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South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hongkonger Sidney Chu skates to success
Sidney Chu has a reputation as Hong Kong's best speed skater. He even represented the city in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Now, he is not just looking out for his own success. 'I always thought if I ever make the Olympics, my goal is to make sure that the next generation doesn't have to put in as much work as I had to,' he said. Passion pays off While playing hockey as a kid, Chu came to enjoy the rush of skating at high speeds. 'I love that feeling of going fast on the ice,' Chu said. Chu loved speed skating, but he knew that becoming a winter sports athlete would not be easy. He had to take a 2½-hour bus ride to Dongguan in Guangdong province after school on Friday nights to spend the weekend training. 'I missed out on a lot of school because I had to [travel] almost every weekend,' he said. Chu added that he was jealous of athletes from other sports who could train closer to home. But the hard work paid off when he made Hong Kong's team for the 2022 Games. Sidney Chu waves the Hong Kong flag during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Working towards the Olympics Unlike many other sports, speed skating 'is very tied to the Olympics', according to Chu. His coach encouraged him to train for the Games. One session on the ice a week was not enough. 'I started going to northeastern China and other places to search for more professional training opportunities,' Chu said. The speed skater achieved his 'childhood dream' by going to the Olympics at the age of 22. Mainland social media users quickly embraced him. He asked himself: 'How can I turn this media attention and this energy into something that I can use back in Hong Kong?' For the next generation The media attention helped Chu create more speed skating opportunities in Hong Kong. He used this momentum to start the Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy. The academy provides lessons for youngsters and aims to improve the sport's popularity. Chu hopes this will provide a base for young speed skaters in Hong Kong so they will not always have to train on the mainland. Sidney Chu teaches kids during a speed skating class in Discovery Bay. Photo: Handout Chu said he would be excited to see an athlete from the next generation of Hongkongers winning an Olympic medal. 'If I can see one of my students in the future go on that podium and win that Olympic gold medal, that would make my dream come true,' the star skater said. 'Even if it's one of my students 10 years down the line, that would [mean] the world to me.'
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Author reveals why Caitlin Clark 'never had a chance' of making Olympic team
Caitlin Clark was questionably left off the USA Olympic roster last year, prompting much debate. Sure, Clark had been in the WNBA for just a few months, but she had already proved why she was the No. 1 pick fresh off a record-breaking campaign at the University of Iowa. Alas, she was left off, and apparently, she "never had a chance." "The powers that be in the women's game did not want Caitlin Clark on their team. No matter how well she was playing, and no matter how convinced most basketball experts were that she was not only getting better daily, but also playing very well in the moment, and no matter how much USA Basketball indicated Clark was being given a shot to make the team, she never had a chance," USA Today columnist Christine Brennan wrote in her new book, "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," which was released on Tuesday. Why not? Well, perhaps for two reasons. Brennan had reported this last year, "which made no sense at the time," but re-iterated in her book that USA Basketball officials had growing concerns about how Clark's fans would react to her potentially receiving limited playing time on what would without a doubt be the best team she had ever been on. However, Brennan said Clark was actually fighting at a disadvantage, as one spot was unofficially being left open for Diana Taurasi. Taurasi "was going to be given a farewell present by USA basketball" - a record sixth Olympic nod, "unless she was totally injured and couldn't play." "This meant 11 spots, not 12, were open and available. Taurasi was a lock… and, frankly, she'd be going even if she was a little injured and could only play sparingly. To say this wasn't the way an Olympic selection process should be run is an enormous understatement," Brennen revealed. The team hardly missed Clark, as they went on to win gold in Paris. Clark was offered a spot on the 3-on-3 team but declined. Clark said last year she didn't want to be in Paris for her popularity, while saying that her snub "will definitely motivate me my entire career." "I don't want to be there because I'm somebody that can bring attention," Clark said. "I love that for the game of women's basketball. But at the same time, I want to be there because they think I'm good enough. I don't want to be some little person that is kind of dragged around for people to cheer about and only watch because I'm sitting on the bench. That whole narrative kind of upset me. Because that is not fair. It's disrespectful to the people that were on the team, that had earned it and were really good. And it's also disrespectful to myself." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rapid rate of WNBA expansion is exciting … but not best move for the league
