CNA938 Rewind - 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, 42km run: S'pore triathlete smashes own national Ironman record
Singapore triathlete Benjamin Khoo battled choppy waves and cold wind to beat his personal national Ironman record in Hamburg, Germany. Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng speak with the 34-year-old about his experience.
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Straits Times
9 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Liverpool bolster defence with Leoni deal before Premier League opener
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool manager Arne Slot continued to reinforce his squad on the eve of their Premier League season opener, confirming on Thursday that the club had agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma. While no financial details were disclosed, British media reported the fee for the Serie A player at 26 million euros ($30.34 million). Slot's men kick off the defence of their title when they host Bournemouth on Friday on what is sure to be an emotional night at Anfield following the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother in a car crash in July. Leoni is expected to have a medical later on Thursday and will immediately join the first team, with the club ruling out any possibility of a loan move. The teenager will join Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez -- who is a doubt for Friday having recently returned from an Achilles injury -- among Slot's centre-back options and shore up a back line that showed frailties during pre-season. "There are reasons for it," Slot said, citing injuries, mixed lineups, and the integration of new players. "The standard here is 10/10, we are doing everything well but 'well' is not good enough. We have to go a step up. "Come (Friday) evening against Bournemouth, there are no excuses." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home? Singapore 4 housebreaking suspects taken to Bukit Timah crime scene under police escort Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at the wrong airport in South Korea Singapore Reformative training for teen who cheated man of $47k Rolex watch on former stepdad's instructions Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Asia Strong India-Singapore ties key to economic growth amid 'volatile landscape': DPM Gan Asia Citizenship for foreign talent: How this footballer from Brazil became Vietnam's favourite 'Son' Slot is cautiously optimistic Liverpool can retain their title. "The main reason that it's so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It's unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league," the Dutchman said. "This year will be even harder than before. Every season and pre-season has its challenges. We have lost many starters. "It's not always yourself but the teams you face. We've lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it's normal there's adaptation." TOUGH START Liverpool have a tough start to the campaign, with games away to Newcastle United and at home to last season's runners-up Arsenal among their first three fixtures. "We start with Bournemouth, probably the most intense team in the league last season, in running and playing style," Slot said. There is plenty of anticipation around Liverpool's new attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz after the Reds shattered their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old German international from Bayer Leverkusen in June. They paid 100 million pounds ($135.66 million), with a further maximum of 16 million in potential bonuses. Slot was full of praise for Wirtz, but cautioned he might need time to adjust to the intensity of England's top tier. "Good players always find a way of playing in a good team - he is a good player and he plays in a good team," Slot said. "Factually we can see him as a young player, but I don't see him as one. He won the cup and league in Germany (in 2024), and his mentality is his biggest strength. "That says a lot, because when you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn't get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else." REUTERS
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Hunt for new Lions head coach down to 5 names, including ex-Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach
SINGAPORE: The hunt for a new national football head coach has intensified, with the shortlist down from 10 names a week ago to five now, CNA understands. A few candidates – including former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Nick Montgomery – are in Singapore for interviews to snag the top job, after Japanese tactician Tsutomu Ogura resigned on Jun 24 due to personal reasons. His exit left Singapore looking for its fourth national coach in six years. Assistant coach Gavin Lee has stepped in to lead the Lions as caretaker in the meantime. While the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has kept its final candidates under wraps, Montgomery and a mystery Spaniard are among those who have been spotted in town for talks. Montgomery left the English Premier League side in June after a year there, where he won the Europa League. He was previously head coach of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian and Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners. The 43-year-old spent most of his playing career at Sheffield United. NO MAJOR TROPHIES SINCE 2012 The incoming coach will face high expectations from the new FAS Council, led by billionaire Forrest Li who was elected president in April. Li, who founded tech giant Sea, also owns Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors. He told reporters last week he hopes that with success on the field, more people will follow local football and that interest will grow. Singapore are currently 159th in the world rankings. "We have the best city planning, the best airport, best highways. A lot of things are world-class – why not football?" Li said. Ogura left Singapore at the top of their third-round Asian Cup qualifying group, with four points after their first two matches and four games left. Finishing top means qualifying for Asia's premier competition for the first time ever on merit. The Lions have not secured a major trophy in more than a decade since winning Southeast Asia's football championship, the AFF Championship, in 2012. Observers said a new coach needs to be hired soon in order to build relationships with the players and understand the local football environment. Football pundit and commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai said Ogura had 'brought a lot more belief' into the Lions, who now have clearer ideas about the team. 'They want to try and dominate teams … They want to go out and play, and they want to show that they have courage on the ball, so I think all these things are really encouraging and you would like to see this continue,' added the former Singapore Armed Forces FC midfielder. 'I don't think it'll be a good idea to get someone who's going to basically rip up all the tactics and come in with his own ideas, own approach. Because at the international level, you don't have much time to work with these players.' Rai noted that the new coach will also have to consider if Lions are getting enough playing minutes in the SPL, which recently raised the number of foreign players to seven per match. 'We're seeing SPL clubs, for example, signing foreign goalkeepers, and so that's going to be a key area as well. We already don't have a great goalkeeping situation in Singapore,' he added. Ogura had left his role with some advice for Singapore football. 'Singapore must look for its own way, not chase another country, or chase another way of how to do things,' he said. 'Always keep confidence. Keep trust to our players, then our staff, then I think for Singapore a new history is coming.'
CNA
18 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore's hunt for new national football coach down to five names
Singapore's hunt for a national football coach intensifies as a few candidates, including former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Nick Montgomery, are in town for interviews to snag the top job. CNA understands the shortlist is down to five, cut from 10 just a week ago. The new man will replace Tsutomu Ogura, who quit last month for personal reasons. Aslam Shah reports.
