RUGBY UNION
Crusaders keep Penney
The Canterbury Crusaders yesterday said that Rob Penney would remain as head coach for next year’s Super Rugby season, despite overseeing the club’s worst campaign in more than 20 years. The Crusaders were ninth of 12 teams in Penney’s first season in charge and missed out on the playoffs after winning seven straight Super Rugby titles up to last year under Scott Robertson. This year was their worst season since finishing 10th in 2001. Crusaders chief executive officer Colin Mansbridge said that independent reviews of the season contributed to more than 50 recommended changes, but replacing Penney was not among them. “Rob’s got the backing of the board and he’s got the backing of the players,” Mansbridge said. The Crusaders this year lost key players Richie Mo’unga and Sam Whitelock to overseas clubs while enduring a miserable run of injuries. “At a high level, our worst result since 2001 created sleepless nights, no doubt about it,” Mansbridge said. “Should our fans be gutted about where we ended up? Absolutely.” However, sacking the coaches “and throwing grenades into a system which produced 14 championships over 26 years” would be like “killing the golden goose,” he added. “I think the story of the Crusaders in the final next year would be pretty outstanding and that’s what we’re banking on.”
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Wu advances
Wu Fang-hsien of Taiwan on Wednesday advanced to the women’s doubles quarter-finals at the Washington Open. Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China defeated Russia’s Alexandra Panova and Giuliana Olmos of Mexico 6-2, 6-2 in their round-of-16 clash on the hard courts at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. The win earned them a match against Russian duo Yana Sizikova and Anastasia Potapova at the US$2,100,230 event, with their quarter-final to be played after press time last night.
SOCCER
Australia sack Gustavsson
Football Australia yesterday said that it had parted ways with Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson following a disastrous Olympic campaign that saw the team fail to reach the quarter-finals. Gustavsson, 50, departs after four years in charge. “We thank him for his strong contribution, passion and commitment during that time and wish him every success for the future,” Football Australia chief executive officer James Johnson said in a statement. A 2-1 defeat on Wednesday to the US in Paris sealed the Matildas’ earliest exit from an Olympic Games since their debut in 2000. Under Gustavsson’s stewardship, Australia had reached the semi-finals of last year’s Women’s World Cup, which they cohosted with New Zealand. “It has been a great honor and privilege to have been able to be the head coach of the Matildas over the past four years,” Gustavsson said in a separate statement. “Australian football will be forever in my heart, and I will be watching on and cheering on your success in the future.”
READY TO GO: Lin, who got a first-round bye and is to compete in the round of 16 on Friday, said all she can do is ‘ignore what the haters say’ and focus on her bouts Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who was stripped of her bronze medal at last year’s International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships after failing a gender eligibility test, has been cleared to compete in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday. Lin and Imane Khelif of Algeria, who had both been disqualified at the world championship in New Delhi in March last year, have complied with all rules to fight at the Games, the IOC said. They are now to compete in their second Summer Games, after both finishing outside the podium at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. “All athletes participating
China’s 24-year-old table tennis player Wang Chuqin was overjoyed on Tuesday after securing his first Olympic gold medal alongside teammate Sun Yingsha. His elation soon turned to disbelief, anger and frustration when he discovered that his new paddle — crucial for his singles and team events — had been damaged by excited photographers rushing to capture the moment. Visibly upset, Wang tried to ask for an explanation. His coach tried to hug him in an effort to console him and ask him to stay calm. Wang soon regained his composure despite the setback. “At that moment, I lost control of my emotions a little.
In April last year, Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying finally opened up about her future in the sport in which she had competed professionally since 2009. “My plan is to retire after the end of next year’s season. Even if I’m still able to compete, I would prefer not to,” she said at a promotional event. If true, the Paris Olympics would be her last stab at an Olympic gold medal, a prize some might think a player who has topped the rankings in women’s singles for a record total of 214 weeks — between December 2016 and September 2022 — should
Japan’s 14-year-old Coco Yoshizawa on Sunday grabbed gold in the all-teenage women’s street skateboard final at the Paris Olympics, after nailing a high-risk ride down the hand-rail. Yoshizawa went into her penultimate trick with two big scores, but needing a third to complete her total, before finishing in style. “I knew that if I wanted to win, I had to go for the most difficult tricks. I didn’t aim for second or third place; I aimed for the top spot with my highest difficulty moves,” she said. Even though all her rivals had one more run, she raised her board above