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ATHLETICS: Circuits clash as Grand Slam Track II arrives in Miramar, while Diamond League Shanghai comes on Saturday only

By
Rich Perelman
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Practice time in Miramar as Grand Slam Track readies for its second meet (Photo: Grand Slam Track).

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≡ HEAVY WEEKEND AHEAD ≡

The new Grand Slam Track circuit of four meets in the spring was arranged to mostly avoid the Diamond League calendar in 2025, but this is the one weekend with both will be going, with the second Slam in Miramar, Florida and the second Diamond League stop in Shanghai, China.

Both meets have quite a lot going for them, with the Grand Slam over three days, with seven world leaders competing, including four challengers brought in for this weekend:

Racers:
● Men/400 m hurdles: 47.61, Alison dos Santos (BRA)
● Women/400 m: 48.67, Salwa Eid Naser (BRN)
● Women/800 m: 1:58.23, Nikki Hiltz (USA)
● Women/400 m hurdles: 52.76, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)

Challengers:
● Men/400 m: 44.15, Chris Robinson (USA)
● Men/800 m: 1:43.79, Peter Bol (AUS)
● Men/3,000 m: 7:45.14, Tshepo Tshite (RSA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.49, Tia Jones (USA)

Robinson will be running in the long hurdles group, in his better-known 400 m hurdles event and then the 400 m; he said, “The Grand Slam, when I saw it, I was like ‘This is literally made for me.’ I think I’m one of the best people who can do both events [400H/400] and I thought it could give me the opportunity to train and show that.”

Tshite will be in the short distances, running the 800 m and 1,500 m.

In the men’s six event groups, five Kingston winners will be back: Kenny Bednarek (USA/short sprints), Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR/long sprints), Grant Fisher (USA/long distances), Sasha Zhoya (FRA/short hurdles) and Alison dos Santos (BRA/long hurdles).

Four of the women’s group winners return: Gabby Thomas (USA/long sprints), Salwa Eid Naser (BRN/long sprints), Diribe Welteji (ETH/short distances) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA/long hurdles). Thomas will be moving down to the short sprints for this week’s Slam.

Scoring in each event group (two races) is 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 and the placers in each group will win $100,000-50,000-30,000-25,000-20,000-15,000-12,500-10,000.

The meet runs three days, with events from 5-8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday (shown on Peacock only) and 5-8 p.m. on Saturday (The CW and Peacock) and earlier on Sunday, 3-6 p.m., also on The CW and Peacock.

The Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, about 22 miles north of Miami, seats about 5,000 and the three-day ticket packages for the finish line (one section) and grand stand (two sections) are shown as sold out; single-day tickets in all categories (all 14 sections) are shown as available. Clouds are expected on Friday and Saturday and possible drizzles on Sunday.

In Shanghai, the one-day line-up includes field events – which Grand Slam Track does not – and has six outdoor world leaders expected to compete:

● Men/100 m: 9.90, Akani Simbine (RSA)
● Men/3,000 m Steeple: 8:05.61, Samuel Firewu (ETH)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.06, Cordell Tinch (USA)
● Men/Pole Vault: 5.92 m (19-5), Mondo Duplantis (SWE)
● Women/High Jump: 2.01 m (6-7), Nicola Olyslagers (AUS)
● Women/Shot Put: 20.47 m (67-2), Jessica Schilder (NED)

Danielle Williams (JAM), a two-time World Champion in the women’s 100 m hurdles and the Slam winner as a Challenger in the women’s short hurdles, will line up in Shanghai in the 100 m hurdles race.

Norway’s men’s 400 m hurdles world-record holder Karsten Warholm, who set a world best for the 300 m hurdles in Xiamen last week, is in the field for the 400 m hurdles. World Indoor 400 m champ Chris Bailey and Olympic champ Quincy Hall of the U.S. are in the 400 m field; Hall left Grand Slam Track and was replaced by Tokyo Olympic champ Steven Gardiner.

The men’s 100 m has 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the U.S., fourth last week in Xiamen, Paris 200 m gold medalist Letsile Tebogo (BOT), seventh last week, and Paris 100 m silver medalist Kishane Thompson (JAM) in his season opener, all challenging world leader Simbine.

This should be an interesting meet: it’s still early in the season, but the main players who are not part of Grand Slam Track are starting to get going.

Excellent reporting from Jonathan Gault of LetsRun.com, speaking with agent John Regis (GBR), who explained that Hall withdrew from Grand Slam Track as the long-sprint format of running the 400 m and 200 m over three days didn’t work well for him.

The format has also been an issue for hurdles stars Grant Holloway and Rai Benjamin, both of whom have passed on Grand Slam Track, for this year anyway.

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PANORAMA: Ledecky screams Tyr Pro Swim 1,500 m Free win in no. 2 time ever! France protests Russian cyber-espionage, including vs. Paris 2024

By
Rich Perelman
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Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky (USA)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The French Foreign Ministry condemned Tuesday years of cyberattacks made by the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) against French interests:

“Since 2021, this attack group has been used to target or compromise a dozen French entities. These entities are working in the daily lives of French people and include public services, private enterprises as well as a sport organization involved in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the past, this group was also used by GRU in the sabotage of the TV5Monde broadcasting station in 2015, as well as in attempts to destabilize the French elections in 2017. …

“These destabilizing activities are not acceptable or worthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Moreover, they are contrary to the UN norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, to which Russia has adhered.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The International Olympic Committee profiled some of its Olympic scholarship holders for the upcoming Winter Games, and noted:

“The first scholarships for Milano Cortina 2026 were awarded in autumn 2023, and there are currently 423 athletes (245 men, 178 women) from 87 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) benefitting from the programme. …

“The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to provide assistance to all NOCs for athlete development programmes, in particular those with the greatest need of it. Ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, a total of 429 scholarships were awarded to athletes from 80 NOCs. Over 50 per cent of those scholarship-holders, 236, qualified for the Games, winning 10 medals.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2034: Salt Lake City ● The Salt Lake City-Utah organizers for the 2034 Winter Games made some money Wednesday, while not doing a thing.

Smith Entertainment Group, owners of the NHL Utah Hockey Club and NBA Utah Jazz announced a renovation of the Delta Center floor area, which will expand the capacity for hockey from about 16,000 fans to about 17,000, to take place over the next three seasons.

The Delta Center is slated to host ice hockey for the 2034 Winter Games.

● International Olympic Committee ● With the election of Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) as the next President of the IOC, a new head for the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is needed, with Kenyan IOC member Humphrey Kayange announced as her replacement on Wednesday.

Kayange has been an IOC member as an elected member of the Athletes’ Commission since 2021, and on the Dakar Coordination Commission since 2022.

● Athletics ● The emergence of Grand Slam Track, with its second meet coming this weekend in Miramar, Florida, and the new, 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship with more than $10 million in prize money, has raised plenty of interest in the track & field community.

But not all of it is wholly commendatory. From long-time Los Angeles-area high school track coach Ron Brumel:

“As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘There you go again.’

“While I commend any efforts to improve Athletics (a/k/a Track & Field) interest and viewership, I think that the powers-that-be that move-or-shake (mostly move) the sport into view on the Webisphere, miss the point entirely by emphasizing individual greatness over team aspects.

“The Grand Slam approach may have some appeal, such as mandating that each of the Slammers compete in two events for points, which may also be the case for the ‘Ultimate’ idea.

“So, my point of view is that people (fans) like cheering for TEAMS, whether they be collegiate, or international.

“Listen to the cheering at high school meets, even these days. For that matter, attend an age group club event, where the cheering is even louder.

“Consider an ‘Athletics’ league, composed of teams from around the country, where distinctive uniforms and regular competitions take place. Keep track of standings, as well as the individual results, you know, like other sports. Would baseball be as popular if all the comps were individualized? Home run derbies, and the like? I don’t think so, not in the long run.

“Remember when the UCLA-USC meet was a huge event? … How much fun was it when it came down to the 4×400 relay? Did we worry about times, although back then (‘70s through the ‘90s) it was not uncommon to hear results announced as ‘the fastest in the world this year’ – thank you Ato Boldon, Andre Phillips and Steve Lewis.”

“Just a thought. I know I’m shouting into the wind (cleaning up that analogy) but still…yeah.”

Speaking of Grand Slam Track, the start lists for all three days of this weekend’s Slam in Miramar, Florida have been posted here.

● Basketball ● Having seen the success of the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off during its All-Star break in 2025, the NBA is now discussing a U.S. vs. the world or similar format for the 2026 All-Star Game to be played at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told The Athletic:

“Our All-Star Game will return to NBC next season in the middle of their coverage of the Winter Olympics.

“Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.”

● Cycling ● The French-language site FrancsJeux.com noted that the organizing committee for the multi-discipline UCI “Super World Championships” in the Haute-Savoie region in France is gearing up with 281 World Championship titles to settled between 24 August and 5 September 2027.

Some 20 disciplines are to be included, with organizing committee head Florian Vuillaume explaining that the budget is €43 million (about $48.7 million U.S.), with two-thirds from public funds and one-third from sponsorships and tickets. Ticket sales are expected to start in September.

● Football ● FIFA confirmed that Women’s World Cup bid agreements were submitted by the U.S. Soccer Federation for 2031 and a combined 2035 bid from The Football Association (England), the Irish Football Association, The Scottish Football Association and The Football Association of Wales.

Both bids are expected to be formally approved in the second quarter of 2026.

● Ice Hockey ● The National Hockey League said Tuesday it will not hold an All-Star Game in 2026, but will instead have a “kick-off” event prior to the Winter Olympic hockey tournament taking place.

UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders in Elmont, New York will be the site.

At the IIHF men’s U-18 World Championship, being played in Frisco and Allen, Texas, the quarterfinals were held on Wednesday, with Canada edging the Czech Republic in overtime, 3-2, and Sweden clubbing Finland, 7-2, in the lower bracket.

In the upper bracket, Slovakia defeated Germany, 3-2 and the U.S. sailed past Latvia, 6-3, in the final quarter.

With re-seeding after the quarterfinals, the semis on Saturday will have the U.S. playing Sweden and Canada facing Slovakia. The medal matches are Sunday.

● Swimming ● What is expected to be a spicy edition of the Tyr Pro Swim Series is on in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with the men’s and women’s 1,500 m races completed Wednesday and the meet continuing through Saturday.

Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky rang the bell early, taking the first event – the women’s 1,500 m – in a sensational 15:24.41, the second-fastest swim in history, behind only her world record of 15:20.48, way back in 2018!

Ledecky passed 800 m en route in 8:12.76 (!), no. 2 in the world for 2025 and a time that only Ledecky, Canadian star Summer McIntosh and Ariarne Titmus (AUS) have ever bettered. Moreover, Ledecky also passed 400 m in 4:04.75, which ranks fifth on the world list for 2025! Wow.

Said the winner:

“I’m pretty fired up. I’ve been training really well and feeling good going into this meet, but you never know. It’s not like it’s the biggest meet of the year or anything, I just wanted [my time] to be a season best, which would have been 15:36. I’m pretty ecstatic.”

Jillian Cox was a distant second in 16:04.13, still no. 5 in the world this year!

Two-time Olympic champion Bobby Finke of the U.S. won the men’s 1,500 m on Wednesday by almost 26 seconds in 14:54.49, moving up to no. 9 on the 2025 world list.

With the U.S. nationals coming from 3-7 June, this is the final high-level warm-up event, and has attracted many American and international stars, including 13 Paris 2024 gold medalists (with their Paris events, including relay wins):

● Finke: men’s 1,500 m Freestyle
● Ledecky: women’s 800-1,500 m Freestyle
● Hunter Armstrong (USA): men’s 4×100 m Free Relay
● Kate Douglass (USA): women’s 200 m Breaststroke
● Caeleb Dressel (USA): men’s 4×100 m Free Relay
● Chris Giuliano (USA): men’s 4×100 m Free Relay
● Torri Huske (USA): women’s 100 m Butterfly, mixed 4×100 m Medley
● Lilly King (USA): women’s 4×100 m Medley Relay
● Hubert Kos (HUN): men’s 200 m 200 m Backstroke
● Leon Marchand (FRA): men’s 200 m Butterfly, 200-400 m Medley
● Summer McIntosh (CAN): 200 m Butterfly, 200-400 m Medley
● Regan Smith (USA): women’s 4×100 m Medley Relay
● Gretchen Walsh (USA): women’s and mixed 4×100 m Medley Relay

What will Walsh do, after winning seven World Short-Course golds last December? She’s entered in the 50 and 100 m Freestyles and Butterflys.

The meet will be shown on NBC’s Peacock streaming service (some sessions), and on the USA Swimming Network (all).

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FENCING: Interim FIE President Emmanuel Katsiadakis reportedly resigned; FIE now adrift with Secretary General Saidova as interim

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ FENCING ADRIFT ≡

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has been dominated by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, first elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024 and who has donated at least $98.5 million directly to the FIE to support its finances.

But he was sanctioned by the European Union in 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has been fighting the issue ever since, recusing himself from his FIE responsibilities in 2022 and handing his duties over to Greek Emmanuel Katsiadakis in his place.

Usmanov came back into the spotlight last year just briefly, to secure election for a fifth term by 120-26, and then immediately suspended his duties as FIE chief and handed them back to Katsiadakis, a three-time Olympian in Epee and Foil in 1984-88-92.

But now, Katsiadakis, 78, is out, reportedly for health reasons. According to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

“The national federations were informed of the move on April 28 by a letter from FIE Secretary General Gulnora Saidova of Uzbekistan. According to the letter, Katsiadakis had already resigned on April 24.

“Saidova wrote: ‘The Executive Committee will meet to review the circumstances. The Executive Committee and I will follow the statutes.’”

But it’s more complicated than that. The FIE statutes, as of December 2024, specify the process in chapter 5.3:

● “5.3.2 The Executive Committee, at the time of the election, continues to exercise its functions until the new President takes office.

● “5.3.3 In the event of death or resignation of the President, the Secretary General performs the President’s duties provisionally, until the next Congress, during which the elections of a new President will be organised.”

The FIE is governed by six-member “Bureau,” which includes the President, Secretary General, Treasurer and three Vice-President, and an Executive Committee of 22 members, which was scheduled to meet on 24 April. Its next meeting, to be held online, is slated for 28 May.

The next FIE Congress is not due until 22 November 2025, but its President – Usmanov – has neither died nor resigned. The announcement of his recusal from his duties after the 2024 elections stated that under chapter 5.1, “The management of the FIE in between Congresses is entrusted to an Executive Committee,” and it was the Executive Committee which accepted Usmanov’s decision to suspend his duties as President and appointed Katsiadakis.

So, now, the Executive Committee – no doubt with input from Usmanov – will have to figure out who comes next. There is one American on the Executive Committee, Donald Anthony Jr., an FIE Vice President.

The insider whisper that the most likely scenario is for Usmanov, who was born in Uzbekistan, will direct that fellow Uzbek Saidova serve as the interim President, as Katsiadakis has been.

The FIE has been largely adrift under Katsiadakis, including the high-profile incident in which Ukrainian star Olha Kharlan refused to shake hands with Russian Anna Smirnova after defeating her at the 2023 World Championships and was disqualified, possibly under Russian influence. Embarrassed, the FIE later changed the rule and Kharlan eventually did qualify to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, winning the women’s Sabre bronze and a Team gold.

Now, a U.S. incident in an adult fencing tournament in Maryland on 30 March over a match between a woman and a transgender athlete, in which the female fencer – Stephanie Turner – refused to fight and was disqualified, has turned into a Congressional hearing on 7 May, involving the Trump Administration’s Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Women Out of Men’s Sports.”

The FIE has no transgender policy at all. And, for now, absentee leadership.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: Anaheim’s Honda Center getting $1.1 billion makeover prior to 2028 Olympic Games, with “easy parking” (but not free)

By
Rich Perelman
-
The reimagined five-story entry of the Honda Center, to be completed by the end of 2027 (Photo: OC Sports & Entertainment).

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≡ NEW PARKING CONCEPT ≡

Any Southern California resident who has attended an event at any of the major arenas or stadiums in Los Angeles or Orange County can only dream of entering the parking area without having to pull out a credit card, parking pass or show a QR code on your phone.

But that is what is planned for the Honda Center in Anaheim, which will also host indoor volleyball during the 2028 Olympic Games.

On Wednesday, OC Sports and Entertainment announced a privately-funded $1.1 billion renovation of the arena and the surrounding area which will add multiple amenities while the arena continued to operate, to be completed by the end of 2027, including:

● “A new five-story South Entrance with a grand arrival experience and future plans for a high-impact digital display for outdoor viewing and community events.”

● “Three new parking garages with over 6,000 stalls.”

● “Four new entry plazas, each with a unique aesthetic and gathering vibe.”

Escalators will be installed for the first time in the building and new food and beverage stands – including self-service – will be added, along with renovations of the club and suite levels.

The parking concept is part of a larger plan for the 100-plus acres around the arena, being redeveloped at a cost of $4 billion into “OCVibe,” a mixed-use development of housing, hotels, restaurants, performance venues, offices, parkland and a transit hub, with the first elements scheduled to open in 2026.

Bill Foltz, chief executive officer of OC Sports and Entertainment, explained:

“What we’re trying to do is eliminate that transaction that everybody has when you’re pulling into a parking lot. You are just going to pull in. …

“We think this will get people in 20 to 30 minutes faster.

“Parking is the first thing you see when you are coming to a concert or a sporting event, and getting out of there is the last thing you remember. So we are working really hard to make sure both of those things are great experiences.”

It was noted that parking revenue will not simply evaporate, but Foltz said that the parking fee will end up as part of an “all-inclusive” ticket price. But the theory is that if you come for a game or a concert, you’ll come early or stay late for meals or a drink. And for those using public transit, a full-service transit hub is planned to serve the entire OC Vibe campus.

Whether this applies specifically to the 2028 Olympic Games is not clear, as the LA28 organizers will have a lot to say about how tickets and parking are handled. But the future for all other events at the Honda Center appears set.

Related to the 2028 Olympic Games, the Honda Center is the only major Orange County venue in the plan at present; the surfing site at the Tresles Beach might end up in Orange County or San Diego County depending on the exact site chosen, with seating for perhaps 4,000 or so.

As the only OrCo site, it is not part of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ride-first program for the 2028 Games. But both Metro and OC Vibe are looking forward to attaching transit funding to tickets.

That brings us back to the State of California and Assembly Bill 1237, introduced in February to impact only Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties and their public transit operators – including L.A. Metro – as follows (identical language for Santa Clara also included):

“This bill would authorize LA Metro to impose a charge of up to $5 on the purchaser of a ticket from a ticket vendor to a sporting event in the County of Los Angeles held as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as specified.

