Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Darwin delights as Liverpool defeat West Ham 3-1

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez netted a brilliant goal as his side romped to a 3-1 Premier League win over a dogged West Ham United side at Anfield on Sunday, deftly steering home a volley on the hour mark. The visitors got off to a flying start when Tomas Soucek forced a brilliant save from Alisson with a downward header in the seventh minute, and two minutes later Michail Antonio headed a Soucek cross wide with the goal at his mercy.

Games-Asia Olympic body backs North Korea flag at Hangzhou despite WADA ban

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said it was happy for the North Korea flag to keep flying at the Hangzhou Asian Games despite it being banned over the country’s non-compliance with global anti-doping rules. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned the flag at all major sporting events, outside the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in 2021 after deeming that North Korea had failed to implement an effective testing programme.

Games-Afghanistan women’s volleyball team fumes at training conditions in Hangzhou

The Afghanistan women’s volleyball team has lamented training conditions at the Asian Games and are concerned they will not be ready for an event where they are participating in defiance of the country’s Taliban rulers. Khushal Malakzai, who runs the nation’s volleyball programme, said the team had not been able to practise on a court since arriving in Hangzhou last Thursday and were confined to doing fitness work in the gym.

Motor racing-Verstappen victory secures team title for Red Bull

Formula One leader Max Verstappen ran away with the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday as his dominant Red Bull team secured the constructors’ title for the second year in a row. The victory at Suzuka was the Dutch driver’s 13th in 16 races this season and left him on the brink of a third world championship after Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, his closest rival, failed to finish.

MLB roundup: Pirates escape 9-run hole, stun Reds

Alfonso Rivas went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied from a nine-run deficit to beat host Cincinnati 13-12 on Saturday and deal the Reds’ postseason hopes a crippling blow. Rivas got the Pirates on the board with an RBI single in the fourth inning. After the Pirates scored five runs in the sixth to trim their deficit to 9-6, Rivas’ bases-clearing double tied the score at 9-9 in the seventh. He then singled home another run in Pittsburgh’s four-run eighth inning.

Motor racing-Hamilton says next six months are crucial for Mercedes

An exhausted Lewis Hamilton wrestled his Mercedes to fifth place in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday and said the team faced their biggest Formula One development challenge in coming months. The seven-time world champion, who has not won a race since 2021 and is now 38, said he was fighting hard for the team to finish second overall but major improvements had to come next season.

Athletics-Ethiopia’s Assefa smashes women’s marathon world record in Berlin

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s marathon world record in Berlin on Sunday, lopping off more than two minutes from the previous best to clock an official time of two hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds. Assefa, who had set a course record with a personal best last year, set a blistering early pace, gradually shaking off any competition to pulverise Kenyan Brigid Kosgei’s record of two hours 14 minutes and four seconds set in 2019.

Soccer-Son’s double earns Tottenham 2-2 draw at Arsenal

Harry Kane may have departed but Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min stepped into the breach with a brace to earn his side a 2-2 draw at Arsenal in the Premier League as the visitors twice came from behind in an absorbing derby on Sunday.

Cristian Romero’s own goal after 26 minutes handed Arsenal the lead but Son equalised with a deft finish shortly before halftime as the visitors grew into the game.

Soccer-Dutch police use tear gas to disperse rioters after Ajax v Feyenoord suspended

Ajax Amsterdam’s home Eredivisie game against defending champions Feyenoord was suspended on Sunday as fans threw flares onto the pitch, and mounted police used tear gas to disperse rioting fans outside the stadium. A group of angry Ajax fans tried to force their way into the Arena stadium after the game was halted, leading the police to disperse them with tear gas, Amsterdam police wrote on social media platform X.

Games-Teen swimmer Pan adds to China’s golden glow at Asian Games

Chinese prodigy Pan Zhanle became the first Asian swimmer to break the 47-second mark in the 100 metres freestyle at the Asian Games on Sunday, while North Korea celebrated its return to major competition with a medal in the judo. Pan stormed to gold in the Hangzhou pool with a scintillating time of 46.97 seconds, the fifth fastest ever, announcing himself as a major contender in the blue-riband event a year out from the Paris Olympics.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Click For Restrictions – https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html