Record-setting Chinese sprinter Chen Yujie is going to have to run faster if she wants to make the Los Angeles Olympics, after World Athletics made it harder to qualify for the women’s 100 metres. Chen grabbed gold in Japan in September, crossing the line in an Asian Games-record 11.06 seconds, just under the 11.07 entry standard for the Paris Olympics in 2024. However, on Wednesday, the global governing body lowered that mark to 10.96, leading Chen’s coach Wu Yacun to suggest his 17-year-old...

Hong Kong’s athletes were praised on Friday for their “strength and perseverance” at a ceremony honouring the delegation’s Asian Para Games performance in Japan. The city’s 80-strong squad, competing across 10 sports, brought back 41 medals from last month’s multi-sport event in Nagoya, including three gold, 14 silver and 24 bronze. Highlights included a boccia team that produced their best performance at a regional Games, securing two gold, three silver and three bronze, and a dominant display...

Australian hockey great Alyson Annan has made the “very difficult decision” to step down as head coach of the Chinese women’s national team – just weeks after being named the best in the business. Annan said she needed time to recover and rejuvenate after she reached a point of “physical and mental exhaustion”, following 11 years in elite international coaching. The decorated former player started her role in China in May 2022 and previously led the Netherlands women’s team as head coach from...

A midweek win in the EFL Trophy has given the Gillingham players a much-needed boost after last weekend’s disappointment.