“The bill would require LA Metro to use any revenues collected from the charge to support its transit operations. The bill would require LA Metro, if it imposes the charge, to allow any person to use its transit services at no charge on the day a match is held as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the person presents a ticket to the match at the location where LA Metro collects fares for transit services.

“The bill would require LA Metro, if it imposes the charge, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027, that includes specified information regarding implementation of the bill.”

For now, this only applies to the FIFA World Cup, but if successful, can easily be amended to also include the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. At present, the bill has passed the Assembly Transportation Committee, 12-3 (one did not vote) on 7 April, and the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee by 6-1 (two did not vote) on 22 April. It is scheduled for its third reading in the Assembly on 30 April.

No companion bill has been concurrently introduced in the State Senate.

For reference, at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Rapid Transit District – forerunner of today’s Metro – organized special service to nine sites, including Exposition Park, Dodger Stadium, the Forum, Long Beach Convention Center, Loyola Marymount University, the Rose Bowl, Santa Anita Park, UCLA and even to the Anaheim Convention Center, with varying styles of service: shuttles ($2 each way), express ($4 or $6 each way) and park-and-ride ($6 each way).

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SPOTLIGHT: American Para Swimmers Shine With World Para Championships Spots On The Line In Indianapolis

By
Karen Price
-
Paralympic world-record setter Leanne Smith of the U.S. (Photo: Justin Casterline/USOPC).

★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with a focus on American Paralympic stars. Opinions expressed are those of the USOPC. ★

Paralympian Leanne Smith won all five events she entered in the lone Para World Series Stop to take place on U.S. soil this year.

By Karen Price
Red Line Editorial

Leanne Smith and Katie Kubiak are on two ends of the spectrum when it comes to experience in the Paralympic world.

Smith, 36, is a two-time Paralympian who admittedly was ready to be done with her swimming career last year after Paris. Kubiak, 22, is just starting her Para career, having made her international debut this past weekend at the Para Swim World Series stop in Indianapolis.

But one thing the swimmers have very much in common is that they both turned in remarkable performances in Indianapolis to punctuate a strong showing by Team USA.

Smith won all five events she entered, setting three class S3 world records in the process, while Kubiak medaled in all four of her events – all on day one – including two golds, and set two S4 world records.

Those were just a few highlights from the lone World Series stop on U.S. soil, which also served as the lone selection event for the 2025 world championships team.

“It’s super surreal, totally was not the expectation at all, but I’m really proud because I think it’s a testament to all the hard work that my coach and I have been putting in,” said Kubiak, an NYU student who took home gold in the 150-meter individual medley and the 50-meter butterfly. “It was my first international meet, and I’ve never been on a stage quite this big so I just wanted to come in and put in the best times that I possibly could, and I’m really happy with the times I ended up swimming, especially considering the schedule I had. That’s all I could ask.”

The weekend featured three days of competition and included athletes from Brazil, Italy, Australia, Mexico and Uganda, to name a few. As the selection event for the U.S. world championships team, only athletes whose times were at least as good as the no. 3 ranking in the world in their respective classes and events would be eligible to make the team that will travel to Singapore in the fall. And with the Paralympic Games being last year, those world rankings are tough to match.

The world championships team roster will be announced in May.

Hoping to return to world championships and defend her gold medals in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle S7 is Morgan Stickney. The two-time Paralympian had a very difficult fall, including three weeks in the intensive-care unit with major leg surgeries and an emergency surgery, and had to spend five months out of her prosthetic legs. But she was golden again in Indianapolis, winning the 400-meter – she’s also the defending Paralympic champion in the event – after earning bronze in the 100-meter.

“I’m in my happy place,” Stickney said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I put no pressure on myself and had no idea what my times would be. I just came in and wanted to have fun and keep it low key. When I have fun I swim fast, so that’s the secret there.”

Other Paralympians who won gold over the weekend were Olivia Chambers (100-meter breaststroke SB4-9, 11-14), Morgan Ray (100-meter breaststroke SB4-9, 11-14), Gia Pergolini (100-meter backstroke S1-2, 6-14), and Julia Gaffney (200-meter medley SM5-14).

A number of young, up-and-coming swimmers navigating the first year of the quad leading up to Los Angeles 2028 also performed well, including Koehn Boyd. He won six national titles at nationals last December to be named swimmer of the meet, and the 16-year-old’s rapid rise continued in Indianapolis when he won the 100-meter butterfly S8-14 and added two other medals in senior events.

Boyd joined Cara Pennington, Kenley Teller, Lucas Culotta and Noah Busch among U.S. swimmers winning medals in the youth divisions as well.

After winning the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle on day one, Smith returned to win the 50-meter backstroke and breaststroke on day two, and the 50-meter freestyle on day three.

“It’s something I didn’t expect, but switching up my training and taking a solid four months off from swimming was refreshing and much-needed,” Smith said. “(These records) are emotional for me, but they reinforce that you don’t have to be doing what the person next to you is doing, and that working within your limits is OK and it’s enough.“

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

For more, please visit the USOPC Paralympic Educational Hub.

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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PANORAMA: U.S.-Russia wrestling dual in discussion; wild Red Bull integration with Giro d’Italia; Athlos NYC adds Davis-Woodhall for ‘25

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡

● Wrestling ● The head of the Russian Wrestling Federation is optimistic about a dual meet with the U.S. in July, but not held in Russia or the U.S. Per Mikhail Mamiashvili, speaking to the Russian news agency TASS:

“We are leaning towards Uzbekistan. There are reasons for this, no politics, purely technical advantages.”

“Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are also in the running. Wrestling is a national sport there, they have huge traditions, friendly relations. There are no obstacles between us and they are also ready to host it.

“Late July suits everyone, considering domestic qualifiers. Meets have always been brilliant events in boxing and wrestling. Such team meets have attracted huge audiences going back to Soviet times. The competition will be anything but weak and a considerable purse is envisaged.”

He added:

“The tentative slogan is ‘Struggle for Peace.’ It would be very symbolic if this event takes place.”

USA Wrestling chief Rich Bender told The Sports Examiner such a meet is in the works, and for specific reasons, but without any agreement as yet:

“We’re definitely having a conversation about the idea of having a dual meet with that team and ours at some point in the future, [but] not in Russia. …

“We think it’s an opportunity for us to get our hands on athletes that we’ll face in world and Olympic competition in the future. … It’s good for wrestling and it’s good for our team.”

Russia does not compete under its own flag in international competitions at present, but under the flag of United World Wrestling. The U.S. and the USSR and later Russia have met in duals before, but not since at least 2013.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Association of National Olympic Committees ● ANOC announced a new program, its “Digital Content Hub” to share news, images and video from International Federations with the National Olympic Committees to help expand interest in lesser-known sports and pump up recognition and interest in the NOCs.

A key to this program is the ANOC.tv channel, which can be used to offer events not otherwise covered by national broadcasters.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The USOPC named its coaches and support staff award winners for 2024, nominated by the National Governing Bodies and selected by a USOPC panel:

● Olympic Coach of the Year: Ralf Bissdorf, USA Fencing
● Paralympic Coach of the Year: Bill Hamiter, USA Volleyball
● College Coach of the Year: Patty Gasso, USA Softball
● Coach Educator of the Year: Heather Mannix, USA Hockey
● Developmental Coach of the Year: Tom Anderson, U.S. Speedskating
● Volunteer Coach of the Year: Phil “Chad” Jones, USA Archery
● Service Provider of the Year: Linda “Dee” Mahoney, USA Softball

U.S. Figure Skating’s Steffany Hanlen was recognized as the Doc Counsilman Science and Technology Award winner.

● Athletics ● The Athlos NYC meet confirmed its second edition for Friday, 10 October 2025 at Icahn Stadium in New York once again, adding the women’s long jump and Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall to the program.

The meet Web site showcases some stars for 2025, including Olympic medal winners Davis-Woodhall, Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, Jasmine Camahco-Quinn (PUR), Brittany Brown and Marileidy Paulino (DOM).

● Badminton ● Thailand’s Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul was elected unopposed as the new President of the Badminton World Federation at its 86th Annual General Meeting last Saturday in Xiamen (CHN). She succeeded Denmark’s Poul-Erik Hoyer, who served for three terms.

A member of the International Olympic Committee since 2017, Leeswadtrakul has business interests in the hospitality and steel industries and has been deeply involved in badminton for decades.

Longtime BWF Council member and Paris 2024 chief executive Etienne Thobois (FRA) was confirmed – also unopposed – as Deputy President.

The federation also published its 2024 financial statements, showing $43.596 million in revenue, including $16.000 million from the IOC from its 2024 television revenues. Expenses were $37.356 million and after adding in investment and royalties, the BWF ended the year with a surplus of $8.771 million, down slightly from 2023 ($9.966 million).

The BWF, registered in Malaysia, showed assets of $74.153 million and reserves of $67.0656 million, quite healthy and stable.

● Cycling ● The first of the 2025 Grand Tours, the 108th Giro d’Italia will start in Albania on 9 May, but will feature a new time-bonus structure, with 19 of the 21 stages to include an intermediate sprint, sponsored by Red Bull.

The “Red Bull KM” will award time bonuses of 6-4-2 seconds to the top three in each stage except for the two individual time trials. This is different from the usual finishing times bonuses of 10-6-4 seconds for the top three and could impact the racing in a close competition for the “maglia rosa” jersey.

It’s an interesting and powerful sponsor integration with the race itself, sure to be examined closely for impact for its applications to other events and other sports.

The race announced that the final stage in Rome – on 1 June – will salute the late Pope Francis by riding through the Vatican Gardens behind St. Peter’s Basilica and close to the Casa Santa Maria, where Francis lived.

Race director Mauro Vegni (ITA) told The Associated Press, “The original idea was to have Francis signal the start of the last stage to promote the Vatican and the Eternal City in the 2025 Holy Year.

“We wanted to go right up to Casa Santa Marta because we knew the Pope was aging, so we thought he could come down and offer a blessing to start the final stage. Then unfortunately things turned out differently. But it will remain an homage to Francis.”

● Figure Skating ● U.S. Figure Skating announced veteran sports executive Matt Farrell as its next chief executive, who will take over on 19 May.

Farrell was most notably the Chief Marketing Officer at USA Swimming from 2005-18, after five years with the U.S. Olympic Committee in business development and marketing.

USFS had great stability with David Raith as Executive Director from 2005-21, then leaving for health reasons. He was replaced by marketing head Ramsey Baker, with Tracy Marek selected as chief executive, serving from from January 2023 to October 2024. Board Chair Sam Auxier had been the interim chief executive and will return to his Board role.

● Ice Hockey ● Canada and the U.S. finished undefeated in pool play at the IIHF men’s U-18 World Championship in Frisco and Allen, Texas and are moving on to the playoffs.

Defending champion Canada was 4-0 in Group A, clubbing Norway by 8-1 to finish pool play and had a 29-5 goals-against total. The U.S. was 4-0 in Group B, beating Germany by 5-3 on Monday and ending up 25-8 on goals.

In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, the U.S. will play 1-3 Latvia in Frisco, with the winner to face the survivor of Slovakia (3-1) and Germany (2-2) in Allen. Canada will play the Czech Republic (1-3) in Allen, while Sweden (3-1) faces Finland (2-2) in Frisco. The semis are on Friday and the medal matches on Sunday, all in Frisco.

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ATHLETICS: More details on 2026 three-day “Ultimate Championship” with the first 26 qualifiers

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S.’s Rai Benjamin wins the Paris Olympic men’s 400 m hurdles over Tokyo champ Karsten Warholm (Photo: Dan Vernon for World Athletics)

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≡ ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP ≡

The first World Athletics “Ultimate Championship” season-ending meet for 2026 will be held from 11-13 September 2026 in Budapest (HUN), with more specifics on the meet announced on Tuesday:

● There will be 28 events with individual men’s and women’s 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 100/110 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump and javelin.

● Individual additions include the men’s hammer, women’s triple jump, plus mixed 4×100 m and 4×400 m relays.

● The meet will be three hours per session across three days, similar to the timing now used by Grand Slam Track. There will be semis in the 100-200-400-800-hurdles with the top four in each to advance to a final and straight finals in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m and field events and relays. Nine events will be held on Friday and Saturday and 10 on Sunday.

The first qualifiers were announced, with the 26 Paris Olympic champions from 2024 advanced to the event. Added in will be the 26 winners of these events at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (JPN) in September, 25 Diamond League winners from the 2026 season and top performers from 2026 to fill in the fields. About 360 athletes will be involved all together.

Heavy prize money will be available; for the individual events:

● 1. $150,000
● 2. $75,000
● 3. $40,000
● 4. $25,000
● 5. $16,000
● 6. $14,000
● 7. $12,000
● 8. $10,000
● 9. $9,000
● 10. $8,000
● 11. $7,000
● 12. $6,000
● 13. $5,000
● 14. $4,000
● 15. $3,000
● 16. $2,000

That’s $386,000 per event or $10.036 million across 26 events. The relays pay less, at $80,000-40,000-24,000-20,000-16,000-14,000-10,000-8,000 per team for places 1-8, or $212,000 each for two relays for a $424,000 total.

That brings the total prize purse to $10,248,000.

From their Olympic wins in Paris, nine Americans are already guaranteed a spot in Budapest:

● Men: Noah Lyles (100 m), Quincy Hall (400 m), Cole Hocker (1,500 m), Grant Holloway (110 m hurdles), Rai Benjamin (400 m hurdles).

● Women: Gabby Thomas (200 m), Masai Russell (100 m hurdles), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400 m hurdles) and Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump).

The 2025 World Champions will get a double bonus: entry into the 2026 Ultimate Championship and a wild-card entry into the 2027 World Championships as well.

No information on timing or event schedule, but an evening meet in Hungary should allow U.S. viewers to see the meet in mid-day in the Eastern time zone and morning on the West Coast. U.S. rights to World Athletics events through 2030 are held by NBC.

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TRANSGENDER: U.S. Department of Education declares finding that Penn violated Title IX in Lia Thomas swimming case

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ PENN “VIOLATED TITLE IX” ≡

“Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its finding that the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. OCR notified UPenn President J. Larry Jameson that the University’s policies and practices violated Title IX by denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”

That’s from a Monday announcement, in which the Education Department – in the midst of being dissolved by the Trump Administration – in which a “resolution agreement” was offered to the university:

“(i) Issue a statement to the University community stating that the University will comply with Title IX in all of its athletic programs;

“(ii) Restore to all female athletes all individual athletic records, titles, honors, awards or similar recognition for Division I swimming competitions misappropriated by male athletes competing in female categories; and

“(iii) Send a letter to each female athlete whose individual recognition is restored expressing an apology on behalf of the University for allowing her educational experience in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination.”

And:

“UPenn has 10 days to voluntarily resolve these violations or risk a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement proceedings.”

The Education Department is following up on President Donald Trump’s 5 February Executive Order no. 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which stated:

“Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”

The action against Penn is aimed at the one-year female swimming career of Lia Thomas, who was a men’s swimmer as Will Thomas for three seasons, transitioned to female via hormone therapy beginning in May 2019, and competed on the Penn women’s team in 2021-22. He was second team All-Ivy League in 2018-19, reaching the conference finals in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard Freestyles.

But in women’s competition, Thomas was one of the best swimmers in the nation and became the first transgender to win an NCAA title, in the 2022 500-yard Freestyle, and tied for fifth in the 200 Free and was eighth in the 100 Free.

Thomas fifth-place tie in the 200-yard Free was with Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who said that Thomas was given the fifth-place trophy for the awards photograph while Gaines was given the sixth-place award, later to be replaced with a duplicate fifth-place trophy. Gaines has become a high-profile activist for women’s athletic and privacy rights in sports following that incident.

In March, the Trump Administration was reported to “pause” $175 million in Federal funding, with the university responding in a statement:

“We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details. It is important to note, however, that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams. We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.”

Former Penn swimmer and Thomas teammate Grace Estabrook is one of three plaintiffs in a civil suit against the university over Thomas’ inclusion on the women’s team, and told Fox News Digital:

“I am grateful the federal government has found Penn to have violated Title IX, just as we told Penn in the 2021-2022 season when they required us to shower with, and compete against, a man.

“The government’s finding of sex discrimination by Penn is an important first step, but the protection of female athletes cannot stop here. Women must be protected by a bulletproof policy that completely removes men from our sports and from entering our locker rooms.”

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LANE ONE: Possible game-changer for collegiate athletics as University of Kentucky to establish its athletic department as a separate company

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ CHAMPIONS BLUE, LLC ≡

A fascinating and potentially revolutionary approach to managing a university’s intercollegiate athletics program was adopted on Friday, when the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved the formation of “Champions Blue, LLC”:

“Today, the UK Board of Trustees approved @UKAthletics be shifted to a limited liability or holding company – Champions Blue, LLC. This move will provide the department with the flexibility to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate.”

This concept follows the path that Kentucky took with “Beyond Blue,” a holding company affiliated with the university, but with its own leadership. This structure was used by UK HealthCare to acquire two hospitals, which are now owned by the Beyond Blue corporation, but:

● “These two hospitals have their own leadership teams, local boards of directors, distinctive employee and community cultures, significant infrastructure needs and large employee bases – now, roughly 1,000 people collectively – with different compensation and benefit packages from the University.”

● “This management structure framework also maintains the essential oversight and policy-making role of the UK Board of Trustees, which appoints the Beyond Blue Board of Directors, and the directors of any of its subsidiary companies.”

In fact, Champions Blue would be a subsidiary of Beyond Blue, but with significant differences. The brief prepared for the Board of Trustees noted specifically that Beyond Blue will create Champions Blue, LLC and:

“Declares that any future employees of Champions Blue, LLC are public employees. However, unless otherwise named by the President, any future employees of Champions Blue, LLC are not employees of the University of Kentucky. Rather, any future employees of Champions Blue, LLC are employees of an affiliated corporation of the University of Kentucky.”

Yes, Kentucky state laws will apply, of course. But not the university’s own internal regulations or processes. The two acquired hospitals have continued with their own management structure and rules and now athletics – Champions Blue – can do the same.

In fact, Champions Blue will have its own Board of Directors, with the existing senior administrators – led by athletics director Mitch Barnhart – to form a majority of that Board. But outside directors can be brought in, with new ideas, especially on revenue generation, cost control and possibly outside investment.

So, you could have future Kentucky athletes – who will still be required to enroll and maintain their academic status at the University of Kentucky – possibly be employees of Champions Blue, LLC, removing the tangled mess of rights that would be involved with being university employees.

The Board’s brief does not mention this, noting only the possibilities to add services for “financial management, including for name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities, brand management and counseling and catastrophic health insurance offerings.”

However, the potential for this as a true revolution for collegiate athletics is significant:

● The current College Football Playoff operation has almost nothing to do with the NCAA, but is operated by CFP Administration, LLC:

“The College Football Playoff is administered by the FBS conferences and the University of Notre Dame which are members of CFP Administration, LLC. The conferences manage the College Football Playoff National Championship and identify certain policies for the bowl games that host the Playoff Quarterfinals and Playoff Semifinals.”

● There are 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, playing in 10 conferences, of which four – the Atlantic Coast, Big 10, Big XII, and Southeastern – have the major teams (plus Notre Dame as an independent), currently 68 in all.

If those schools – and any others, for that matter – were to follow Kentucky’s lead and create LLCs for their athletic programs, why stop there?

● Once Kentucky has formed Champions Blue, LLC as an independent, although affiliated entity, with the university, there is no reason that it could further split its 23 teams into individual LLCs.

For Kentucky, this would likely create 12 combined-gender sport groups: baseball-softball, basketball, cross country-track & field, golf, rifle, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball and cheer-dance-STUNT, plus football.

● If adopted nationally, each of these combined-gender sport groups could be managed nationally by a sport-group entity, ending the need for a national oversight body for big-time collegiate sports, currently the NCAA, which could remain in place for Division II and III athletics, which do not suffer from the professionalism issues now breaking the Division I programs apart.

● So, there would be a national association of the LLCs for football and basketball and all the other sport groups, with men and women combined. In some cases, the U.S. National Governing Bodies might be involved – in ice hockey, as a possibility – if the fit is right.

Each sport would govern itself for the schools involved, a structure which has worked at the U.S. Olympic sport level since the 1978 Amateur Sports Act, which gave the then-U.S. Olympic Committee the administrative lead over all sports, but left the operation of each sport to designated National Governing Bodies.

● This would allow a separation of football and basketball from all other sports, but create new possibilities for investment, sponsorship and broadcast and television exposure for the other sports.

Moreover, LLCs for football and basketball at individual schools would be able to invest in the other sport LLCs on behalf of their athletes; for football, baseball and track & field are player favorites for second sports.

What about a private, national investment fund to support multiple national group-sport associations to sponsor – nationally – swimming or track or tennis or wrestling, and so on? Or the ability for private equity and sponsors to invest directly in a single sport, such as gymnastics: primarily for the women, but you get the men, too. A university may decide it wants to support specific sports which need funding and with which it has historic ties or marketing uses.

The requirements, as seen so far, of the House vs. NCAA settlement can be met as well, but on a more equitable, sport-by-sport basis.

Fantasy?

Maybe.

But the sophistication of private equity today and the ability to reach people directly through direct communications on a dizzying array of platforms allows the construction of new structures not being considered now with university-operated athletic departments.

These conceptual entities would be different from the U.S. National Governing Bodies as they would all be affiliated companies of a university, where the NGBs are for grass-roots development, elite sport and masters, and not – for the most part – for high school or collegiate teams (there are some exceptions).

The future is going to look different than the confused mess of the present. Kentucky may have shown a way forward.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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PANORAMA: London Mayor wants 4th Olympics in 2040; London confirmed as biggest marathon ever; Fredette heads USA 3×3 men’s teams

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic champion April Ross tabbed by USA Volleyball as head of coaching for national beach teams (Photo: USA Volleyball).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Official Report of the 2024 Paris Games was published and is available for download, providing a summary of the efforts of the highly-successful organizing committee.

At 275 pages, it is quite brief compared to older reports and does not go deeply into the development and staging of the Games, but offers a comprehensive overview of the elements which made the Games work.

● Olympic Games 2040 ● London Mayor Sadiq Khan told The Times that London should bid to bring the Olympic Games back in 2040:

“I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times.

“And if we have the World [Athletics] Championships in 2029, it means in the lead-up there’s energy, enthusiasm and investment in track and field, which means you will have the future Mo Farahs, the future Paula Radcliffes.

“Globally, everyone loves coming to London. And we’ve managed to stage a good event every year in the London Diamond League. I’m in favour of this. I was in Paris last summer and I saw the transformation of their city.

“But we could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome. And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub.”

London staged the Games in 1908, 1948, in 2012 and now wants 2040, also coveted by Germany, which will select a candidate city later this year, and others. Great Britain will host the UEFA men’s championship in 2028 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035.

● Russia ● The man who clubbed figure skating judge Mikhail Slobodchikov in the head after he disagreed with the scores he gave to his daughter at a regional competition has been arrested and detained. According to the filing at the Oktyabrsky District Court of Yekaterinburg:

“The preliminary investigation bodies have accused the man of a crime under paragraph ‘a’ of Part 1 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the preliminary investigation bodies, [Adonis] Miroev, disagreeing with the grades given to his daughter at a figure skating competition, hit the coach. The court chose a preventive measure for Adonis Miroev in the form of detention until June 23.”

● Archery ● Texas A&M shooters won the Recurve titles at the USA Archery Team Qualifier at the Easton Foundations Gator Cup in Newberry, Florida.

Paris Olympian Catalina GNoriega took the women’s Recurve final with a 6-4 win over Alexandria Zuleta-Visser, moving up from second in this event last year. The men’s title went to Trenton Cowles, who overcome 2-0 and 5-3 deficits to Christian Stoddard in the final to come back and win in a shoot-out, 6-5. All four finalists will be part of the U.S. squad for the next World Archery World Cup from 6-11 May in Shanghai (CHN).

In the Compound finals, Dutch 2013 World Champion Mike Schloesser won a shoot-off in the men’s final after a 148-148 tie to edge Mathias Fullerton (DEN), and third-seed Olivia Dean won a shoot-off with top seed Liko Arreola to take the women’s gold after a 145-145 tie.

● Athletics ● The London Marathon reached another goal on Sunday, with Guinness World Records confirming the race as the largest ever, with 56,640 finishers.

That eclipsed the mark of 55,646 set at the November 2024 New York City marathon. The race organizers noted:

“The 2025 TCS London Marathon is already the most popular marathon on the planet, achieving the title for the most ballot entries for a marathon event thanks to an astonishing 840,318 people who applied via the public ballot for the 2025 edition, and it is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3 billion raised for charity since 1981.”

The second-ever U.S. high schooler under 10 seconds in the 100 m is Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) High’s Maurice Gleaton, Jr.

He ran – with 0.0 m/s wind – 9.98 to win the Georgia State 5A Region 3 meet in Hampton, winning by 0.67 seconds! Next up will be the Georgia 5A Sectional B in Villa Rica this weekend. He committed to play football – he’s a receiver – and run track for Georgia.

● Basketball ● Star guard Jimmer Fredette, 36, announced his retirement from basketball last Wednesday (23rd). He didn’t have to wait long for his next job.

On Monday, USA Basketball announced Fredette as its new managing director for the men’s 3×3 national teams. According to the federation:

“Fredette will be responsible for identifying the USA 3×3 Men’s National Team coaching staff and players for major international competitions, including the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, FIBA 3×3 World Cup, FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup, FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup, Pan American Games and the FIBA 3×3 pro circuit, as well as the program’s training camp participants over the next three years.”

Said Fredette:

“When USA Basketball approached me about this role, I jumped at it. I’m determined to help build a sustainable program for years to come and, ultimately, the best 3×3 program in the world. I’m so grateful for the USA Basketball Board of Directors for trusting me with this responsibility and I’m ready for the challenge.”

● Cycling ● At the Pan American Mountain Bike Championships in San Jose (CRC), Canadian Jennifer Jackson, the 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist, doubled with two wins in the women’s elite division.

First, she won the Cross Country Short race in 18:40, just ahead of former World Champion Kate Courtney of the U.S. (18:44). Then she took the Cross Country Olympic title, again over Courtney, but this time by a comfortable 1:27:45 to 1:28:51 margin.

Mexico’s Jose Ulloa won the men’s Cross Country Olympic race in 1:32:40, in a close battle with Brazil’s Ulan Galinski (1:32:46). Brazil went 1-2 in the men’s Short, with Gustavo Pereira taking the win over Alex Malacarne, 20:30 to 20:31.

● Gymnastics ● The sixth and final FIG Apparatus World Cup for 2025 was in Cairo (EGY), with two wins each for 2023 Worlds Floor bronze winner Milad Karimi (AZE) and 2024 Paris Olympic Uneven Bars champ Kaylia Nemour (ALG).

Karimi led off the men’s competition with a win on Floor at 14.133, ahead of Bulgaria’s Eddie Penev (13.966) and came back in the final event of the meet to win on Horizontal Bar at 14.466. Karimi won the seasonal title in both events.

Armenia scored three wins in Cairo, with 17-year-old Hamlet Manukyan taking the Pommel Horse final at 14.800, his third victory in the series; he was the seasonal champion as well. Americans Patrick Hoopes (14.700) and Brandon Dang (14.533) finished 3-4.

The second Armenian win was by Artur Avetisyan on Rings at 14.466, with Nikita Simonov (AZE) second at 14.433, but taking the seasonal crown. American Alex Diab (13.733) was fourth. On Vault, Armenia’s two-time Olympic medalist Artur Davtyan won at 14.700 for his fourth gold in the six meets, giving him the seasonal win.

On Parallel Bars, Egypt’s Omar Mohamed won at 14.033, on criteria over Noe Siefert (SUI: 14.033), but Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi took the series title.

Nemour won, of course, on Uneven Bars at 14.533, over Lucija Hribar (SLO: 13.133), with Hribar winning the series crown. Nemour also won on Beam at 13.333, but Greta Mayer (HUN) got the seasonal trophy.

Canadian star Ellie Black, the 2017 Worlds All-Around silver winner, took the Vault at 13.616, with two-meet winner Teja Belak (SLO) getting the seasonal title. On Floor, Egypt’s Jana Mahmoud scored a 13.033 win over Nemour (12.966); American Jayla Hang won the seasonal title.

● Swimming ● In line with its unique circumstance as a sport as well as a life-saving activity, the USA Swimming Foundation announced $865,000 in grants to 114 organizations nationwide that will provide swimming lessons for 13,500 individuals across 36 states.

The 114 swim-learning providers receiving grants were selected from more than 470 applicants, including 81 youth-swimming providers, who will receive the bulk of the funding: $725,000. Adult learn-to-swim grants were designated for 33 providers, who will receive a total of $140,000.

● Volleyball ● USA Volleyball has tapped one of the finest women’s beach players in history to help shape future American teams, announcing three-time Olympic medalist April Ross as Head of Coaching for the Beach National Teams, “responsible for supporting the professional development of Beach National Team coaches, enhancing their training, competition preparedness, and the performance of our top American athletes on the international stage.”

Now 42, Ross won Olympic silver in 2012 with Jen Kessy, Olympic bronze with Kerri Walsh-Jennings in 2016 and gold with Alix Klineman at the Tokyo 2020 Games. According to the statement:

“Ross will be based at the Beach National Team Training Center in Torrance, California, and report to Sean Scott, the director of beach national teams. In this role, she will work closely with the USAV Performance Team and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee members to significantly advance the professional capabilities of national team coaches and elevate the quality of coaching and training across all levels of the Beach National Team program.”

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FENCING: Swiss apologize after U-23 Epee team turns its back on Israel during European Champs awards ceremony

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Swiss team turned its back on the winning Israeli team at the European Fencing Championships men’s U-23 Epee awards ceremony (Photo: ILTV News on X)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ POLITICS IN SPORT ≡

So much for Swiss neutrality.

At the European Fencing U-23 Championships in Tallinn (EST), the Israeli men’s Epee team of Yehonathan Lambrey Messika, Fedor Khaperskiy, Alon Sarid and Itamar Tavor defeated Switzerland, 45-29 in the final to earn the gold medal.

At the victory ceremony, both teams and the third-placed Italian team received medals and the Italians and the Israelis turned to their left to face the flags of the medal-winning nations while the Israeli anthem was played.

The Swiss team – Jonathan Furhimann, Ian Hauri, Sven Vineis and Theo Brochard – did not turn and stood still, with their backs to the other two teams, in an obvious, silent snub toward Israel.

The gesture did not go unnoticed, was widely reported, and on Sunday, the Swiss Fencing Federation posted a statement in French and English:

“The Swiss Fencing Federation has been informed about the actions of our U23 men’s team in Tallinn, Estonia, during the night of Saturday to Sunday. Swiss Fencing has no understanding for the fact that the team misused the award ceremony of the European U23 Team Championships for political means. However, it should be noted that the Swiss athletes congratulated the Israeli winners after the final in a sporting manner.

“As a matter of principle, Swiss Fencing is of the opinion that sporting competitions are not suitable for the expression of political opinions, even if athletes are of course allowed to have their own personal viewpoint on current world affairs.

“Swiss Fencing will discuss this important matter with the U23 men’s team after the athletes return from Estonia and then decide on any actions to be taken.

“We deeply regret that this behavior hurt the feelings of the Israeli delegation and demeaned the sporting success of the Swiss team with three medals at this U23 European Championships. We congratulate the Israeli team on their gold medal in the team competition.”

On Monday, the Swiss federation posted a public letter of apology signed by the four fencers (computer translation from the original French):

“Dear fencing family,

“After winning the silver medal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, much has been written about us. But not because of our excellent performance. We are responsible for that: we now wish to clarify our approach and express our regrets.

“We played a final against the Israeli team without any tension – we shook their hands and congratulated them before and after the podium, with great respect for them and their performance. During the ceremony, we did not turn toward the flag during the national anthem. This had no political significance and did not reflect any rejection of Israel. It was a personal gesture, born of our discomfort and empathy with the current context of great human suffering affecting all parties in this conflict. At the time of the ceremony, we were swept away by our emotions and by the situation that is overwhelming us all.

“We acknowledge that our behavior caused confusion and that it was a mistake on our part. As mentioned, we did not intend to express a political opinion.

“We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, especially our opponents on the Israeli team and the Israeli Fencing Federation.

“We have learned from this situation and will act with greater clarity and discernment in the future.

“With all due respect.”

The Swiss ambassador to Israel, Simon Geissbuhler, also apologized, writing in a letter, “Personally, but also on behalf of Swiss Fencing, I deplore the behavior of our athletes,” and adding, “an award ceremony must under no circumstances be misused for political statements – despite every athlete’s right to have their own opinion on political conflicts and wars.

“This action was not discussed with anyone in advance. We will confront the athletes upon their return and then decide on the next steps.”

Israel Olympic Committee Chair and International Olympic Committee member Yael Arad was outraged and wrote on Facebook:

“The Swiss under-23 team chose to cope with the loss on the podium as the anthem was being played with provocative losing chutzpah that utterly contravenes not only Olympic values, but also the fact that Switzerland declared Hamas an illegal murderous terrorist organization after [its attack on Israel on] October 7 [2023].”

Israel has long been a target of political protests in sports for decades. It competed in its own geographic region – Asia – from 1954 to 1974 and participated in the Asian Games, but was voted out of the Olympic Council of Asia in 1981, later joining the European Olympic Committees in 1994.

Israel has been repeatedly boycotted in sports, especially by Iran and especially in judo and wrestling. In fencing, Iraq withdrew from the 2023 FIE World Championships after one of its fencers was drawn to compete against an Israeli opponent. Indonesia was scheduled to host the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games, but canceled the event with a month to go, blaming a hold-up in government funding, but actually because Israeli athletes were scheduled to participate.

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PANORAMA: World Road Running Champs axed for 2025; NCAA women’s gym final near-10x men’s TV audience; doping warning on Chinese meat!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Big win for Krissy Gear over Shelby Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer in the women’s mile at the Drake Relays! (Photo: Drake Relays).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● China ● Reuters reported that the Norwegian Olympiatoppen training organization, a unit of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee responsible for elite athlete coaching and support, has informed its athletes not to eat meat in China, stating in its guidelines:

“Studies have shown that athletes have inadvertently ingested clenbuterol when eating meat in China, as some animals are fed hormones to promote growth.

“If a meat-based meal is consumed before a doping test, the athlete may test positive.

“Therefore, Olympiatoppen advises athletes to avoid all types of meat while in China.”

Track & Field athletes were told to be on alter, as the Diamond League openers are in China, in Xiamen last Saturday (26th) and in Shanghai on 3 May, plus the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou on 10-11 May.

Doping positives from contaminated meat have been seen for many years and avoiding this issue has been difficult for many athletes, even in their own countries.

● Russia ● Bad behavior by parents of young athletes is a worldwide phenomenon, unfortunately also in Russia, where the father of three figure-skating daughters sought out and injured a judge from a regional competition in Yekaterinburg.

The Russian news agency TASS reported:

“Mikhail Slobodchikov, a judge at a regional figure skating competition in Yekaterinburg, was hospitalized after being attacked by the father of one of the tournament participants. This was reported to TASS by Vladislav Utkin, President of the Figure Skating Federation of the Sverdlovsk Region. …

“‘[Adonis] Miroev has a criminal record, including for causing serious bodily harm,’ Utkin explained. ‘It never came to assault on the ice before, but we always interacted with him with caution: the cameras recorded how he tried to break through to the judges, insulted them, called them ‘monkeys,’ shouted from the stands. The children are afraid of him.

“‘Now it came to beating up a judge; Slobodchikov was taken away by ambulance. This happened five days after the competition. Now Slobodchikov is already at work, although his head hurts. A statement has been filed with the police.’”

● Athletics ● The World Athletics Road Running Championships will not happen in 2025:

“Following the decision last month to move the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships from San Diego, World Athletics has held discussions with a number of alternative hosts, some with great potential.

“While some of these discussions will continue for other editions of the event, the World Athletics Council has decided not to award the Championships to an alternative host this year due to lack of essential planning and preparation time required to cater for both elite and mass participation race elements.

“The focus instead will be on next year’s World Road Running Championships which will be held in Copenhagen from 19-20 September 2026 and is shaping up to be a great event. Already 100,000 people have shown interest in the 35,000 spots available for the half marathon distance.”

● Football ● U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) sent an angry letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday, complaining about travel procedures for visitors to the U.S., including:

“Over the past couple months, there have been numerous troubling reports of due process violations, mistreatment, prolonged questioning and detention, lengthy visa interview wait times, visa revocations, and arbitrary denials of entry of visitors and returning residents of the United States. This has turned ordinary travel into a needlessly grueling ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawfully permanent residents, and U.S. citizens. In fact, I have received significant outreach from my constituents, wrecked with panic, about how difficult it is to travel to and from the United States. They are seeking greater reassurance from the U.S. Government that their rights will be upheld and have requested that I work with your Departments to facilitate timely improvements. …

“The United States is slated to host three major international sporting events in the coming years. These events should be a boon for local economies and the broader U.S. economy, but your actions toward travelers will jeopardize their success. The 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is expected to be the largest sporting event in U.S. history, likely bringing five million international visitors and generating $5 billion in expected economic activity. Similarly, the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games are expected to generate an additional $5 billion in economic activity for the United States.

“Ahead of these events, your Departments will experience a significant increase in travelers seeking entry to the United States, to include extraordinary athletes, support staff, government officials, journalists, business owners, and spectators. If your harsh and unnecessary approaches to travelers continue, foreign-born athletes who have spent their whole lives training for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may be unable to travel to the United States to participate in these games. Even foreign-born athletes who proudly and lawfully compete for the United States are hesitant to travel for these events, as they are afraid of how they will be treated by your Departments. If these remarkable athletes cannot compete, their enthusiastic fans, including U.S. citizens, will be deeply disappointed and unwilling to attend these games. All of this will once again lead to a loss in revenue for U.S. businesses and further damage the reputation of the United States.”

Congressional hearings have already been held this year on travel bottlenecks, including significant attention to declining efficiency in visa processing and customs over the past several years.

● Gymnastics ● A stark reminder of how much more popular women’s gymnastics is than men’s came with a ratings report on the NCAA Championships held the same weekend of 17-19 April.

Sports Media Watch noted that the women’s NCAA final drew1.0 million on ABC, then was followed by the men’s nationals on ESPN2, which had … an average of 107,000.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Athletics ● After the wild debut of the indoor World Shot Put Series on Wednesday, the Drake Relays got down to some more traditional track & field over the weekend, with two world-leading performances:

● Men/Decathlon: 8,265, Till Steinforth (GER-Nebraskia)
● Women/Mile: 4:23.69, Krissy Gear (USA)

Gear’s race was noteworthy as it was the first time the women’s mile had been run at Drake in exactly 50 years. Gear had won the Grand Blue Mile – also the USATF national women’s road championship – and had to come from behind to run down comebacking Shelby Houlihan on the final straight to win in 4:23.69 to 4:23.84. Two-time Olympian Karissa Schweizer moved into third in the final 50 m in 4:25.27.

Olympic champ Masai Russell won the women’s 100 m hurdles in 12.74 (-1.4 m/s), taking over in mid-race and fellow Paris gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall won the long jump at 6.75 m (22 3/4) on her first attempt, moving to no. 4 on the world outdoor list in her season opener. Brooke Andersen, the 2022 World Champion in the women’s hammer, raised her seasonal best to 75.28 m (247-0) and remained at no. 5 in 2025.

In the men’s 1,500 m, Vincent Ciattei – like Gear – completed a road-track mile/1,500 double, taking over on the final turn to win in 3:39.49, ahead of Damien Dilcher (3:39.99) and Craig Engels (3:40.13). Chris Robinson, the world leader in the 400 m (44.15) won his usual specialty, the 400 m hurdles, in 48.92, now no. 12 on the world list.

The men’s shot was another re-run of the earlier World Shot Put Series, with Roger Steen winning again with his sixth-round throw of 21.62 m (70-11 1/4), this time over Tripp Piperi (21.52 m/70-7 1/4). Olympic champion Ryan Crouser did not throw, but offered some entertaining live commentary on the CBS Sports Network broadcast; Steen moved to no. 2 on the 2025 outdoor world list with the win.

Three-time Olympian Rudy Winkler moved up to no. 2 in the world for 2025 in the men’s hammer, winning at 81.08 m (266-0), his longest since 2021 and his sixth-longest throw ever.

Steinforth, a Paris Olympian for Germany and the defending Drake Relays champ, won the 100 m, long jump, shot, 400 m and 110 m hurdles on the way to his 8,265 world leader and no. 2 score ever.

At the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, a world outdoor lead in the women’s 1,500 m for American Josette Andrews, who won the Olympic Development race in 4:01.76, ahead of Dani Jones (USA: 4:03.21) and Nozomi Tanaka (JPN: 4:05.44).

One of the dazzling relay races was in the boys Championship of America 4×400 m, won by Kingston College of Jamaica, anchored by Marcinho Rose in 45.04. But behind Kingston was a phenomenal anchor leg by Paris 2024 men’s 4×400 relay gold medalist – from the heats – Quincy Wilson of The Bullis School of Potomac, Maryland. He took the stick in fifth place, passing three Jamaican teams by the time he got to the home straight, but unable to get home first, but splitting a sensational 43.99!

Bullis, in second, finished in 3:06.31, a U.S. high school record, ahead of Hawthorne (California)’s famed 1985 mark of 3:07.40.

Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich, the world-record holder in the women’s 10 km road race, got the mark for a women-only 10 km, winning the Adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach (GER) on Saturday (26th) in 29:27.

She was well ahead of Fentaye Belayneh (30:30); Ngetich’s mark is the no. 7 performance all-time, including mixed races, and she has three of the seven.

Two-time World Indoor 3,000 m champ Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) won the men’s 5 km in 12:54, the no. 6 performance ever and he has three of the six! He was also comfortably up on Andrew Alamisi (KEN: 13:03).

Kenya’s Paris 800 m winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the mile in 3:52.45, moving to no. 3 all-time for the road mile. He beat Americans Hobbs Kessler (3:54.34) and Nico Young (3:54.50). Fellow Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir won the women’s mile in 4:23.98, with American Addy Wiley third in 4:30.90 and Taryn Rawlings fifth in 4:40.09.

U.S. Half Marathon champ Alex Maier won the Dusseldorf Marathon in 2:08:33 on Sunday, smashing his own best of 2:11:24 from Chicago in 2024 and moving to 10th on the all-time U.S. list for record-eligible courses.

Counting the net-downhill Boston Marathon, the U.S. suddenly has five at 2:08:33 or faster this year with Maier joining Conner Mantz (2:05:08), Clayton Young (2:07:04) and Ryan Ford (2:08:00) in Boston and Matthew Richtman’s surprise 2:07:57 at the Los Angeles Marathon.

● Cycling ● The fourth of the five “Monument” races for 2025 came Sunday with the 111th Liege-Bastogne-Liege, with all eyes once again on Slovenian star – and defending champion – Tadej Pogacar.

He started his “Monument” spring with a third at Milan-Sanremo, he won the Ronde van Vlaanderen, was second at Paris-Roubaix and on Sunday, dominated at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, taking off with 35 km remaining on the hilly, 252 km course and won in 6:00:09.

At 26, Pogacar has won the Tour de France three times, the Giro d’Italia in 2024, the 2024 World Road Championship and now nine Monuments: four at Il Lombardia, twice in the Ronde van Vlaanderen and this was his third Liege-Bastogne-Liege, also in 2021. He’s still chasing wins in Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix.

Pogacar was 1:03 clear of Guilio Ciccone (ITA) in second and Ben Healy (IRL) in third, ahead of the following pack of 39. Neilson Powless was the top American, in 10th (+1:10).

The last Monument of 2025 comes on 11 October with Il Lombardia in Italy.

The women’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege came down to a four-way sprint after 152.9 km, with Kimberley Le Court Pienaar of Mauritius getting her first major race win at age 29 in 4:15:42.

Dutch star – and two-time winner of this race – Demi Vollering was the first to try a final attack, but Le Court and Puck Pieterse (NED) passed her and finished 1-2, with Vollering third and Cedrine Kerbaol (FRA) in fourth. Vollering has now made the podium for five straight years (2-1-2) and six times in all.

Kristen Faulkner was the top American finisher, in 25th.

At the Pan American Road Championships in Punta del Este (URU), Colombia’s Juliana Londono won a final mass sprint on the flat, 104.8 km course in 2:42:37, just ahead of American Skylar Schneider and Teniel Campbell (TTO) as the first 42 riders received the same time.

Sunday’s men’s road race went to Colombia’s Alvaro Hodeg in 4:56:44 in a six-man sprint at the end of the flat, 209.6 km course, beating Sebastian Brenes and Jason Huertas, both from Costa Rica, to the line.

The U.S. went 1-2 in the women’s Time Trial, with Ruth Edwards covering the 26.2 km route in 34:44 with teammate Emily Ehrlich at 34:54 and Campbell at 35:28. The men’s Time Trial was won by Walter Vargas in a Colombian 1-2; Vargas routed the field in 46:48 over 39.3 km, with Rodrigo Contreras a distant second, 1:57 back.

● Gymnastics ● At the FIG Rhythmic World Cup in Tashkent (UZB), home favorite Takhmina Ikromova took the All-Around at 112.25, winning a tie-break with Olympic champion Darya Varfolomeev (GER), with Liliana Lewinska (POL: 108.30) in third.

Ikromova won the Hoop final over teammate Anastasiya Sarantseva, 28.50 to 28.15, but Varfolomeev won on Ball (29.35) with Ikromova second (28.70), on Clubs at 30.00 with Sarantseva second (28.30) and on Ribbon at 29.05, with Ikromova at 28.50.

American Evita Griskenas was fourth in Ball (27.00) and Ribbon (27.30).

● Ice Hockey ● The IIHF men’s U-18 Championship is ongoing in Frisco and Allen, Texas, with Canada and the U.S. moving along undefeated.

Defending champ Canada defeated Slovakia, 9-2, in its opener; Latvia, 7-1 on Friday, and Finland by 5-1 on Sunday. The U.S., runners-up in 2024, started with a 4-2 victory against the Czech Republic and then 10-0 over Switzerland and 6-3 over Sweden on Saturday.

Pool play continues through the 28th.

● Judo ● Brazil dominated the Pan American Championships, held in Santiago (CHI), winning nine of 14 classes and taking 16 medals overall. The Brazilian winners included Michel Augusto in the men’s 60 kg, Ronald Lima (66 kg), Gabriel Falcao (81 kg), Rafael Macedo (90 kg), and Leonardo Goncalves (100 kg) in the men’s classes.

Cuba’s Andy Granda, the 2022 World Champion at +100 kg, won his class, and American Jack Yonezuka, 21, took the men’s 73 kg gold, for his first Pan Am title.

Brazil took four women’s classes, with Natasha Ferreira beating Maria Celia Laborde of the U.S. at 48 kg; Shirlen Nascimento won at 57 kg over American Mariah Holguin, Nauana Silva took the 63 kg title, and Olympic champ Beatriz Souza won the +78 kg gold.

The U.S. also won two bronzes, from Jonathan Yang in the men’s 60 kg, and John Jayne in the men’s 90 kg.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The second UIPM World Cup of the season was in Budapest (HUN), and became a showcase for 2024 World Junior Champion Mohamed Moutaz (EGY), who scored 1,576 points to edge home favorite Mihaly Koleszar (HUN) and France’s Ugo Fleurot, both at 1,570.

Moutaz, 20, was only 14th in fencing and 10th in the Obstacle, but won the swimming, to enter the Laser Run in ninth place, 49 seconds behind teammate Mohamed El Ashqar (EGY). But Moutaz dominated the field, rolling through the race in 9:51.74 to claim the fastest time by almost seven seconds! That gave him the win – his first World Cup gold – with Koleszar holding on for second and Fleurot moving up from sixth to race to the line for silver, and coming up just short.

Hungarian fans cheered Michelle Gulyas, the Paris Olympic champion, who was third in fencing, fourth in Obstacle and second in swimming, so she was a close third going into the final event. She started just four seconds behind, but had more than enough to get to the line first in 11:14.56, with prior leader, the 14-year-old Farifa Khalil (EGY) finishing in 11:32.95 to hang on to second.

France’s Coline Flavin moved from fourth to third (1,455) on the Laser Run.

● Sailing ● China and Italy both scored two wins at the Semaine Olympique Francaise regatta off Hyeres (FRA) for the Olympic classes.

● IQ Foil: Kun Bi (CHN) won the men’s medal race with Grae Morris (AUS) and Louis Pignolet (FRA) classified as second and third. Israel’s Tamar Steinberg won the women’s medal race, ahead of China’s Paris fifth-placer Zheng Yan and teammate and Olympic silver winner Sharon Kantor.

● Formula Kite: Italy’s Riccardo Paniosi, fourth in Paris last year and the 2024 Worlds runner-up, won the final after taking six races during the qualifying and finals series. Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder, the 2023 World Champion, also with six wins, was classified second and Gian Stragiotti (SUI) was third overall. The women’s winner was China’s Wan Li, ahead of teammate Jingyue Chen and France’s Paris silver medalist Lauriane Nolot.

● 49er/49erFX: Americans Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid scored a tight win with 101 net points, with six top-three finishes, to edge Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger (GER: 104) and Hernan Umpierre and Fernando Diz (URU: 108). Belgians Isaura Maenhaut and Anouk Geurts took the women’s 49erFX class, over Paris Henken and Helena Scutt of the U.S., 149-151, making the final tally close with a ninth-place finish in the medal race.

● Laser/Laser Radial: Hong Kong’s Nicholas Halliday was a clear winner in Laser, with 48 net points and six top-three finishes; New Zealand’s Thomas Saunders was second with 71. Italy’s Chiara Benini Floriani won the women’s Laser Radial class in a four-way fight with 34 net points, to 36 for two-time World Champion Emma Plasschaert (NED), 39 for Dane Anna Munch and 39 for American Charlotte Rose. Plasschaert and Munch went 1-2 in the medal race to close on Benini Floriani, who was fourth.

● Mixed Crew: In the 470, Paris 14th-placers Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort (GER) had six top-three finishes and 43 net points to win, against veteran star Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona (ESP: 56). In the Nacra 17, Tokyo silver medalists and two-time World Champions John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) won with 49 net points to 52 for Italy’s Gianluigi Ugilini and Maria Giubilei.

The next major Olympic classes regatta comes on 24 May with the Allianz Regatta in Almere (NED).

● Sport Climbing ● At the IFSC World Cup in Wujiang (CHN), the crowd saw a  home win for Jianguo Long in the men’s Speed final over Hryhorii Ilchyshyn (UKR), 4.88 to 4.98, with former world-record holder Kiromal Katibin (INA) taking the bronze over Paris 2024 bronze medalist, 19-year-old Sam Watson of the U.S.

The women’s Speed final completed a Chinese sweep, with Shaoqin Zhang over Korea’s Jimin Jeong, 6.32 to 6.37, as Zhang got her second career World Cup win. Her teammate, Olympic runner-up Lijuan Deng, got the bronze, 6.34 to 6.39 over American Emma Hunt, the 2023 Worlds runner-up.

The Lead finals on Sunday saw Japan’s 18-year-old phenom, Sorato Anraku – the Paris Olympic silver winner in the Lead-Boulder combined – win again, getting to the top in the final, ahead of countryman Neo Suzuki (40+) and Spain’s Alberto Gines Lopez (39+). Suzuki, in his first World Cup final, had to re-climb after an appeal on his first final run, but managed to replicate his original second-place finish.

The women’s Lead final had a tie for the win between Erin McNeice (GBR) and 2021 World Champion Chae-hyun Seo (KOR), both at 41 (and 4:26!). American Annie Sanders, who won the season opener, was third at 39+.

● Swimming ● At the second leg of the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup, in Ibiza (ESP), Spain’s Olympic 10th-placer Angela Martinez emerged on the final lap to claim a clear win in the women’s 10 km in 1:58:41.4, beating German Celine Rider (1:58:43.3) and Bettina Fabian (HUN: 1:58:45.2).

Italy enjoyed a sweep in the men’s 10 km, with Andrea Filadelli with a decisive win in 1:50:30.9, beating 2022 World 25 km champ Dario Verani (1:50:33.2) and Giuseppe Ilario (1:50:34.9). It was Filadelli’s first World Cup gold.

French 2016 Olympic bronze winner Marc-Antoine Olivier was fourth (1:50:37.7) and American Joey Tepper was fifth (1:50:37.8). Olympic champ Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) was eighth and Dylan Gravley of the U.S. finished 11th.

In the new 3 km Sprints, featuring two rounds of eliminations over 2,500 m, then 1,500 m and a final round of 500 m, Olympic men’s 10 km silver winner Oliver Klemet won the men’s final in 4:50.5, over David Betlehem (ITA: 4:51.6) and Olivier (4:53.5), with Rasovszky fourth. Germany’s Lea Boy won the women’s final (500 m) in 5:18.5, with Fabian second (5:22.1) and Ichika Kajimoto (JPN: 5:22.2) in third.

● Wrestling ● Four veteran stars earned U.S. Open titles in Las Vegas, Nevada, topped by Rio 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Snyder at 97 kg, who won his second U.S. Open gold with an 11-0 technical fall over Jonathan Aiello.

Four-time World Champion Kyle Dake was beaten in the 86 kg final by 2023 Worlds bronze winner Zahid Valencia, who won the final by 8-4 and also won his second career U.S. Open. Valencia was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

Yianni Diakomihalis, the 2022 Worlds runner-up, won at 70 kg with an 8-2 victory over two-time Worlds medal winner James Green, and 2018 U.S. Open winner Joey McKenna took the 65 kg gold over Jesse Mendez by 3-1 in the final.

That left the other six crowns to first-time winners at the Open: top seeds Luke Lilledahl (57 kg), Evan Wick (79 kg), and Trent Hidlay (92 kg), second seeds Mitchell Mesenbrink (74 kg), and Wyatt Hendrickson (125 kg) and sixth-seed Jax Forrest (61 kg).

Hendrickson, famed for his NCAA title win over Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Gable Steveson, won his final by 14-3 over Demetrius Thomas.

All 10 women’s Freestyle winners were determined in Friday, with Paris Olympic silver winner Kennedy Blades taking the 68 kg division with a 10-0 technical fall against Solin Piearcy, and 2024 Worlds 72 kg bronze medalist Kylie Welker dominating the 76 kg final with an 11-0 win over Yelena Makoyed. Welker was named as the outstanding wrestler of the tournament.

Two-time Worlds silver winner Kayla Miracle won her fifth U.S. Open title with a 4-0 win over Adaugo Nwachukwu in the 62 kg final, and former World U-23 team member Amanda Martinez won at 57 kg when 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester could not compete in the final.

There were lots of other surprises. Seventh-seeded Brianna Gonzalez won at 53 kg, World U-20 champ Cristelle Rodriguez took the title at 55 kg, third-seed Abigail Nette triumphed at 59 kg, Aine Drury (no. 3) at 65 kg and no. 2 Alexandria Glaude at 72 kg.

In the men’s Greco-Roman finals that also served as the U.S. World Team Trials, London 2012 Olympian Ellis Coleman defeated Tokyo Olympian Ildar Hafizov, two matches to none at 63 kg; Tokyo Olympian Alejandro Sancho won the 72 kg class over Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr., 2-0, and at 77 kg, Paris 2024 Olympian Kamal Bey took the 77kg class, 2-0, over Aliaksandr Kikiniou, the father!

Jayden Ramsey took the 55 kg title by forfeit to make his first national team; Max Black won two close matches to take the 60 kg crown over Zane Richards, and Alston Nutter won at 67 kg via two pins of Otto Black.

