Lin moves into Olympic gold medal fight, Hall lands 400m track title

Lin moves into Olympic gold medal fight, Hall lands 400m track title
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Yu Ting Lin of Taiwan has her hand raised after winning her fight against Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey in the women's 57kg semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, on Wednesday. (Reuters)
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Updated 08 August 2024
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Lin moves into Olympic gold medal fight, Hall lands 400m track title

Lin moves into Olympic gold medal fight, Hall lands 400m track title
  • Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting called it “a tough journey” after claiming a unanimous points decision victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkiye at 57kg in her semifinal
  • On the track, American sprinter Quincy Hall lunged at the line to win a gripping men’s 400 meters
  • At Golf National, home favorite Celine Boutier delighted the crowds as she cruised into a three-shot lead after the opening round of the women’s golf event

PARIS: One of the two boxers who have sparked a gender eligibility row won again at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday to ensure she has a shot at a gold medal.

Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting called it “a tough journey” after claiming a unanimous points decision victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkiye at 57kg in her semifinal.

That win came 24 hours after Algeria’s Imane Khelif reached her final.

After the decision came through, the Turk made an X sign with her fingers, just as another of Lin’s beaten opponents had done in a previous bout.

Kahraman refused to say afterwards what it meant. In most cases, males have both an X and Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.

Lin and Khelif are competing in Paris despite being disqualified from the world championships last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after reportedly failing gender eligibility tests.

On the track, American sprinter Quincy Hall lunged at the line to win a gripping men’s 400 meters.

Hall became the fourth fastest one-lap runner in history when he denied Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith gold in a time of 43.40sec.

It ended a 16-year drought for the USA in the event. Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga took bronze.

“I don’t give up,” said Hall. “I just got grit. I grind. I got determination.

“Anything that I can think of, that’s what gets me to that line. I think of all the hurt, all the pain.”

Noah Lyles put himself in a position to go for an Olympic sprint double on Thursday, looking comfortable in finishing second in his semifinal behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.

Lyles, who won the closest 100m final in modern Olympic history by just five thousandths of a second on Sunday, will be hot favorite to become the first man since Usain Bolt at the 2016 Rio Olympics to achieve the 100m-200m double.

In other athletics action in the Stade de France Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali joined an elite group of Arab double gold winners by taking his second consecutive 3,000m steeplechase title.

Only his Moroccan compatriot Hicham El Guerrouj, who won 1500m and 5,000m gold at Athens 2004, and Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli (1500m freestyle in Beijing 2008 and 10km marathon in London 2012) have achieved the feat.

Jamaica’s Roje Stona achieved an upset men’s discus win and Nina Kennedy took Australia’s first ever pole vault Olympic title.

Keegan Palmer of Australia won his second consecutive Olympic men’s park skateboard title with some spectacular moves.

American rapper Snoop Dogg was among the fans at the Place de la Concorde venue to see if Palmer could retain the title he won when skateboarding made its Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago.

The US-born 21-year-old did not disappoint, leading from start to finish. American Tom Schaar won silver and Brazil’s Augusto Akio bronze.

Keegan said his goal was to skate on to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics — providing he can keep his younger rivals at bay. “Definitely the goal is to do Brisbane because it’s where I grew up, it’s where I learned to skate,” he said.

“But you’ve just got to keep up with these kids coming through because skateboarding is a young generation sport.”

At Golf National, home favorite Celine Boutier delighted the crowds as she cruised into a three-shot lead after the opening round of the women’s golf event.

Boutier poured in eight birdies in a brilliant seven-under-par round of 65.

South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai is second, while reigning champion Nelly Korda battled back from a poor opening stretch of holes to finish on even par, seven strokes behind Boutier.

The first gold of the weightlifting program went to Li Fabin, who retained his Olympic 61-kilogramtitle.

In track cycling, Australia ended a 20-year wait to claim the Olympic men’s team pursuit gold medal while the road race champion from these Games, Kristen Faulkner, helped power the United States to the women’s title.

On another lightning quick day at the velodrome, Dutch star Harrie Lavreysen shattered the men’s sprint world record, stopping the clock at 9.088sec.

Host nation France were eliminated in men’s handball, an event they had hoped would produce a gold medal, when the reigning champions lost 35-34 to Germany.

In other developments, Australian Olympic field hockey player Tom Craig was arrested on suspicion of buying cocaine from a dealer in Paris. His team said he was later released with a warning from a French judge.

In the medals table, the USA moved onto 27 golds, two ahead of China while Australia moved into third place with 18 golds.


Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid

Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid
Updated 02 July 2025
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Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid

Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid
  • Other high-profile casualties on day two of the grass-court Grand Slam were women’s third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen
  • Men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner brushed aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 with a minimum of fuss

LONDON: Coco Gauff crashed out of Wimbledon on a day of first-round shocks on Tuesday but defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova and history-chasing Novak Djokovic are up and running.