WNBA fans were treated Monday to the news of not one, but three new teams set to debut by 2030. But while the league celebrates its return to two former markets in Cleveland and Detroit and forays into another in Philadelphia, the expansion explosion raises concerns about how the WNBA will handle this growth. Combined with the newest franchise in Golden State and 2026's two entrants into the league (Toronto and Portland), the W will have expanded in size by 50 percent from 2024 to the end of the decade. Although these decisions reflect confidence in the business of the WNBA and its future potential, the league is getting ahead of itself. Growing the league to 16 teams was reasonable, but expansion at this pace and this scale — apparently, it's not even done yet — robs the W of its unique character and will introduce a host of new problems for a league that is still reckoning with its internal growth. Advertisement The WNBA prides itself on being the toughest league to make. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called it the 'most elite women's sports league in the world' during her news conference Monday. The exclusivity of the WNBA is a feature, not a bug. By adding at least 60 more roster spots over the next five years, the W is diluting its brand. Fans tune in for the high level of play and the concentration of talent. The 2023 WNBA Finals were the highest-rated in nearly two decades because of the presence of super-teams — six members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team started in those games. With expansion, superstars will be spread throughout the league, resulting in fewer truly great teams. For years, players and fans have clamored for more roster spots because of the surfeit of talent in the college system and international play, but adding three more expansion teams, in addition to Portland and Toronto, is overcorrecting. Perhaps an improvement in the quality of the W's player experience (higher salaries and better facilities) will attract more international talent, and more roster spots will unearth players who have previously given up on the WNBA as a prospect. But the number of stars is more of a fixed commodity, and they will be dispersed throughout the league. Think back to the 2010s-era Minnesota Lynx, who started four Hall of Famers alongside Rebekkah Brunson, who remains the league's only five-time champion. Teams like the Lynx will be a thing of the past in an expansion era. But talent distribution is just one of a litany of issues with the WNBA's plan. Advertisement Continuity is also tougher to maintain with near-annual expansion. Front offices have to plan for expansion drafts in four of the next five offseasons. Even teams that have drafted well and built deep rosters will have players plucked away without their control. The explosion in teams fails to address the more pressing issue in the WNBA, which is the number of players on an individual roster. With 11 or 12 players on each team, there isn't much space for organizations to hold on to younger players or locker room veterans. Adding more franchises won't solve that problem, as each team will still have to stack its roster with players who can contribute in the present. The developmental infrastructure is still lacking. If the goal is to allow more players to compete in the WNBA, expanding to 16 teams and 14 roster spots rather than 18 teams of 12 would create a bigger league and more pathways for players to learn and grow on the job. With teams of 12, franchises will inevitably be forced to draw on hardship contracts throughout the season as injuries arise, and the pool of players available to join at a moment's notice will be significantly smaller than it already is. Expansion doesn't just mean more players. It means more of everything. Advertisement First up, more games. Engelbert cited the introduction of the Valkyries as a reason for the schedule to grow from 40 games in 2024 to 44 in 2025, so it stands to reason that more teams will continue to lengthen the schedule. Players have already complained about the cadence of games this year when the schedule is relatively spaced out due to no Olympic break. The WNBA is bookended by college basketball in April and November, so extending the season in either direction seems implausible, especially when its primary television partner, ESPN, also carries NCAA games. Packing more games within the same six months would further diminish the quality of the product and limit the significance of regular-season games. After all, the intensity of each game is one of the WNBA's draws relative to leagues with longer regular seasons. Expanding to 18 teams also requires more operations staff at the league level. Is the W prepared to invest in that personnel? Already, the league doesn't have an off-site replay center or last two-minute reports, purportedly because of costs. More teams and more games will require more general league staff to handle communicating with teams, officiating, public relations and other functions. Looking around the league, current franchises