Taiwanese swimmer Wang Kuan-hung yesterday posted the second-fastest time in the heats of the men’s 200m butterfly at the Olympic Games in Tokyo to advance to the semi-finals.
Wang won the fourth heat in a time of 1 minute, 54.44 seconds, 0.48 seconds ahead of second-placed Zach Harting of the US.
Overall, Wang was placed second in the rankings behind world-record holder Kristof Milak of Hungary, who timed 1:53.58 in heat 5.
Wang is due to compete in the first semi-final at the Tokyo Aquatics Center at 10:35am Taiwan time.
Earlier, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus dethroned five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky of the US to win a thrilling women’s 400m freestyle final.
Ledecky has been the dominant force in women’s swimming, but in the first of three head-to-head showdowns with Titmus at the Games it was the Australian who triumphed with a superbly timed swim.
Britain’s Adam Peaty delivered another dominating swim to repeat his gold medal success from Rio de Janeiro in the 100m breaststroke, while Canadian Maggie MacNeil stormed to victory in a close women’s 100m butterfly and the US triumphed in the men’s 4x100m relay.
The first mouthwatering matchup between Ledecky and Titmus exceeded all expectations.
The American great was 0.66 seconds ahead at the halfway point, but Titmus then began to reel her in, closing the gap to 0.16 seconds by the 300m turn, grabbing the lead at the 350m mark and powering home for gold.
“I can’t believe it, I’m trying to contain my emotions,” said Titmus, who praised her rival for raising the bar in the sport. “I thanked her, I wouldn’t be here without her. She set this incredible standard. All credit to her for the swimmer she is.”
There was much less drama for Peaty, utterly dominant in the 100m breaststroke, whose time of 57.37 was well short of his own world record 56.88, but comfortably ahead (0.63) of silver medalist Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands.
“I did feel a little pressure into the final, but it’s a good pressure,” Peaty said. “I needed to put myself on edge. I needed to go my fastest.”
Taiwan won a back-and-forth match at the Unions Cup in Singapore yesterday, but the hosts claimed the trophy due to a better points differential over the tournament. Singapore’s players celebrated with the cup, despite losing a match in which they seized the lead three times, but ultimately fell to a 19-16 defeat. Their points advantage was due to their strong opening game against the other team in the competition, Thailand, who they beat 30-8 on Saturday last week. Taiwan narrowly lost to Thailand on Tuesday and went into yesterday’s match facing a steep challenge. They responded well, opening the game with sustained pressure
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy