MARATHONS
Tola breaks NY record
Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola on Sunday produced a devastating performance to win the New York Marathon in a new course record, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri pipped Letsenbet Gidey to claim the women’s race. Tola, last year’s World Athletics Championships marathon gold medalist, powered home to take the tape in a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds, shattering the old course record of 2:05:06 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Kenya’s Albert Korir was second in 2:06:57, while Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata was third in 2:07:11. The win marked a stunning return to form for Tola, who lost his World Championship marathon crown in Budapest in August after failing to finish the course. “I’m very happy — this is the first time I’ve won a major marathon which is very important to me,” Tola told ESPN after the race. A stacked women’s field, which included Boston Marathon champion Obiri, Gidey and Brigid Kosgei, the third fastest woman in history, was widely expected to set a potentially record-breaking pace. However the race became a slow tactical battle, with Obiri holding off 10,000m world record holder Gidey to take the line in 2:27:23. Gidey finished just behind in 2:27:29, with Kenya’s Lokedi third in 2:27:33.
TENNIS
Swiatek ousts Sabalenka
Poland’s Iga Swiatek on Sunday knocked out rival Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-final of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, putting the world No. 1 ranking within her reach ahead of the title match. The win by the cool and collected Swiatek set up a final showdown with the US’ Jessica Pegula, and she can end the year on top if she is able to hoist the trophy. World No. 1 Sabalenka ended Swiatek’s WTA Finals campaign in the penultimate stage a year ago, but lacked her usual lethal power in Cancun, as a flurry of forehand errors undermined her best efforts. The match began on Saturday, but officials were forced to suspend the affair with the Pole up 2-1 in the first set due to inclement weather. Four-time major winner Swiatek wrested the momentum immediately when play resumed on Sunday, and kept her composure throughout. “Jessie [Pegula] is a great player... I know it’s not going to be easy,” Swiatek said.
DRAGON BOATING
Prince William wins race
Britain’s Prince William yesterday took to the waters in Singapore for a morning of dragon boating, ahead of activities for the annual Earthshot Prize awards aimed at promoting solutions for the planet’s environmental threats. Donning a life vest and a black cap, the Prince of Wales sat in a long narrow boat as he paddled with athletes from the British Dragons club on the Kallang River. William and the other 19 paddlers rowed vigorously to the steady beat of a drummer standing in the bow. His boat triumphed in a brief race with another boat captained by British High Commissioner to Singapore Kara Owen. It was not the first time for William, an avid sportsman who tried his hand at dragon boating with his wife, Kate, during a tour of Canada in 2011. “I was lucky enough to be sitting next to him, and he is just a really nice guy,” said Laura Greenwood, a British expat who is a member of the British Dragons. “He has dragon boated before, so he felt kind of confident in what he was doing... It was quite fast pace, so he kept up really well.”
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
RSS