Sports — International

Australia ready to take down USA in Olympic basketball semis, says Mills

by Martin PARRY SAITAMA, Japan (AFP) — NBA stalwart Patty Mills says Australia have bottled up all their previous Olympic failures and plan to let them loose against the United States in their crunch basketball semi-final on Thursday. The world’s third-ranked team, known as the “Boomers”, have been trying to finish on the Olympic podium since the Melbourne Games in 1956 but have yet to make it despite contesting the bronze medal match four times. […]

PHL golfers Saso, Pagdanganan compete at start of Tokyo Olympics women’s golf

  (Eagle News)– Two Filipina golfers are competing at the start of the rounds for the women’s golf tournament in the Tokyo Olympics today, Wednesday, Aug. 4. The two golfers are Yuka Saso who won the first ever gold medal for the Philippines in both women’s individual and women’s team event in Asian Games golf competitions, and team mate Bianca Pagdanganan,a dual medalist in the 2018 Asian Games who won a bronze in the women’s […]

Curry to stay with Warriors as Carmelo joins LeBron: reports

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry has reportedly agreed to a historic contract extension with Golden State while forward Carmelo Anthony will join pal LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. Curry will sign a four-year deal worth $215 million with the Warriors, his agent told ESPN. He will be the first player in NBA history to sign two contracts worth more than $200 million. Anthony confirmed reports he will […]

Double gold for New Zealand kayaker Carrington

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington continued an extraordinary nine-year unbeaten streak to win the 200-meter single-kayak sprint in Tokyo on Tuesday, then backed it up to claim gold in the 500m. Carrington’s golden double makes her New Zealand’s most successful female Olympian, with four golds and one silver over three Games dating back to London 2012. Three of the gold medals came in the 200m solo sprint, an event the 32-year-old has […]

‘I did it for me’: Biles takes Olympic bronze after mental health battle

by Nick REEVES TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Simone Biles’ nightmare Olympics concluded with the US gymnastics superstar returning in the beam final on Tuesday, declaring “I did it for me” after taking bronze behind Chinese teenager Guan Chenchen. It was Biles’ first taste of competition in Tokyo since dramatically standing down during the women’s team final last week, struggling with the “twisties”, a condition meaning gymnasts lose the ability to orientate themselves in mid-air. “I […]

EJ Obiena fails to get a medal but makes country proud in Olympic pole vault performance

  (Eagle News) – Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena failed to make the 5.80 meters in the pole vault finals Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Tokyo Olympics but still made the country proud with his performance that saw a Filipino competing for the first time in this event at the Olympics. The 25-year old Obiena cleared the 5.55 meters on his first attempt, and also made the 5.70 meters. But the 5.80 meters proved to […]

US power past Spain to make Olympic basketball semis

SAITAMA, Japan (AFP) — The United States kept their basketball gold medal dreams on track Tuesday by grinding past world champions Spain 95-81 and into the semi-finals, while Slovenia crushed Germany to make the last four on their Olympic debut. Sharp-shooting Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant poured in 29 points and four assists while Boston’s Jayson Tatum chipped in 13 in a battle between the world’s top two teams, nullifying Ricky Rubio’s 38-point spree for […]

Chinese gymnast Zou Jingyuan wins parallel bars gold at Olympics

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — China’s Zou Jingyuan won parallel bars gold at the Olympics on Tuesday to add to his two world titles on the apparatus. The 23-year-old earned a soaring 16.233 points to take the title in Tokyo over half a point clear of Germany’s Lukas Dauser in silver. Turkey’s Ferhat Arican finished with the bronze. © Agence France-Presse

Asian markets mixed as Delta fans recovery concerns

HONG KONG, China (AFP) —  Asian markets were mixed Tuesday and oil extended losses as the impact of the fast-spreading Delta coronavirus variant on the global recovery fuelled concerns the outlook might not be as rosy as initially hoped. While corporate earnings continue to impress, trader optimism has taken a knock after a series of below-forecast readings from the world’s biggest economies including crucial growth drivers the United States and China. At the same time, […]

Race for gold still on as PH boxer Paalam beats Rio Olympics defending champ

  (Eagle News) – Filipino boxer Carlos Paalam won in the men’s flyweight quarterfinals in the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, Aug. 3, beating the defending champion, Shakhobidin Zoirov from Uzbekistan. It was a stunning win for Paalam and a big upset for the former flyweight division champion Zoirov who won the gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The fight was stopped in the second round following an accidental clash of heads that resulted in cuts […]

Filipina boxer Petecio bags a silver in 2020 Tokyo Olympics; Japan’s Sena wins the gold

    (Eagle News) – Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio bagged the silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics after the final bout of the women’s featherweight division. She faced Japan’s Sena Irie who won the gold after being declared the winner after three rounds via unanimous decision. Sena beat Petecio for the third time in their four boxing matches since 2019. Petecio’s silver is the second medal that Filipino athletes bagged in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, […]

Australian Hoy, 62, oldest Olympic medallist since 1968

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Australian Andrew Hoy became the oldest medallist at the Olympics since 1968 when he took silver in the equestrian eventing team competition at the Tokyo Games on Monday. It was the 62-year-old’s fifth Olympic medal in total — three of them gold — but his first since Sydney 2000. Hoy was not done there, following up soon after with bronze in the eventing individual competition. “I’m actually grateful people can still […]