HIGHLIGHTS: Hindley makes history with Giro d’Italia win; Oregon’s Williams goes 9.86, FSU’s Cunningham 13.07; climbing world Speed record for Miroslaw!

Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw with another Speed world record at Salt Lake City (Photo: IFSC-Daniel Gajda)

(For coverage of Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic, click here.)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world/updated/:

● Archery ● USA Archery’s second national qualifier, the Easton Foundations Gator Cup, was on in Newberry, Florida with U.S. stars Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold maintaining their grip at the top.

Ellison, the 2019 World Champion, won the men’s Recurve Division, taking down fellow Tokyo Olympian Jack Williams in the semis, 6-4, and then defeating Matthew Requa, 6-0, in the final. Williams won the bronze over Trenton Cowles, 6-4.

Kaufhold, still just 18 and the 2021 Worlds silver medalist, defeated Catalina Noriega in the final, 7-1. Mexico’s Aida Roman, the London 2012 silver winner, won the bronze by 6-0 over Savannah Vanderweir.

● Athletics ● Beyond the Pre Classic, attention was focused on the NCAA Division I opening rounds, held in Bloomington, Indiana (East) and Fayetteville, Arkansas (West).

In the East, Florida’s Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBA) used his usual fast close to post the fastest men’s 200 m quarterfinal time of 19.85 mw (+4.4) and defending NCAA 400 m champ Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T overwhelmed everyone with a 44.23 quarterfinal win to move to no. 4 on the 2022 world list.

Florida State’s Trey Cunningham impressed by winning the 110 m hurdles in a world-leading 13.07, into a 1.5 m/s headwind!

The women’s action was also in the sprints, with Kentucky’s Abby Steiner running 10.99w (+2.5) and 22.19 (+0.6) in the first round, then won her 100 m quarterfinal in 11.04 (-0.2). Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (LSU) won the first quarterfinal in 11.02 (-1.3). Steiner won her 200 m quarter in a wind-aided 22.01 (+2.1), while Ofili won hers in 22.08 (+0.7).

In Fayetteville, a sensational mark came from Oregon soph Micah Williams, who won his quarterfinal in 9.86 (+0.7), moving him to equal-second on the 2022 world list and equal-second on the all-time collegiate list!

Texas’ Jonathan Jones (BAR) had the top 400 m mark at 44.85 to lead all of the quarterfinalists. World leader Mouad Zahafi (MAR-Texas Tech) led all qualifiers in the men’s 800 m in 1:44.65. Quivell Jordan-Bacot of Houston posted the fastest 400 m hurdles quarterfinal time of 48.72, moving him to no. 8 on the year list.

TCU’s Chengetayi Mapaya (ZIM) jumped 17.07 m (56-0) to lead all triple jump qualifiers; he’s now no. 7 on the 2022 world list.

In the women’s sprints, Texas’ Julien Alfred (LCA) had the fastest first-round 100 m mark of 11.00 (+0.5) and then a super (but wind-aided) 10.80 in the quarters (+2.2). Texas Tech’s Rosemary Chukwuma (NGR) won her quarter in 10.82w (+2.6), just ahead of Kemba Nelson (Oregon), in 10.85w. USC’s Celera Barnes won quarter no. 2 in 10.89w (+2.7).

Texas A&M’s Kaylah Robinson posted the fastest time in the 100 m hurdles with a wind-aided 12.57 (+3.5). World leader Britton Wilson (Arkansas) easily led the 400 m hurdles quarters at 54.87.

California’s amazing Cam Rogers (CAN) got another collegiate record in the hammer, reaching 76.46 m (250-10) to lead all qualifiers. That makes her no. 4 on the 2022 world list and is another Canadian national record.

At the famed Hypomeeting in Gotzis (AUT), Canada’s Olympic champion Damian Warner moved to no. 2 on the seasonal world list with a convincing 8,797-point decathlon victory.

He won the 100 m (10.14) and the 110 m hurdles (13.48) and was second in the long jump and the discus to win by 350 points over Grenada’s Lindon Victor, the 2018 Commonwealth Games winner (8,447), who moved to no. 6 on the 2022 world list.

Emerging Swiss star Simon Ehammer was third with a national record of 8,377 and took the world lead in the long jump with his best of 8.45 m (27-8 3/4). Seven men cleared 8,000 points; Hunter Price was the top American in eighth at 7,996.

Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Anouk Vetter won the heptathlon with a world-leading 6,693 score, a lifetime best and four points better than she scored at the Games in 2021. She won the long jump and javelin and was second in the 100 m hurdles.

Poland’s Adrianna Sulek (6,429) and Germany’s Vanessa Grimm (6,323) both scored lifetime bests in second and third. Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the 2019 World Champion, was seventh at 6,174.

● Beach Volleyball ● The second Volleyball World Pro Beach Tour Elite tournament was in Ostrava (CZE) for men and women, with Tokyo Olympic champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum back on top.

They won their 15th career FIVB World Tour/Pro Beach Tour gold with a come-from-behind 15-21, 23-21, 15-13 victory over top-seeded Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner (CZE). Mol and Sorum were third in the first Pro Beach Tour Elite event of the season in Mexico in March.

Third-seeded Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen (NED) ended up winning the bronze medal, defeating 16th-seeded Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira (ESP), 25-23, 21-19.

The women’s final saw 13th-seeds Svenja Mueller and Cinja Tillmann (GER) came through the qualifying round to reach not just the main draw, but the top of the podium by defeating Talita Antunes and Rebecca Cavalcanti (BRA), 21-18, 21-16! It was the first-ever World Tour/Pro Beach Tour medal for the German duo. Antunes and Cavalcanti were also third in the first Elite event in Mexico.

In the all-Swiss third-place match, Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner defeated Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre, 21-16, 21-18.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The second ICF Sprint World Cup of the season was in Poznan (POL), with challenging, windy conditions making the racing difficult. But that did not stop either Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta or Cuba’s Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys.

The versatile Pimenta, a two-time Olympic medalist, including the K-1 1,000 m in Tokyo, collected wins in the K-1 500 m, K-1 1,000 m and the K-1 5,000 m individual events and then teamed with Teresa Portela to win the Mixed K-2 500 m!

Cirilo Duboys won two medals at the 2021 Worlds in the C-2 200 m and 500 m events and in Poznan, she impressed with a win in the C-1 200 m over Canada’s 2021 World Champion, Katie Vincent, and then joined Katherin Nuevo Segura to win the women’s C-2 200 m and C-2 500 m races.

Vincent was on the winning Canadian C-4 500 m squad and picked up silvers in the C-1 5,000 m and in the Mixed C-2 500 m final.

Tokyo superstar Lisa Carrington (NZL) won the K-1 500 m final and was second on the Kiwi K-4 500 m squad, with Poland the winners.

Two-time World Champion Martin Fuksa (CZE) won his specialty, the C-1 500 m and doubled back for a second gold in the C-1 1,000 m. Tokyo bronze medalists Sebastian Brendel and Tim Hecker (GER) won the C-2 1,000 m.

● Cycling ● The 105th Giro d’Italia ended on Sunday with a historic win for Australia’s Jai Hindley, moving up from second in 2021 to become the first from his country to win the Giro.

He entered the final day with a 1:25 lead on Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz and 1:51 on Mikel Landa (ESP), the only possible competitors over the 17.4 km Individual Time Trial in Verona.

On Saturday, the final mountain stage – 168 km from Belluno to the top of the Passo Fedaia in Marmolada – saw a breakaway by Italy’s Alessandro Covi on the second climb, with about 54 km to go and no one could catch him. Just 23, he won his biggest race ever and cruised home in 4:46:34, with a 32-second edge on Demon Novak (SLO). Italy’s Guilio Ciccone was third (+0:37).

Ecuador’s Carapaz, the leader for six stages, faltered and finished 11th, some 3:58 behind the winner. That opened the door for Hindley, who was sixth (+2:30) and took over the lead with just the Time Trial to go.

On Sunday, Italy’s Matteo Sobrero won the Time Trial in 22:24, ahead of Thymen Arensman (NED: +0:23) and Mathieu van der Poel (NED: +0:40). Carapaz finished 10th, 1:24 behind the winner and Hindley was 15th (+1:31), easily securing the overall victory.

Hindley, 26, finished in 86:31:14, 1:18 up on Carapaz, 3:24 up on Landa and 9:02 ahead of Italian icon Vincenzo Nibali, a two-time winner of this race.

The UCI Women’s World Tour was in Great Britain for the fifth edition of the three-stage RideLondon Classique and the first since 2020 thanks to Covid-19.

Dutch riders had won three of the four races previously held and Lorena Wiebes entered as defending champion from 2019. She picked right up where she left off by winning the hilly, 136.5 km first stage in a sprint over Italy’s Elisa Balsamo, Emma Norsgaard (DEN) and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky.

Wiebes then won the second stage (141.7 km) with another sprint, this time over Marta Bastianelli (ITA), then Norsgaard and Kopecky again. With the placement bonuses, Wiebes entered Sunday’s finale with an 18-second lead over Balsamo, 19 seconds on Norsgaard and 25 seconds on Kopecky and Bastianelli.

Sunday’s flat, 85.3 km stage in and around London completed the sweep for Wiebes, who got to the line first again in a sprint ahead of Balsamo, Kopecky and Chiara Consonni (ITA). Over the three stages, Wiebes finished in 9:10:02, 19 seconds up on Balsamo, 28 seconds ahead of Norsgaard and 31 seconds ahead of Kopecky.

The UCI BMX Racing World Cup opened in Glasgow (GBR), with a new face at the top of the men’s podium on Saturday as Colombian Diego Arboleda won in 33.868, beating 2018 World Champion Sylvain Andre (FRA: 33.996) and Tokyo bronze winner Kye Whyte (GBR: 34.450).

Sunday’s second round saw a French 1-2, with Jeremy Rencurrel, a Rio 2016 Olympian, getting to the line first in 34.070, ahead of Andre (34.887) and Australia’s Izaac Kennedy third (41.168); Arboleda was fourth.

Four-time World Cup champion Laura Smulders (NED) won the first women’s race in 37.451, over Tokyo semifinalist Zoe Claessens (SUI: 37.806) and two-time Worlds medal winner Judy Baauw (NED: 39.439)

Smulders doubled her pleasure on Sunday, but it wasn’t easy. She finished in 38.326, barely edging Olympic champ Beth Shriever (GBR: 38.365), with Saya Sakakibara (AUS) third in 39.181 and Baauw fourth.

The UCI’s BMX Freestyle World Cup also opened its season, at Montpellier (FRA), with many of the Olympic medal winners from Tokyo back for more.

All three of the women’s medal winners – Charlotte Worthington (GBR: 1), American Hannah Roberts (2) and Swiss Nikita Ducarroz (3) – were in, but it was Colombian teen Lizsurley Villegas, 19, who scored best and won at 90.3.

Germany’s Lara Lessmann, the 2017 Worlds silver medalist, took silver (88.6) and Ducarroz got third (87.2). Roberts was off the podium in fourth (86.1) and fellow American Angie Marino was eighth (70.2).

On Sunday, the men’s Park final saw 2019 World Cup champ Rimu Nakamura (JPN) outscore Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin (AUS), 95.30-94.50, with France’s Anthony Jeanjean third (94.20). Americans Nick Bruce (93.30), Marcus Christopher (93.14) and Brian Fox (90.80) went 4-5-6.