US second seed Gauff arrived at the All England Club with high hopes after winning the French Open last month but was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 by Ukranian world No. 42 Dayana Yastremska.

Other high-profile casualties on day two of the grass-court Grand Slam were women’s third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen.

Instead of building on her success on the Paris clay, 21-year-old Gauff suffered her earliest Grand Slam exit since another first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2023.

The two-time Grand Slam champion said she would learn from her experience, suggesting she would like more grass-court tennis in the buildup to Wimbledon in future.

“I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards (following the French Open triumph), so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it,” said Gauff.

“But it’s the first time in this experience of, like, coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again.”

Earlier, US Open runner-up Pegula suffered a shock defeat against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3 and was followed out of the tournament by Olympic champion Zheng, who went down 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 against unheralded Katerina Siniakova.

Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev also bowed out, beaten in five sets by French world No. 72 Arthur Rinderknech, giving a bleak assessment of his state of mind after the match.

The German, who reached the Australian Open final earlier this year, suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2019 after a marathon match that started on Monday evening.

Afterwards he made surprisingly frank comments, saying he was considering therapy to talk through his mental health issues.

“It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times,” he said. “I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open.”

Seven-time champion Djokovic was kept waiting until the evening to make his return to Center Court as he targets a record 25th Grand Slam, which would take him clear of his tie with long-retired Margaret Court.

The veteran Serb struggled with feelings of discomfort and dropped a set but recovered to beat French world number 41 Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-2 in the final match on Center Court.

Afterwards he admitted he had found it tough.

“I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,” he said.

“Whether it was a stomach bug, I don’t know what it is.

“I struggled with that but the energy came back after some doctors’ miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”

Earlier, Krejcikova, who came to Wimbledon with just six matches under her belt this year, overcame a sluggish start to beat Philippines star Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final last year.

The 29-year-old was out of action this season until May after suffering a back injury and pulled out of last week’s Eastbourne Open before the quarter-finals with a thigh problem.

“I was in a lot of pain in my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said. “I’m super happy and super excited that I can be here and that I can play on such a great court.”

Men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner brushed aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 with a minimum of fuss.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek swatted aside Russia’s Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost in straight sets in an emotional farewell appearance against US 10th seed Emma Navarro.

There were also wins for men’s fourth seed Jack Draper and fifth seed Taylor Fritz.


Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
Updated 02 July 2025
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Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
  • The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Gonzalo Garcia’s 54th-minute header was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Juventus at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday and book their place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight.
It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side and adding to a positive day, Kylian Mbappe made his return from illness, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the tournament.
The first half was a finely-balanced contest with Igor Tudor’s Juventus starting brightly before Real ended it on top.
There was an early chance for Juve’s Randal Kolo Muani after clever work from Kenan Yildiz to put him through on goal, but the French forward opted for an attempted chip of Thibaut Courtois and his shot floated over the bar.
The impressive Yildiz then burst through the middle and unleashed a fierce effort which deflected off Aurelien Tchouameni and flew wide.
The Turin team, beaten 5-2 by Manchester City in their final group game, were moving the ball around with confidence but Real grew into the contest and they went close when Jude Bellingham forced a save out of Michele Di Gregorio from close range.
Federico Valverde then tested the Juve goalkeeper from long range and Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a low ball across the face of the goal as Madrid finished the half strongly.
The interval did nothing to alter the momentum of the game with Real creating several chances — Bellingham laid off to Valverde, whose sweetly-struck shot was just wide and then Bellingham himself brought another good save out of Di Gregorio with a shot from the edge of the box.
Dean Huijsen’s rocketing drive was parried out by the busy goalkeeper as Real laid seige to the Juventus goal and it was no surprise when the breakthrough finally arrived.
Alexander-Arnold floated in a cross from the right which Gonzalo met with a perfectly-timed header for his third goal in four games in the tournament.
Juve responded with Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao bringing Courtois into action from a low shot the Belgian shot-stopper did well to get down to.
But Real wanted to finish the contest off and Valverde tested Di Gregorio’s reactions with an overhead kick before Alonso decided to introduce Mbappe to the delight of the 62,149 crowd.
Juve’s belief remained however and Nicolas Gonzalez flashed a 25-yard drive just wide.
At the other end, Real’s Turkish midfielder Arda Guler saw his crisp shot kept out by the feet of Di Gregorio, but the one goal was enough.


Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
Updated 01 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
  • The Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about growth of its domestic game

MANCHESTER, England: The great Saudi Arabian football experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup.

The Kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al-Hilal beat Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

It was a seismic result in football terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034.

“We wanted to show that Al-Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,” said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe’s top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years.

Superstar signings and ones that got away

The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in football history when joining Al-Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia.

It is likely why Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most successful team — were so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

They pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City.

“We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great,” Inzaghi said.

