BEIJING: Nathan Chen flipped, whirled and even punched his way to a world-record score in the men’s figure skating short program at the Beijing Olympics.
Next up for the Salt Lake City native: an expected and long-awaited coronation as Olympic champion.
Chen made history in a historic venue on Tuesday, crushing the world record with a score of 113.97 at Capital Indoor Stadium, site of the 1971 ping pong diplomacy matches between the United States and China.
Chen shined on a day when the US women’s hockey team lost 4-2 to rival Canada in the preliminary round and San Francisco native Eileen Gu brushed aside a torrent of hate on social media and won the gold medal in freeski big air while representing China.
Dressed in his typical, suave black-and-white suit, Chen performed perhaps his favorite program to La Boheme, the 1960s standard by the French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour. When it was over, he had confidently made up for his poor short program four years at the Pyeongchang Games.
Opening with a perfect quad flip, the 22-year-old Chen breezed through his often-vexing triple axel and then drilled his quad flip-triple toe loop combination. He skated to a stop and, in a rare show of emotion, punched the air with his right fist.
“I was just elated,” Chen said. “At the last Olympics, both of the short programs didn’t go the way I wanted. To finally get an opportunity to skate the programs I wanted feels really good.”
Chen’s score was nearly two points more than the previous world record set by two-time defending Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu. To win the gold medal, Chen needs to hold off Japanese rivals Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno in Thursday’s free skate. Hanyu finished eighth Tuesday.
American-born Eileen Gu struck back at her many critics by winning the gold medal in the debut of freeski big air and then defiantly answering questions about why she spurned Team USA to represent China at the Beijing Games.
The 18-year-old Gu is an American citizen whose mother is Chinese. Gu estimates she has spent at least a quarter of her life in China. She sided with China in 2019, saying she wants to encourage girls and women to take up winter sports.
“If people don’t believe me, if people don’t like me, then that’s their loss,” Gu said. “They’re never going to win the Olympics.”
China does not allow dual citizenship. It’s unclear whether Gu, who plans to attend Stanford, gave up her US passport.
What is clear is that Gu stuck the best performance of her life at Big Air Shougang, where the ski hill is set among the imposing cooling towers and smokestacks of a closed steel mill. She landed a double cork 1620 for the first time in her career in her final turn to stun Tess Ledeux of France. It’s a move in which skiers spin 4 1/2 times while rotating twice off-axis while 20-some feet in the air.
“I want all the girls to break their boundaries,” she said in Chinese, via an interpreter. “I want them to think if Eileen can do it, I can do it.”
While saying through an interpreter that Gu is an “amazing athlete” who is “extremely competitive,” Ledeux groused that her rival “got lucky” because she had been practicing at Big Air Shougang for weeks, a benefit of competing for the host country.
Gu was having none of that, either.
“I’m not trying to keep everyone happy,” Gu responded. “I’m an 18-year-old girl out here living my best life. Like, I’m having a great time.”
Tennis player Peng Shuai, who has rarely appeared publicly since accusing a Chinese official of sexual assault, was in the stands.
Matthias Mayer of Austria overcame one of his poles getting stuck in the start house to win the men’s super-G and become the first man to win gold medals in Alpine skiing at three straight Olympics. Back home he’ll be known as a “Dreifach-Olympiasieger,” or three-time Olympic champion. He also won the super-G at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and the downhill the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Mayer won the bronze in downhill on Monday. His father, Helmut, won the silver in the first Olympic super-G at the 1988 Calgary Games.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle of the United States won the super-G silver almost 50 years to the day after his mother, Barbara Ann, won gold in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games.
Natalie Geisenberger of Germany became the first three-time Olympic champion in women’s luge by dominating the competition at Yanqing Sliding Center.
Jonna Sundling won the women’s cross-country sprint title, helping Sweden take the lead in gold medals with four.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo defended his Olympic sprint title for Norway, which is tied for second in golds with three.
Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden took silver and Jessie Diggins of the United States earned bronze in the women’s race.
Chen flips, spins way to world-record score at Olympics
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Chen flips, spins way to world-record score at Olympics
- San Francisco native Eileen Gu brushed aside a torrent of hate on social media and won the gold medal in freeski big air while representing China
Koepka leads by 2 after second day of LIV Golf Singapore
- Smash GC lead team competition by one stroke from Ripper GC
SINGAPORE: For the third time in the last 18 LIV Golf regular-season tournaments, Brooks Koepka will take a three-shot lead entering the final round, this time thanks to a brilliant 7-under 64 in Saturday’s rain-delayed second round at LIV Golf Singapore.
