■ AUTO RACIN
Latvala leads Swedish Rally
Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland retained the lead in the Swedish Rally on Saturday, taking a 49.8-second advantage over Ford Focus teammate Mikko Hirvonen into the final day. Latvala, who finished out of the points in the season opener in Monte Carlo last month, had a total time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 53.7 seconds after 14 stages. The 22-year-old Latvala won six of seven stages on Friday, but was winless on the penultimate day of the world championship event. "It was difficult being first on the road through the opening stage because there was a lot of slush for the first 3km and we did a lot of moving from snowbank to snowbank," Latvala said.
■ FIELD HOCKEY
N Zealand headed to Beijing
New Zealand will play in the men's field hockey tournament at August's Beijing Olympics after beating Argentina 3-2 in double overtime in the final of a six-nation qualifying tournament yesterday. Brad Shaw scored the winning goal eight seconds from the end of extra time after New Zealand had twice come from behind in regulation to tie the game 2-2. "It's an unbelievable moment," coach Shane McLeod said. "It's very difficult to describe when you understand all the effort the guys have put in." Argentinian players slumped on the field in tears as Shaw slammed home a rebound in the dying moments of the second overtime.
■ FOOTBALL
Redskins hire Zorn as coach
The Washington Redskins hired Jim Zorn as their coach on Saturday, a surprise ending to a monthlong search for a replacement for Joe Gibbs. "I've always dreamed of being a head coach with a franchise rich in tradition like the Redskins," Zorn said in a team news release. "As a player who had to fight Redskins teams at RFK [stadium] as well as at our home field, I know about the history of this franchise as well as the passion of its fans. I won't let you down." The Redskins said the 54-year-old Zorn agreed to a five-year contract. He was scheduled to be introduced at a news conference yesterday.
■ SKIING
Vonn wins milestone victory
Lindsey Vonn has joined Picabo Street and Daron Rahlves as the most successful US downhill skiers. Among current competitors, she has no equal. Vonn blew away the field in Sestriere, Italy, on Saturday for her fourth win in seven downhills this season. It was the ninth downhill victory of her career, matching Street and Rahlves. "Lindsey is pretty much unbeatable now," US downhill coach Alex Hoedlmoser said. "The only thing that could have beaten her here was herself." Using a much straighter line than any other skier, Vonn covered the 2.965km Kandahar Banchetta course in 1 minute, 38.86 seconds. The race announcer yelled, "She's a speed train!"
■ SKIING
Reinfried Herbst returns
The Austrian put together the fastest times in both runs to win a men's slalom on Saturday to cap his comeback from a serious knee injury. Herbst beat Manfred Moelgg of Italy by 0.65 seconds on a sun-drenched Gudiberg course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Although he led by nearly half a second after the first run, the 29-year-old Austrian did not hold back in the second heat and attacked the course all the way to post his second World Cup victory. "What happened today is exactly what I had in mind at the start of the season: to show what I can do," Herbst said. "The feeling is simply great.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting