The Fiji Times

Serena back to physical and emotional best, says coach

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams is back to her physical and emotional peak for the first time since returning from childbirth last year, according to the American’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The 37-year-old Williams produced a dazzling display to beat world number one Simona Halep in three sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open...

Moldova hosts 10 km race in world’s largest wine cellar

MILESTII MICI, Moldova (Reuters) – Hundreds of runners competed in a 10 km (6 mile) race in the world’s largest wine cellar on Sunday, navigating by the light of headlamps as they hurtled through dark limestone caves that stretch some 200 km underground near the capital of Moldova. Dancers, musicians and singers wearing folk costumes...

Inspired by young guns, Osaka marches on in Melbourne

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka said she drew inspiration from Stefanos Tsitsipas’s shock win over Roger Federer after booking her maiden Australian Open quarter-final spot with a grinding 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Anastasija Sevastova on Monday. The Japanese fourth seed had to come back from a set down for a second...

Safety of athletes is Team Fiji’s priority; Organisers discuss how to billet athletes

WITH six months to go to the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa, organisers are discussing how to billet more than 4000 athletes and officials. According to a media release from the Pacific Games committee, organisers have confirmed that a compound owned by the country’s Methodist Church will act as the games village. Sporting federations will...

Topline volleyball club ready to compete

THE Topline Pygmies Volleyball Association is confident of a better outing in this year’s competition in Lautoka. With the opening of their new volleyball court, the level of competition and the participation numbers have improved drastically. Association president Josateki Labalaba said volleyball had taken unemployed youths overseas and the opening of the new court would...

Weightlifting turns focus to Samoa

WEIGHTLIFTING Fiji coach Henry Elder says the onus is on Levuka now as they turn their focus to the 2019 Pacific Games and the Oceania Championship. “All the talks have been done it is really on them.” Elder said. “We have done everything that should have been done.” Elder said the impasse between Weightlifting Fiji...

Pacific Games target

ATHLETICS Fiji is aiming for a minimum of 12 gold medals at the 2019 Samoa Pacific Games. Association manager Joseph Rodan said the athletes needed to train hard to make the qualifying times in order for the goals to be achieved. “Athletics Fiji hopes to achieve a minimum of 12 gold medals from the targeted...

Lowry endures Sterne test to win Abu Dhabi Championship

(Reuters) – Shane Lowry claimed his first European Tour title since 2015 by winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Saturday, finishing one shot ahead of South Africa’s Richard Sterne in a thrilling final round battle. Overnight leader Lowry was pushed to the limit by Sterne but sank a crucial birdie on the final hole...

Serena consoles Ukrainian teen after sailing into last 16

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams powered into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday with a 6-2 6-1 demolition of Dayana Yastremska then consoled the Ukrainian teenager after leaving her in tears. The 37-year-old Williams, chasing a record-extending eighth Melbourne title in the professional era, barely broke sweat on a sunny afternoon at...

Lack of guidance and vision hurting tennis says McEnroe

(Reuters) – John McEnroe believes tennis is suffering from a lack of “guidance and vision” and says it is time the various organisations in charge began to work in harmony. Like many fans and players the American, an analyst for Eurosport at the Australian Open, has been left bemused by the four Grand Slams all...

Tabakaucoro qualifies for Pacific Games 200m event

THE Pacific king of the track, Banuve Tabakaucoro, has qualified to the Pacific Games 200m after he ran a time of 21.25 seconds in Friday’s athletics trials beating the qualifying time of 21.40 seconds. Tabakaucoro acknowledged the support that helped him push his limits to qualify for the 200m event at the Pacific Games in...

Fiji trio makes it through Aussie Rules recruitment

THREE local players have been given the lifetime opportunity after being recruited by the CDHBU Football & Netball Club to play Aussie Rules next month. Vitogo, Lautoka lad Jekesoni Koroi who plays for the Nadi Panthers will be joined by Lautoka Raiders duo William Dyer and Josese Rokodamana. The three boys are still trying to...

Local swimming clubs attend first event of the year

NINE local swimming clubs turned up at the Long Course Grand Prix event – Fiji Swimming’s first event of the year – at the Damodar City Aquatic Centre in Laucala Bay, Suva yesterday. Association general manager David Dugucanavanua said it was pleasing to see the good turnout of clubs after the Christmas break. “It is...

Australia’s Hazlewood ruled out of Sri Lanka series

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the test series against Sri Lanka due to a back injury, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday. Jhye Richardson, uncapped at test level, has been called into the squad in place of Hazlewood, who has taken 164 wickets in 44 tests. “Josh...

Australia women’s coach Stajcic sacked five months before World Cup

(Reuters) – Australia’s preparations for the Women’s World Cup have been rocked with the sacking of coach Alen Stajcic, with Football Federation Australia (FFA) announcing his departure on Saturday. Stajcic, who took charge of the ‘Matildas’ in 2014, guided the team to the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup and the same stage at the...

