Digest

BADMINTON

Top doubles duo target redemption in Paris

After finishing as runners-up at both the Tokyo Olympics and China's National Games, the world's top mixed doubles shuttlers Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong are targeting gold at Paris 2024.

"We are fighting for our long-term goal, to do better at the Olympic Games in doubles," Zheng said in a recent interview.

Zheng and Huang were defeated by compatriots Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in their Tokyo 2020 final.

"Actually we believe our performances were not so bad in those two finals, we had chances to win, but maybe our mentality was not quite steady enough," Huang said.

Zheng and Huang shot to prominence by winning the world championships in 2018 and 2019, and hope to stand on the highest podium again at this year's worlds in Huelva, Spain (Nov 29-Dec 5).

"The main task for us now is to relax and make good preparations for the upcoming world championships," Zheng said.

GYMNASTICS

Young Chinese rule qualification at worlds

China's male gymnasts dominated the first qualifying rounds at the world championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, on Tuesday.

The six young athletes, none of whom competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games, took an early lead in five out of seven events: all-around, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar.

Weng Hao, the National Games champion, scored 15.600 points to lead the field in the pommel horse. Zhang Boheng was second with 14.666 points.

Lan Xingyu and Zhang led the rings, with 15.266 and 14.866 points respectively.

In the parallel bars, the Chinese held the top three positions, with Zhang first (15.300), Hu Xuwei second (15.233) and Shi Cong third (15.200).

Hu scored the highest in the horizontal bar with 14.533 points.

Zhang, who missed the Tokyo Olympics, led the all-around standings with 87.897 points. Shi Cong was third with 83.898. Japan's gymnasts were not in action on Tuesday.

SOCCER

Nearly 70 percent of EPL players vaccinated

The English Premier League said on Tuesday that 68 percent of its players are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The top flight of English soccer said that it has collected vaccination rates of the 20 clubs on a weekly basis.

"The Premier League can confirm today that 81 percent of players have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose, with 68 percent now fully vaccinated," read a statement by the Premier League.

According to British media reports, only seven clubs in the top flight have had more than 50 percent of their players fully vaccinated.

The Premier League has strongly encouraged vaccination among players and club staff.

BASEBALL

MLB qualifying offers drop as salaries slide

The price of a qualifying offer to Major League Baseball free agents dropped by $500,000 to $18.4 million, a sign of the slide in salaries.

The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major-league contracts this year and marks only the second fall. The price fell by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020.

Among the top players eligible for free agency following the World Series are Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Corey Seager, Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, Colorado shortstop Trevor Story, Toronto shortstop Marcus Semien, Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo, San Francisco third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, and Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, outfielder Michael Conforto and shortstop Javier Baez.

A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept.

Xinhua - Agencies