Latest news with #TokyoOlympic
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Aaron-Wooi Yik crush compatriots to reach China Open semis
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik stormed into the China Open semi-finals with a commanding win over compatriots and world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun on Friday. The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists were in complete control throughout, sealing a 21-16, 21-16 victory — their fourth in seven career meetings against Wei Chong-Kai Wun. Wei Chong-Kai Wun had beaten Aaron-Wooi Yik in the Malaysia Masters final in May, but the latter hit back with a win in the Singapore Open quarter-finals that same month — and once again showed their class in Changzhou. Aaron-Wooi Yik will face either world No. 28 Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi or India's reigning Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in Saturday's semi-finals.
NBC Sports
15-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nina Derwael, Olympic gymnastics champion, retires
Nina Derwael, the Tokyo Olympic uneven bars gold medalist from Belgium, has retired from gymnastics, according to her national federation. 'I achieved what I wanted and was able to achieve,' Derwael, 25, said in a press release, according to a translation. 'I was able to prove what I was capable of.' This past May, Derwael won her third European title on bars and her first on the balance beam, her first major championship medals since undergoing major surgery for a shoulder dislocation in September 2023. 'As a precaution, I'd only been able to train my final routine to the fullest a few times, and I was competing purely on experience,' she said. 'It made me realize that I can't do better. If I want to play a significant role at a World Championship (or the Olympics), I have to put even more and longer strain on my body, and I don't want to take that risk any longer. In recent weeks, my mind has increasingly asked: 'Isn't it enough? Is it worth risking my body?' To which I must finally conclude: it's been enough. It's even been very good.' At the Tokyo Games, Derwael became the first Belgian gymnast to win Olympic gold and the first Belgian female gymnast to win an Olympic medal of any color. In 2019, she was the only female gymnast other than Simone Biles to win an individual event at the World Championships. Derwael won bars, while Biles won balance beam, floor exercise and vault. Derwael came back from her shoulder surgery to compete at a third Olympics in Paris. She placed fourth on bars, 34 thousandths of a point behind bronze medalist Suni Lee of the U.S. Derwael married Thibau Dierickx last Saturday, according to their social media. Nick Zaccardi,
Japan Forward
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Fix the JOC Before Hashimoto Talks of Hosting Olympics Again
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has elected Seiko Hashimoto as its new president. Hashimoto, who has participated in seven Olympic Games herself, is a member of the Japanese Diet's House of Councillors. The shambolic failure of the Sapporo Winter Olympics bid is still fresh in people's memory. Therefore, many members of the public have turned their backs on the JOC. Although Hashimoto, 60, is the first female JOC president, she must steel herself for the difficult road to regaining trust. For the past decade, Japan's sports world has lacked the willingness to become actively involved in decision-making. With a few exceptions, the design and operation of the governance system for sports organizations has been left entirely to the national government. That includes discussions on hosting the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021. Seiko Hashimoto after her election as the new president of the JOC on June 26. (©Sankei by Kazuya Kamogawa) In her inaugural press conference as president, Hashimoto declared that hosting the Olympics in the future was her "mission." However, it is difficult to claim that the current JOC is qualified to carry that banner into the fray. Until now, it has been left to the athletes to explain in their own way why Japan needs the Olympics. Despite the athletes' best efforts, momentum for Japan to host the Olympics again has not been building. If Hashimoto is really intent on changing public opinion, it will not be sufficient for her to simply speak in platitudes. That the JOC held its first election for president is certainly a step forward. There were three candidates on the ballot: Hashimoto, former Japan Football Association president Kozo Tashima, and JOC vice president and Japan Basketball Association president Yuko Mitsuya. Hashimoto was elected by a secret vote. Nevertheless, the public should know what the three candidates were advocating. For example, what were their respective plans for rebuilding organizations that have lost their reason for existing? How did they propose to change society through sports? Also, couldn't the JOC find ways to extend the screening process before the final vote, such as having the candidates face off in open debates? Former president Yasuhiro Yamashita is currently recovering from an injury and has not been seen in public for over a year and a half. Therefore, there was no compelling rationale for rushing to name a new president now. Holding an in-house election that cut the effort and time required amounted to nothing more than a half-baked reform. Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto (left) and JOC President Yasuhiro Yamashita announce their decision not to bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, on October 11, 2023, in Shinjuku, Tokyo. (© Sankei) In 1989 the JOC became independent from the Japan Amateur Sports Association (now the Japan Sports Association), which had strong ties with the government. The original ideal was for the JOC to achieve independence from politics as well as economic independence. Yet, isn't the result of the recent presidential election a contradiction? The new president has a responsibility to explain what she thinks about the distance between the sports world and the government. Nor should we forget that Hashimoto was also involved in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party scandal involving the failure to report party income from political fundraising. If she really aims to restore trust in the JOC, Hashimoto must be prepared to exercise discipline in the performance of her duties. Then she can start talking about bringing the Olympics back to Japan. (Read the editorial in Japanese .) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
New Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia couldn't stop China juggernaut in Sudirman Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's hopes of securing a third consecutive Sudirman Cup bronze came to an end after they were outclassed 3-0 by hosts and 13-time champions China in the quarter-finals in Xiamen on Friday. The national team were simply no match for the tournament favourites, with Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, Leong Jun Hao and K. Letshanaa all falling in straight games to their vastly superior opponents. World No. 4 Tang Jie-Ee Wei were first on court, tasked with delivering a crucial opening point to give Malaysia a glimmer of hope against the powerful Chinese squad. But the pair couldn't reproduce the magic of their earlier Paris Olympics group-stage win over Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping, losing 21-17, 21-17. That defeat proved to be the beginning of the end. Next up, Leong Jun Hao — in his first-ever meeting with world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi — struggled to impose himself and was comprehensively beaten 21-6, 21-14 in the men's singles. Letshanaa then faced Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Chen Yu Fei in the women's singles, but could not mount any resistance, falling 21-8, 21-7 as China sealed the tie. With the outcome decided at 3-0, the remaining two matches — Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani vs Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang (men's doubles) and Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah vs Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning (women's doubles) — were not played. The result also means Malaysia have now lost all five of their Sudirman Cup encounters against China since the competition began.
NZ Herald
22-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Olivia Podmore coronial inquiry: Forensic psychiatrist grilled on Rio Olympian's final message and accusations of ‘weighting' Cycling NZ issues
Podmore died in a suspected suicide the day after the Tokyo Olympics ended, August 9, 2021, after the track cyclist failed to qualify for that event following a Covid-19-interrupted selection process complicated by several controversies. The lawyer representing HPSNZ, Stephanie Grieve KC, narrowed in on comments by Monasterio in the witness stand last November, and in his witness brief, in which she said he placed 'causality' on distressing incidents within Cycling NZ. Grieve said Monasterio did not put equivalent causality on personal factors outside cycling when 'it was not possible to determine precisely' what led to her depressive episodes. One of the 'traumatic' cycling events was in 2016, when Podmore unwittingly exposed an intimate relationship between a CNZ teammate and a coach, after she reported the athlete had not returned home to their hotel after a night out during a training camp in Bordeaux, six weeks out from the Rio Olympics. Podmore was seen as a 'whistleblower' within Cycling NZ following this incident and allegedly subject to intense bullying and marginalisation within the organisation. The other defining disappointment and source of mental distress was Podmore's exclusion from the Tokyo Olympic team. Grieve began by scrutinising Monasterio's interpretation of Podmore's last social media post before her death in which she references the teen abortion 'so that I could follow my Olympic dream'. Podmore referenced a 'cover up' from Cycling NZ and HPSNZ. Grieve argues that Monasterio 'weighted' these cycling incidents over the then 24-year-old's past personal and family issues. 'You refer to the cycling issues, as impacting her, and of course those are clearly present in that post, no dispute about that, but she also refers to not meeting society's expectations, doesn't she, in terms of house, marriage, kids, because she'd given everything to her sport and termination of pregnancy,' Grieve said. 