted to let you all know that my application for citizenship has been accepted by the Austrian government,” Potapova wrote on social media on Thursday. “As part of this I am proud to announce that starting from 2026 I will be representing my new homeland Austria in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.”
SAILING
Swimmer to sail
Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe yesterday joined the crew of supermaxi LawConnect in its bid to win a third consecutive Sydney-Hobart yacht race, with the Australian bracing for a mental and physical challenge. The five-time Olympic gold medalist, considered one of the world’s greatest swimmers, revealed he had been secretly preparing for the brutal bluewater classic. “I’ve spent my life in and around water, but this is a completely different test, both mentally and physically,” said the 43-year-old, who will be making his race debut. “Joining the LawConnect team is an opportunity to push myself, learn something new, and be part of an incredible Australian sporting tradition,” he added. More than 130 yachts are due to depart Sydney on Dec. 26 for the event’s 80th edition, heading down Australia’s east coast before tackling the notorious Bass Strait toward the Tasmanian state capital Hobart. Thorpe would be on board one of five ultra-fast 30m supermaxis competing for line honors, with LawConnect targeting a third straight victory.
DIVING
Ukrainian diver defects
Ukraine’s diving federation said it has stripped Sofiia Lyskun of her titles following her decision to switch allegiance to Russia. The 23-year-old, who represented Ukraine at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Games last year, revealed the switch in an interview with a Russian newspaper earlier this week. The federation said Lyskun had not informed it, her coaching staff or Ukraine’s sports ministry about her decision. “Such steps are categorically unacceptable,” it said in a statement. “They discredit not only an individual athlete, but also the entire team of Ukraine which every day selflessly fights for the right to represent our country in the international arena. The Diving Federation of Ukraine will also appeal to international sports institutions with a requirement to apply sports quarantine to this athlete in accordance with current international standards,” it said. Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from World Aquatics events after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but some competed as neutrals in the Paris Olympics. Lyskun told Russian newspaper Izvestia that she decided to switch allegiance after realizing she was no longer growing under her coaches in Ukraine and that they were “all gymnasts or trampoline athletes.”
A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday. The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online. Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph. She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
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