● Fencing ● The FIE World Cup circuit was in Tbilisi (GEO) for the men and Katowice (POL) for the women in the Epee discipline.

In Tbilisi, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Stankevych, 27, won his first career World Cup with a 15-9 victory over Mate Tamas Koch (HUN). Stankevych won a World Cup bronze in 2017, and this is his second-ever international medal. Japan’s Inochi Ito and Ukraine’s Igor Reizlin shared the bronze.

In Katowice, Korea’s no. 1-ranked Injeong Choi defeated Alberta Santuccio (ITA) in the women’s final, 15-12, winning her second international tourney of the year. She also won the Cairo Grand Prix at the end of April and now has a career total of five Grand Prix or World Cup golds. Santuccio, ranked ninth, won her first World Cup silver; she won bronzes in 2014 and 2018.

Hungary’s Anna Kun and France’s Marie-Florence Candassamy shared the bronze medal.

● Gymnastics ● The second of three stages of the FIG Rhythmic World Challenge Cup was in Portimao (POR), with Israel showing off a new star in Adi Asya Katz, who won the All-Around with 123.600 points, ahead of Darja Varfolomeev (GER: 120.500) and Eva Brezalieva (BUL: 119.550).

American Evita Griskenas was fourth at 117.900 and Lili Mizuno was 12th (111.750).

Katz won the Hoop final, 31.150-31.100 over Varfolomeev, but the German came back with wins in Ball (32.550 to 31.150 for Katz) and Clubs (32.100 to 30.250) for Katz. Brezalieva (31.600) won in Ribbon, with Griskenas getting the bronze (29.300).

Griskenas was seventh in the Hoop final, eighth in the Ball final and sixth in the Clubs final, in addition to her Ribbon bronze. Mizuno also won a bronze, in Ball, and was fifth in Clubs.

/Updated/The season’s first FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup was held in Varna (BUL), with France’s 18-year-old Tokyo Olympian Aline Friess the star.

In the men’s finals, France’s Benjamin Osberger won on Floor at 14.100 over American Taylor Burkhart (14.050); Nikita Simonov (AZE) won on Rings (14.750); Gabriel Burtanete (ROU) won the Vault, scoring 14.400, with Burkhart second at 14.350, and Marios Georgiou (CYP) won on Parallel Bars (14.850), Pommel Horse (14.500) and Horizontal Bar (14.350)

In the women’s events, Freiss was tops on Vault (13.850), Uneven Bars (13.450) and Floor (13.000), with Ana Derek (CRO) winning on Beam (13.300), with Friess third.

● Ice Hockey ● /Updated/The IIHF men’s World Championship in Finland concluded with a happy home crowd in Tampere as the host team won its fourth world title with a 4-3 win in overtime against Canada.

The first period was scoreless but Canada took the lead with the only goal of the second period on a power play, with Dylan Cozens scoring just 35 seconds into the penalty period.

Finland got aggressive in the third period, scoring the equalizer on a 5-on-3 power play, with Mikael Granlund scoring at 4:13 of the period. Then the Finns went ahead on another power play – and again from Granlund – at 5:57 of the period. And things appeared to be on cruise control when Joel Armia scored with 5:56 to go and a 3-1 lead.

But Canada got a goal from Zach Whitecloud with 2:12 to go and an extra attacker and tied the game at 3-3 with 1:24 left thanks to a Max Comtois goal. So, overtime.

But the Canadians got in trouble at 5:36, with Thomas Chabot called for hooking. Just 66 seconds later, it was Sakari Manninen with the winning goal, with assists from Granlund and Miro Heiskanen. The Finns had a 5-0 shots advantage in overtime and their aggressive play earned them the trophy.

