Digest

BADMINTON

Jia, Chen win women's doubles gold for China

China claimed women's doubles gold at the BWF World Badminton Championships in Huelva, Spain on Sunday.

Top seeds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan beat second-seeded South Koreans Lee So-hee and Shin Seungchan 21-17, 21-17 in a gripping final that lasted over an hour and was dominated by long rallies, which tested the nerves and stamina of both pairs.

Chen and Jia had missed out on gold at the previous two editions of the worlds, so were delighted to top the podium once again.

"We wanted to do well here as we were well-prepared and had set high goals for ourselves," said Jia. "We learned a lot from our losses at our previous world championships, so this is the result of all those lessons learned."

In the men's doubles, He Jiting and Tan Qiang had to settle for silver after losing to Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the final. The victory was Japan's first men's doubles gold at the worlds.

"We are thrilled with our victory," said Hoki. "We just had to maintain a fast pace. The key to this triumph was dominating the serve-return situations."

AWARD

Raducanu tops BBC sports personality poll

US Open champion Emma Raducanu was voted the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday to cap an incredible rise throughout 2021.

The 19-year-old became the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title with her triumph in New York in September after not dropping a set in the tournament.

She was the first British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977 to win a major tournament, enabling her to beat Olympic gold medalists－diver Tom Daley and swimmer Adam Peaty－to the BBC honor.

"All the support I've received this past year has been absolutely insane," said Raducanu, whose mother hails from China's Liaoning province. "And the energy I felt at Wimbledon this year playing in front of my home crowd is something I've never felt before."

Gareth Southgate was named Coach of the Year after steering the England men's soccer team to its first major final in 55 years at the European Championship. England was beaten on penalties by Italy in the final at Wembley Stadium in July, but the achievement was also recognized with the team-of-the-year accolade.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Saints hand Brady first shutout since 2006

Brett Maher kicked three field goals and the New Orleans Saints defense dominated Tom Brady and the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 9-0 victory Sunday night.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen served as Saints acting head coach because Sean Payton was sidelined after testing positive for COVID. The Saints (7-7) won their second straight after losing five in a row.

Brady completed 26 of 48 for 214 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble as the Buccaneers (10-4) missed an opportunity to clinch the NFC South title. It was the first time Brady has been shut out since 2006.

New Orleans improved to 4-0 in regular-season meetings against Tampa Bay since Brady joined the team. That includes a 38-3 victory in Tampa Bay last season－the most lopsided loss of Brady's career.

The Buccaneers' top two wide receivers－Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (knee)－were sidelined in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game. Running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) was sidelined for good in the third quarter.

Xinhua - Agencies