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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡
A major stepping stone to the World Athletics Championships is this week’s Diamond League Final at the Weltklasse Zurich, with five events on Wednesday afternoon and the main portion of the meet on Thursday.
Wild-card entries into the September Worlds in Tokyo are on the line in many events, including for Americans in 10 events. Significant prize money is on the line, in two tiers:
● Most events will offer $30,00-12,000-7,000–4,000-2,500-2,000-1,500-1,000-500 to the top nine placers (12 in distance races).
● “Diamond+ Disciplines” in eight events will offer $50,000-20,000-10,000-6,000-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000-1,000 for 1-9 and through 12th in distance events. For Zurich, these include the men’s 100 m and 1,500 m, 400 m hurdles, and vault, and the women’s 100, 3,000 m, 100 m hurdles and long jump.
World 200 m champ Noah Lyles of the U.S. will run with a wild-card entry into the Final, and stars like Karsten Warholm (NOR) and Femke Bol (NED) in the 400 m hurdles, vaulter Mondo Duplantis, Ukraine’s world-record holder in the high jump, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, and American discus superstar Valarie Allman all confirmed.
The meet will be shown in the U.S. only on FloTrack.
Meanwhile, in New York, the U.S. Open tennis extravaganza continues with Jannik Sinner (ITA) and Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) favored to meet in the men’s final for the third Grand Slam this year.
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka is the reigning women’s champ and trying for a three-peat; she lost two Grand Slams in 2025, to Madison Keys of the U.S. at the Australian and to Coco Gauff at the French Open. Second-seed Iga Swiatek (POL) won Wimbledon this year, defeating Amanda Arisimova of the U.S. in straight sets. Gauff is the third seed.
Iconic American star Venus Williams, now 45, was granted a wild-card entry into the women’s bracket.
There’s a lot more going on:
● Athletics: The seventh World Marathon Major, the Sydney Marathon, comes on Sunday, finishing in front of the famed Sydney Opera House.
An exciting elite field includes marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), the two-time Olympic champion, now 40, who wants to win each of the World Marathon Majors races, but last won in Berlin in September 2023.
The men’s field also includes Berhanu Legese (ETH: 2:02:48 ‘19), Vincent Ngetich (KEN: 2:03:13 ‘23) and Dawit Wolde (ETH: 2:03:48 ‘23) among nine racers with lifetime bests below 2:05.
Olympic women’s champ Sifan Hassan (NED: 2:13:44 ‘23) leads the women’s field, along with former world-record holder Brigid Kosgei (KEN: 2:14:04 ‘19) and Ethiopians Workenesh Edesa (2:17:55 ‘25) and Ashete Bekere (2:17:58 ‘22).
● Badminton: The 29th BWF World Championships will be in Paris (FRA), with South Korea defending three titles in the women’s singles – Se-young An, also Paris Olympic winner, in the women’s Singles, and in men’s and women’s Doubles. Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsam won the 2023 World men’s Singles gold, but lost to Viktor Axelsen (DEN) in the Paris Olympic final.
● Beach Volleyball: The seventh and final Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament will be in Hamburg (GER), always one of the highlight stops of the season.
In the six prior men’s tournaments, only Tokyo Olympic champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) have won twice, and reached three finals. Swedish pairs David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (1-1) – the Paris Olympic winners – and Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson (0-2) have made it to two finals.
Brazil’s Themala Galil and Victoria Lopez and Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher have both won twice, with Carolina Salgado and Rebecca Cavalcante (BRA), and Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson taking the other two events.
● Cycling: The first week of the 80th Vuelta a Espana continues in Italy for stage three and four and moves to Spain for the flat, 24.1 km Team Time Trial in Figueres on Wednesday. The first two climbing stages are set for Thursday and Friday, both with uphill finishes, concluding at 1,900 and 1,910 m on consecutive days.
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time Tour de France winner, is the big favorite and leads with David Gaudu (FRA) after three stages. Spain’s Juan Ayuso, Portugal’s Joao Almeida, and Britain’s Tom Pidcock are all capable challengers.
● Modern Pentathlon: The new-look UIPM World Championships with obstacle racing instead of equestrian will debut in Kaunas (LTU).
Egypt has emerged as a force in the sport, with Ahmed El-Gendy the reigning Olympic Champion, and Mohamed Moutaz winning the 2025 World Cup Final.
Hungary’s Michelle Gulyas won the women’s Olympic gold in Paris, but 14-year-old Egyptian sensation Farida Khalil won the 2025 World Cup Final, two of three World Cup races, and Worlds golds in the U-17, U-19 and World Junior championships!
● Rugby: The 10th Women’s World Cup has started in England, with 16 teams playing matches in four pools through 7 September. Playoffs will be held from 13-27 September, with the final in London.
Top-seeded England opened the tournament on Friday with a 69-7 win over the U.S. and defending champion New Zealand mauled Spain, 54-8 on Sunday.
● Triathlon: The fifth of eight events in the 2025 World Championship Triathlon Series is the “French Riviera” stop in France, from St. Raphael to Frejus, on Sunday.
Australia’s Matthew Hauser won in Yokohama (JPN) in May and Hamburg (GER) in July and is the seasonal leader with 2,925.00 points, trailed by Alghero (ITA) winner Miguel Hidalgo (BRA: 2,647.08) and Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca (2,491.72). New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde won the season opener in Abu Dhabi.
Britain’s Beth Potter, the 2023 World Champion, leads the women’s rankings with 2,360.05, ahead of Hamburg winner Leonie Perault (FRA: 2,325.68) and German Lisa Tertsch (2,282.82), winner in Abu Dhabi. Olympic champ Cassandre Beaugrand won in Alghero and Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair sprang the upset in Yokohama.
● Volleyball: The 20th FIVB Women’s World Championship continues in Thailand with pool play, with top-seeded Italy, second-seed Brazil and third-seed U.S. all undefeated at 2-0 and into the playoffs.
Pool play will finish on the 27th and the playoffs will conclude on 7 September with the gold-medal match, in Bangkok.
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