BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Hamilton dominates Shanghai F1 Sprint for first Ferrari win
Lewis Hamilton took his first Formula 1 win for Ferrari with a flawless victory in Sprint on March 22 at the Shanghai International Circuit, as championship leader Lando Norris could only manage eighth.
Hamilton held off an early threat from Red Bull's Max Verstappen and was never headed as he cruised to victory in the 19-lap race.
Behind Hamilton, Oscar Piastri overtook Verstappen on lap 15 to take second place, but the Australian had no answer to Hamilton, who crossed the line over 6.8 seconds ahead of the McLaren.
2. 10-man China falls to Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup qualifier
China suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying match on March 20, struggling at the bottom of Group C in the Asian zone.
Saudi midfielder Salem Al Dawsari scored the sole goal five minutes into the second half.
Lin Liangming was sent off for a reckless challenge in the first half, and defenders Jiang Guangtai and Gao Zhunyi exited with muscle injuries, dealing a further blow to China's qualifying hopes.
3. World Athletics Indoor Championships begins in Nanjing
Olympic bronze medalist Andy Diaz Hernandez of Italy jumped his way to a world-leading and national record of 17.80 meters to secure the gold medal ahead of China's Zhu Yaming in the men's triple jump as the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships opened on March 21 in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.
Zhu leapt 17.33 meters to secure silver, while Burkina Faso's defending champion Hugues Fabrice Zango jumped 17.15 meters to claim bronze.
Britain's Jeremiah Azu later electrified the crowd in the men's 60m final as he crossed the line in 6.49 seconds, 0.01 second ahead of Australia's Lachlan Kennedy. South Africa's Akani Simbine secured bronze, and China's sprint star Xie Zhenye finished fourth with a season-best 6.58 seconds.
The championships will run through to March 23.
4. Chinese National Spring Swimming Championships kicks off in Qingdao
The 2025 National Spring Swimming Championships kicked off on March 18 in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. The six-day event features multiple Paris 2024 medalists, including Zhang Yufei, Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, as swimmers test form ahead of this year's Chinese National Games.
Yu Yiting, who has signed up for 11 events, is the biggest winner halfway through with two golds from the women's 50m butterfly and 400m individual medley, and two silvers from 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley.
Olympic gold medalist Sun also won two gold medals in the men's 50m breaststroke and 100m butterfly. His Olympic winning teammate in the men's 4x100m medley relay, Qin, triumphed in 100m breaststroke.
Sun Yang, the oldest competitor in the event at 33, bagged a silver in the men's 400m freestyle after Liu Peixin.
5. China's Shi clinches second Badminton All England title
China's top seed Shi Yuqi defeated Lee Chia-hao of Chinese Taipei 21-17, 21-19 on March 16 to win the men's singles title at the All England Open Badminton Championships for the second time.
"It's been seven years," said Shi to the crowd on court after the match. "A lot of things have happened during these seven years, ups and downs, but I finally made it because of your support."
His compatriots Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui won the mixed doubles title for the first time, while Wang Zhiyi lost to top seed An Se-young of South Korea in the women's singles final.
6. China's Sun, Wang crowned at WTT Champions Chongqing
Chinese paddlers Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin clinched the women's and men's singles titles respectively at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Chongqing on March 16.
Sun retained her title with a straight-game victory over teammate Chen Xingtong, 11-7, 11-4, 12-10, 11-7.
In the men's singles final featuring the world's top two paddlers, second-seeded Wang, last year's runner-up in Chongqing, defeated top seed Lin Shidong 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6. ■
