Taekwondo
Taiwan’s Pan wins gold
Taiwan’s Pan Yun-ci won a gold medal in the women’s over-67kg division at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge in South Korea, which ended on Monday. Pan beat South Korean Miseo Kwon 12-3, 7-5 in a two-round contest. Pan was among four Taiwanese women who were using the event to prepare for the Asian Games, which opens in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 23. Teammates Chuang Tien-yu, Lin Wei-chun and Chang Jui-en won two golds and a silver in their respective divisions at the tournament two days earlier. Huang Yu-jen and Hung Chun-yi of National Changhua University of Education won gold and silver medals in the men’s 80kg division.
TENNIS
Vondrousova to tattoo win
New Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who broke into the women’s top 10 on Monday, plans to celebrate her win by getting a matching strawberry tattoo alongside her coach. The 24-year-old Czech rose 32 places to 10th in the new WTA rankings after winning her first Grand Slam title with a stunning straight-sets victory over Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final. She became the first unseeded player to win the women’s singles title and said afterwards that her coach Jan Hernych had pledged to get a matching tattoo in celebration. “We talked before the tournament and he said: ‘Maybe if you win a Grand Slam, then I’ll do it,’ so this is happening,” Vondrousova told a news conference, with the BBC reporting that the pair would visit a Prague tattoo parlor later this week.
CYCLING
Pogacar addresses suspicion
Tadej Pogacar on Monday echoed his Tour de France rival Jonas Vingegaard on the question of doping, saying he understood “people asking the question” because “we ride fast.” Pogacar was trailing Vingegaard by 10 seconds after a series of ferocious battles on the most demanding ascents. On the way up some traditional climbs, they have broken speed records. On Monday’s rest day, Pogacar addressed the topic of doping in a news conference. “I get this question every year at the tour,” the Slovenian said. “I don’t see any difference than other years. We ride fast, every stage, we go full. I understand people asking question because of what happened in the past people are worried and I completely understand.” On Sunday, after both men beat Chris Froome’s record up Le Bettex, the final climb of the stage, Vingegaard, as race leader, faced the media and doubts. “I fully understand and we have to be skeptical because of what happened in the past or it will just happen again,” the Dane said.
SOCCER
KFA apologizes for pick
South Korea’s Korea Football Association (KFA) yesterday dropped Lee Sang-min from their Asian Games squad and apologized for picking the defender who is ineligible due to a drunk driving conviction. Lee, 23, was caught driving under the influence in May 2020 and fined 5 million won (US$3,963 at the current exchange rate). Under KFA regulations, any player who has been fined at least 5 million won for such an offense is ineligible for selection for a minimum of three years. Lee’s ineligibility period ends next month. “[We] will do our best to prevent similar situations from recurring through future administrative system maintenance,” the KFA said in a statement.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
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