China Olympic shot put champion Gong Lijiao loses over 30kg in first year of retirement

A former bodybuilder who grew up in a Pakistani refugee camp and idolises Arnold Schwarzenegger has captained Afghanistan to victory in a cosmopolitan Hong Kong Cricket Sixes that “showcased this vibrant city to the world”. He was aided by the unheralded Imran Mir, who had mustered one run from his previous two innings in the tournament, but smote 53 from 14 balls in the final as the Afghans chased 116 to beat Australia by four wickets on Sunday and become the Sixes’ eighth different...

Francis Lui Kin-wai and Karis Teetan heaped praise on Turquoise Velocity after the consistent sprinter broke through for a deserved victory in Sunday’s Class Two Kwangtung Handicap Cup (1,200m) at Happy Valley. Placed in three consecutive starts heading into Sunday’s race, the Zoustar gelding impressed his trainer and jockey with his ability to chase and win after leading all the way in his previous triumphs. Sent out the $3.1 favourite, Turquoise Velocity tracked the pacesetter Rising Force and...

Vincent Ho Chak-yiu took a huge step towards a berth in next month’s Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) with a double at Happy Valley’s only day meeting of the season on Sunday. The four-time Tony Cruz Award winner entered the day fourth in the jockeys’ premiership and already in position for a coveted slot at the IJC, but a brace of winners put him right where he needs to be with seven meetings to go until the cut off. With Zac Purton already confirmed for the IJC as Hong Kong’s...

Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam settled for second best in yet another ATP Challenger final after losing 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 to France’s Térence Atmane at the Seoul Open on Sunday. The defeat pushed Wong’s career ATP Challenger finals record to 1-7, with his only victory coming in Jiujiang in China in May, when he edged Adam Walton of Australia 7-5, 7-6 to become the first Hongkonger to ever win an ATP title. Last weekend, Wong lost to Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate in the final of the ATP...

The inaugural Heung Yee Kuk Northern Metropolis Marathon drew praise from elite and international runners for its novel route along the newly opened Fanling Bypass, even as unseasonal morning heat, rolling slopes and initial logistical hiccups pushed competitors to their limits. Concluding at midday on Sunday, the race drew roughly 15,000 mostly local entrants, with Hong Kong runners sweeping top honours across almost all divisions except the men’s half-marathon, which was won by a competitor...

Lewis Hamilton said his success in becoming Formula One’s oldest pole sitter since 1982 is down to a love of racing that helps keep him “young and fit” at 41. The seven-time champion claimed his maiden pole with Ferrari and his first since 2023 on Saturday, topping the qualifying times ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell at the Mexico City Grand Prix. It made him the oldest pole sitter since Mario Andretti’s final pole with Ferrari at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix – when the Italian-American was 42...

Darren Gough has thrown his weight behind plans to take the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes global in the image of rugby sevens’ world series. In the city to commentate on this year’s ongoing edition, former England fast bowler Gough also slammed the “lack of accountability” for his own country’s cricketing “demise over the past two years”. Ahead of the 2026 Sixes, local cricket chiefs established a partnership with giant Indian enterprise JSW Sports, intended to accelerate the introduction of a...

Jay Rooney GEORGIAN SIGMA - R4 (2) Tough second from a wide gate last start and can go one better here   Owen Goulding LUCK IS BACK - R2 (9) In-form sort should be able to cross and get a soft lead he can take to the bank   Paul Lally DANICA'S CHOICE - R10 (4) Very progressive type who looks set to continue his hot form at the Valley   Phillip Woo FALCON HUNTER - R1 (1) Racing well and has drawn ideally under an in-form rider   Trackwork Spy TURQUOISE VELOCITY - R7 (4) Can go one better after...

Two of the region’s rising stars could be on a collision course after Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala and Chinese teenage starlet Sun Xinran were picked on the same side of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open draw on Saturday. Eala will take on Alycia Parks in the first round, while Sun, who is set to play in only her second WTA250 event in as many weeks, has Czech player Tereza Valentova in her way. The 46-year-old seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams will play compatriot Mary...

The only weekend day meeting of the year at Happy Valley takes place on Sunday, with a competitive 10 races on offer for punters to get stuck into. Jay Rooney is in the hot seat to provide an extended rundown of his selections. Race 1 – Class Five Dongguan Handicap (1,200m) Falcon Hunter has run second in each of his two starts since joining the James Cummings stable and gets his chance to go one better with in-form apprentice Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu on board. Race 2 – Class Four Foshan Handicap...

Leylah Fernandez hailed her “mental fortitude” after setting up a Pan Pacific Open title clash against Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Saturday. The world No 23 from Canada defeated Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 in Tokyo to reach a second final in a row. Fernandez won her first title of the season in Singapore in September and followed that up by reaching the decider last week in Ningbo, where she lost to world No 1 Elena Rybakina. In Sunday’s final, Fernandez will face 13th-ranked Shnaider...

Andrea Atzeni will be looking to take advantage of some in-form horses and good barriers when he rides the likes of last-start winners Danica’s Choice and Absolute Honour at Happy Valley on Sunday. Chief among the Sardinian jockey’s chances is the improving Danica’s Choice, who has come to life since the fitting of blinkers and goes for local win number three in the Class Three Guangzhou Handicap (1,200m). The Swiss Ace galloper is not one of Atzeni’s rides blessed with a kind draw, having to...