BOWLING
Taiwan win gold at champs
Taiwan on Tuesday won gold at the fifth World Deaf Bowling Championships in Munich, Germany, after defeating South Korea in the women’s trios category. Chang Yao-chien, Lin Ya-chin, Wang Yu-chin and Lin Hsiang-tzu won one silver and one bronze medal in the women’s doubles category on Sunday. Chang, Lin Ya-chin, and Wang on Tuesday combined to win gold. The trio advanced to the semi-finals after finishing their first six games with a score of 3,326 points, the Chinese Taipei Deaf Sports Federation said in a news release. In the semi-finals, they defeated South Korea 576-510 and topped another South Korean trio 633-547 in the finals to bag gold, it said. Taiwan also won bronze in the men’s trios category. The championships end on Saturday. Taiwan has one gold, two silvers and three bronzes, behind South Korea at the top of the medal table with 11 medals.
SOCCER
Lopetegui ditches Wolves
Julen Lopetegui on Tuesday left his position as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager after nine months in charge and less than a week before the start of the English Premier League season. The former Spain and Real Madrid coach was reportedly unhappy with the club’s financial situation. He took charge in November last year with the team in last place in the league and guided Wolves to safety and a 13th-place finish. “However, the head coach and club acknowledged and accepted their differences of opinion on certain issues and agreed that an amicable end to his contract was the best solution for all parties,” the club said. Wolverhampton are reportedly set to hire Gary O’Neil, who left AFC Bournemouth during the off-season.
BASKETBALL
No Olympics for Taiwan
Taiwan’s basketball association yesterday said that it would not take part in qualifying matches for the Olympics to be held in Syria due to security concerns. In a statement, the CTBA said it was “impossible to overcome” security concerns about host city Damascus, especially as the team would have to get there via land from a neighboring country. “Based on the priority given to the safety of the team members, it is determined not to participate in this competition,” it said. Taiwan has never won an Olympic medal for basketball.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
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