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.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
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