in Connecticut, Los Angeles and Chicago lag behind an acceptable standard of player experience and practice facilities. Before bringing in expansion teams, the WNBA should make sure its existing organizations can handle the demands of this new era. The optics of expansion are better than relocation, but throwing energy and resources behind new teams instead of old doesn't solve the WNBA's problems. All of these new organizations will require new coaches, general managers and people to work in basketball operations. The early success of Golden State suggests that candidates are out there to fill these roles, but difficulties in Portland indicate that not every situation will be smooth. Advertisement The WNBA is five years removed from what it considered an existential crisis season to even stay in business. That it has emerged from that period to become an attractive growth property is a commendable success story. The NBA couldn't wash its hands of the WNBA quickly enough during the 2000s, and now it's rushing to get back in. But that doesn't mean this rate of expansion is the right move for the league or that the W can afford to dilute its talent and likely diminish its quality just as all eyes are on it. The league has a good thing going, a high-level product that demands excellence from its players and serves its fans. Sacrificing that for a quick cash grab in expansion fees is a disappointing move. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA, Sports Business, Opinion 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gretchen Walsh wins Honda Cup as top women's college sports athlete
Swimmer Gretchen Walsh won the Honda Cup, given to the nation's top women's college sports athlete, to cap an extraordinary last year. Walsh was named the winner over fellow finalists Paige Bueckers (basketball, University of Connecticut) and NiJaree Canady (softball, Texas Tech). Advertisement The Collegiate Women Sports Awards board of directors chose the recipient after nearly 1,000 member schools voted to determine the finalists. Walsh recently graduated from the University of Virginia, where she rewrote the college swimming record book. This past March, she won three individual titles and was part of four winning relay teams at her final NCAA Championships. She broke her own NCAA and American records in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly and tied her own NCAA and American records in the 50-yard freestyle. In all, Walsh won 25 NCAA titles at Virginia, including nine in individual events. Swimmers can participate in no more than three individual events at NCAAs each year. Advertisement Also in the past 13 months, Walsh broke the 100m butterfly world record three times, made her first Olympic team, won four medals in Paris, won seven gold medals and broke 11 world records at December's short course worlds and made the team for this summer's worlds in four individual events. "It's weird now with my personal records being the fastest of all time," Walsh said after being named the Honda Cup winner. "It's been totally a different mental game for myself, and I've had to approach the sport differently, but I really enjoy a challenge. That's what sports are about. So I'm looking forward to breaking more world records, hopefully, and getting up on the podium at worlds because I've never made the top of the podium at a summer world championship, so that's a new goal of mine." Caitlin Clark won the previous two Honda Cups when she played basketball at the University of Iowa. Walsh is the first swimmer to win since a stretch from 2015 to 2018 when Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel won. Swimming: Toyota National Championships Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke, Gretchen Walsh win third titles at nationals, history calls at worlds Katie Ledecky can move closer to Michael Phelps' world titles record.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rapid rate of WNBA expansion is exciting … but not best move for the league
WNBA fans were treated Monday to the news of not one, but three new teams set to debut by 2030. But while the league celebrates its return to two former markets in Cleveland and Detroit and forays into another in Philadelphia, the expansion explosion raises concerns about how the WNBA will handle this growth. Combined with the newest franchise in Golden State and 2026's two entrants into the league (Toronto and Portland), the W will have expanded in size by 50 percent from 2024 to the end of the decade. Although these decisions reflect confidence in the business of the WNBA and its future potential, the league is getting ahead of itself. Growing the league to 16 teams was reasonable, but expansion at this pace and this scale — apparently, it's not even done yet — robs the W of its unique character and will introduce a host of new problems for a league that is still reckoning with its internal growth. Advertisement The WNBA prides itself on being the toughest league to make. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called it the 'most elite women's sports league in the world' during her news conference Monday. The exclusivity of the WNBA is a feature, not a bug. By adding at least 60 more roster spots over the next five years, the W is diluting its brand. Fans tune in for the high level of play and the concentration of talent. The 2023 WNBA Finals were the highest-rated in nearly two decades because of the presence of super-teams — six members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team started in those games. With expansion, superstars will be spread throughout the league, resulting in fewer truly great teams. For years, players and fans have clamored for more roster spots because of the surfeit of talent in the college system and international play, but adding three more expansion teams, in addition to Portland and Toronto, is overcorrecting. Perhaps an improvement in the quality of the W's player experience (higher salaries and better facilities) will attract more international talent, and more roster spots will unearth players who have previously given up on the WNBA as a prospect. But the number of stars is more of a fixed commodity, and they will be dispersed throughout the league. Think back to the 2010s-era Minnesota Lynx, who started four Hall of Famers alongside Rebekkah Brunson, who remains the league's only five-time champion. Teams like the Lynx will be a thing of the past in an expansion era. But talent distribution is just one of a litany of issues with the WNBA's plan. Advertisement Continuity is also tougher to maintain with near-annual expansion. Front offices have to plan for expansion drafts in four of the next five offseasons. Even teams that have drafted well and built deep rosters will have players plucked away without their control. The explosion in teams fails to address the more pressing issue in the WNBA, which is the number of players on an individual roster. With 11 or 12 players on each team, there isn't much space for organizations to hold on to younger players or locker room veterans. Adding more franchises won't solve that problem, as each team will still have to stack its roster with players who can contribute in the present. The developmental infrastructure is still lacking. If the goal is to allow more players to compete in the WNBA, expanding to 16 teams and 14 roster spots rather than 18 teams of 12 would create a bigger league and more pathways for players to learn and grow on the job. With teams of 12, franchises will inevitably be forced to draw on hardship contracts throughout the season as injuries arise, and the pool of players available to join at a moment's notice will be significantly smaller than it already is. Expansion doesn't just mean more players. It means more of everything. Advertisement First up, more games. Engelbert cited the introduction of the Valkyries as a reason for the schedule to grow from 40 games in 2024 to 44 in 2025, so it stands to reason that more teams will continue to lengthen the schedule. Players have already complained about the cadence of games this year when the schedule is relatively spaced out due to no Olympic break. The WNBA is bookended by college basketball in April and November, so extending the season in either direction seems implausible, especially when its primary television partner, ESPN, also carries NCAA games. Packing more games within the same six months would further diminish the quality of the product and limit the significance of regular-season games. After all, the intensity of each game is one of the WNBA's draws relative to leagues with longer regular seasons. Expanding to 18 teams also requires more operations staff at the league level. Is the W prepared to invest in that personnel? Already, the league doesn't have an off-site replay center or last two-minute reports, purportedly because of costs. More teams and more games will require more general league staff to handle communicating with teams, officiating, public relations and other functions. Looking around the league, current franchises in Connecticut, Los Angeles and Chicago lag behind an acceptable standard of player experience and practice facilities. Before bringing in expansion teams, the WNBA should make sure its existing organizations can handle the demands of this new era. The optics of expansion are better than relocation, but throwing energy and resources behind new teams instead of old doesn't solve the WNBA's problems. All of these new organizations will require new coaches, general managers and people to work in basketball operations. The early success of Golden State suggests that candidates are out there to fill these roles, but difficulties in Portland indicate that not every situation will be smooth. Advertisement The WNBA is five years removed from what it considered an existential crisis season to even stay in business. That it has emerged from that period to become an attractive growth property is a commendable success story. The NBA couldn't wash its hands of the WNBA quickly enough during the 2000s, and now it's rushing to get back in. But that doesn't mean this rate of expansion is the right move for the league or that the W can afford to dilute its talent and likely diminish its quality just as all eyes are on it. The league has a good thing going, a high-level product that demands excellence from its players and serves its fans. Sacrificing that for a quick cash grab in expansion fees is a disappointing move. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA, Sports Business, Opinion 2025 The Athletic Media Company
