■GOLF
Van Pelt wins PGA Tour title
Bo Van Pelt won his first PGA Tour title when he birdied the second hole of a sudden death playoff to beat fellow American John Mallinger in the Milwaukee Championship at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Van Pelt eased home a three-foot putt after missing a 26-footer to claim his first tour victory in 229 tournaments. He and Mallinger both birdied the first playoff hole after finishing regulation at 13-under 267 over the Brown Deer Park Golf Course.
■GYMNASTICS
FIG reprimands Taiwan
The governing body of gymnastics has fined and criticized the Taiwanese federation for its conduct in a doping case involving a teenage athlete. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) banned Chiu Shih-Hui, an 18-year-old aerobic gymnast, for two years after he tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. The ban was applied retroactively from the day of the doping test and runs through Nov. 2 next year. In a ruling issued on Saturday, FIG harshly criticized the Taiwan federation, which was “reprimanded with an accompanying heavy fine” of an undisclosed amount. It was sanctioned for “repeatedly failing to communicate with the FIG and neglecting to assist its gymnast,” the global governing body said.
■MOTOR RACING
Surtees dies in F2 race
Henry Surtees, the son of 1964 Formula One Champion John Surtees, has died after being struck in the head during an F2 race on Sunday. The 18-year-old Surtees was knocked unconscious after being hit by a tire from another car, causing his car to crash into a barrier in the second of the weekend’s races at Brands Hatch. He was airlifted to Royal London hospital, where was later pronounced dead. Surtees, who finished third in Saturday’s opening race for his first F2 podium finish, had starred in F3 last year.
■SOFTBALL
US advance to final
Ashley Hansen clubbed a grand slam and Jennie Finch threw a two-hit shutout as the US advanced to the World Cup of Softball championship game with a 8-0 win against Australia in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Sunday. The teams were set to meet again in the championship game yesterday after Australia, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, bounced back to beat Italy 8-0 in five innings later on Sunday. In the day’s other games, Haruna Sakamoto hit a grand slam off US college softball player of the year Danielle Lawrie as Japan eliminated Canada from finals contention with a 5-4 win.
■DIVING
Chen, Wang cruise to gold
Olympic champions Chen Roulin and Wang Xin of China cruised to the gold medal in 10m synchronized diving at the world championships on Sunday. Chen and Wang compiled 369.18 points, leading after all five rounds. Mary Beth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu of the US took the silver medal with 324.66 points, and Mun Yee Leong and Pandelela Rinong Pamg of Malaysia were third with 321.66. Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion of Canada finished fourth, and Olympic silver medalists Briony Cole and Melissa Wu of Australia were fifth. Meanwhile, Julia Pakhalina of Russia won the gold medal in women’s 1m springboard diving, her first title at a worlds or Olympics in nine years. Pakhalina led from start to finish and totaled 325.05 points through the five-dive final. Wu Minxia of China took the silver medal with 311.90 points and Wang Han of China was third with 303.95. Tania Cagnotto of Italy finished fourth.
The qualifying round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is to be held at the Taipei Dome between Feb. 21 and 25, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today. Taiwan’s group also includes Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa, with two of the four teams advancing onto the 2026 WBC. Taiwan, currently ranked second in the world in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, are favorites to come out of the group, the MLB said in an article announcing the matchups. Last year, Taiwan finished in a five-way tie in their group with two wins and two losses, but finished last on tiebreakers after giving
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For
Taiwan suffered its first defeat of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, losing to defending champion Japan 3-1 at the Taipei Dome last night. Japan’s victory put Taiwan’s score at two wins and one loss in WBSC Premier12 championship Group B play. In the top of the first inning, a sacrifice fly from Japanese batter Shota Morishita allowed Masayuki Kuwahara to score a run on Taiwan’s starter Chen Po-ching (陳柏清). Taiwan’s attempt to catch up in the bottom of the first ended to no avail and an uneventful second inning saw the score
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