In the semis, Finland won a tight battle with the U.S., 4-3. The Americans got a goal just 1:04 into the game from Nate Schmidt, but the Finns tied it by the end of the period. Manninen and the U.S.’s Sean Farrell got goals in the second period, but Sami Vatanen broke the 2-2 tie at the 9:40 mark of the period and gave Finland a 3-2 lead. Armia extended Finland’s lead to 4-2 at 5:03 of the final period and that was the game winner. Adam Gaudette got the U.S. close with 2:51 to play with an extra-attacker goal, but it ended 4-3.

Canada routed the Czech Republic, 6-1, to get to the final. After a 1-1 first period, Adam Lowry (power play), Kent Johnson and Matt Barzal (power play) scored within 3:19 of each other to give Canada a commanding 4-1 lead midway through the period. Cozens scored his second goal of the game at 12:50 of the final period for the 6-1 margin.

The Czechs crushed the U.S. in the third-place game, 8-4, coming back from a 3-2 deficit after two periods to out-score the Americans by 6-1 in the final period.

Karson Kuhlman scored twice for the U.S. in the first period, along with Gaudette for a 3-1 lead, but the Czechs scored once in the second to draw close. Then the roof fell in, with the Czechs scoring three times in the first 3:37 of the final period to go up 5-3 and then 6-3 on a short-handed goal at 14:42. An empty-netter and a late power-play goal completed the third-period meltdown for the U.S. David Kampf and David Pastrnak both had two goals in the third for the Czechs, along with Tom Bordeleau of the U.S.

For Finland, this was their fourth world title and second in the last three tournaments. It was also the third straight time that Finland and Canada had squared off for the championship and the sixth time in all, with the Finns winning for the second straight time after four losses.

● Rowing ● The first of three World Rowing World Cup competitions was in Belgrade (SRB), with British boats dominating the regatta.

Great Britain won the Men’s Pairs, Men’s Fours, Men’s Eights, the Women’s Pairs and the Women’s Fours, plus the Lightweight Double Sculls. The Dutch also did well, winning the Women’s Single Sculls (Karolien Florijn), the Women’s Double Sculls and the Women’s Eights.

Olympic champions in the Men’s Pairs, Croatia’s Martin and Valent Sinkovic won the Men’s Double Sculls impressively. Germany’s 2019 World Champion, Oliver Zeidler, won the Men’s Single Sculls.

American Mary Jones won the Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls in 7:58.57, well ahead of Martine Veldhuis (NED: 8:05.49).

● Rugby Sevens ● The eighth of nine stages in the 2021-22 Sevens Series season was in London (GBR), with Argentina, South Africa and Australia tightly bunched at the top of the standings.

Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and Samoa all went undefeated in pool play, but Australia ousted the South Africans in the quarterfinals and then stomped Samoa, 28-14, in their semifinals. Fiji and New Zealand advanced to the semis, with the Kiwis winning, 22-19 to advance to the final. There, it was the Australians reversing their loss in pool play and winning a tight, 19-14 match for the title.

Fiji out-lasted Samoa, 31-26, in the third-place game.

With one round to play, it’s now South Africa on top of the standings with 124 points, to 122 for Australia and 118 for Argentina. Fiji is fourth with 104 and Ireland fifth at 92.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup in Baku (AZE) began on Sunday with four finals in the 10 m events, with two medals each for Serbia, Poland and France.

The men’s 10 m Air Pistol final had Serbia’s Olympic silver medalist Damir Mikec sail past Kaloyan Stamenov (BUL), 17-9 in the gold-medal final, while Poland’s Klaudia Bres took the women’s gold with a 16-14 win over Camille Jedrzejewski (FRA).

In the 10 m Air Rifle finals, Lazar Kovacevic (SRB) defeated Miran Maricic (SLO) for the men’s gold, 16-14, while France’s Olympic fifth-placer, Oceanne Muller edged Aneta Stankiewicz (POL), 16-12, for the women’s title.

● Sport Climbing ● /Updated/The IFSC World Cup for Bouldering and Speed was in Salt Lake City for a second straight week, with another world Speed record for Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw.

