Games Briefs: Syrian paddler Zaza, 12, to train in China

TOKYO • Syrian table tennis player Hend Zaza, the youngest athlete at the Tokyo Games at just 12, has been invited by the Chinese Olympic Committee to learn from the undisputed masters of the sport, Chinese media said.

Zaza, who shot to fame overnight in her war-torn country last year by qualifying for Tokyo, was well beaten 4-0 by Austria's Liu Jia in the preliminary stage last Saturday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Storm may cut short women's golf

TOKYO • The women's golf tournament which began yesterday could be cut to 54 holes, organisers said, because of an approaching tropical storm due to hit Kasumigaseki Country Club at the weekend.

International Golf Federation official Heather Daly-Donofrio said yesterday the idea of playing extra holes to complete four rounds by tomorrow had been explored, but the extreme heat meant it was not feasible.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Talakhadze wins 2nd gold with world mark

TOKYO • Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze broke his own world record to retain the title in the men's heaviest weight class yesterday with a combined lift of 488kg.

Talakhadze lifted 223kg for the snatch and 265kg for the clean and jerk to also break his own world records in the two categories. His total was 47kg more than Iran's Ali Davoudi, who took silver in the men's +109kg class.

REUTERS

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Aussies, Britons win last two sailing golds

ENOSHIMA • Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan stormed to gold for Australia in the men's 470 sailing class yesterday, with Sweden's Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom winning silver as Jordi Xammar and Nicolas Rodriguez Garcia-Paz picked up the bronze for Spain.

Britain's Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre won the women's competition to close the regatta.

REUTERS

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Lopez beats Briton for 2nd Olympic title

TOKYO • Arlen Lopez won his second Olympic title yesterday to put powerhouse Cuba on top of the boxing medals table, after he outwitted Britain's Ben Whittaker 4-1 in an entertaining light-heavyweight final.

Lopez, the middleweight champion at the Rio Olympics, kept his cool throughout and put on a skilful display of boxing, keeping the fast-punching and tenacious Briton at bay and making it two golds for Cuba.

REUTERS