The Korea Herald

Kim takes to the ice in Sochi

SOCHI, Russia (AP) ― Queen Yu-na has arrived.Reigning Olympic figure skating gold medalist Kim Yu-na took part in her first practice of the Sochi Games on Thursday evening, with more than a dozen TV cameras documenting her every step across the ice.Kim did her triple-triple combination cleanly in her run-through and landed triple jumps with ease throughout the 40-minute session.The South Korean star made a triumphant return at last year’s world championships with a dominant victory. But she miss

Olympic GamesFeb. 14, 2014

Hanyu wins short program, Plushenko retires

SOCHI, Russia (AP) ― Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu made figure skating history, and now can chase even more of it.He’ll do so without having to fend off a challenge from another record-setter, Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko.Hanyu became the first figure skater to break the 100-point mark with a spectacular performance in the men’s short program on Thursday night at the Sochi Games. He earned 101.45 points with a playful, almost seductive routine in which he seemed to flow above the ice.“I was so surprised wit

Olympic GamesFeb. 14, 2014

No WC for Park Ji-sung

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Park Ji-sung, former captain of the South Korean men’s national soccer team, will not come out of his international retirement to play in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the team’s head coach said Friday.Hong Myung-bo, who will lead South Korea to its eighth consecutive trip to the World Cup this summer, said Park told him he will not come out of international retirement for one last hurrah.“I had a heart-to-heart with Park Ji-sung,” Hong told reporters at Incheon Inter

SoccerFeb. 14, 2014

100,000 condoms prove that love is in the air of Sochi Olympics

The International Olympic Committee reportedly ordered 100,000 condoms for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. (Bloomberg)“The distribution of condoms … is part of the IOC’s involvement in HIV and AIDS prevention,” an IOC representative told TMZ.The mass distribution of condoms in the Sochi Olympic village is not the first at an Olympics. Since thousands of healthy men and women mingle in the Olympic Village, there is a high potential for sexually transmitted infections to spread.A huge supply of co

SportsFeb. 14, 2014

100,000 condoms prove that love is in the air of Sochi Olympics

(Olympics) medal standings

Below are the medal standings for the top 10 countries at the Sochi Winter Olympics through Thursday.Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Germany 7 2 1 10 2 Canada 4 4 2 10 3 Norway 4 3 6 13 4 Netherlands 4 3 5 12 5 United States 4 2 6 12 6 Switzerland 3 0 1 4 7

Olympic GamesFeb. 14, 2014

S. Korean pitcher Yoon Suk-min reaches agreement with Baltimore Orioles: reports

South Korean pitcher Yoon Suk-min has reached an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles, pending a physical, multiple U.S. reports said on Thursday.CBS Sports.com said the right-hander has agreed to join the Major League Baseball team but will have to pass the team's physical. Another report on MLB.com said the deal is worth $5.75 million over three years.Earlier this week, Yoon tweeted a photo of himself wearing an Orioles cap, fueling speculation that a deal was imminent. The Orioles said there

BaseballFeb. 14, 2014

Short tracker earns hard-fought bronze for S. Korea's second medal

Park Seung-hi fell down and she got up. She fell for the second time, and she got up again.The 21-year-old short tracker stayed on her skates long enough to win the bronze medal in the women's 500 meters on Thursday at the Sochi Winter Games. It was South Korea's second medal in Sochi, and its first in short track at these ongoing Winter Games.Park survived the nervy final in which three of the four skaters fell to the ice even before they could complete their first lap.Undaunted by an earlier f

Olympic GamesFeb. 14, 2014

Short tracker earns hard-fought bronze for S. Korea's second medal

Speed skater Lee Sang-hwa finishes 1,000 meters in 12th place

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa, fresh off her second straight Olympic title in the women's 500 meters, ended her 1,000ｍ race in 12th place on Thursday at the Sochi Winter Olympics.Skating in the outer lane in the 18th and last pairing with Lotte Van Beek of the Netherlands, Lee clocked at 1:15.94, well out of medals.On Tuesday, Lee defended her gold in 500ｍ with an Olympic record time of 74.70 seconds.Zhang Hong of China claimed the gold in 1:14.02, 0.67 second ahead of the silver medal

Olympic GamesFeb. 14, 2014

Short tracker Park Seung-hi wins bronze in women's 500 meters

South Korean short tracker Park Seung-hi won the bronze medal in the women's 500 meters on Thursday at the Sochi Winter Olympics. In a frenetic race that saw three of the four finalists wiped out, Park recovered to win South Korea's first short track medal in Sochi. After getting called for a false start, Park charged out in front for an early lead. Before the skaters could even complete the first lap, Elise Christie of Britain took out Arianna Fontanta of Italy while jostling for po

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

Short tracker Park Seung-hi wins bronze in women's 500 meters

S. Korea drops to 61st in FIFA rankings

Korea dropped out of the top 60 in FIFA rankings for the first time in nearly two decades.According to the February ranking unveiled by FIFA on Thursday, South Korea slipped eight spots to No. 61.South Korea has lost its last two international matches: 4-0 to Mexico on Jan. 29 and then 2-0 to the United States on Feb. 1.Among member nations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), South Korea is trailing five countries: Iran (38th), Japan (50th), Australia (53rd), Uzbekistan (57th) and the Uni