When the Smash GC captain held such an advantage the previous two times, he closed the deal in Orlando and Jeddah last year. Given that the five-time major champion has found his form as his PGA Championship title defense looms later this month, it will be a big challenge for his Singapore pursuers to catch him.
Koepka’s Smash GC teammate, defending Singapore champion Talor Gooch, described the task succinctly: “Hard.”
But, he added, not impossible. “Winning golf tournaments is never easy,” Gooch said. “We all know that. Hopefully, we can make it not easy on him. Hopefully, I can make it not easy on him tomorrow.”
Koepka is at 12 under for the tournament, with Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer, Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk and the RangeGoats GC duo of Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff tied for second at 9 under. Four other players are another shot back – Gooch, Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, and HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale.
If Koepka converts the three-shot lead into another victory, he will become the first LIV Golf player to win four individual tournaments. He also has a chance to lift two trophies on Sunday if his Smash team can convert its one-shot lead over the Rippers into the team title.
Although he’s playing with plenty of confidence, Koepka is taking nothing for granted.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “Gooch is trailing. He plays this place pretty well. I’ve just got to go out and do what I do, and from there, you can get beat. I have no problem with that if I get beat. But I just want to go out and play good golf, and that’s all I want to do, especially leading into the PGA.”
That good golf was evident following the 4 hour 45 minute weather delay that pushed the shotgun start back to the afternoon. After three pars to start his round, Koepka birdied the par-5 fourth when he threaded his second shot between a row of palm trees, his ball finishing just off the green.
That was the first of three consecutive birdies, and he finished his bogey-free round with four birdies in his last seven holes. A two-shot sequence seemed to epitomize his day — a 53-foot birdie putt on the 13th, then a near-ace on the 14th.
“Brooks was faultless today,” said Pieters, one of his playing partners on Saturday with first-round leader Sebastian Munoz. “I assume he’s going to do the same tomorrow, and it’s going to take a very low one from those of us behind him to win.”
“He’s comfortable being in the lead,” added Wolff, a former Smash teammate who was traded in the offseason to the RangeGoats. “He’s playing good. I think this golf course actually suits him really well. I’ll do what I can control, and other than that, just see what happens.”
Koepka has his wife Jena and nine-month-old son Crew in Singapore with him this week. It’s the third tournament Crew has attended, the first being LIV Golf Miami and the second at the Masters. His father finished T45 both times.
“I was reminded of that on the way over here,” Koepka said. “Hopefully get a little better result.”
Team Counting Scores
Standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
SMASH GC -23 (Koepka 64, Gooch 66, Kokrak 71; Rd. 2 score -12)
RIPPER GC -22 (Smith 65, Herbert 67, Leishman 67; Rd. 2 score -14)
RANGEGOATS GC -21 (Wolff 65, Pieters 67, Uihlein 70; Rd. 2 score -11)
T4. CLEEKS GC -20 (Meronk 66, Bland 68, Kaymer 69; Rd. 2 score -10)
T4. FIREBALLS GC -20 (Ancer 67, Garcia 68, Chacarra 69; Rd. 2 score -9)
LEGION XIII -17 (Hatton 68, Rahm 68, Vincent 68; Rd. 2 score -9)
STINGER GC -14 (Oosthuizen 69, Burmester 70, Schwartzel 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
T8. CRUSHERS GC -13 (DeChambeau 66, Howell III 66, Lahiri 69; Rd. 2 score -12)
T8. HYFLYERS GC -13 (Mickelson 68, Tringale 68, Ogletree 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
T8. TORQUE GC -13 (Niemann 69, Munoz 70, Pereira 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
4ACES GC -12 (Varner III 67, Reed 68, Johnson 70; Rd. 2 score -8)
IRON HEADS GC -10 (Vincent 66, Na 70, Kozuma 72; Rd. 2 score -5)
MAJESTICKS GC -7 (Poulter 68, Stenson 68, Westwood 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
BENGALURU: Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive IPL win on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of 92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Du Plessis’ departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.
“It was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play,” said Du Plessis.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up.”
Bowlers set up victory after pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers including skipper Shubman Gill early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.