Supreme Court to rule on Indian players suspended for remarks about women

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Supreme Court has been asked to decide the future of two international cricketers suspended for their comments about women in a TV show interview last week, stirring a debate over whether they were being treated too harshly. Indian cricket administrators recalled all-rounder Hardik Pandya and batsman KL Rahul from a...

Fiji Baseball association participates in week-long baseball clinic

THE Fiji Baseball & Softball Association (FBSA) U12 and U15 players had the honour and privilege to participate in a week-long baseball clinic conducted by a former Japanese professional baseball player, Atsushi Kita. According to a press statement from the association, Kita visited Fiji from December 16-23 as part of a program of promoting and...

NBA – Heartache for Knicks as basketball steals London spotlight

LONDON (Reuters) – A game between the struggling New York Knicks and Washington Wizards would barely have registered back in the United States but transported across the Atlantic it stole the London sporting spotlight on Thursday. With none of the capital’s seven Premier League soccer clubs in action, a sell-out 19,000 crowd crammed into the...

Doping – WADA says it has recovered doping data from Moscow lab

TORONTO (Reuters) – World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) inspectors have recovered doping data from a discredited Moscow laboratory, WADA said on Thursday – a condition of its controversial decision in September to restore the accreditation of Russia’s anti-doping agency (RUSADA). “This is a major breakthrough for clean sport,” said WADA President Craig Reedie in a statement....

Israel calls Malaysian ban on its athletes ‘shameful’

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel condemned on Thursday Malaysia’s ban on Israeli participation in international sporting events it hosts and said the decision was inspired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s “rabid anti-Semitism”. Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country that does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, announced it would bar Israelis from any event in the Southeast Asia...

Weir to enter London Marathon for 20th consecutive year

(Reuters) – Six-times Paralympic champion David Weir will compete in the London Marathon wheelchair race for a 20th consecutive year in April, the organisers said on Thursday. Weir, who has won the London event on eight occasions, made his first London Marathon appearance in 2000, when he finished fifth at the age of 19. “Every...

PM Morrison indicates Australia’s support for sports in Fiji

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison met Minister for Employment Productivity Industry Relations and Youth and Sports Parveen Kumar at Albert Park in Suva today. The Australian PM arrived at least half an hour earlier for the 8.30am scheduled meeting. He indicated support by his government for Fiji on the sports field. Mr Morrison also assured...

Kwadjo eyes first Fiji boxing title

JOSEPH Kwadjo is aiming for his first Fijian boxing title when he faces Savenaca Naliva in the much anticipated Southern Boxing Promotion light heavyweight title fight next month. The 33-year-old, who hails from Ghana, has been fighting in Fiji and also represented the nation in the past years but this will be his first title...

Beach volleyball picks 32

FIJI beach volleyball has chosen its extended training squad of 16 men and 16 women for the Pacific Games after holding trials last weekend. Director for Fiji beach volleyball Josese Tulele said the extended squad would have a series of training sessions until the Easter Games. “We will be closely monitoring the players in terms...

Medical tests for Team Fiji athletes

FIJI Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) in its preparation for Team Fiji will begin its first medical screening of athletes this weekend. Chef de mission Patrick Bower said amid all training and preparations athletes should ensure they are medically fit at all times. “An important area of the preparation for Samoa is...

Japan’s Olympic Committee head to miss meeting – IOC

BERLIN (Reuters) – Japan’s Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda, investigated in France for suspected corruption linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will not attend an International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing meeting this weekend, the IOC said on Thursday. The IOC said Takeda, an IOC member and head of the Olympic body’s marketing commission, would not...

Aussie support within the Fijian sports arena

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison met Minister for Employment Productivity Industry Relations and Youth and Sports Parveen Kumar at Albert Park today. The Australian PM arrived at least half an hour earlier for the 8.30am scheduled meeting. He stated the support his government will provide to Fiji on the sports field. Apart from the presence...

Nishikori survives huge scare against Karlovic

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Kei Nishikori survived a huge scare against Croatian Ivo Karlovic before reaching the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-3 7-6(6) 5-7 5-7 7-6(7) win on Thursday. On a sweltering afternoon at Margaret Court Arena, eighth seed Nishikori appeared set to coast to victory after taking the first two sets...

Cricket – England’s Stone out of West Indies tour with back injury

(Reuters) – England fast bowler Olly Stone has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of West Indies with a back injury and will return home, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said. Stone had a scan on Wednesday and was not selected for England’s first warm-up match against Cricket West Indies President’s XI...

Other Sports

23rd January

IAAF clears 42 Russians to compete as neutrals in 2019

22nd January