BODYBUILDING
Taiwanese wins in China
Chen Hsueh-lin this week won a gold medal at Mr Universe China, emerging as the best-performing Taiwanese in the three-day tournament. Chen triumphed in the men’s masters category, which features competitors older than 40, while compatriot Wu Chin-lung placed third. Chen also won bronze in men’s bodybuilding, while Hsu Feng-shuo, who finished fourth in that category, was also the runner-up in men’s classic bodybuilding. The international championship, organized by the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation, was held at the Western China International Expo City in Chengdu from Wednesday to Friday.
SOCCER
Acid attack victim discharged
A top Malaysian soccer player who sustained severe burns in an acid attack was discharged yesterday from a hospital where he had undergone multiple surgeries, the CEO of his club said. Selangor FC and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim sustained burns on the neck, shoulder, hands and chest in the assault at a shopping mall outside the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on May 5. Faisal’s case was the most high-profile of separate crimes committed against four top-flight Malaysian players this month, which are not believed to be linked but have nonetheless shocked and angered the nation.
BASKETBALL
Clark wins first WNBA game
Women’s basketball sensation Caitlin Clark on Friday drilled a dagger three-pointer to help the Indiana Fever notch their first win of her debut WNBA season, 78-73 over the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark, whose record-setting exploits in collegiate basketball brought unprecedented attention to the women’s game, has struggled since Indiana made her the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. She endured another tough shooting night on Friday, but finished with her first WNBA double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
SOCCER
Barcelona fires Xavi
Barcelona on Friday sacked coach Xavi Hernandez after the Catalan giants failed to win a trophy this season, but just weeks after he and club president Joan Laporta agreed he would stay in the post. Xavi would take charge of the team’s final La Liga match today at Sevilla before departing. Former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick is heavily tipped to replace Xavi. “It’s never easy to leave the club of your life, but I am very proud,” Xavi wrote in an open letter published on social media. “From Sunday I will be just one more Barca fan, in the stands, whether it’s the Olympic Stadium or in a few months in the new Camp Nou. Because before being a player or a coach, I am a fan of Barcelona and I only want the best for the club, who will always have me at their disposal.”
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
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
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
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