Digest

ATHLETICS

Sprinter Su hits his stride with sub-10 win

Su Bingtian

Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian dipped under the 10-second mark for the first time in over two and a half years to win the men's 100 meters at an invitational event in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Su, who jointly holds the men's 100m Asian record of 9.91 seconds, led the preliminaries with a time of 10.16. And despite a 0.9m/s headwind, he went on to produce a convincing victory in the final of the all-Chinese event, clocking 9.98.

Su's national teammate Xie Zhenye, who owns a personal best of 9.97, finished second in 10.16, followed by Liang Jinsheng at 10.38.

"To be honest, I did not run very well today. The start was good but in the latter part my body was a little tense," said Su, who is expected to lead China's charge in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. "But the result is satisfactory. After all, it has been quite a long time since my last sub-10 performance."

The last time Su went under 10 seconds was in August 2018, when he clocked 9.92 to claim the gold medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Qian, Wang crowned at Chengdu Marathon

Qian Dingbin and Wang Wenju won the men's and women's races respectively at the Chengdu Panda Marathon on Saturday.

The event, organized by the Chengdu Municipal People's Government, Chengdu Municipal Sports Bureau and Dujiangyan Municipal People's Government, attracted over 20,000 runners and featured a full marathon, a half marathon and a 5-kilometer fun run.

Men's winner Qian clocked 2 hours 15 minutes and 22 seconds, with Guan Yousheng second and Chen Huawei third.

Wang's time of 3:01:46 was enough to win the women's race ahead of second-place Lu Qin and third-place Gong Junzhan.

A prize draw was also held during the race, with 100 runners winning entries to the London Marathon. The Chengdu Marathon is the only race to offer such a trip to the British capital's famous race.

A total of 2,849 volunteers and 216 medical staff were mobilized to ensure the health and safety of all participants over the weekend.

SOCCER

English clubs to stage social media boycott

English soccer clubs will stage a three-day social media boycott this weekend as part of a protest against racism, several national governing bodies announced on Saturday.

The blackout, encompassing England's governing Football Association, clubs in the Premier League, English Football League and Women's Super League, will begin at 2 pm GMT on Friday, April 30 and run until 10:59 pm GMT on Monday, May 3.

Referees and managers' organizations will also be involved.

A joint statement from the participating organizations said they would unite for a social media boycott "in response to the ongoing and sustained discriminatory abuse received online by players and many others connected to football".

It added: "This has been scheduled to take place across a full fixture program in the men's and women's professional game and will see clubs across the Premier League, EFL, WSL and Women's Championship switch off their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

"As a collective, the game recognizes the considerable reach and value of social media to our sport. The connectivity and access to supporters who are at the heart of football remains vital."

GOLF

Henderson surges to victory at LA Open

Brooke Henderson fired a 4-under 67 to win the LPGA Los Angeles Open on Saturday, erasing a four-stroke deficit to edge Jessica Korda by one shot.

Canada's Henderson, 23 and ranked sixth in the world, finished with a 16-under total of 268 to claim her 10th LPGA title and her first since the 2019 Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.

"I felt like I was playing really great golf," Henderson said. "It just wasn't my time. It's nice to get the win and get some confidence back."

Six birdies, including a chip-in at the par-3 12th propelled her past overnight leader Korda and world No 1 Ko Jin-young, who played alongside Henderson in the final group at Wilshire Country Club.

MOTOR SPORTS

Japanese GP to remain at Suzuka until 2024

The Japanese Grand Prix will remain at Suzuka Circuit until at least 2024, Formula 1 announced on Saturday.

The track has been a regular fixture on the F1 calendar since 1987 and the multi-year extension is part of an effort to grow the sport in Asia.

"Japan holds a special place in the hearts and minds of F1 fans all over the world, and Suzuka has played host to many of the sport's most legendary moments, with 11 drivers' titles being decided there," F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.

The Japanese GP, scheduled this year for Oct 10, "has always showcased gripping, edge-of-your-seat drama," Domenicali said in announcing the extension with race promoter Mobilityland.

This season, 20-year-old Yuki Tsunoda will become the first Japanese driver on the F1 grid since 2014. He races for AlphaTauri.

TENNIS

Djokovic eyes upswing after shock defeats

Novak Djokovic

World No 1 Novak Djokovic admitted he needs to work on his game ahead of next month's French Open after he was knocked out by Aslan Karatsev in the Belgrade semifinals on Saturday.

The 28th-ranked Karatsev saved 23 of 28 break points to advance to his second final of the year following a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory, gaining a measure of revenge for his defeat by Djokovic in the last four of the Australian Open. It was a second surprise loss in as many weeks for Djokovic, who was also beaten in the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters by Britain's Dan Evans.

Djokovic is registered for the Madrid Open but did not confirm whether he would play at the May 2-9 Masters-level event which will feature reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

"Roland Garros is the main goal but I need to play better if I'm thinking about doing something there. I have a lot of work ahead of me," said the 18-time Grand Slam champion.

Xinhua - Agencies