BADMINTON
Lee, Yang place 2nd in Paris
Taiwanese shuttlers Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan finished runners-up at the French Open on Sunday after losing to Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the men’s doubles final. Lee and Yang, who are ranked 16th, lost 21-11, 21-17 against the world No. 1 pair from India in a match that lasted just 37 minutes at the Adidas Arena in Paris. Despite the score being tied 4-4 early in the opener, Rankireddy and Shetty quickly set an aggressive tone to take the lead for the rest of the game. Lee and Yang improved in the second game, leading 14-13 at one point, but a series of unforced errors allowed their opponents to seal the win. The Taiwanese duo have lost all three of their matches against the Indian pair. Lee and Yang said that they were disappointed with their performance, and felt they were too conservative with many of their shots, pledging to fight harder next time they face the Indian duo. Rankireddy and Shetty attacked well, which is why many of their defensive shots went wide, the Taiwanese pair said, adding that they should have focused on attacking.
SPEEDSKATING
Champ Stolz sets record
Jordan Stolz on Sunday became the youngest allround speedskating world champion since Eric Heiden accomplished the feat as an 18-year-old in 1977. He is also the first American to win the title since Shani Davis in 2006, capping a dominating performance with the highest points total ever. Nineteen-year-old Stolz started the day with a track record in the 1,500m at Max Aicher Arena, crossing the line in 1 minute, 41.78 seconds. He then took 13 seconds off his personal best in the 10,000m. The Wisconsin native, who is positioning himself to be one of the biggest stars at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, totaled 144.740 points to eclipse by 0.821 the previous allround mark set by Patrick Roest of the Netherlands in 2019 on the high-altitude oval in Calgary, Canada. “I’ve been beaten by a phenomenon,” said Roest, a three-time world champion who settled for the runner-up spot this time behind Stolz. “He is just incredibly strong, he can handle all distances and he even defeats long-distance specialists in their own event. What he does is quite special.”
SUMO
Hakuho could lose stable
Sumo’s greatest champion, Hakuho, could have his stable of wrestlers forcibly closed after he failed to control a protege who was thrown out of the sport for bullying, Japanese media reported. The wider group to which Hakuho’s Miyagino stable belongs on Sunday submitted a plan to sumo authorities to transfer all of his wrestlers to other set-ups within the organization, reports said. If the proposal is accepted, Hakuho’s stable would close its doors from next month and the former yokozuna, who won a record 45 tournaments before retiring in 2021, would also be moved elsewhere. However, the stable could return, reports said. Hakuho was last month fined and downgraded to the lowest rank for sumo elders for failing to control the behavior of his protege Hokuseiho. Twenty-two-year-old Hokuseiho, who is 204cm tall, is alleged to have punched lower-ranked stablemates and stolen money from them. He was forced to quit the sport in disgrace when sumo authorities issued a recommendation for him to retire.
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
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
“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
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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