On Saturday, the four remaining World Team Trials matches were completed, with Paris Olympian Payton Jacobsen defeating Spencer Woods, two matches to one at 87 kg; sixth-seed Michial Foy won the 97 kg class by 2-1 over Olympian Josef Rau, and second-seed Cohlton Schultz won the 130 kg class after no. 1 Adam Coon was injured during the first match and had to retire. At 82 kg, second-seed Bela Melelashvili also won as no. 1 Jesse Porter could not continue after the first match.

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For our updated, 694-event International Sports Calendar for 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

ATHLETICS: Assefa powers to women-only record of 2:15:50 at London Marathon; Sawe smokes men’s field in 2:02:27

By
Rich Perelman
-
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa finishes her 2:15:50 women-only world record London Marathon win (Photo: World Athletics).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ LONDON MARATHON ≡

Beyond the prize money for the top 10 places, the bonus structure for the 45th London Marathon had extra money for course record and world-record performances. For the women, who started a half-hour ahead of the men – at 9:05 a.m. – that meant the women-only best of 2:16:16 by Tokyo Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) from the 2024 London Marathon.

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist and former (mixed race) world-record holder was happy to take advantage, running away from the field to win in 2:15:50.

The women’s race was a breakaway almost from the start, as four stars crossed the 5 km (3.1 miles) in 15:34, 50 seconds up on the rest of the field: 2021 London winner Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN), Assefa, 2023 London runner-up Megertu Alemu (ETH) and Olympic champ Sifan Hassan (NED).

By 20 km (12.4M), Assefa and Jepkosgei had broken free and they passed the halfway mark in a sizzling 1:06:40, 10 seconds up on Hassan. The margin was 26 seconds by 25 km (15.5M) and 1:10 by 30 km (18.6M).

Past 35 km (21.7M), Assefa surged and broke away, running alone to the finish in 2:15:50, smashing Jepchirchir’s 2:16:16 women-only record from 2024 and the world leader in 2025. It’s the second-fastest time in London Marathon history, behind only British legend Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 mixed-race, then-world record from 2003. All-time, it’s the no. 10 performance in history and Assefa, 28, now has three of the 10.

In her career, Assefa has run six marathons and after a seventh in her debut in Riyadh (KSA) in 2022, she won Berlin twice, was second in London last year, won the Olympic silver and now won London in 2025. That’s five straight races in major marathons, finishing first or second.

Jepkosgei was an easy second in 2:18:44, Hassan was third in 2:19:00 and Haven Hailu Desse (ETH) ran 2:19:17 for fourth; they were the only ones to break 2:20. Britain’s Eilish McColgan, the 2022 European 10,000 m winner made her debut in the marathon a good one, in eighth in 2:24:25.

Susanna Sullivan was the top American, in 10th, matching her finish in this race from 2023, in 2:29:30.

Assefa’s victory and time were worth $55,000 for the win, $125,000 for the women’s-only world mark, $25,000 for the women-only course and another $100,000 for a sub-2:16 performance, or $305,000 in all.

Yes, there was a men’s race, with a front pack of 12 passing 5 km in 14:25, shaved down to 10 by the 10 km mark (28:57) and moving through the half in 1:01:30. The stars – two-time Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Paris Olympic champ Tamirat Tola (ETH) and half-marathon world-record holder Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) – making his marathon debut – were all in the group.

Nine were still running together by the 30 km mark when Kenyan Sabastian Sawe, who debuted last December in Valencia (ESP) with a 2:02:05 (!) win, powered away and only Kiplimo could try and stay with him.

By 35 km (21.7M), Sawe was all alone with a 22-second lead on Kiplimo, who was 15 seconds up on everyone else. At the finish, Sawe won his second career marathon in as many races at 2:02:27, the 2025 world leader and second-fastest London Marathon ever, worth $55,000 plus a $100,000 bonus for a sub-2:03 finish.

Kiplimo, in his debut, was an impressive second, in 2:03:37, now equal-29th all-time, worth $30,000 for place and another $50,000 for running under 2:04.

Behind him was defending champion Alexander Mutiso (KEN) and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye (NED), both in 2:04:20, then Tola in fifth in 2:04:42.

Kipchoge finished sixth in 2:05:25 – at age 40! – his best performance since his Berlin Marathon win in September 2023.

Paris Olympic triathlon winner Alex Yee (GBR) made a noteworthy debut as well, finishing 14th in 2:11:08; Kevin Salvano was the top American, in 18th in 2:13:03.

Placement prize money was available to the top 12: $55,000-30,000-22,500-15,000-10,000-7,500-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000-1,500-1,000, a total of $156,500 per gender.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: L.A. Metro chief expects $3.2 billion Federal funding request to be “favorably received”

By
Rich Perelman
-
The famed Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority headquarters building in downtown Los Angeles (Photo: Basil D. Soufi via Creative Commons).

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≡ METRO FUNDING REQUEST ≡

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief executive Stephanie Wiggins told Public Radio KCRW she’s optimistic about the $3.2 billion request for Federal funding for public transportation support for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Speaking with host Danielle Chiriguayo, Wiggins was asked about the status of the agency’s request for 2028 support, and explained:

“What we know is for ticketed spectators, for now, you will not be able to drive your car to a venue as a ticketed spectator. For security reasons, you have to take transit, walk, bicycle, or get dropped off.

“Given the tickets that are projected to be sold and the amount of visitors that are anticipated for those games, we can expect a million additional people a day.

“Well, we’re carrying a million people a day today on the Metro system with 2,000+ buses. So essentially, to handle the level of demand for the Olympics and Paralympics, that’s like a whole other system.

“The $3.2 billion ask is largely driven by the need to borrow about 2,700 buses from across the country. That means you’re paying for their mechanics, the bus operators, their wages, and all the supporting infrastructure; as well as making some improvements on mobility hubs that doesn’t degrade the experience of the million essential riders that we’re carrying today. Our ask has been submitted, and we expect it to be favorably received.

“These are America’s Games. We want to make sure they’re spectacular for everyone. Fundamentally, I’m sure no one wants a degraded experience for the existing folks who ride our system. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The whole world will be watching. Given the $17 billion that we’re already investing in our rail revolution, this is definitely something that the federal government will have a return on investment on. Yes, we will be ready. With the support of the federal government and our local and state partners, yes, we will be ready.”

With the announcement of most of the remaining venues for the 2028 Olympic Games, all or part of 35 of the 36 sports in the Games will be in Los Angeles County, with a heavy concentration in the downtown Los Angeles area, with eight sites and 13 sports.

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman was equally optimistic about transportation and traffic for 2028, saying at the 144th International Olympic Committee Session in Greece in March:

“For 17 days, we can fix any problem in the world. And for 17 days, we can manage traffic and movement of people in a way that you can’t every day, normally. So, whether it’s the things they did in ‘84, removing trucks from the streets, deliveries from the streets except between midnight and 5 [a.m.], obviously, creating remote work now is a very practical solution. There is tens of billions of dollars of infrastructure in terms of transportation – not for the Olympics, not related to the Olympics – but they will be done by the Olympics, will be meaningfully different than 1984.

“In 1984, we were building freeways, literally, today we’re building, I think, the second-largest metro construction project on earth. And so we are very confident in our ability to deliver, and let’s not get confused. Our venues are designed, and our city is designed, for people to drive their cars to events.

“They won’t drive them in the same quantities, at the same scale they do today, but that will also be a part of our delivery, because it would be a mistake not to take advantage of the venues that are designed and the use case they are designed for.”

So, people driving cars is definitely part of the LA28 plan, moving along with its “public transit first” concept for the last mile to the Olympic and Paralympic venues, which is already in wide use for special events of all kinds, such as the annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Games in Pasadena.

Wasserman referred to freeway building, which was actually not going on in 1984, but picked up later with the last new freeway to be opened, the I-105, in 1993.

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ATHLETICS: Diamond League opens with seven world leads in Xiamen, including 300 m hurdles world best for Warholm

By
Rich Perelman
-
A Diamond League win and world 300 m hurdles best for Norway’s Karsten Warholm (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡

The Diamond League season opened with a bang in Xiamen (CHN), with seven world-leading (outdoor) performances, including a world best for hurdles star Karsten Warholm:

● Men/3,000 m Steeple: 8:05.61, Samuel Firewu (ETH)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.06, Cordell Tinch (USA)
● Men/300 m hurdles: 33.05, Karsten Warholm (NOR)
● Men/Vault: 5.92 m (19-5), Mondo Duplantis (SWE)

● Women/1,000 m: 2:29.21, Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
● Women/5,000 m: 14:27.12, Beatrice Chebet (KEN)
● Women/Shot: 20.47 m (67-2), Jessica Schilder (NED)

World Athletics has added – for reasons still unspecified – the 300 m hurdles as an official event and while there is no world record in place, the all-time best was 33.26 by Warholm in 2021 in the Covid year of 2021 in a home race in Oslo.

Fully healthy to start the season, he roared out of his preferred lane seven and led from the start, winning in 33.05, well ahead of Matheus Lima (BRA: 33.98) and Ken Toyoda (JPN: 34.22). American CJ Allen was eighth in 34.96, believed to be the best in U.S. history.

The other world leaders were in more conventional events:

● The men’s Steeple had Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) towering over the field, and he had the lead at the bell, but Paris sixth-placer Samuel Firewu (ETH) took over with a half-lap left, cleared the final water jump well and flew into the straight, winning in 8:05.61, with El Bakkali suffering a rare defeat in 8:06.66 and Kenyan Simon Koech in third in 8:07.12.

El Bakkali had won 14 straight finals from 2021 to August 2024, but has now lost two straight, having been edged by Amos Serem (KEN) at the Diamond League Final in Brussels last September.

● Olympic 110 m hurdles champ Grant Holloway of the U.S. got his usual rock start and was in front until he clubbed the seventh hurdle, lost his stride and then faded over the last two hurdles, and finished 10th in 13.72. Meanwhile, countryman Cordell Tinch had been second and moved up to win in 13.06 (wind +0.3 m/s), his fourth-fastest time ever and the world leader for 2025. Japan’s Rachid Muratake was second (13.14) with American Olympic stars Freddie Crittenden (13.28) and Daniel Roberts (13.35) in fourth and fifth.

● Swedish superstar Duplantis needed only three vaults – all makes – to win the vault at 5.92 m (19-5), with Olympic bronze winner Emmanouil Karalis (GRE) second at 5.82 m (19-1). Duplantis continued to 6.01 m (19-8 1/2), but missed three times.

● The women’s 1,000 m was a world-record shot by three-time Olympic 1,500 m champ Kipyegon, who took the lead from the pacesetters at the 800 m mark, already way ahead of everyone else. She pushed hard to the finish, running 29.5 for her last 200 m, but had to settle for the no. 3 performance in history at 2:29:21. Only Russian Svetlana Masterkova’s 1996 record of 2:28.98 and Kipyegon’s 2:29.15 from 2020 are faster.

Australia’s Abbey Caldwell was a distant second (2:32.94); American Sage Hurta-Klecker was fourth in 2:33.45, now no. 3 all-time U.S.

● Chebet, the brilliant Olympic 5,000-10,000 m winner, was battling a group of six Ethiopians in the women’s 5,000 m, with Hirut Meshesha leading at the bell. Inevitably, it came down to Chebet and two-time World Champion Gudaf Tsegay, with Chebet finally in front for good with 200 m to go and breaking away in the final straight to win, 14:27.12 to 14:28.18, with Birke Haylom third (14:28.80) and Meshesha fourth (14:29.29).

● In the women’s shot, World Indoor silver winner Schilder got off a national record throw of 20.47 m (67-2) in the first round and no one could catch her. Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. got closest, reaching 20.31 m (66-7 3/4) in round two; Maggie Ewen of the U.S. was sixth (19.04 m/62-5 3/4) and Jaida Ross was 10th (17.65 m/57-11).

The U.S. had two other winners, with Tokyo women’s 200 m Olympian Anavia Battle scoring a 22.41 (+0.4) to 22.79 win over Jamaica’s two-time World Champion Shericka Jackson (22.79), with Jenna Prandini of the U.S. in third (22.97) and TeeTee Terry eighth (23.50).

Olympic discus champ Valarie Allman continued her brilliant throwing with her 19th straight win, reaching 68.95 m (226-2) on her third throw, enough to win over Yaime Perez (CUB: 66.26 m/217-5) and 2023 World Champion Lagi Tausaga-Collins of the U.S. (64.91 m/212-11).

South Africa’s Akani Simbine got to the front of fast-starting 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the U.S. by mid-race and won the men’s 100 m in 9.99 (+0.2), with Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 10.13) coming up for second and Coleman fourth (10.18).

A terrific men’s 400 m saw Olympic semifinalist Bayapo Ndori (BOT) edge World Indoor champ Chris Bailey of the U.S., 44.25 to 44.27, with Bailey getting a lifetime best! London 2012 Olympic champ Kirani James (GRN: 44.89) was fourth and American Vernon Norwood was sixth (45.03).

China’s Mingkun Chang won the long jump with a lifetime best of 8.18 m (26-10), just ahead of Liam Adcock (AUS: 8.15 m/26-9) and Marquis Dendy of the U.S. (8.10 m/26-7). Fellow American Isaac Grimes was fifth (7.96 m/26-1 1/2).

Jamaica’s Jordan Scott, fourth at the World Indoors, took the men’s triple jump at 17.27 m (56-8), a lifetime best, ahead of Tokyo Olympic silver winner Yaming Zhu (CHN: 17.03 m/.55-10 1/2) and Donald Scott of the U.S. (16.85 m/55-3 1/2). Olympic sixth-placer Salif Mane of the U.S. was seventh (16.44 m/53-11 1/4).

Jamaica scored again with two-time World Champion Danielle Williams in the 100 m hurdles, winning over Olympic fifth-placer Grace Stark of the U.S., 12.53 to 12.58 (-0.2). Americans Tonea Marshall (12.92) and 2019 World Champion Nia Ali (13.23) placed sixth and ninth.

Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) won another showdown with Australian stars Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers, clearing 1.97 m (6-5 1/2) to 1.94 m (6-4 1/4) for both. Greece’s Elina Tzenggo, the 2022 European champ, won the women’s javelin at 64.75 m (212-5).

The Diamond League remains in China, with the next meet on 3 May in Shanghai.

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PANORAMA: Judge wants fix in House vs. NCAA settlement; new curling league coming in 2026; Steen wins first “World Shot Put Series”

By
Rich Perelman
-
World Shot Put Series winner Roger Steen (Photo: Luke Lu for Drake University Athletics)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● NCAA ● A bump in the road for the proposed settlement of the House vs. NCAA suit, as U.S. District judge Claudia Wilken said Wednesday that she will not approve it unless current athletes on collegiate rosters are not subject to the new sport roster limits set to be imposed.

“We are closely reviewing Judge Wilken’s order,” an NCAA spokesperson said in a statement. “Our focus continues to be on securing approval of this significant agreement, which aims to create more opportunities than ever before for student-athletes while fostering much-needed stability and fairness in college sports.”

It appears that the roster limits, per se, are not an issue for Wilken, but she sees an issue of “fairness” that the settlement should not cost existing athletes or those who have received roster spot offers for the future, their places on teams.

The parties were given two weeks to modify the settlement agreement before Wilken will review it again and possibly approve it.

● Athletics ● The Ryan Crouser-designed “World Shot Put Series” debuted indoors at the Drake Fieldhouse in Des Moines, with a unique format on Wednesday.

There were six collegiate and nine elite competitors, with the college athletes trying to get past the 40-foot mark in order to get to the next round. The field included world-record holder Crouser, 2025 World Indoor silver medalist Roger Steen, 2025 World Indoor bronze medalist Tripp Piperi, Jamaican Olympic bronzer Rajindra Campbell and Olympic fourth-placer Payton Otterdahl.

The idea was to through past the required line within two tries, or you didn’t advance to the next distance. So it went like this:

● 40 ft.: 5 collegians advanced
● 50 ft.: 5 collegians advanced
● 60 ft.: 1 collegian, 9 elites advanced
● 65 ft.: 9 elites advanced
● 68 ft.: 7 elites advanced
● 70 ft.: 5 elites advanced (Crouser, Steen, Piperi, Campbell, Otterdahl)
● 71 ft.: 4 elites advanced (Steen, Piperi, Campbell, Otterdahl)
● 72 ft.: 2 elites advanced (Steen, Otterdahl)
● 73 ft.: 2 elites advanced
● 74 ft.: neither reached

The throws were not measured – you either cleared the line or you didn’t – and Steen threw past 73 ft. on his first try and Ottderdahl on his second. Steen won by having less “failures” (4) than Otterdahl (6). Steen threw 11 times to get the victory.

The crowd in the fieldhouse loved it and both Steen and Otterdahl threw past their official lifetime bests. They’ll get a shot at measured results on Saturday.

USA Track & Field named its teams for the World Athletics Relays next month in China, with multiple Olympic performers included, but many of the biggest names missing.

The last two legs of the men’s Olympic 4×100 m team that won its heat in 37.47 – a time good enough to have won the final – are back in Kyree King and Courtney Lindsey. Also available are Olympic 200 m runner-up Kenny Bednarek (also seventh in the 100 final) and 2023 Worlds 200 m silver winner Erriyon Knighton.

For the men’s 4×400 m, current 400 m world leader Chris Robinson (44.15) leads the squad, with Justin Robinson from the 2023 Worlds 4×400 gold-medal team and Elija Godwin, who led off the 2022 Worlds gold-medal team. Johnnie Blockburger, fourth at the NCAAs last year for USC, brings a 44.51 lifetime best to the team.

The women’s 4×100 m possibilities include Paris relay member TeeTee Terry and sprint stars Mikiah Brisco (10.96 lifetime best), Cambrea Sturgis (10.87) and Kayla White (10.95). Olympic 400 m veterans Kendall Ellis, Lynna Irby-Jackson and Courtney Okolo will be joined by Bailey Lear, a member of the 2025 World Indoor Championships 4×400 m winners.

USA Track & Field released the schedule for the first combined national championships incorporating Paralympic athletes, to be held in Eugene, Oregon beginning on 31 July. These will be long days:

Thursday, 31 July:
● 8:30 a.m. first event: Mixed Paralympic club event
● 8:30 p.m.: last event: men’s 10,000 m

Friday, 1 August:
● 10:00 a.m.: men’s Paralympic long jump
● 6:25 p.m.: women’s Paralympic 400 m

Saturday, 2 August:
● 6:30 a.m.: women’s 20,000 m walk
● 5:38 p.m.: men’s Paralympic 100 m

Sunday, 3 August:
● 12:00 p.m.: women’s Vault, women’s discus
● 2:54 p.m.: men’s 110 m hurdles

No Paralympic events are scheduled for Sunday.

