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Apprentice Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu strengthened her grip on second in the jockeys’ championship with a treble as Britney Wong Po-ni and Jimmy Ting Koon-ho celebrated breakthrough wins at Sha Tin on Wednesday night. Continuing a dream start to the season, Yuen boosted her tally to 16 wins – 10 behind nine-time Hong Kong champion Zac Purton – with victories aboard Macanese Master, Yoda’s Choice and Giant Leap. “I’m very happy with all the opportunities I’m getting,” Yuen, 26, said. “I’m getting good...

Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala came from behind to beat Talia Gibson 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in Tokyo on Wednesday and said “it took a lot to turn that match around”. The world No 19’s recent run of early tournament exits looked in danger of continuing when Australia’s Gibson, ranked 38, took the first set at the Pan Pacific Open. But Eala dug in and evened the match before hitting top gear in a dominating third set. The 21-year-old said the turnaround had been “a gradual increase of level”. “Maybe...

Kimi Antonelli is on the verge of becoming Formula 1’s youngest-ever champion, and the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. For a country full of passionate racing fans, the 73-year wait for an Italian champ is puzzling. Over decades without a title contender to cheer, Italy’s legions of passionate “tifosi” fans have worn red to support Ferrari as a team, rather than individual Italian drivers. Now the 20-year-old Antonelli, reportedly rejected by Ferrari as a child...

Chinese swimmers showcased their strength in depth with record-breaking performances by veterans and rising stars at the national championships in Beijing. As of Tuesday, swimmers had broken one world, six Asian and multiple national records. Zhang Yufei and Zhang Zhanshuo set Asian short-course records in the women’s 100m butterfly and men’s 800m freestyle, clocking 54.87 seconds and seven minutes 28.61 seconds respectively to claim gold. The national event is the official selection trial for...

The pounding of running shoes echoes through a Singapore shopping centre as fitness enthusiasts desperate to exercise take refuge from choking haze. Smoke from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia has sent air quality in the city state plummeting to its worst levels in more than a decade in recent weeks, cancelling outdoor activities. Those seeking exercise, including runners training for international events, have found an unconventional alternative: air-conditioned shopping malls. On Saturday,...

International stars Ryan Moore, James McDonald and Joao Moreira, plus nine-time Hong Kong champion Zac Purton, headline a stellar line-up for December’s Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley. The current top five in the Longines World’s Best Jockey standings – Moore, McDonald, William Buick, Mickael Barzalona and Purton – will contest the world’s most prestigious jockey challenge, while rising British star Saffie Osborne will make her IJC debut. Moreira, the winner...

The Shah of Iran, a UK assassination, the Venezuelan petrodollar crisis and Colombia’s creaking infrastructure all indirectly led to Bobby Charlton, Eusebio and Ferenc Puskas glad-handing paying supporters outside stadiums at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. “In their prime, our team would have beaten every side in that World Cup,” said Jaime Byrom, one of the individuals responsible for a sea change in sports hospitality since his first innovative step into the industry 40 years ago. Byrom’s...

Jay Rooney GIANT LEAP - R7 (4) Only just caught last start and can go one better tonight   Owen Goulding DRAGON AIR FORCE - R9 (6) Hugely unlucky not to win last start when checked late on; can gain compensation   Paul Lally JOLTIN - R6 (10) Good run last start when stepped up in distance and there is more to come   Phillip Woo HAPPY UNIVERSE - R6 (1) Has strong claims after returning a nail-biting third over this trip   Trackwork Spy BUSTLING CITY - R8 (4) Fell short in hat-trick bid at skinny...

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday said it ⁠would refer Jordan ⁠Football Association president Prince ⁠Ali bin Hussein to its judicial bodies, after he accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of hijacking the AFC Congress for political purposes. At the AFC’s extraordinary Congress in Tokyo on Friday, ‌its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, endorsed Infantino’s bid for re-election as head of football’s governing body. Only three months after the confederation accused...

Caspar Fownes rates Sky Vino and Sky Cap solid top-three chances in their respective Class Three races at Wednesday night’s Sha Tin dirt meeting as he bids to snatch the trainers’ championship lead. One win behind title leader Pierre Ng Pang-chi with 13 victories so far this term, Fownes has faith in Sky Vino despite the two-time all-weather winner drawing wide in barrier 11 in the Pyramid Hill Handicap (1,650m). The consistent Vino Rosso gelding drops in grade after an encouraging seasonal...

China’s top swimmers have returned to the pool following their dominant Asian Games display and once again put their competitors on notice with strong performances at the national championships. Li Bingjie reclaimed the women’s 1,500m freestyle short-course Asian record in style, clocking 15 minutes and 34.09 seconds to win gold on Monday. The 24-year-old shaved 4.32 seconds off the previous Asian mark of 15:38.41, set by Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee just 11 days earlier. Li had held the record...

French football superstar Kylian Mbappe has issued an apology after an “ill-judged” comment about China sparked intense backlash on social media and led a string of major Chinese brands to cut ties with him. After a video began circulating widely online that appeared to show the France and Real Madrid striker making a controversial remark about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, several Chinese firms including the dairy giant Mengniu announced they were pulling out of deals with him on...