SWIMMING
Mack Horton retires
Australian champion swimmer Mack Horton, a fierce anti-doping campaigner, yesterday called time on his career just months ahead of the Paris Olympics. The 27-year-old, who famously refused to stand on the podium alongside China’s Sun Yang at the 2019 world championships, said the passion had left him. “I dearly wanted to swim in Paris, but the hunger wasn’t there,” he said in a statement. Horton won gold in the 400m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics ahead of Sun, but is best remembered for the 400m silver he won at the 2019 worlds in South Korea. He refused to shake the Chinese athlete’s hand or even stand on the podium alongside him, reigniting a row from Rio, where he labeled Sun a “drug cheat.” Three-time Olympic champion Sun was subsequently slapped with an eight-year ban after refusing to give samples during a surprise doping test.
CRICKET
Pakistan beat NZ, lose Test
Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi yesterday said it was “very important” his team avoided a whitewash series loss to New Zealand after winning the fifth and final T20 international by 42 runs. The Black Caps capitulated for 92 in the face of some quality Pakistan spin bowling, having been favored to chase down the tourists’ 134-8. Pakistan lost the five-match series 4-1, but Shaheen was pleased his first stint as captain had ended on a winning note, after being outplayed through the first four games. “Today’s game was very important for us. We needed that as a unit to step forward,” Shaheen said. “In the first four games, there were a lot of collapses, as a fielding unit, as a batting unit, but I think today we played as a team and we needed that win.”
ICE HOCKEY
Oilers extend streak to 13
Sam Gagner on Saturday broke a tie with a fluke goal early in the third period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 to break the Montreal Canadiens’ record for the longest winning streak by a Canadian team at 13. Stuart Skinner made 26 saves to help Edmonton break the tie with the 1967-’68 Canadiens for the record. The Pittsburgh Penguins set the NHL mark of 17 in 1992-’93.
SOCCER
United appoint Berrada CEO
Manchester United have appointed Omar Berrada as their new chief executive officer, the club said in a statement on Saturday. Berrada’s start date would be confirmed in due course, while Patrick Stewart would continue as interim CEO. “The Club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey,” the club said. Berrada, regarded as one of the most experienced executives in European soccer, currently holds the position of director of soccer operations at City Football Group, where he oversees 11 clubs across five continents. He previously held senior positions at Barcelona. United, who currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, bolstered their squad in the summer transfer window, with new signings including Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, Mason Mount from Chelsea and Andre Onana from Inter.
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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