● Curling ● In terms of a “regular season” for the world’s best curling teams, it’s the annual, five-stop Grand Slam of Curling, held in five Canadian venues from September to January.

Now, the company which owns that circuit, The Curling Group, is developing a new concept – “Rock League” – for the post-Milan Cortina Olympic period, in April 2026, with a six-week program with six mix-gender teams.

Two teams each will be set up from Canada and Europe with one each from the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific, with star captains including World Champion Rachel Homan, and Olympic winner Brad Jacobs (Canada), Korey Dropkin (USA), Bruce Mouat (SCO), Alina Paetz (SUI) and Chinami Yoshida (JPN).

More details are to come in the fall, but this appears to be the first shot at a fully-professionalized curling league. No announcement yet on venues.

● Swimming ● If you haven’t heard of Brazilian sprinter Gui Caribe – an All-American at Tennessee for the last three seasons – you have now. He won the Brazilian nationals in the men’s 100 m Freestyle in a world-leading 47.10, moving to equal-10th on the all-time list and no. 2 in Brazilian history.

His prior best was 47.82 from 2022 and now figures in the mix for this summer’s World Aquatics Championships, where everyone will be chasing Paris 2024 winner and world-record holder Zhanle Pan of China (46.80 in 2024).

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ATHLETICS: Tokyo Olympic champ Steven Gardiner joins Grand Slam Track; full list of entries revealed for Miramar Slam

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

One of the welcome approaches to fans by Grand Slam Track is to publish its entry lists two weeks ahead of the initial Slam in Jamaica at the start of April and now the second meet, in Miramar, Florida on 2-4 May.

The circuit announced that Paris 2024 Olympic men’s 400 m champion Quincy Hall is injured and has been replaced as a “Racer” by Tokyo Olympic champ Steven Gardiner (BAH), now back from his own injury issues.

The Thursday post of the Miramar entries showed:

Men’s Short Sprints (100/200 m):
● Racers: Kenny Bednarek (USA), Fred Kerley (USA), Oblique Seville (JAM), Zharnel Hughes (GBR).

● Challengers: Andre De Grasse (CAN), Ackeem Blake (JAM), Jerome Blake (CAN), Benji Richardson (RSA).

Bednarek swept both the 100 and 200 m in Kingston, with Hughes and Seville following.

Men’s Long Sprints (200/400 m):
● Racers: Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR), Muzala Samukonga (ZAM), Steven Gardiner (BAH), Jereem Richards (TTO).

● Challengers: Bryce Deadmon (USA), Alexander Ogando (DOM), Jacory Patterson (USA), Ryan Zeze (FRA).

Hudson-Smith won in Kingston, but now has Gardiner to deal with. Patterson and Deadmon are 2-3 in the world in 2025 at 44.27 and 44.30 in the past two weeks.

Men’s Short Distance (800/1,500 m):
● Racers: Cole Hocker (USA), Josh Kerr (GBR), Yared Nuguse (USA), Marco Arop (CAN).

● Challengers: Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN), Kethobogile Haingura (BOT), Tshepo Tshite (RSA), Peter Bol (AUS).

Kenyan Olympic 800 m winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi – a Challenger – and Arop went 1-2, embarrassing the milers, with Nuguse third. The 1,500 m comes first again on the schedule and will be key.

Men’s Long Distance (3,000/5,000 m):
● Racers: Grant Fisher (USA), Ronald Kwemoi (KEN), Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH).

● Challengers: Cooper Teare (USA), Andrew Coscoran (IRL), George Mills (GBR), Sam Atkin (GBR), Dawit Seare (ERI).

Fisher won the 5,000 m and Gebrhiwet won the 3,000 m, with Fisher having to sprint for home to get third in the 3,000 m and win the Slam.

Men’s Short Hurdles (110 m hurdles/100 m):
● Racers: Freddie Crittenden (USA), Sasha Zhoya (FRA), Daniel Roberts (USA).

● Challengers: Trey Cunningham (USA), Wilhelm Belocian (FRA), Jamal Britt (USA), Dylan Beard (USA), Michael Obasuyi (BEL).

Zhoya won the 100 m easily to take the Slam in Kingston, but now faces hurdles world leader Cunningham, who ran 13.09 last week in Gainesville, Florida to beat Olympic champ Grant Holloway.

Men’s Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles/400 m):
● Racers: Alison dos Santos (BRA), Caleb Dean (USA), Roshawn Clarke (JAM).

● Challengers: Trevor Bassitt (USA), Malik James-King (USA), Chris Robinson (USA), Ludvy Vaillant (FRA), Khallifah Rosser (USA).

Dos Santos was the clear winner in Kingston and maintains the world lead at 47.61 in the hurdles; Clarke was second. But it will be fascinating to see what happens now with 400 m world leader Chris Robinson (44.15 last week) suddenly emerging as a threat at both distances, after finishing fourth in the Kingston Slam.

Women’s Short Sprints (100/200 m):
● Racers: Gabby Thomas (USA), Brittany Brown (USA), Daryll Neita (GBR), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA)

● Challengers: Tamari Davis (USA), Jacious Sears (USA), Favour Ofili (NGR), Kayla White (USA).

Thomas is moving down from the Long Sprints, which she won impressively in Kingston, taking the 200 and second in the 400. Jefferson-Wooden won the Kingston Slam in this group, with Sears third, but will have her hands full with Thomas.

Women’s Long Sprints (200/400 m):
● Racers: Nickisha Pryce (JAM), Alexis Holmes (USA), Marileidy Paulino (DOM), Salwa Eid Naser (BRN).

● Challengers: Amber Anning (GBR), Bella Whittaker (USA), Kendall Ellis (USA), Stacey Ann Williams (JAM).

Naser was sensational with a world-leading 48.67 in the 400 m and second to Thomas in Kingston, with Paulino third. Arkansas star Whittaker won the NCAA Indoor 400 m title and had the fastest indoor time of 2025 at 49.24. Interesting.

Women’s Short Distance (800/1,500 m):
● Racers: Jess Hull (AUS), Nikki Hiltz (USA), Diribe Welteji (ETH), Mary Moraa (KEN).

● Challengers: Shafiqua Maloney (VIN), Freweyni Hailu (ETH), Emily Mackay (USA), Lucia Stafford (CAN).

Hiltz got a lifetime best and the world 800 m lead at 1:58.23 in Kingston and Welteji got the 1,500 m world lead at 4:04.51 and won the Slam, 20-18 over Hiltz. Hull, the Paris Olympic 1,500 m runner-up, finished fourth overall and will be looking for better results.

Women’s Long Distance (3,000/5,000 m):
● Racers: Nozomi Tanaka (JPN), Tsige Gebreselama (ETH), Agnes Ngetich (KEN), Elise Cranny (USA).

● Challengers: Aynadis Mebratu (ETH), Janeth Chepngetich (KEN), Medina Eisa (ETH), Hirut Meshesha (ETH).

Ngetich and Gebreselama ran 2-3 in both races in Kingston and were 2-3 in the Slam behind winner Ejgayehu Taye (ETH). Look out for Meshesha, the 2024 All-African Games winner who has been more of a middle-distance runner, but now moving up.

Women’s Short Hurdles (100 m hurdles/100 m):
● Racers: Ackera Nugent (JAM), Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR), Masai Russell (USA), Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA).

● Challengers: Keni Harrison (USA), Tia Jones (USA), Maribel Vanessa Caicedo (ECU), Alaysha Johnson (USA).

Jones stole the Kingston hurdles over Olympic champs Camacho-Quinn and Russell, but Jamaica’s Danielle Williams won the Slam as a Challenger, with Nugent third. In the meantime, Russell tuned up with a 12.62 run for a heat win in Gainesville last week; is she more ready this time?

Women’s Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles/400 m):
● Racers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), Shamier Little (USA), Rushell Clayton (JAM).

● Challengers: Anna Hall (USA), Sarah Carli (AUS), Naomi Van den Broeck (NED), Shiann Salmon (JAM), Andrenette Knight (JAM).

McLaughlin-Levrone left no doubt with wins in both races in Kingston and a world-leading 52.76 in the hurdles. Knight got third in the Slam, but Miramar has the addition of 2023 Worlds heptathlon silver winner Hall, the 2022 NCAA runner-up in the hurdles, but who last ran it in 2023.

Scoring in each event group (two races) is 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 and the placers in each group will win $100,000-50,000-30,000-25,000-20,000-15,000-12,500-10,000.

The Kingston opener had world-leading marks in nine events, but modest attendance. Both totals are hoped to increase in Miramar.

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ATHLETICS: Hurdles star Holloway on the importance to him of the Diamond League: “it plays a huge role”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Hurdles superstar Grant Holloway (Photo: USA Track & Field).

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≡ GRANT HOLLOWAY SPEAKS ≡

At age 27, Grant Holloway has said he has achieved all of his track & field goals. Olympic champion. Three-time World Champion. Three-time World Indoor Champion. Three-time NCAA Indoor and Outdoor hurdles champion.

But he’s not going anywhere and getting ready to start the 2025 Diamond League season in Xiamen (CHN) on Saturday. In an interview posted on the Diamond League site, Holloway underscored the importance of the Diamond League itself:

“The Diamond League plays a huge role, because these meets are quite literally the building blocks to success.

“If you show up to these Diamond League races and you’re running quick times and taking out world-class fields – regardless if they’re Olympic medalists, world medalists, world semi-finalists, finalists – then you’re solidifying yourself. So when the biggest stage does come, you can just think of it as another Diamond League race.”

He also compared the status of the Diamond League to his many other championships:

“It’s nice to have a big old diamond sitting in your house and everybody asking if it’s real!

“Other than the major championship titles, the Diamond Trophy is the next best thing. Rory McIlroy just got his career grand slam in golf, and I always say I have my grand slam in track and field.

“I’m a multiple world champion indoors and outdoors, an Olympic gold medallist and a Diamond League champion. Not a lot of hurdlers are able to say that they have all of those.”

And he commended the quality of the fields he has to run against:

“I’ve been on the circuit six to seven years now and not once have I ever had an easy Diamond League race. I think for all the top hurdlers, male and female, there’s no ducking and dodging.

“We have to be able to do those high intensity reps and not make any mistakes. We have the Americans with me, Daniel [Roberts], Freddie Crittenden, Trey Cunningham and a new kid on the block, Ja’Kobe Tharp, who’s been making a little noise on the NCAA circuit.

“But I’m not going to exclude the Jamaicans either: [Hansle] Parchment is an Olympic champion, [Rasheed] Broadbell won bronze in Paris. That’s seven or eight people who always have a chance to win. So it’s anybody’s race, regardless of what lane you’re in. You’ve got to be able to show up against the best: day in, day out.”

Most fans don’t remember that Holloway won an NCAA Indoor title at 60 m at Florida in 2019, ranking no. 2 in the world that season at 6.50. So why not pull a Fred Kerley and switch to the sprints? Nope, he’s a hurdler, saying of he and his fellow hurdlers:

“I think we are all missing a few brain cells. To be going over those hurdles at full speed, we all have to be a tad bit crazy. My coach always says: ‘hurdlers are sprinters with an attitude.’ You have to have a bit of an attitude to go over 10 barriers as fast as you can and try not to fall on your face.”

Asked about what he values most, more championships – and Diamond League wins – or finally getting the world record, breaking fellow American Aries Merritt’s 12.80 from 2012; Holloway is no. 2 all-time at 12.81 in 2021:

“Definitely a World Championships gold. Later down the line, there’s going to be another Grant Holloway. Who knows what his name is going to be, but he’s going to run faster than 7.27 and 12.79.

“When my time is up and I hang up the spikes, I can look back at all the medals and titles I have won and that is what I’ll be remembered for. Records are there to be broken.”

Holloway is smarting a little after finishing second to Cunningham in the final of the 19 April final of the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida. Cunningham won’t be in Xiamen, but Paris silver winner Roberts, and Olympic finalists Enrique Llopis (ESP), Crittenden and Parchment will be.

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ATHLETICS: London Marathon comes Sunday, with Olympic winners Kipchoge, Tola and Hassan on the start line!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Joy for Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge for a world-record win at the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09! (Photo: courtesy SCC EVENTS/@robin_we1)

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≡ LONDON MARATHON ≡

Following on the heels of Monday’s exciting Boston Marathon, four former winners head the elite fields for the 45th London Marathon, coming up on Sunday, with the women’s race beginning at 9:05 a.m. local time, followed by the elite men at 9:35.

Good conditions, with temperatures in the 50s, are forecast with good fields, and all eyes on all-time great Eliud Kipchoge, now 40 and Olympic champ Tamirat Tola. The top men by lifetime best:

● 2:01:39 ‘22 ~ Eliud Kipchoge (KEN): 2x Olympic champ, London winner 2015-16-18-19
● 2:02:05 ‘24 ~ Sabastian Sawe (KEN): 2024 Valencia winner in debut!
● 2:02:55 ‘24 ~ Timothy Kiplagat (KEN): 2024 Tokyo runner-up
● 2:03:11 ‘23 ~ Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN): defending champion
● 2:03:17 ‘24 ~ Milkesa Mengesha (ETH): 2024 Berlin winner
● 2:03:39 ‘21 ~ Tamirat Tola (ETH): 2024 Olympic gold, 2022 Worlds gold
● 2:04:39 ‘24 ~ Mohamed Esa (ETH): 2023 Tokyo 2nd, 2024 Boston 2nd, Chicago 2nd
● 2:04:45 ‘24 ~ Abdi Nageeye (NED): Tokyo Olympic silver, 2024 New York winner
● 2:04:45 ‘24 ~ Hillary Kipkoech (KEN): Valencia 8th in 2024 in debut
● 2:05:48 ‘17 ~ Sondre Moen (NOR): 3x Olympian, 2017 Fukuoka winner

Kipchoge won the Worlds 5,000 m way back in 2003 but became a legend when he took to the roads, winning 11 of his first 12 marathons between 2013 and 2019. He suffered a rare eighth in London in 2020, but won his next four across 2021 and 2022 before a sixth in Boston in 2023 … followed by a Berlin win in 2:02:42.

But in 2024, he was10th at the Tokyo Marathon and did not finish in the Paris Olympic marathon, raising questions as to whether he would continue racing. But here he is; he hasn’t run a race other than a marathon since 2016!

Tola, 33, wins when it counts, at the 2022 Worlds and in Paris at the Olympic Games last year. This will be his 20th marathon and he’s won five, including the two golds, plus New York in 2023. At London, he was sixth in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2023.

Mutiso, last year’s winner, had finished in the top three in all four career marathons until he was 21st in Paris. The sleeper might be Nageeye, 36, who didn’t finish in Paris, but won at Rotterdam and New York; it’s his London debut.

The top women’s entries:

● 2:11:53 ‘23 ~ Tigst Assefa (ETH): ex-WR in Berlin 2023; London 2nd, Olympic 2nd 2024
● 2:13:44 ‘23 ~ Sifan Hassan (NED): Olympic champion; 2023 London, Chicago winner
● 2:16:24 ‘24 ~ Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN): 2021 London winner, 2nd 2022, 3rd 2024
● 2:16:34 ‘24 ~ Megertu Alemu (ETH): 2023 London 2nd, 2022 London 3rd
● 2:18:26 ‘24 ~ Stella Chesang (UGA): 2024 Valencia 2nd, Olympic 8th
● 2:19:29 ‘24 ~ Haven Hailu Desse (ETH): 2023 Osaka winner, 2022 Rotterdam winner
● 2:21:56 ‘24 ~ Susanna Sullivan (USA): 2023 London 10th, 2024 Chicago 7th

Hassan, 32, is absolutely amazing, winning the Tokyo Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 m golds and a 1,500 m, then turning around in Paris to win bronzes in the 5 and 10 and gold in the marathon! She won London in 2023 and is no. 3 on the all-time list with her 2023 Chicago time of 2:13:44, but has not run since the Olympic Games. She’s only run four career marathons, and won three.

Assefa, 28, is no. 2 with her Berlin world record of 2:11:53. As accomplished as she is, this is only her sixth career marathon, and she’s won two and finished second twice. Dangerous, very dangerous.

There are three stars making their marathon debuts who bear watching: Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the 2020 World Half Marathon champ and world-record setter at 56:42 in Barcelona (ESP) on 16 February, Alex Yee (GBR), the 2024 Olympic men’s triathlon champ, and British distance star Eilish McColgan, the 2022 European women’s 10,000 m silver winner.

Prize money is available to the top 12 placers: $55,000-30,000-22,500-15,000-10,000-7,500-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000-1,500-1,000, a total of $156,500 per gender. Course record bonuses of $25,000 are available (better than 2:01:25 and 2:16:16) and $125,000 for a world record (better than 2:00:35 and 2:16:16).

Beyond the elites, London is trying to get the record for the most finishers ever in a marathon, set in 2024 by the NYC Marathon at 55,646.

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PANORAMA: U.S. 3×3 star Fredette retires; UEFA says VAR increases correct decisions to 99.6%; “calm room” now part of figure skating

By
Rich Perelman
-
The therapy dogs were the stars of the “calm room” at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston! (Photo: ISU).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Basketball ● Jimmer Fredette, a star at BYU who played with five NBA teams, in Greece and China and won a FIBA 3×3 World Cup silver medal, announced his retirement from basketball on Wednesday.

Now 36, Fredette was a Paris Olympian, but suffered a hip injury in the U.S. team’s second game and was unable to play in the remaining five games. His squad had made the final of the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and was considered a medal favorite, but lost its outside shooting game with the absence of Fredette.

He wrote on Instagram: “I owe a lot of who I am today to this game and it’s not easy to say goodbye as a player. But the time has come.”

● Cycling ● Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar climbed back up to the top of the podium, winning Wednesday’s 89th edition of La Fleche Wallonne – “The Flemish Arrow” – race from Ciney to Huy in Belgium over 205.1 km in 4:50:15.

He attacked in the final kilometer and finally got away from Kevin Vauquelin (FRA: +0:10) and two-time Olympic Mountain Bike champion Tom Pidcock (GBR: +0:12), with France’s Lenny Martinez in fourth (+0:13).

After winning the seven-stage UAE Tour in February, Pogacar has been all over the spring Classics circuit, now winning his third race in six tries – Strade Bianche, Ronde van Vlaanderen and now La Fleche Wallonne. He was second twice and third once in his other races and will race in the final springtime “Monument” race, Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday.

In the women’s race, at 140.7 km, four riders ended up racing for the line with 22-year-old Puck Pieterse, the 2024 UCI World Mountain Bike gold medalist, getting her first Women’s World Tour one-day race win. She crossed in 3:53:25, two seconds up on countrywoman Demi Vollering, the 2023 winner (+0:02), followed by 2024 bronze winner Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA: +0:06) and defending champ Kasia Niewiadoma (POL: +0:06).

