CYCLING
Thomas reunited with bike
British double Olympic gold medalist Geraint Thomas was delighted after he was reunited with his bike that had been stolen on Sunday outside a coffee shop during a training ride rest on the French Riviera. Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner, earlier wrote on Twitter that he was forced to take a taxi home after “someone nicked my bike.” Three hours later, the 35-year-old said the bike had been found with the help of the police. “Look what showed up!!” Thomas wrote on Twitter with a photograph of himself smiling next to his Pinarello Dogma F bicylce, which police handed back to him. “Big thanks to the Menton Police for their help. All’s well that ends well.” Thomas has yet to sign a contract extension with Team Ineos-Grenadiers.
SKIING
Hirschbuhl nabs first WC win
Austrian Christian Hirschbuhl edged teammate Dominik Raschner in the final of the men’s World Cup parallel slalom on Sunday for his first career victory. Watched on by 3,000 spectators in his native state of Vorarlberg, Hirschbuhl was 0.5 seconds behind after the first run, but won by 0.07 seconds on aggregate after the decisive leg. “It’s a relief and a dream come true,” said Hirschbuhl, whose previous best World Cup result was fourth place in Wengen, Switzerland, in January 2017. The Austrians defeated a Norwegian opponent in the semi-final: Hirschbuhl upset Henrik Kristoffersen, coming from behind after the first run to win by 0.18 seconds, and Raschner beat Atle Lie McGrath, who failed to finish his second run. McGrath won the duel for third place against Kristoffersen by 0.15 seconds.
MOTOGP
Rossi enters Hall of Fame
Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi was on Sunday inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame after the Italian put an end to his illustrious career of more than two decades with a 10th-place finish at the Valencia Grand Prix. Seven-time MotoGP title winner Rossi, one of the greatest and most charismatic of motorcycling champions, delighted fans with a few quick laps at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit, but was unable to add to his 199 premier-class podiums. The 42-year-old, nicknamed “The Doctor,” is considering a move into car racing after competing in Grand Prix motorcycling. “I always think of this day like a nightmare, because it’s the end of a long career and I thought it would be in Valencia, but in the end, I enjoyed it a lot so I have to thank everyone,” Rossi said.
SOCCER
League nears US TV deal
The English Premier League is nearing the sale of its US television rights for about US$2 billion, setting a new overseas record, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the matter. ViacomCBS and ESPN are among the broadcasters bidding for the rights with Comcast’s NBC, the current holder, with second-round bids due on Thursday, the Financial Times report said. Under the deal, which would be functional from the 2022-2023 season until the 2027-2028 season, Premier League would sell all 38 matches in a single block rather than in separate packages. If a deal comes through, it could set a record for Premier league’s US broadcasting rights, making it the league’s most lucrative overseas deal, the report said.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
Australia yesterday won two of four races on the first day of the SailGP Sydney event on Sydney Harbour to finish the day atop the points table ahead of Britain and a French team who made an outstanding return after missing the first two events of the season. Australia also had a third and a second placing, finishing the day with 37 points, ahead of Britain with 32 points and France with 27. Britain won the second race of the day and Switzerland, who won the first race, were in fourth place overall. Australia’s prowess in the start box was again the
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