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.”
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
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
TWO-NIL LOSS: Taiwan’s best chance to score came at the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, but Venezuela’s Liarvis Breto got out of the jam Taiwan yesterday suffered a shutout 2-0 loss to Venezuela in the opening game of the WBSC Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome. Taiwan had seven hits, one more than Venezuela’s six, but catcher Carlos Perez’s two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning delivered the only runs scored by both teams and secured victory for Venezuela. Taiwan’s best chance came at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. However, Venezuela reliever Liarvis Breto struck out Chen Chen-wei before reliever Pedro Garcia finished the inning by allowing an infield flyball by Lin
As sporting celebrations go, it does not quite have the charm of Roger Milla’s hip-wiggling shimmy with a corner flag at the 1990 World Cup or the imperious swagger of Usain Bolt’s iconic lightning pose. However, a dance move inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s stilted on-stage boogieing has rapidly become the celebration of choice across the US sporting world. From the blood-soaked UFC to the hard-hitting NFL and the reliably decorous world of the LPGA Tour, athletes across North America have succumbed to the viral Trump dance craze in the past week. On Monday, US soccer star Christian Pulisic became the latest
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