A place in university the next goal for Chinese athlete Chen Yujie, Asia’s fastest woman

Gianni Infantino could survive weeks of criticism and secure re-election as Fifa president in the absence of a heavy hitter to challenge him, observers have said. The 56-year-old Swiss has lost the support of many associations in his bid to be re-elected to a fourth and final term since he launched and then hastily shelved his plan to allow private investment into the World Cup. Infantino, though, does crucially retain his core support in Africa and South America. His Fifa Forward Enterprise...

There were many reasons for Hong Kong to celebrate the recent Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. From the most golds won to bringing home a record-breaking number of medals, the city generally fared well at the multi-sport event. Whether it was the 11 golds or the 54 medals from the city’s athletes playing in 14 sports, some sports, notably sailing, were the biggest winners of all, with four golds and 10 medals overall. Fencing, swimming, cycling, karate and squash all won their fair share of medals,...

Filipino star Alexandra Eala suffered a shock 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 first-round defeat against 217th-ranked Chinese qualifier Shi Han at the Wuhan Open on Monday, while seven-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz ⁠lost ⁠7-5, 7-6 to ⁠unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs in the Shanghai Masters. The result in Shanghai also confirmed Alexander Zverev as the ATP’s year-end world No 1. Eala, the 13th seed, missed last week’s China Open to compete in the Asian Games in Japan, where she claimed a bronze medal for...

There has been plenty of intrigue surrounding the early outside bias at Happy Valley this season, but is it simply a “self-fulfilling prophecy”, or is there a rhyme and reason to the current state of play? The early statistics suggest it is not a coincidence. We’ve had four meetings at the city circuit this season, with all the configurations of the rail being utilised, from the A track to the C+3 course, where the rail is pushed the furthest it can be from the inside. At the first three...

Almost half of women’s footballers are considering leaving the game early, with financial pressures and mental health struggles the main reasons, according to a Fifpro report highlighting the gulf between the sport’s rapid growth and conditions for most players. The 2026 Fifpro Global Employment Report “Working Conditions in Women’s Football”, billed by the global players’ union as the most extensive review of working conditions in the women’s game in a decade, interviewed 800 players worldwide...

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli said he was allowing himself to dream about a historic ⁠world title, which is within reach ⁠at the next race in Austin, Texas, after the ⁠20-year-old sealed his 14th podium finish of the season at Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. The title would make Antonelli Formula 1’s youngest-ever champion and Italy’s first since 1953. Antonelli’s third place in a Singapore GP that was controlled from start to finish by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was scrappy, as he flirted with a...

Freshly crowned China Open champion Zheng Qinwen withdrew on Monday from her home tournament in Wuhan, citing fatigue and a right shoulder injury. Zheng became the first Chinese player to clinch the Beijing title on Sunday by defeating reigning Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final. It was Zheng’s first WTA 1000-level triumph and her first title since winning Tokyo two years ago. “I’m very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year’s Wuhan Open,” Zheng said in...

Ka Ying Rising has lost 10lb since his Randwick trial last week and David Hayes has declared his champion sprinter “10 per cent better” than last year as he prepares to defend his crown in Saturday’s Group One The Everest (1,200m). Hayes said Ka Ying Rising has improved significantly since his solid but unspectacular second on a soft Randwick track in last Tuesday’s trial, with the nine-time Group One winner impressing in his final main gallop at Canterbury on Monday morning. Bidding for a 22nd...

Enzo Maresca said Manchester City must “make their own noise” to drown out the distraction of the guilty verdict on over 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules. In their first match since the bombshell ruling, City showed they are unfazed by the uncertainty over potential sanctions as they ignored the hostile Anfield atmosphere to beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 on Sunday. City boss Maresca has made a flawless start to the daunting task of replacing Pep Guardiola. The Italian has won...

Seira Kojima does not remember the karting crash that left her with metal plates and screws in places they have no business being in a 15-year-old girl, but she can describe it pretty well. She has seen video of her “rear tyre getting bumped” and the vehicle spinning through the air, and has the scars to back up the resulting injuries, which included a fracture of her right scapula, and a broken collarbone. The terrifying incident at the All Japan Kart Championship in April, which left her in an...

Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City in his previous mayoral role after his intervention in support of the football club’s owners raised eyebrows. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had urged him to publish “everything” related to his work with the club as Greater Manchester mayor. City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. The club maintained their innocence and...

Zheng Qinwen became the first home winner of the China Open on Sunday as she beat Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4, in front of a partisan crowd in Beijing. The former world No 4 and current Olympic champion was a wild-card entry, having struggled with form and fitness after elbow surgery in 2025. At one point this year she had dropped as low as 122nd in the world. It was the 54th-ranked Zheng’s first title in nearly two years, and her first ever at the WTA 1000 level, and tears filled...