Digest

SPORT CLIMBING

Gold for Wu at climbing World Cup

China's Wu Peng took center stage at the 2024 IFSC Climbing World Cup as he lowered the men's speed climbing Asian record and eventually claimed gold in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Saturday.

Wu eased past teammate Long Jinbao and former world record holder Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia to reach the semifinal. The 21-year-old then clocked 4.86 seconds to beat Ludovico Fossali of Italy, 0.04 seconds faster than the previous Asian record.

Facing off against his final opponent, Samuel Watson of the United States, who had lowered the world record twice in the qualifications on Friday, Wu ignited the home crowd at the Foho Cultural and Sports Center in Wujiang, East China's Jiangsu province with a 4.91-second sprint to claim gold. Watson, who slipped slightly at the bottom, settled for silver with 5.11, while Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia bested Fossali to claim bronze.

"My efforts in training paid off," said Wu, the only climber of the night who broke five seconds in every single run. Revealing the secret of that success he said: "I didn't think of the time, but just gave it my all."

For the women, world No 1 Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland clinched gold with 6.24 seconds, followed by her compatriot Natalia Kalucka and Jeong Ji-min of South Korea. China's Deng Lijuan, who has already secured a Paris 2024 berth, was eliminated in the quarterfinal.

OLYMPICS

Champion Rojas will miss Paris Games

Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas has torn her left Achilles tendon and said Friday she will miss this year's Paris Games.

The 28-year-old Venezuelan said on her Instagram account that she was injured while training in Spain. She added that she had undergone surgery in Madrid on Thursday.

"My heart is broken, and I want to apologize for not being able to represent you (Venezuelans) at Paris 2024," said Rojas, the current world record holder.

Rojas last competed in September when she won the Diamond League. She missed the world indoor championships in Scotland in March.

"I wanted to defend my Olympic title, and I was looking forward to it, but I must stop now, understand this, recover and return at full strength," Rojas said.

Rojas set the world record at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with a jump of 15.67 meters, before increasing that to 15.74 a year later in an indoor arena in Serbia. Rojas won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Kom steps down as India's boss for Paris

Mary Kom, the chef-de-mission of the Indian delegation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, resigned on Friday, citing personal reasons.

The boxing Olympic bronze medalist and six-time world champion wrote a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha, asking to be excused from the role.

"I consider it an honor to serve my country in every way possible and I was mentally prepared for it. However, I regret that I will not be able to uphold the prestigious responsibility and would like to resign, owing to personal reasons. It is embarrassing to retreat from a commitment, which I seldom do, but I am left with no choice," Mary wrote in the letter.

Kom was named the chef-de-mission of India for the Paris Olympics on March 21, with winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan as her deputy. The IOA has accepted Kom's resignation, and her replacement is expected to be named soon.

"We are sad that Olympic medal-winning boxer and chairperson of the IOA Athletes Commission Mary Kom has stepped down citing personal reasons. We respect her decision and her privacy. I shall undertake the appropriate consultations and make an announcement about Mary Kom's replacement soon," Usha said in a statement.

BASEBALL

Court orders treatment for Ohtani interpreter

The former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed Friday to undergo court-ordered treatment for gambling addiction, after federal prosecutors accused him of stealing $16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.

The initial federal court appearance by Ippei Mizuhara marked the first time the interpreter has been seen in public since the scandal exploded last month.

From the field at Dodger Stadium, hours after Friday's proceedings, Ohtani said he was "very grateful "for the investigation and would focus on baseball going forward.

For years, Mizuhara exploited his longtime personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the player's account, at times impersonating Ohtani when dealing with bankers, prosecutors said.

He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

US Magistrate Judge Maria A Audero ordered Mizuhara to seek treatment as a condition of his bond in the sports betting case. Michael G Freedman, the interpreter's attorney, said his client had planned to do so anyway.

Agencies