Already a two-time world-record setter, she zoomed up the 15 m climb in her qualifier in 6.53, taking 0.11 seconds over her 6.64 time at the Seoul World Cup early this month. That brought her into the final against American Emma Hunt, and Miroslaw just missed her qualifying mark, winning in 6.54, while Hunt fell. Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka got third.

Former world-record holder Veddriq Leonardo (INA) won each of his three qualifying rounds to reach the final, where he posted a slow time of 6.33 as Tobias Plangger (AUT) fell. Italy’s Ludovico Fossali was third.

Sunday’s Bouldering finals saw American sensation Natalia Grossman win her third straight women’s World Cup title, reaching 4T4Z 10/4, to best Olympic silver medalist Miho Nonaka (JPN: 3T4Z 5/5) and fellow American Brooke Raboutou (3T4Z 6/4).

The men’s Bouldering title went to Japan’s Yoshiyuki Ogata (4T4Z 5/5), who barely defeated Anze Peharc (SLO: 4T4Z 5/5) and Korea’s Jongwon Chon (3T4Z4/5). Ogata won his third career World Cup event and moved up from second last week. Peharc, 24, won his second career World Cup medal and first since 2019.

● Swimming ● The FINA Marathon World Series got underway under 72 F skies in Setubal (POR), with a flashback to the Tokyo Games for stars Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) and Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED).

Van Rouwendaal was the Rio 2016 gold medalist and Cunha the ultra-distance star who had five World Championships golds, but no Olympic medals. But in Tokyo it was Cunha who prevailed, winning over van Rouwendaal by just 0.9 seconds.

In Setubal, those two were part of a nine-swimmer group that stayed together and made the turn for the final 150 m almost together. But Cunha got there first, in 2:09:29.8, with the Dutch star at 2:09:32.3, Germany’s Leonie Beck third (2:09:32.4) and just 2.8 seconds from second to eighth (18-year-old American Katie Grimes: 2:09:35.1).

Fellow American teen (18) Mariah Denigan was 10th in 2:10:46.3.

The course was made even more difficult than normal by high winds and a rough current. The men’s competition was finally won by Tokyo 2020 1,500 m Free champion and open-water bronze medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) in 1:53:45.4, just ahead of teammate Domenico Acerenza (1:53:47.2). Tokyo silver medalist Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) was a close third in 1:53:52.1. Joey Tepper, 19, was the top American in ninth (1:55:33.3).

The Mixed 4×1,500 m relay was an Italian 1-2, with Giulia Gabbrielleschi, Ginerva Taddeucci, Marcello Guidi and Mario Sanzullo touched first in 1:12:27.0. The second Italian team, with Paltrinieri on anchor, finished in 1:12:29.0, with Hungary third (1:13:21.0).

The annual, three-stage Mare Nostrum Tour concluded with the meet in Canet-en-Roussillon (FRA), with Sweden’s sprint star Sarah Sjostrom completing a sweep of all three meets in the women’s 50 m Free in 24.11. Only she has been faster this season, timing 24.06 at the Mare Nostrum opener in Monaco. Sjostrom also won the 100 m Free (53.05, no. 3 for 2022) and the 50 m Butterfly.

Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu, the Rio 2016 champ, moved to no. 3 in the world in the 400 m Medley, winning in 4:35.95.

Dutch Breaststroke star Arno Kamminga won six golds on the tour, taking the 100-200 m Breast events at all three stops, but Matt Sates (RSA) piled up wins at all three stops in the 200 m Frees and the 200-400 m Medleys!

At the second stop in Barcelona, the highlight was Olympic 200 m Butterfly champ Kristof Milak’s 1:53.89 win, the no. 3 performance of 2022. Hungary’s Milak had already timed 1:53.88 in April, just 0.01 behind Japan’s Tomoru Honda, who swam 1:53.87 at the Kitajima Cup in January.

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