SoccerFeb. 13, 2014

Short tracker reaches semifinals in women's 500 meters

South Korean short tracker Park Seung-hi advanced to the semifinals in the women's 500 meters on Thursday at the Sochi Winter Olympics, while her two male teammates moved on in the 1,000m.Park was the only one among three South Koreans to survive the quarterfinals at Iceberg Skating Palace. Her teammates, Shim Suk-hee and Kim A-lang, came up short.In the quarters, 16 skaters were paired into four groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the next stage.Park finished atop the

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

So long to a Yankee legend

NEW YORK (AP) ― To Derek Jeter, it was just another day to get ready for spring training.On a minor league field at the New York Yankees’ complex in Florida, he took batting practice, fielded grounders and chatted with teammates. And then he drove away in his Mercedes, offering no hint that the countdown to his retirement had already begun.Hours later, Jeter alerted the sports world: This will be his final season.“I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional b

BaseballFeb. 13, 2014

Veteran Couples still relevant at Riviera

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Fred Couples doesn’t talk in circles, but that’s generally the path of his conversation.He can talk about Justin Bieber and Blake Griffin one minute, switch over to the redo of the fifth green at Riviera the next minute, and then wonder why the Champions Tour gets to play Pebble Beach during the prime part of the season.The 54-year-old Couples went silent when talking about his 32nd appearance at the Northern Trust Open, where he will play the opening two rounds with Webb Simp

GolfFeb. 13, 2014

Arsenal misses chance to go top

LONDON (AP) ― Arsenal and Manchester United played to a scoreless draw that frustrated both teams, while Liverpool beat Fulham 3-2 on Wednesday to return to the Premier League title race.Fourth-place Liverpool came from behind twice to maintain its three-point lead over Tottenham, which won 4-0 at Newcastle. Liverpool’s last-gasp win, secured by Steven Gerrard’s penalty, left Brendan Rodgers’ side four points behind league leader Chelsea.Arsenal missed the chance to go to the top after Chelsea’s

SoccerFeb. 13, 2014

Valcke heading to Brazil amid WC problems

SAO PAULO (AP) ― FIFA’s top official in charge of the World Cup is returning to Brazil to inspect host cities as the country continues to struggle to finish its stadiums just four months before the tournament begins.FIFA said Wednesday that Secretary General Jerome Valcke will visit three venues beginning Sunday, and will help decide whether the southern city of Curitiba will remain in the showcase event amid delays in stadium construction.One of Valcke’s stops will be in the jungle city of Mana

SoccerFeb. 13, 2014

Korean P.M. to visit Sochi

Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won plans to visit Sochi next week to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Games and promote PyeongChang as the host for the next Games, his office said Thursday.During his four-day visit to the Russian city of Sochi starting Feb. 21, Chung is scheduled to promote Korea’s efforts for the successful hosting of the upcoming Olympics in 2018.“He plans to meet with high-level figures from the International Olympic Committee and the Russian government to share kn

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

‘Corruption may have forced Ahn to switch’

President Park Geun-hye said Thursday South Korea’s sports world should think about whether factionalism and other irregularities forced short track speed skating star Ahn Hyun-soo to become a naturalized Russian citizen to continue his career.Ahn, one of the most decorated short trackers ever, became a Russian citizen under the name of Viktor Ahn in December 2011, three years after he suffered a serious knee injury during practice.Ahn later missed qualifying for the national team for the 2010 V

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

‘Corruption may have forced Ahn to switch’

Russia goes 1-2 in pairs figure skating

SOCHI, Russia (AP) ― Maxim Trankov hopes young figure skaters all over Russia will take inspiration from what he and Tatiana Volosozhar accomplished at the Olympics.The two restored the country to the pinnacle of pairs Wednesday, and their teammates made it almost total domination. Volosozhar and Trankov won gold, while Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov took silver.“I think tonight all of the country will celebrate this beautiful victory,” Trankov said.Russia or the Soviet Union had won gold in 1

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

Dating app lets Sochi athletes hook up

Some athletes are turning to location-based dating app Tinder to browse and rate their neighbors, U.S. Weekly reported. Tinder is an app that lets one know if there’s someone nearby who the user might like. Users can anonymously like the other person or pass, but if both people like one another, then a match is made, according to the report.American snowboarder Jamie Anderson, 23, told U.S. Weekly, she and her fellow female athletes like to “play matchmaker” and look for men staying in Sochi.How

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014

U.S. skaters favored for 1000; Wust wants 2nd gold

Look at the season, and the United States should have a lock on the women's speed skating 1,000 meters. The Olympics, though, are different. And the Dutch are on an orange roll so far.Here are five things to watch for in the women's 1,000 meters at the Adler Arena:AMERICAN DOUBLE: Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe are close friends and they want to be just as close on Thursday's medal stand. Say, one in the middle and the other at her side in the silver medal position. It is not farfetched.

Olympic GamesFeb. 13, 2014