Below is a summary of the latest sports news.
The pandemic helped Swiatek cope with the success of the French Open
French Open champion Iga Swiatek said the COVID-19 pandemic was beneficial for her as the restrictions allowed the 19-year-old from Poland to settle into her life as a first-time Grand Slam winner. Swiatek went from being a largely unknown teenager to a celebrity when she became the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992 and the first to do so without dropping a sentence since Justine Henin in 2007.
About 1,000 Olympics volunteers quit this month for fear of the president
About 1,000 Olympics volunteers quit last month, organizers said. During this time, the President of the Organizing Committee, Yoshiro Mori, resigned due to sexist remarks and a new President was selected to replace him. Volunteers are the backbone of all games. They do everything from guiding people to venues to translating and driving visitors around. A sharp drop in their numbers could add another hurdle to Tokyo 2020, already hit by an unprecedented one year postponement and lack of public support amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Another great Tiger Woods comeback is possible, experts say
Tiger Woods could get back to competitive golf within a year, senior orthopedic surgeons said Wednesday, but the walk back from serious leg injuries in a car accident will be long and arduous. Woods, who was already credited with one of the sport’s great comebacks when he returned from back surgery in 2019 to win a fifth Masters and end an 11-year majors drought, needs to be even more resilient to overcome the damage inflicted upon Accident occurred on Tuesday.
NBA Roundup: Sizzling Jazz Extends Lakers’ Skid
Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points when fiery Utah Jazz crushed the Los Angeles Lakers 114-89 on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, sending the defending NBA champions to their fourth straight defeat. Utah’s Mike Conley ended up with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Donovan Mitchell scored a total of 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game since his second All-Star game trip.
Barty party in Australia amid doubts on top
An Australian summer of tennis that promised so much to Ash Barty ended in disappointment when the local hero fell at the first hurdle of the Adelaide International a week after the golden chance to win their home Grand Slam. World number 1 Barty left Memorial Drive on Wednesday after a 6-3 6-4 loss to Danielle Collins and went on the defensive in the Australian public for having unrealistic expectations of them.
Holloway wants to push its limits after a record run
American Grant Holloway said he was not surprised by his rapid pace on the World Indoor Tour this year as he dwarfed the long-standing world record of 60m hurdles in Madrid. Holloway, the world outdoor 110m hurdle champion, won his 10th race of the year on Wednesday when he finished the 60m hurdles final in 7.29 seconds, 0.01 seconds from the previous one Brand that British Colin Jackson set in 1994 shaved.
Olympic Games: Queensland can build a new stadium if the offer for 2032 is successful – officially
Australia could build a new stadium to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2032 Olympics if Brisbane secures the Games, Queensland State Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said Thursday. Brisbane took a big step towards becoming host in 2032 after the International Olympic Committee said the city had been selected as the preferred partner to host talks for the Games.
Vaccines “encouraged” but not mandatory for athletes in Tokyo: Coates
Athletes are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before the Tokyo Olympics, but it won’t be mandatory, IOC Vice President John Coates said Thursday. “Not mandatory, we can’t,” Coates, head of the IOC’s coordination committee for the Tokyo Games, told reporters in Brisbane.
Nadal is withdrawing from the Rotterdam Open with an earlier edition
Rafa Nadal, number two in the world, has withdrawn from the Rotterdam Open next week due to a back injury, the Spaniard said on Thursday. The 20-time Grand Slam winner has had an earlier problem since preparing for the Australian Open and had to skip the ATP Cup games in Spain earlier this month.
Golf: Sorenstam says he’s not returning to the LPGA tour for a full day
Annika Sorenstam says she is looking forward to playing in this week’s LPGA Tour event in Florida after 13 years, but the 10-time major champion has no plans for a permanent comeback. The Swede, who retired in 2008 and is number three on the all-time list with 72 LPGA titles, said she decided as part of her preparations for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open to attend the LPGA event in Gainbridge on Jan. to play until February 28th.
(With contributions from agencies.)