'Friends Thea Lyle and Eric Murray, talked about many things playing on her upbringing, the abortion and separation, the religious school, thinking she was supposed to be married and have children by the time she was 24.' Monasterio said it was evident from that post she felt 'she had sacrificed so much for her sport and that weighed heavy on her'. 'Her words would suggest to me 'I've sacrificed everything to do well in the sport',' he said today. 'And this is a matter for the coroner and the inquiry to determine. I feel that I've been unfairly dealt with. So what I had a sense from that post is that she feels angry and disempowered and feels that she sacrificed so much from her perspective, she's been excluded unfairly.' Monasterio said the extent to which 'not meeting society's expectations' and past relationships are 'interconnected' in Podmore's mental state 'could be subject to some debate'. 'The impression I get is of a young woman who had given so much of her energy and time to succeed at sport. And felt that to some extent she'd been treated unfairly. So she put all her eggs in one basket. And that basket didn't get her to the Olympics. It didn't get her to where she wanted to go. And it seems that that led to despair.' Continuing on the same line of argument, Grieve highlighted that police in summarising witness interviews referred to a number of surrounding circumstances contributing to Podmore's mental deterioration, including the teenage pregnancy, abortion, parental separation, and the cycling high performance issues. 'I'm putting to you that you've... [singled] out the cycling issues but haven't weighted as much the personal issues,' Grieve said. But Monasterio refused to concede to Grieve that it's very hard to rank the stresses and events that influenced Podmore's trials and mental distress. 'Not sure I agree with that… you can weigh to varying degrees the varying factors', Monasterio said. 'Look, all these factors are important. But the timing of events to my mind strongly support the proposition that the Bordeaux incident and the Heron inquiry [in 2018 into the Cycling NZ athlete coach relationship] is very significant,' Monasterio said. 'Then in evidence, I heard that the extent to which Olivia was allegedly bullied and excluded, and in my opinion for a young woman around the ages of 18 and 20 to meet that adversity, that's a very dominant feature. That's why I've weighted it heavily.' Monasterio went on to highlight the contrast with Podmore's mental health in her initial years at the Cambridge High Performance base prior to 2016 were 'actually pretty good'. 'She did really well. She performed well. She went to the junior champs. She got on the podium and that is after her parents' separation and after the abortion. She was described as being gregarious and the kind of person that could light up a room.' 'Remarkably high' depression, anxiety scores Just as he was in November 2024, Monasterio was also asked to give his perspective on the identification of severe to very severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Podmore via structured psychological screening tools, called the DASS-21, in February 2020 - a time period in which she was attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Games. Monasterio had been critical of the lack of action from health professionals treating Podmore in the 18 months before her death. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. 'Do you think it's sufficient that she's screened this remarkably high result to simply ask 'are you OK?'... [given] this evaluative process you talk about?' Coroner Louella Dunn asked. Monasterio said the 'severe nature of elevated scores' did strike him in his review. 'So there's a real disconnect between what Olivia is identifying, on the screening tool as severe distress, and the information that's being accessed in what seems to be a relatively informal setting,' Monasterio said. 'How you conduct an interview or an assessment is often key to what you find. Now where does this assessment occur? How does it occur? Is it fitted in between training sessions? Is it occurring before or after a sports performance? The scores are very high.' Monasterio said he was not being critical of other clinicians, but that in his opinion, the severity of Podmore's scores would suggest that a formal assessment should have occurred in an environment that would facilitate a reasonable assessment to occur. 'Well, I can't say if I was a clinician because I'm a mental health expert, but if I was faced with this information, I would approach [the athlete]... It's tricky because you're in the middle of a competition... you're about to compete or you've just competed or you're trying to qualify for the Olympics and you've got these extreme scores for depression, anxiety and distress.' But Monasterio said questions should have been asked in a more formalised setting after competition. 'In my opinion, that would be required. These are not mildly elevated scores. These are really, really high scores.' 'There is no dispute' At the outset of the coronial inquest in November 2024 Coroner Dunn said 'there is no dispute' Podmore died by suicide. 'The focus of this inquest will be the mental health challenges Olivia faced and the care she received.' Dunn said the issues the inquest was attempting to answer were:
