Sport
Short track mixed team relay gives China first Beijing gold
China won a first gold medal of their home Winter Olympics when they claimed the short track speed skating mixed team relay title on Saturday (February 5) ahead of Italy and Hungary.
Ren Ziwei, Wu Dajing, Fan Kexin and Qu Chunyu clocked two minutes 37.348 seconds over 2,000 metres in the final to kick off the host country’s Games in style at the Capital Indoor Stadium.
Wu won China’s only gold medal at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
China won five titles at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and three in Sochi in 2014.
Walter Wallberg of Sweden soared to gold in the men’s freestyle moguls event, unseating favoured champion Mikael Kingsbury of Canada who took silver.
Wallberg, 21, fist-pumped the air and threw down his skis after he landed a Cork 1080 in a lightening fast run that lasted less than 24 seconds.
The slick performance earned him a final score of 83.23, as he edged his Canadian rival.
Wallberg’s win, four years after he was 21st at Pyeongchang 2018, was a surprise as Kingsbury, the most decorated moguls skier in history, was tipped to extend his winning streak.
Ursa Bogataj sent Slovenia into raptures when she won the women’s normal hill ski-jump gold, with compatriot Nika Kriznar claiming bronze as Germany’s Katharina Althaus had to settle for silver as she did four years ago.
No Slovenian had previously won an Olympic ski jumping gold, though Peter Prevc claimed silver and bronze in Sochi in 2014, the year the women’s event was added to the programme.
Bogataj nailed her second jump and joined her team mates in an anxious huddle as Althaus prepared to launch.
The German delivered a clean, long effort but it fell just short in points.
A blistering skiing display by Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe brought his team back form the dead as they claimed victory in a thrilling sprint finish to win the gold medal in the 4x6km mixed biathlon relay.
France took silver, nine-tenths of a second behind the Norwegians, with the Russian Olympic Committee team winning bronze, a further six-tenths of a second off the pace.
Boe’s brilliance allowed Norway to overcome some minor disasters as they seemed to set themselves up for victory only to throw the chance away before he rescued them at the end.
A superb display of shooting allowed Eduard Latypov to maintain a lead for the Russians as many others struggled, but Boe’s blistering power put Norway back in the mix ahead of the last lap behind the French in third place.
The Norwegian closed the gap and then decided to bide his time before accelerating into the home stretch to blast past his opponents, triumphantly punching the air as he crossed the line.
Dutchwoman Irene Schouten won gold in the women’s 3000m speed skating, coming from behind with her skating pair in the latter half of the race to extend her winning streak this season.
She finished the race with an Olympic record of three minutes 56.93 seconds
Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who had led in the early stages of the final race, could not hold on to her lead and ended just over a second behind Schouten, winning silver.
Schouten’s time bettered the mark of 3.57.70 that Claudia Pechstein skated to win 3,000m gold at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
Germany’s Pechstein, competing at a record-equalling eighth Winter Olympics at the age of 49, finished 20th and last, but became the oldest female Winter Olympian.
Sport
ILT20: Nissanka fires Gulf Giants to four-wicket win over Dubai Capitals
Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
Pathum Nissanka produced his second consecutive half-century of the season on Saturday to guide Gulf Giants to a convincing four-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals, taking them to the top of the DP World ILT20 Season 4 standings.
Nissanka smashed 67 off just 31 deliveries in a dominant display that included six fours and five sixes. His 97-run stand with James Vince (50* off 45) proved decisive in the Giants’ chase of 161, which they completed with seven balls to spare at Dubai International Stadium.
Earlier, the Capitals posted 160/6 thanks to useful contributions from Sediqullah Atal (35), David Willey (29) and Jordan Cox (31). Captain Dasun Shanaka added late impetus with an unbeaten 23 off 9 balls, including two sixes in the final over.
But Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
The Giants’ reply wobbled briefly after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9) but Nissanka took charge, hammering James Neesham for three sixes in the fourth over as the Giants cruised to 60/1 by the end of the powerplay. He reached his half-century in just 23 balls.
Mustafizur Rahman and Shanaka struck in back-to-back overs to remove Nissanka and Moeen Ali, but Vince held the chase together with a composed knock. Cameos from Omarzai (14 off 12) and Tom Moores (13 off 8) ensured the required rate never spiralled out of reach, and Vince sealed victory with a well-paced fifty.
In the first innings, after Omarzai removed Shayan Jahangir early, Atal and Willey stabilised the Capitals with a 61-run partnership. But the middle overs proved costly, producing only 18 runs between the 10th and 14th overs as wickets fell to Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson and Aayan Afzal Khan. Cox and Neesham revived the innings before Omarzai returned to snuff out the momentum by dismissing Cox and Rovman Powell in the 18th over.
Speaking after the match, Giants captain Moeen Ali praised his side’s all-round display: “Getting the points while knowing we can still play better is a good sign. We squeezed them well in the middle with the ball. Nissanka is a brilliant player, and Vince controlled the chase perfectly.”
Dubai Capitals skipper Dasun Shanaka admitted his team lost control through the middle overs: “Nissanka is in the form of his life — small guy, massive hitting. We lacked intent in the middle period. We waited too long to rotate strike. Powell and I probably should have gone earlier.”
Brief Scores:
Gulf Giants beat Dubai Capitals by 4 wickets
Dubai Capitals 160/6 (20 overs): Sediqullah Atal 35, Jordan Cox 31, David Willey 29, Dasun Shanaka 23*; Azmatullah Omarzai 3/46, Aayan Afzal Khan 1/3, Moeen Ali 1/23
Gulf Giants 161/6 (18.5 overs): Pathum Nissanka 67, James Vince 50*, Azmatullah Omarzai 14; Dasun Shanaka 2/16, Mustafizur Rahman 2/26
Player of the Match: Pathum Nissanka
In the 27th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Sorkh Poshan Khafi edged out Arman FC 1-0 in a tightly contested clash.
On Saturday, Sarafan Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Ettifaq Khanzadah, keeping the league race intense and unpredictable.
Looking ahead to Monday, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 2:00 p.m., promising another thrilling showdown for fans.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, allowing football enthusiasts across Afghanistan to follow the action and enjoy the excitement of the Champions League season.
The groups and match-ups for the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, were unveiled on Friday during a high-profile Final Draw ceremony held in the United States capital, Washington DC.
In front of nearly 2,000 international guests and millions of viewers worldwide, FIFA revealed the 12 groups of four teams for the expanded 23rd edition of the tournament. The draw marks a major milestone as excitement continues to build across the three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the 16 host cities preparing for the event.
FIFA announced that the full schedule, including match venues and kick-off times for the tournament’s 104 games, will be released during a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6 December.
With nearly two million tickets already sold, FIFA says anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is rapidly rising.
There are 48 teams in next year’s World Cup — an expansion from the 32 teams of previous tournaments.
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