TENNIS
Chan, Olmos make quarters
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos on Monday progressed to the quarter-finals of the San Diego Open after beating Australia’s Daria Saville and Russia’s Anna Blinkova 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-5 in the women’s doubles. They next face either Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and her partner Guo Hanyu of China or US pair Emily Deming and Ann Li, depending on the outcome of their showdown today.
CRICKET
Neil Wagner retires
An emotional Neil Wagner yesterday announced his retirement from international cricket, after the fast bowler was left out of New Zealand’s team for the first Test against Australia this week. Wagner fought back tears as he told reporters he had decided to call time on a 64-Test career after New Zealand Cricket said he would not be in the side for tomorrow’s match in Wellington. “It’s never an easy time to do something like this, but the time has obviously come,” said the 37-year-old Wagner, who has taken 260 Test wickets. “It’s been amazing to represent the Black Caps. It’s been some of the proudest moments of my life,” he added. Fiery short-ball specialist Wagner said he would leave the squad before the start of next week’s second Test in Christchurch. “I’m looking forward to one final week in camp and will be doing everything I can to help prepare and support the boys,” he said. Wagner made his New Zealand debut in 2012 after arriving from his native South Africa four years earlier. “To the New Zealand public and the fans, I can’t thank you enough, for your support, for making me feel welcome, for making me feel like a Kiwi,” he said. Only Richard Hadlee, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori and Trent Boult have taken more Test wickets for New Zealand than Wagner.
CYCLING
Mechanic fakes being rider
A US women’s cycling team have been sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for fraudulent actions after a mechanic was told to disguise herself as a rider to satisfy race regulations. The sport’s governing body said a disciplinary commission found that Cynisca Cycling, a UCI Women’s Continental team, tried to circumvent rules that required five riders per team to start the Argenta Classic in Belgium in July last year. “Although only four riders were present and available to start the event, several members of the team had participated in a fraud ... by attempting to deceive the Commissaires’ Panel into believing that a fifth rider was present and could take part in the event,” the UCI said in a statement. The team’s sports director Danny Van Haute instructed riders Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov and Claire Windsor to lie about the whereabouts of a fifth rider who was unable to race because of illness, the UCI said. Having initially stated that the fifth rider was “present but ill” they were told the team would not be allowed to compete unless the fifth rider signed in and was ready to start. Van Haute then instructed team mechanic Moira Barrett to wear rider’s clothes and a mask and present herself at the start as the team’s fifth rider, the UCI statement said. Van Haute was fined and suspended from all cycling activity until Dec. 31, next year, while the four riders were reprimanded for their part in the saga. Barrett was banned until September and the team were fined and suspended from the next event on the UCI calendar.
‘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