OLYMPICS
Triathlete not afraid of Seine
Australian triathlete Matt Hauser said he would gladly swim in the Seine during the Paris Games, despite water quality concerns, after a sewer problem last year led to the cancelation of a pre-Olympics swimming event, along with the swimming legs of triathlon and Para triathlon events. Hauser, who won a triathlon bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, said the Seine held no fears for him. “To be honest, for me, I’d swim in anything to try and get a medal,” the 26-year-old said in comments published yesterday by the Sydney Morning Herald. “Give me a swig of Coca-Cola and some Gastro-Stop tablets and just put me in there.” Several French officials have promised to take a dip in the Seine before the Olympics to show the water is safe, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
BASKETBALL
Clark eyes US$28m Nike deal
Caitlin Clark, the most prolific scorer in NCAA Division I history and the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, is to continue her association with Nike by signing a US$28 million contract that spans eight years and includes a signature shoe. The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic reported the pending deal, citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations between the sportswear giant and Clark’s agents. The new deal would be the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player. Under Armour and Adidas also participated in contract discussions with Clark’s team in February, the reports said. Puma also showed some interest, but walked away when told the bidding would start at US$3 million per year, the Wall Street Journal said.
GYMNASTICS
US to pay Nassar victims
The US Department of Justice has reached a US$138.7 million civil settlement with hundreds of victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who is serving a prison sentence for sexually abusing athletes under his care, the agency said on Tuesday. The settlement resolves claims the FBI botched the initial investigation into Nassar, it said. “These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset,” US Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement. The settlement resolves 139 separate claims, the department said. The women accused the FBI of failing to act on evidence it received in 2015, allowing Nassar to continue sexually abusing young women and girls until he was charged in 2016.
SOCCER
Juventus slides into Cup final
Arkadiusz Milik’s late strike on Tuesday helped Juventus reach the Coppa Italia final with a 3-2 aggregate win over SS Lazio, despite losing a tense second leg 2-1. Nursing a 2-0 first-leg win, Juventus found themselves 2-0 down on the night and completely dominated as Lazio made a fight of it with a brace of goals from Valentin Castellanos. However, late Juventus substitute Milik scored with his first touch on 83 minutes to settle Juve’s nerves and the two-legged semi with a prod-in. The Turin side is to play either Atalanta BC or ACF Fiorentina in the May 15 final. “We suffered against a good side, so we’re happy to be in the final,” Polish striker Milik said. “We know we have to play better in the final, and we know we can play better.”
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
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