Saudi  football has faced doubts

The broader picture is what Al-Hilal’s run says about the standard of football in Saudi Arabia, which has been dismissed by some as a cash grab for players, who can earn far more than if they’d remained in Europe.

“Let’s see now if they will criticize us after these games,” said midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Italian team Lazio. “It’s not like how they are speaking about the league.”

Despite recruiting so many players from Europe’s top clubs — including Champions League winners N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino — it is difficult to judge the quality of the Saudi league.

To put Al-Hilal’s run into context: While they may have won a record 19 league titles and four Asian championships, they are not the Saudi Arabia’s reigning national champion, having been beaten to the title by Benzema’s Al-Ittihad last season.

Another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, who count former Liverpool forward Firmino and ex-Manchester City winger Mahrez among their players, won the Asian Champions League this year.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is yet to win the title in three attempts with Al-Nassr — pointing to the depth of strength in the league.

Al-Hilal’s performances have also come despite releasing Brazil great Neymar in January and with leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic having played no part so far because of injury.

Can Al Hilal win the Club World Cup?

The question now is how far Al-Hilal can go.

Next up is Brazil’s Fluminense in the quarterfinals in Orlando on Friday.

City’s exit — along with Inter Milan’s defeat to Fluminense — has opened up that side of the draw, which also features Palmeiras and Chelsea.

On paper it looks like the favorable side of the draw, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on the other side. But the success of Brazilian teams has been another theme of the tournament and Al-Hilal will have to beat at least one more if they are to advance to the final.

Inzaghi, however, is used to overachieving. His two Champions League finals with Inter Milan came despite having an aging team and relying on savvy deals in the transfer market to pick up free agents and veteran players.

Inter’s victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of this year’s competition was one of the all-time classic contests — winning 7-6 on aggregate.

Al-Hilal’s impressive run has come after Inzaghi spent just one week training with the team before the tournament.

Even if they are eliminated in the next round, a quarterfinals appearance would represent an outstanding campaign for a team that was not expected to compete for the title.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in sport is undoubtedly paying off and Al-Hilal’s run is succeeding in raising the profile of its soccer league.


Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
Updated 01 July 2025
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Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
  • Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy

LONDON: Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova survived a stiff examination from promising 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala before finding her groove to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Wimbledon’s Center Court on Tuesday. Czech Krejcikova, a shock winner as 31st seed last year and seeded 17th this time, came into the tournament short on form after a succession of injuries and initially had no answer to the confident, free-swinging Eala, who is the first woman from the Philippines to play at Wimbledon.
Eala turned 20 in May and was making her first Wimbledon appearance but she immediately looked at home in the daunting surroundings of the sport’s most iconic court.
Krejcikova forced the first break in the third game, however, Eala hit straight back, swinging her lefty forehand freely and throwing in a beautifully disguised drop shot.
She then upped the ante, holding confidently and breaking again as her two-fisted backhand came to the fore and, from 2-1 down with a break against, Eala reeled off four games in a row.
Krejcikova struggled to find any consistency and was not helped by five first-set double faults and very cautious shot choices.
The champion just about held serve after six deuces but Eala was not to be denied and served out to take the first set.
Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy and found her serving range.

LIGHTWEIGHT SERVE
With Eala also starting to lose her radar and with her lightweight serve being punished, the champion swept to a 5-0 lead and took the set 6-2.
Krejcikova grabbed an early break in the third with pounding returns and though Eala had an immediate breakback opportunity, she could not take it and quickly trailed 3-0.
It was relatively straightforward from then, as a tired-looking Eala’s error-count rose and Krejcikova raced home in ever-more confident style.
Krejcikova was quick to credit her opponent.
“I mean, what the hell she played in the first set?,” she said. “She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines, so wow, wow. She’s going to be really good in a couple of years.”
Krejcikova said she was “super happy” to even be back to defend her title after a back injury ruled her out of the Australian Open and a thigh problem curtailed her grasscourt build up.
“Definitely six months ago I was in a lot of pain with my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said.
“So I’m super-excited that I can be here and that I can play and that I can play on such a great court.”
She said she also took time before the match to inspect the trophy, with her name engraved from last year.
“I was definitely enjoying the moment,” she said. “Having that opportunity, that I can see my name there and that I can see the trophy and that I can just enter such a beautiful court, such a beautiful venue — it’s super, super special.”


Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
Updated 01 July 2025
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Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
  • Lacazette joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season
  • Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims

PARIS: Former France forward Alexandre Lacazette has signed for Saudi club Neom after the end of his contract at Lyon, the Pro League side announced on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season.

“From the cradle of heritage in Lyon to the frontier of the future at NEOM S.C,” Neom said in a social media post. “Sharpshooter @LacazetteAlex has arrived.”

Lacazette joined Lyon for a second spell with the team in 2022 from Arsenal and left the club as the second-highest goalscorer in their history with 201 goals.

Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims on Monday.