TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan exit in Busan
France yesterday beat Taiwan 3-1 in the semi-finals at the ITTF World Championships Finals Busan in South Korea, earning a final against China today. In Match 1, Felix Lebrun beat Chuang Chih-yuan 3-1 (5-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6) on Table 1 at the BEXCO Convention Center. Lin Yun-ju scored Taiwan’s only win, beating Lebrun 3-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-5) in Match 2. Simon Gauzy made it 2-1 in Match 3 with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-6) win over Kao Cheng-jui before Lebrun got his revenge against Lin in Match 4 with a 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-8) victory.
Photo: Reuters
TENNIS
Norrie reaches semi-finals
Defending champion Cameron Norrie on Friday beat Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Rio Open. The second seed next faces Argentina’s Mariano Navone, who overcame Brazilian 17-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Francisco Cerundolo beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to earn a semi against compatriot Sebastian Baez, who beat Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
RUGBY LEAGUE
NRL eyes Super League
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) is considering buying the English Super League, a report said yesterday, a move that would have ramifications for teams and players in both competitions. The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that the NRL had begun investigating the financial viability of taking control of the English game as part of its bid to grow the sport, which is hugely popular in Australia. It comes as the NRL prepares to open its season next weekend in Las Vegas — the first time competition games have been played in the US. The Daily Telegraph said that a third party had approached NRL bosses regarding the potential purchase of the English Super League. Should the takeover be successful, the best players could potentially move between competitions and countries within a single season.
FOOTBALL
Golden Richards dies
Golden Richards, the former Dallas Cowboys receiver known for his flowing blond hair who famously caught a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl, died on Friday of congestive heart failure at his home in Murray. He was 73. Richards’ nephew Lance Richards confirmed the death in a Facebook post. “My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning,” Lance Richards wrote. “I will forever remember going hunting and talking Dallas Cowboy football. He was a kind and sweet soul and I’m so happy he’s not suffering anymore.” The former star for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, spent seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago and Denver, and is best known for his five-plus seasons as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. He twice averaged more than 21 yards per catch, finishing his time in Dallas with an 18.3 career mark. That was especially evident in the 1978 Super Bowl against Denver. With the Cowboys ahead 20-10 in the fourth quarter, fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Richards, who got behind the defense to all but assure the Cowboys of their second championship. Richards finished his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 TDs before injuries prompted him to retire in 1980.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946