Longo Borghini won her fifth medal in this race, held for the 28th time in 2025.

● Figure Skating ● If you’re organizing a future major skating event, better make space for a “calm room.”

International Skating Union chief Jae Youl Kim (KOR) picked up the idea from the Paris 2024 Olympic Village “mind zone” area, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of the Games with a quiet space and activities.

In Boston for the 2025 World Championships, “125 skaters from 12 countries stepped into the ISU Calm Zone. It was a thoughtfully curated environment combining mindfulness tools, opportunities for creative expression, and moments of playful relaxation.”

As was the case with USA Gymnastics at its nationals, the on-site therapy dogs quickly became the stars of the project, and “skaters expressed a strong desire to see therapy dogs at every competition in the future.”

Activities which drew the most attention were messages of comfort shared among athletes, coloring and drawing programs, knitting and community projects, and, of course, Legos.

● Football ● Fascinating statistics on the impact of the Video Assistant Referee program from Roberto Rossetti (ITA), the UEFA Managing Director for Refereeing, ahead of the confederation’s first VAR Symposium, which opened Wednesday in London (ENG):

● “Referees make an average of 200 decisions in every game, one every 20-25 seconds. Without the use of VAR, 97.49% of decisions are correct. Using technology increases accuracy in decision-making to 99.60%.”

● “Without VAR, a game-changing mistake would occur every 2.4 matches. With VAR, that is reduced to every 16 matches.”

UEFA debuted VAR systems for the elimination rounds of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League season; in 2024-25, 1,163 matches in UEFA competitions will use the technology.

Andrew Giuliani, a first-term Special Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 39, has been tabbed to be the Executive Director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Trump is the Task Force Chair, with Vice President J.D. Vance as Vice Chair; the Task Force will be placed as part of the Department of Homeland Security.

● Swimming ● Another key hire for USA Swimming’s national team staff announced Wednesday and working with new National Team Director Greg Meehan:

“USA Swimming has announced Yuri Suguiyama as the organization’s new Senior Director and Coach of the National Team. In this key leadership role, Suguiyama will support all facets of the National Team program, guide performance strategies, and support the country’s top athletes and coaches through the Olympic quad.

“Suguiyama will assist in all aspects of USA Swimming’s National Team Division, including but not limited to strategic planning, international competitions, domestic racing schedules, athlete and coach services, and long-term programming development.”

He comes to the post from the University of Wisconsin, where he was head coach for seven seasons, and previously at Cal as associate head coach from 2012-18.

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ATHLETICS: Nike announces audacious “Breaking4″ women’s mile record attempt for Faith Kipyegon on 26 June in Paris

By
Rich Perelman
-
Another 2023 world record for Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, this time in the mile in Monaco! (Photo: Sona Maleter for Diamond League AG)

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≡ WOMEN’S 4:00 MILE? ≡

Kenyan star Faith Kipyegon has won three Olympic women’s 1,500 m golds in a row and in a dream sequence of 50 days in 2023, set world records in the 1,500 m (3:49.11), 5,000 m (14:05.20) and the mile, in 4:07.64 on 21 July at the Herculis meet in Monaco.

TSX speculated in a follow-up about the next question to be answered:

“Now, the discussion will inevitably turn to when a woman will break the 4:00 barrier for the mile. Looking at the men’s 4-minute mile, it took 21 years to go from New Zealand’s Jack Lovelock and his 4:07.6 mark in 1933 to 1954 for Roger Bannister (GBR) to run 3:59.4.

“That period was impacted by World War II, but Swedes Gunder Hagg and Arne Andersson did lower the mile record from 4:06.4 in 1937 to 4:01.4 in 1945.”

Applying the men’s experience – including the war – to the women and 21 years from 4:07.6 to 3:59.4 would take us from Kipyegon’s 2023 mark to sometime in 2044.

Nike doesn’t want to wait that long, announcing its “Breaking4″ attempt on Wednesday:

● “The longtime Nike athlete, already the world record holder in the mile, will attempt to become the first woman to break the 4-minute threshold in the distance, harnessing the full power of Nike to help make it happen.

“In the process, she’ll push the limits of sport beyond what’s long believed to be achievable, setting the stage for future generations to dream big.”

● “Kipyegon will make one attempt at the milestone on June 26 at the Stade Charléty in Paris, a time and location specifically selected to align with her training schedule and maximize her performance.”

● “Nike is obsessing every detail, spanning footwear, apparel, aerodynamics, physiology and mind science to enhance Kipyegon’s performance, underscoring the brand’s holistic approach and fundamental belief in pushing the limits of human potential.”

The Nike statement noted that 34 years was required for Kipyegon to run eight seconds faster than Paula Ivan (ROU) and her 4:15.61 in 1989:

● 4:15.61, Paula Ivan (ROU), 1989
● 4:12.56, Svetlana Masterkova (RUS), 1996
● 4:12.33, Sifan Hassan (NED), 2019
● 4:07.64, Faith Kipyegon (KEN), 2023
● Kipyegon splits: 62.6 (400 m), then 62.0, 62.2, 59.5, and 1.3 to 1,609 m

As audacious as this appears, this is hardly new territory for Nike, which teamed with men’s marathon world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge to create a time trial event (not eligible for world-record status) – the Ineos 1:59 Challenge – in which he ran the first sub-2:00 marathon, in 1:59:41 on a specially-adapted course in Vienna (AUT) on 12 October 2019.

That was the second try at a sub-2:00, after Kipchoge and Nike teamed for a 2:00:25 time trial in Monza (ITA) on 6 May 2017.

In each case, special conditions were installed to support Kipchoge, including a diamond-shaped set of pacemakers to remove wind hindrance, pace car, special nutritional support and for the 1:59:41 effort in 2019, Kipchoge used a prototype of Nike’s Air Zoom Alphafly Next% shoe.

However, Kipyegon’s attempt will be much harder:

● In 2019, Kipchoge was trying to break 2:00, compared to his then-world record of 2:01:39 from 2018. That required a 1.37% improvement in his world record to get to 1:59:59; he ran an aided-1:59:41 for a 1.62% improvement.

● Kipyegon will be trying to reduce her own mile world mark from 4:07.64 to 3:59.99, or a 3.09% improvement on her Monaco mile record.

Wow.

The 26 June race is not part of any existing track & field meet; the Diamond League’s Meeting de Paris in 2025 will be on 20 June, also at the Stade de Charlety, and no further details have been announced.

Kipyegon will already have the advantage of pacing lights on the track, now a standard part of Diamond League meets, and Nike will no doubt have many more ideas on how to squeeze some more time off.

Kipyegon has not run anywhere since winning the Athlos NYC 1,500 m on 26 September, and as defending World Champion in the women’s 1,500 m, she has a direct entry into the World Athletics Championships for 2025 in Tokyo in September and does not have to worry about qualifying. She plans to open her season in the women’s 1,000 m in the Diamond League Xiamen (CHN) meet on Saturday.

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U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT: Colon out as chief executive, as head of investigations and a board member also leave

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. Center for SafeSport chief executive Ju'Riese Colon at a 2024 U.S. Senate committee hearing (U.S. Senate Commerce Committee video screen shot)

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≡ SAFESPORT SHAKE-UP ≡

“The U.S. Center for SafeSport announced today that Ju’Riese Colón is no longer serving as Chief Executive Officer. The board of directors has initiated the search for new leadership.

“Board Chair and Paralympic gold medalist April Holmes will be leading an interim management committee composed of members of the board of directors and current leadership team to ensure the Center continues to execute its mission and serve athletes during this time of transition.”

This announcement, made late Tuesday (22nd), is the latest chapter in the tumult surrounding the U.S. Center for SafeSport, hit with concerns over its performance and a hire of an investigator who is now himself facing criminal charges.

In addition to Colon, sources have noted the departures of Board member Autumn Ascano and Director of Investigations Brian Tomlinson; these were not confirmed by SafeSport as of the time this story was posted.

Colon came to SafeSport as its second chief executive, hired in July 2019. During her tenure, the organization expanded and a 2020 law required the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to provide funding of $20 million per year to SafeSport on the first business day of each year.

However, SafeSport’s performance has lagged. At a March 2024 hearing of the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, former NWSL soccer player Mana Shim, testifying as the Chair of the U.S. Soccer Federation Participant Safety Task Force, crystalized the criticisms of the Center thus:

● “First, we need increased transparency by SafeSport. The lack of information sharing is standing in the way of protecting athletes from abuse. If SafeSport does not share information about the allegations it receives, its investigative process, or any findings it might make, we cannot develop an understanding of what appropriate safety measures can and should be instituted.”

● “Second, we need to limit the number of SafeSport investigations that end in administrative closure. Administrative closure is when SafeSport closes a matter without any findings, resolution on the merits, sanctions, or public record of the allegations.

“The administrative closure process leaves parties in limbo indefinitely or, worse, allows sexual predators to fall through the cracks and remain in the sport without restriction. This problem is made worse by the sheer volume of cases SafeSport ‘resolves’ in this manner. In soccer, approximately 89% of all cases involving sexual misconduct with no criminal disposition are administratively closed.”

● “Third, we need to ensure that U.S. Soccer and other NGBs can take action when SafeSport does not. When SafeSport administratively closes a matter, it maintains exclusive jurisdiction. If an NGB like U.S. Soccer tries to take any sort of action to protect athletes, SafeSport will report them to Congress and initiate an investigation against the NGB. We believe that NGBs should be allowed to take some form of action in cases following an administrative closure so they can ensure abuse does not occur in the future.”

● “Finally, we need to rethink the appeals process. SafeSport’s appeals process gives respondents who are found to have engaged in harassment or abuse the right to an entirely new fact-finding process. Rather than rely on the record of the original investigation, victims of abuse who were brave enough to participate in an investigation are forced to go through the process all over again.

“In cases where the victim is unwilling to participate in a second proceeding, SafeSport has vacated its findings, or arbitrators have overturned SafeSport’s decisions, resulting in SafeSport lifting sanctions against abusers, even after they had been found by substantial evidence to have committed sexual misconduct.”

Concern over SafeSport expanded dramatically in January, when The Associated Press reported that investigator Jason Krasley, hired in 2021, had been charged with rape, sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution during his time as an Allentown, Pennsylvania police officer, and that SafeSport knew he was under investigation at the time it hired him. It dismissed Krasley in November 2024.

In February, a Seminole County (Florida) Court issued an order concerning a 2022 case involving female water polo players in the state, where SafeSport was instructed to produce evidence in its possession and refused; the order included:

“a) That the United States Center for SafeSport, Inc., perpetrated a fraud upon the Court, the People of the State of Florida, the Sheriff’s Office, the State’s Attorney Office, and defendant; b) that the United States Center for SafeSport, Inc., intentionally withheld exculpatory evidence; c) that the United States Center for SafeSport, Inc., acted in bad faith, intentionally, and with malice; and d) that the court finds the evidence of fraud, collusion, pretense, and similar wrongdoing to be clear, convincing, intentional, and beyond doubt.”

During the House sub-committee hearing, Colon said that SafeSport, which had 2023 revenues of about $24 million, needed $30 million a year to adequately process the caseload it was receiving.

Observed: SafeSport was created by the Congress in 2017 to deal with the mess left by the Larry Nassar gymnastics abuse scandal, along with issues in other sports such as swimming and taekwondo. The $20 million subsidy that the USOPC was ordered to pay by a later law helped expand the staff, but the performance of the Center for SafeSport has simply not met the expectations of athletes, parents, officials or the National Governing Bodies.

Colon was at the head of this organization and was under pressure, but issue after issue popped up, with the Krasley case and the Florida judge’s scolding the most publicly damaging.

SafeSport needs to be better funded, but also much better managed. There are also significant questions for the SafeSport Board and for Congress on SafeSport’s jurisdiction and how its purview exists alongside what are clearly – in some cases – crimes that should be prosecuted at the state or Federal level.

Simply hiring a new chief executive will not solve those questions.

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ATHLETICS: Gear and Ciattei win USATF Road Mile titles; Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall to both compete at Drake Relays Saturday

By
Rich Perelman
-
Vince Ciattei celebrates his third Grand Blue Mile win in the past four years and another USATF Road Mile title in Des Moines! (Photo: Drake Athletic Communications).

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≡ DRAKE RELAYS ≡

The 16th Grand Blue Mile, the featured road race of the Drake Relays, once again incorporated the USA Track & Field National Road Mile Championship, this year selecting the team for the World Athletics Running Championships later this year (somewhere).

The women started at 7:15 p.m. local time, with World Indoor 3,000 m silver winner Shelby Houlihan the headliner in the field, along with two-time 5,000-10,000 m Olympian Karissa Schweizer, the 2024 Fifth Avenue Mile winner.

Both were in contention, but a late surge by 2023 U.S. Steeple champ Krissy Gear got her to the line first in 4:23.98, way ahead of the American Record of 4:28 (4:27.97) by Nikki Hiltz in winning the 2023 title at the Grand Blue Mile.

It was close, with Schweizer right behind at 4:24.40, then Gracie Morris (4:24.73) and Houlihan (4:25.06). Both Gear and Schweizer qualified for the U.S. team for the World Running Champs.

The men’s race had two-time winner Vincent Ciattei, victorious in 2022 and 2024 and hunting for a spot on his first national team at age 30 after finishing a too-close fourth at the 2024 Olympic Trials 1,500 m, running a lifetime best of 3:31.78.

Knowing the course perfectly, Ciattei was at or near the front the entire way and stepped away in the final strides to get his third USATF title and a trip to the road Worlds in 3:54.55, the fastest of his Des Moines wins.

Road mile debutante Sam Ellis, the 2023 Pac-12 800 m winner for Washington, chased Ciattei home and also made the road Worlds team in 3:54.95, ahead of 2019 U.S. 1,500 m champ Craig Engels (3:55.09) and Josh Thompson (3:55.14).

Prize money for both races was $10,000-5,000-3,000-2,500-2,000-1,000-600-400-300-200 for the top 10 places, and Gear scored an additional $5,000 for the American Record.

Two of the highest-profile athletes who will complete at the Drake Relays will be the husband-and-wife team of Hunter Woodhall, the 2024 Paralympic gold medalist in the men’s T62 class and Tara Davis-Woodhall, the Paris women’s Olympic long jump champion.

Hunter Woodhall (left) and Tara Davis-Woodhall (Drake Relays video screen shot).

They chatted with reporters from their Manhattan, Kansas home on Monday before heading to Des Moines, excited about the opportunity to compete in the same meet on Saturday. Said Hunter:

“I feel like I’m in a really good spot and that’s the awesome part about a season opener. There’s not too much stress, just go out there and have a good time, break the dust off, it’s been a minute since we raced, so just have a good time, enjoy the environment.”

Hunter will be competing in the men’s open 400 m, not in a Paralympic race, something he relishes for the opportunity to face better competition.

Asked about how she is approaching the seasonal schedule with the U.S. Championships at the end of July and the World Athletics Championships in September, Tara explained:

“I trust Coach [Travis] Goepfert’s opinion on everything, so I allow him to create the schedule, based on our training, and, you know there’s a lot of meets and Diamond Leagues that are set really well for that late of a national championships. So we’ll be going off to Europe in June and compete on that little circuit and then be at Nationals.

“I think this year is a bit of a different type of year for us athletes to try to peak on the right timing. I think where we’re headed, we’re going to be just fine. … Nationals is way later than it’s ever been and I’m honestly OK with that, coming off the Olympics and how dedicated we were for this training, and allowed us to kind of take a mental break, do things, basically capitalize on our Olympic moment.”

Both were asked about the new opportunity to compete essentially together at what will be a combined USATF Championships that will now include Paralympic track & field. Davis-Woodhall exclaimed “It’s going to be epic,” and Hunter added:

“It’s going to be great. In contrast, last year, my nationals was in Miami and Tara was in Eugene, so we couldn’t have been farther from each other … and we compete better when we’re together.

“This is what we love to do and we don’t think that a physical disability or the cards that we were dealt should separate those two things. … [T]here’s room for everybody, and I think also as far as bringing money into the sport, the stories that come from the Paralympics, the adversity a lot of these athletes fight through is such a great opportunity for USATF and the athletes themselves to market that and share those stories, and really get people involved.

“I think that people outside of the die-hard track & field fans are looking for stories, are looking for a way to connect to people, they are looking for a way to motivate themselves through sport. They are not necessarily just the fastest times and the biggest jumps and everything in the world. I think it’s going to be great all around.”

Hunter was also asked about the continuous improvement of his prosthetics and the advancements he is seeing. It’s complex:

“We kind of look at the Paralympic side of things close to F1 than track & field. I’m the driver and we’re trying to build a set-up that helps me do what I need to do … prosthetics are improving and we’re finding new ways to improve set-ups.

“Last year, I actually changed my entire set-up. Started from the ground up, had to re-learn how to run, and change my gait and stride, which was a huge risk, but it’s working out in a positive way. And that comes from working with rule changes within the sport. Things are always changing and making new rules to keep things fair across the board and keep allowing us to compete on the able-bodied side.

“It’s kind of a balancing game, trying to work within the rules and still come up with the best set-up possible. But I think at the end of the day, the thing you have to realize that, just in any sport, there’s no secret answer, there’s no magic pill. So I could have the best set-up in the world, if I’m not doing the things I need to do and being disciplined in training, it’s not going to help me run faster.”

And all of these items are handmade, one at a time, as Hunter pointed out, “very small margins that make a really large difference.”

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PANORAMA: Duplantis, Biles win yearly Laureus World Sport honors; Biles not set to come back for 2028; remembering media ops star John Dakin

By
Rich Perelman
-
Laureus World Sports Awards winners Rafael Nadal (ESP), Simone Biles of the U.S. and Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (Photo: Laureus).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Laureus Awards ● The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards were presented on Monday in Madrid (ESP), with Olympic stars Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and Simone Biles of the U.S. winning the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year awards. It was the fourth such award for Biles, who told attendees:

“I want to thank Laureus for this incredible honour. I’ve been dreaming of moments like this since I was a foster kid, so I have to say thank you to my parents for adopting me and my sister. To any foster kids – or kids in general – out there… go get ‘em, you got it. Never give up.”

Brazilian gymnastics star Rebeca Andrade won selected as the World Comeback of the Year winner, and British Olympic men’s Mountain Bike gold medalist Tom Pidcock was recognized as the World Action Sportsperson of the Year.

Spanish (and Barcelona FC) winger Yamine Lamel won the World Breakthrough Athlete of the Year award, and football’s Real Madrid won the World Team of the Year award.

