Alexis Badel produces another Happy Valley masterclass with a brilliant treble

Blast Premier Rivals returns to Hong Kong “even bigger and better”, and officials hope the city acts as a bridge to mainland China and beyond in the coming years. The esports event, which will see eight of the world’s best CS2 squads compete for a share of a US$1million (HK$7,841,460) prize pool, sold out the AsiaWorld-Arena last year when descending on the city for the first time. It was Hong Kong’s first esports event to be awarded the “M” Mark for major events, with more than 30,000 fans...

France’s five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced on Monday he would run in next year’s presidential election, after expressing concern about the “rise of the far-right”. “My name is Teddy Riner and today, I am telling you face to face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election,” the 37-year-old said in a surprise announcement on social media. Riner, one of the greatest judokas in history, said in the two-minute-37-second video that he feared France could soon become deeply...

After repelling eventual champions Spain and becoming an instant global celebrity, Vozinha was an unlikely hero of this year’s World Cup. But four months on from his tournament exploits, Cabo Verde’s veteran goalkeeper is discovering that adapting to his new-found fame is not easy. The 40-year-old, whose full name is Josimar Jose Evora Dias, moved to Chile in July and now finds himself struggling to settle at new club Colo Colo. At the World Cup, Vozinha helped Cabo Verde hold Spain to a 0-0...

Entries for the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) might lack star power outside of Ka Ying Rising, but Hong Kong’s domination of the city’s biggest meeting in recent years could still come to an end next month. With champion galloper Romantic Warrior’s retirement leaving a gaping hole in the local squad, the city’s richest race, the HK$40 million Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), appears at the mercy of the overseas brigade. The internationals account for 52 of the 72 entries for the...

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is a time-honoured tradition across the sporting world, just think Newcastle United in the English Premier League 1995-96 season, or the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017 Super Bowl and you get the idea. But has any team, anywhere, in any sport ever done it more emphatically than Chengdu Rongcheng did this past weekend? The Chinese Super League choke artists confirmed their status as potentially the most spectacular losers of all time when a 3-2 defeat to...

Mark Newnham is hoping the prolific Lucky Sam Gor can complete his Hong Kong set when he bids for a first Happy Valley win in the Class Two Lung Cheung Handicap (1,650m) on Wednesday night. The Press Statement galloper won five times on the Sha Tin turf last season in a rampant campaign where he soared from a rating of 45 all the way up to a high of 79. He got his win on the Sha Tin dirt at the first time of asking last start, slicing his way through the pack to win by a head to get off the mark...

Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima said governance was ⁠Fifa’s biggest problem as ⁠he outlined his platform for next ⁠year’s presidential election, while rating his chances of unseating incumbent Gianni Infantino at 20 to 30 per cent. Tashima announced on Thursday that he intended to run in the March election, becoming the first Japanese candidate to seek world football’s top ‌job. The 68-year-old former Japan international has served on the Fifa Council since 2015 and...

Jon Rahm fought off Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday for his first ⁠DP World Tour title in four years, marking a successful start to the Spaniard’s career rebuild following the demise of LIV Golf. It was the former world No 1’s first tournament since he left the breakaway circuit, and the Spaniard hit a ‌five-under 67 in Sunday’s fourth round to finish 23-under, earning his 11th title on the DP World Tour. Rahm finished two strokes...

Badminton world No 1 An Se-young said she was “very proud” of her achievements after winning an incredible 11th title of the year at her home Korea Open on Sunday. The 24-year-old beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in the final in Yeosu to extend an unbeaten run that stretches back to March. An has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition this year but she said she still had to be on her guard against world No 2 Yamaguchi. “She’s a player who can always keep the...

Andrea Atzeni catapulted into Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) contention with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday, helping the Kwok family celebrate Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse day in style. Atzeni booted home John Size’s pair of promising four-year-olds Prime Ace and Beauty Award and the Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Bolt, with the two Beauty horses raced by the race day sponsors the Kwoks. For Atzeni, the three-timer boosted his seasonal tally to 12 wins and helped him jump to fifth in the...

Speed Dragon roared home to continue a remarkable start to the season for jockey Jerry Chau Chun-lok by winning the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Arriving at the meeting with 16 wins for the campaign, Chau continued to take plaudits with another ultra-cool feature ride. It was a critical win for Chau in the race for the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC), moving him three clear of Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and five clear of Andrea Atzeni. These will be...

Alexandra Eala was planning to “disappear for a bit and lie low” after she suffered a chastening Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open final defeat by an inspired Claire Liu on Sunday, as the American claimed the first WTA 250 title of her career. After breaking Liu to lead 2-1 in the opening set, Eala, nursing a knee problem and unable to make any inroads against her irresistible opponent’s serve, dropped 11 of the next 12 games to lose 6-3, 6-0 in one hour and 33 minutes. Still, after the best...