Siraj returned figures of 2-29 to be named man of the match but the pace bowler said he nearly missed the game after being “sick since last night.”
It was Bengaluru’s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim play-off hopes alive.
Gujarat’s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.
“Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game,” Gill said. “Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.”
Kohli, who reclaimed the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.
The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.
Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru slipped to 107-4.
Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor’s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind, but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.
Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.
Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.
2 Saudi players knocked out on day 1 of Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament in Jeddah
- Ali Alkhadrawi creates chances but is unable to take advantage of them as he loses in three games to Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura
- Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi faces tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, and is on receiving end of a masterclass from a player considered one of the best in the world
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia suffered an early setback at the Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday, when Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi and Ali Alkhadrawi were eliminated in the first round of the men’s singles competition.
Ali Alkhadrawi was first to fall, defeated by Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura, who won three games straight to progress to the round of 32.
Competing in front of a home crowd, and with pride etched on his face, Alkhadrawi put up a brave fight. He got off to good start, opening up a 6-3 lead in game one, and had his chances in the third, too, including three game points. However, Yoshimura rallied on both occasions, showing great character as he recorded victories of 11-9, 11-4 and 15-13 to deny the local hero.
Bu Shulaybi, a wildcard entrant to the event, faced a tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, who is considered one of the best players in the world. He gave it his all but also lost in three games, ending up on the receiving end of a masterclass in the game as the No. 6 seed comfortably won 11-4, 11-2, 11-4.
Verstappen wins sprint race at Miami Grand Prix
- The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap
- Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday
MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Miami Grand Prix’s sprint race on Saturday finishing a full 3.3 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader, who is looking for a third straight Grand Prix victory at Miami on Sunday, led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday.
Dutchman Verstappen held off Leclerc’s strong start to secure his place at the front but there was plenty of action and incident in the middle of the pack.
Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton jousted hard but in the end the Dane picked up three penalties, adding 25 seconds to his time, after frequently leaving the track and gaining advantage.
Hamilton also received a penalty, leaving him outside the points positions in 16th after speeding in the pit lane.
The safety car was brought out after the first lap which saw a start line incident involving Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris.
But away from those skirmishes, it was business as usual for Verstappen, who adds another eight points to his season tally with the victory.
“I think my engine wasn’t good in the start and so then I had to speed it a bit, luckily everything worked out in turn one,” said Verstappen.
“Then we had the safety car just to calm things down a bit after that. Steadily we could increase the gap a little bit, but it wasn’t entirely perfect so we still have a bit of work to do,” he added.
“We can still fine tune the car a little bit, so hopefully we can improve for later on in qualifying and especially for tomorrow in the race.”
Future champions shine as Riyadh hosts junior Asian tennis contest for first time
- Tournament featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries
RIYADH: The Asian Tennis Federation’s 14&U Grade A tournament concluded on Saturday in Riyadh, the first event of its kind to be held in the Kingdom.
The tournament was hosted by the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation at the Mahd Academy, and featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries, including Iran, India, Hong Kong and Thailand.
The “A” category is the highest-grade system within the ATF, with the winner of the singles competition earning 1,200 points.
The week’s top winners were Dharma Pantaratorn from Thailand and Kiyarash Sadghi from Iran.
Many of the junior players, such as 12-year-old Aylara Kakabayeva from Turkmenistan, were visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“I took seventh place. It was really good. It feels very good playing here. It feels like you’re playing in a pro tournament like the Grand Slam,” she told Arab News.
The tournament proved to be a meeting point for the youth taking part. Saudi national team player Hamza Elmansoury, 11, said that his best moments were making “friends from different nationalities like Georgian India, Syria and Iran.”
Saudi tournament referee Reham Almansour said: “My favorite part was seeing and watching these talented players coming from all around Asia.”
The tournament is part of the STF’s drive to develop and promote competition for local talents.
STF development officer Pablo Mosquera said that the event allowed local players to get ranked without traveling long distances and making huge investments.
“So, they have, basically, in their backyard, an opportunity to get points,” he said.
“The whole point about tennis is bringing everyone together, especially in these international tournaments, especially the age group of under 12 or 14,” STF technical director, Hassan El-Aroussi added.
The federation plans to host more international tournaments, particularly junior competitions, in cooperation with the International Tennis Federation.
These expansive goals are driven by “our love of tennis,” El-Aroussi said.