Chinese Paralympic women’s swimmer Yuyan Jiang was saluted with the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award, and surfing icon Kelly Slater of the U.S. was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tennis immortal Rafael Nadal (ESP) received the Laureus Sporting Icon award, honoring his amazing career.

This year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award went to Kick4Life, which uses football to reach at-risk children in Lesotho, promoting health education, life-skills development, gender rights and employability.

● Alpine Skiing ● Although he never won an Olympic, World Championship or World Cup medal, John Dakin was as much as part of American alpine skiing as snow.

He passed away at age 71 on 12 April (Saturday) at his home in Edwards, Colorado, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Dakin got involved with skiing during his college years at Colorado in the 1970s, when he became the sports information contact for the sport as a freshman, beginning a life-long association. He earned degrees in Russian History and Journalism, but was quickly moved to Park City, Utah to become the lead press officer for the U.S. Ski Team in 1981.

He moved back to Colorado for a communications post with Vail Associates in 1986 and then took temporary position that turned into a long-term career with the Vail Valley Foundation, with whom he spent 28 years, finally as the Vice President of Communications, retiring in 2020.

Dakin’s initial role was to help get things ready for the 1989 FIS World Alpine Championships and it accelerated his ascendance to one of the most respected media operations experts in the sport (and others). As an announcer, statistician, writer, organizer and promoter, Dakin was an indispensable player as the media operations lead for the 1989, 1999 and 2015 Alpine Worlds and with the organizing committees for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and 2020 in Vancouver (CAN), plus many other local events.

He said at a retirement event in 2020, “I feel that I have been truly blessed in my professional life to find something I was passionate about – ski racing – and to be in the right place at the right time to start and expand my career. It’s been head and shoulders above anything that any kid coming out of Grand Junction, Colorado, could have ever thought possible.”

Noted for a sly, deadpan wit, he was elected to the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame in 2022 for his role as a sport builder.

Dakin might have retired, but was hardly retiring, expanding his enthusiasm for outdoor photography of the wildlife around Edwards. And in his favorite sport, he set standards which have succeeded him and will for many years. He was one of the best, ever.

He is survived by his brother Geo Miller, nephews, nieces and many, many friends around the world.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field named its coaching and support staff for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (JPN), with two-time hammer Olympian Kibwe Johnson to be the men’s head coach and Caryl Smith-Gilbert, head coach at Georgia, in charge of the women’s team.

Assistant men’s coaches include Rhan Sheffield for sprints and hurdles, Chris Lundstrom (distance), and Kevin Reid for jumps and multi-events, with Blake Boldon as the head manager. The women’s assistants are Megan Watson for distances, Connie Teaberry for jumps and multis, and Jillian Camarena Williams for throws, with Jess Riden as head manager.

USATF head relays coach Darryl Woodson will lead the U.S. team for the World Athletics Relays in China next month, with David Watkins and Simone Terry as the men’s and women’s head managers.

The Athletics Integrity Unit is now adding to its tool kit with this, announced on X:

“And as part of this evolution, we have also introduced the Steroidal Biological Passport, which is designed to track long-term patterns of steroid use, especially in power-based athletes. It’s another step in our strategy to fight doping.”

AIU chief Brett Clothier (AUS) explained the need, also on X:

● “The best athletes know how to avoid detection. Some substances stay in the body for as little as 6 to 12 hours, leaving a narrow window to catch cheats.

“‘It’s a game of cat and mouse,’ Brett says. ‘Testing has to happen at just the right time and not by chance.’

● “That’s why Whereabouts plays a critical role. It allows us to test when and where the chance of detection is highest, and that means smarter, more targeted testing.

● “At the AIU, this shift is already underway:

“– Testing plans are intelligence-led, not random
“– Whereabouts data helps time tests with precision
“– We’re focused on narrow detection windows”

● Gymnastics ●The iconic Biles spoke with the French all-sports daily L’Equipe, commenting on any possibility of a return to competition for a home Olympic Games in 2028:

“I’m really trying to enjoy life, to spend time with my husband [Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens], go support him at his games, live my life as a woman.

“I’ve accomplished so much in my sport. For me to come back, it would really have to excite me.”

Now 28, she expects to be in Los Angeles, but “whether on the apparatus or in the stands, I still don’t know that. But 2028 seems so far away, and my body is aging. I felt it in Paris.”

● Swimming ● With national championships continuing elsewhere in the world, new world-leading marks in multiple events in the last week:

● Men/50 m Free: 21.43, Egor Kornev (RUS) ~ Nationals
● Men/100 m Back: 52.04, Kliment Kolesinov (RUS) ~ Nationals
● Men/200 m Back: 1:55.55, Oliver Morgan (GBR) ~ Nationals
● Men/50 m Breast: 26.37, Ilya Shymanovich (BLR)

● Women/50 m Free: 24.42, Florine Gaspard (BEL)
● Women/100 m Back: 57.65, Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● Women/100 m Breast: 1:05.37, Angharad Evans (GBR) ~ Nationals
● Women/200 m Breast: 2:20.36, Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) ~ Nationals

Shymanovich’s fast 50 Breast time of 26.37 is the no. 7 swim ever, and no. 2 in Belarussian history behind his national record of 26.28 from 2023.

● Triathlon ● The World Triathlon presidential transition took place on Monday (21st), with Antonio F. Arimany (ESP) replacing fellow Spaniard Marisol Casado, who ended her 16-year effort as the head of the federation. Said Casado:

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last 16 years. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the National Federations, athletes, and colleagues who have supported me throughout this journey. Together, we have accomplished remarkable things, and I am excited to see how our sport will continue to thrive in the future.”

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ATHLETICS: Moses says Olympic – especially track & field – athletes will be underpaid until they form a union

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic icon Edwin Moses of the U.S., speaking to the Press Trust of India (PTI video screenshot).

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≡ MOSES TALKS MONEY ≡

Speaking on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid (ESP), two-time Olympic hurdles champion Edwin Moses of the U.S. gave a fascinating interview to the Press Trust of India, mostly dealing directly with the future of track & field.

Asked about what International Olympic Committee President-elect Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) needs to focus on, Moses went straight – with his usual clarity – straight to the money:

“I think the main concern for me would be compensation of athletes, because you have professional athletes from golf, tennis, basketball, soccer coming into the Olympic Movement and then you have your classical sports like track and field, gymnastics, swimming and these people are still uncompensated.

“So I think that’s what the IOC really needs to deal with to really make it fair for the athletes who have to spend their own money or really, really sacrifice just to go to the Olympic Games and win the same the same medal that someone who’s making $20 million a year in golf or basketball or even more, compete for the same medal.

“I think that they need to solve that problem. You know, World Athletics in Paris did it [paid $50,000 prize money to the winners], like it’s still not enough.

“You know, when I was running, in 1978, to win the men’s Wimbledon championship was $80,000. Tennis unionized, track and field didn’t.

“American basketball players in 1981-82; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was making $1.2 million a year and they thought that was blasphemy. They thought that that was vulgar, to pay a professional athlete that much. That was like $1.2, $1.5 million a year. Their union became strong, look at where their salaries are now.

“Track and field did nothing. Tennis unionized, football, baseball, all those sports that have really strong unions, they’re making millions of dollars a year. And Olympic sport has been consistently absent in that crew, in that endeavor.

“Every now and then you have a big star like a Usain Bolt, who’s really able to have a global package and whatnot. But in 1983-84, before the Olympic Games, that was me. I was making a lot of money during that time because they loosened up the amateur rules so track and field is going to continue to be behind until they unionize and I think there’s people that don’t want that to happen, because that would have implications for a lot of sports.

“That’s my personal opinion.”

Moses, now 69, was also asked about the transgender debate raging now and opined:

“I think that’s an issue for the women in sports to decide what kind of sport they want to have. I’m a man, I can’t say.”

He noted that there are separate issues of biology and dealing with transgenders in society, and added:

“I personally wouldn’t want my daughter to compete against someone who’s been a man, and some people say that there’s no difference – trans men, trans women – there’s no difference, but I don’t know if there’s a single case of women going to compete in men’s sports, the reverse way, so you have to ask your question why is that the case, because this is happening quite frequently
now. …

“I think that’s for women to decide at the end of the day – the women who compete in sports – they are the ones that need to make a decision on that issue, not men.

“That’s my personal feeling.”

Moses was also asked what it will take for India, now the world’s most populated country, to become a bigger medal-winner in sports:

“They have to spend the money on coaches and infrastructure.

“There’s a lot of other countries in the world, much smaller, much less the financial capabilities of India that produce good athletes. So, there the infrastructure is just not there to support athletes and take Olympic sports seriously.

“They have certain areas in which they’re really really good at, but in general it’s probably just the infrastructure, coaches, stadiums and dedication to athletes, to help athletes become better athletes.”

He asked, is there value in India to develop sports that people are not as familiar with? Or will interest just remain with the already-popular sports like cricket?

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LOS ANGELES: Mayor Bass touts progress against homelessness and crime in “State of the City” address, salutes upcoming 2028 Games

By
Rich Perelman
-
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (center) giving her State of the City address on 21 April 2025 (Image: L.A. City video screen shot).

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≡ “STATE OF THE CITY” ≡

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass gave a lengthy “State of the City” address to a packed Los Angeles City Council chamber on Monday afternoon, alternately celebrating progress against continuing challenges such as crime and homelessness, but also insisting on better management and service levels:

● “In preparing for today, I reflected on my predecessors who addressed our city during times of civil unrest, recession, earthquakes and pandemics. No matter what our city faces, LA never ever gives up. LA always rises. Always rises.”

● “Today, in reporting on the State of our City, I report to Los Angeles that the recovery in the Palisades is on track to be the fastest in California history. We’re not just moving fast to move fast. We know that the faster we can rebuild, the faster we can heal. We still have a long way to go, and for those who have lost a home, each and every day is a day too long. We want to be fast, we want to be safe and we want to be resilient.

“We have issued permits to rebuild twice as fast as after the Camp and Woolsey fires, we restored water nearly a year and a half faster than after the Camp Fire, and we restored power in just two months. Los Angeles, I assure you, rebuilding is underway.”

● “[L.A. Police] Chief [Jim] McDonnell and I stand together in reporting good news that both violent crime and property crime are down in Los Angeles.

“This is the result of a comprehensive approach to safety. Last year, homicides fell by 14%. Gang-related homicides in communities most impacted fell by 45%. The number of shooting victims fell 19%.”

● “So we are taking action and making change, and after years of increasing homelessness, we are finally reversing that trend – homelessness is down. That includes a 10 percent reduction in street homelessness – and a 38 percent reduction in makeshift structures and tents. We are moving thousands more people from the streets than before we took office, and more Angelenos are being moved into permanent housing than ever before.”

● “[T]he reality is that our city faces a more than 800 million dollar deficit. … my proposed budget unfortunately includes layoffs, which is a decision of absolute last resort. …

“[N]ow, it is time to work together again so we can balance this year’s budget and create a foundation for long-lasting and long-overdue fiscal stability. I will make sure the city does its part. I want to be clear – the departmental changes contained in this budget proposal must only be the beginning. Because we must have fundamental change – starting now and moving forward. … This is a broken system – and to turn L.A. around, we have to fix this.”

Bass backed the L.A. Convention Center expansion project, now to be built before and after the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and at the end, closed by looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Games:

“As the 2028 Games approach, I know Councilmember [Ysabel] Jurado is working hard to make Downtown ready for the Olympic games. Councilmember [Eunisses] Hernandez is working with the community to welcome Olympic baseball at Dodger Stadium. Councilmember [Imelda] Padilla is preparing for the pentathlon, which will be held at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. Councilmember [Curren] Price is working to welcome the USC Sports Center and Councilmember [Adrin] Nazarian will welcome Squash players to the East Valley. Thanks to Councilman [Tim] McOsker’s work and relationships, Team Croatia will be headquartered in San Pedro and maybe a few other things. We hope Councilwoman [Heather] Hutt will host Team South Korea in Koreatown. And you Councilwoman [Katy] Yaroslavsky, you will be gearing up for thousands of athletes to be housed at the Olympic Village in UCLA.

“Working to unite and prepare the City is our former Council President Paul Krekorian, now Executive Director for the Office of Major Events. And I want to thank you for ensuring the Olympic Flag and Paralympic Flag are here in Council chambers.

“When I think about these Games I think of icons like Anita DeFrantz. She is a trail-blazing Olympic medalist, who helped organize the 1984 Games for L.A., and she has been an IOC member since 1986 and thanks to Anita, and former Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA28’s Casey Wasserman, we will now be only the third city in history to host three Olympic Games.

“But most of all, most of all, the games are exemplified by people like Arelle Middleton.

“Arelle was introduced to sports at five years old … and since then she has participated in water polo, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, shot put and discus. She’s a PlayLA athlete: a City program that provides access to sports at our Rec centers, and it’s powered by the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

“She didn’t let her challenges get in her way. So at 16 years old, Arelle became one of the youngest members of the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team – and she won a silver medal in Paris [F64 shot put]. She exemplifies the opportunity and inspiration to young people that city initiatives like PlayLA and the Olympic Games provide. She is what the L.A. Games are all about!

“Now 2028 is right around the corner. But we are 15 months away from welcoming the world for the [FIFA] World Cup.

“We want people not just to see our stadiums. We want them to see the real L.A.: our neighborhoods from East L.A., to Pico Union to South L.A. From Watts to Woodland Hills, from Eagle Rock to Encino, from San Pedro to Sylmar. And we want our city to be at its best.

“So this is why I am calling on all Angelenos to come together to prepare our city to welcome the world. Let’s come together and do this.

“This Saturday [26th], we will launch Shine LA, to show the spirit of our city coming together. Every single month, we will bring Angelenos together side-by-side to unify and beautify our neighborhoods. Improving communities and parks; planting trees, painting murals and so much more.

“I invite all Angelenos to join us on Saturday. So we’ll be in South L.A., Boyle Heights, Echo Park, West L.A., the Valley, the Harbor area — and we’ll kick it off with a community celebration in Hollywood with more than forty organizations there and thanks to the partnership with Councilman [Hugo] Soto-Martinez, we will all begin to show our love for L.A. We have one goal: love L.A. We will show our love for each other, just like the spirit that we all felt in October – remember October – when we celebrated the Dodgers winning the World Series just across the street. That’s the kind of spirit that we need.

“So join us – and to join this movement– you can visit LAMayor.org and sign up today. This coming Saturday and every month until we welcome the world next July for the World Cup.

“It’s about pride.

“It’s about choosing to believe in our city again – and proving it with action.

“Block by block, we will come together to be stronger, more unified than ever before— and that matters, especially in a world that seeks to divide us with each passing day.

“Angelenos – this is about you. This is about all of us. It’s about choosing to believe in each other again, and in the future of the city we love.

“Because this is the City of dreams. So let me tell you a story.

“Leading up to 1984, we were in the midst of the worst recession in 40 years, the world doubted us. And yes, maybe we doubted ourselves too. But Los Angeles delivered the most successful Olympic Games in history. We didn’t just host the world; we redefined what was possible. Because the Games, at its best, are more than sport. They are a stage for courage. For potential. For dreams.

“So, L.A., let’s go win. Let’s win on the world stage – yes – but let’s especially win here at home.

“We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to each other.

“But most of all, we owe it to the next generation of Angelenos.”

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PANORAMA: Biles had the “twisties” back in 2016, says former coach; world-record attendance at women’s hockey World Champs

By
Rich Perelman
-
The amazing, incomparable Simone Biles (Photo: Panam Sports)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Curling ● Apologies for a silly error in Sunday’s post, reporting the USA Curling Mixed Fours National Championships in Denver, where it was defending champion Dave Falco’s rink– from the host Denver Curling Club – that was a 7-3 winner over Nina Roth‘s team in the championship final.

Falco took a 4-1 lead after three ends and while Roth closed to 4-3 after five, three more points in ends 6-7 clinched the title for Falco’s home team. Jesus Barajas‘ rink defeated Greg Persinger’s squad, 8-2, for third. Many thanks to reader Beau Dure for being the first to point out the mix-up, now corrected.

● Gymnastics ● Aimee Boorman, the American gymnastics coach who worked with superstar Simone Biles from age seven through the 2016 Olympic Games, said Biles went through the same spatial awareness loss – “the twisties” – even before her break-out, four-gold performance in Rio.

In her new book, with writer Steve Cooper, “The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles,” Boorman wrote:

“Yep, before Simone introduced the world to the twisties in 2021, she had experienced this proprioception phenomenon in January of 2016.

“When this happens to a gymnast who is flipping ten-plus feet in the air and they lose body awareness in space and time – not knowing if they’re going to land on their back, feet or head – it’s much more dangerous [than the ‘yips’ in baseball or golf].”

There was no magic wand to wave to calm Biles, but a patient approach to work through the issues, and Biles eventually conquered the problem in time prior to the Olympic Trials.

It recurred in 2019 and, of course, at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Biles came back to win three more golds and a silver at the Paris 2024 Games.

● Ice Hockey ● Canada’s star forward Marie-Philip Poulin was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the IIHF women’s World Championship that concluded Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win by the U.S. over Canada.

Poulin finished as the top scorer in the tournament with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists), winning her second Worlds MVP trophy. She was selected as the top forward by the tournament directorate, with American defender Caroline Harvey and U.S. keeper Aerin Frankel.

The media-selected All-Star team included forwards Poulin, Kristyna Kaltounkova (CZE) and American Kelly Pannek; defenders Ronja Savolainen (FIN) and Renata Fast (CAN) and Klara Peslarova (CZE) in goal.

The tournament, played in Ceske Budojovice (CZE) set an all-time women’s Worlds attendance record of 122,331, besting the old mark of 119,231 in Winnipeg (CAN) in 2007.

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru finished up with China topping the medal table with 13 (4-3-6), followed by the U.S. with seven (4-2-1) and India with seven (2-4-1).

In the women’s 25 m Pistol final, 2024 World Junior 10 m Air Rifle bronze winner Yujie Sun (CHN) outlasting India’s Simranpreet Brar, 34-33.

The women’s Trap final went to Paris runner-up Silvana Stanco (ITA), beating Olympic fourth-placer Mar Molne Magrina (ESP), 45-44, despite missing two of her last six shots! Olympic champ Adriana Ruano (GUA) was third (33).

The Trap Mixed Team final was a win for Australia’s Mitchell Iles and Penny Smith, 25-18 over Guatemala’s Ruano and Jean Pierre Brol.

● Swimming ● Fascinating experiment in bringing more attention to collegiate dual meets announced for 17-18 October 2025 at Georgia Tech, with Army, Auburn, Florida Steve, George Washington, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Minnesota and North Carolina State facing off.

The details are all clear as yet, but these are to be scored as one vs. one dual meets: four in the first round, with the winners advancing to semifinals and then a final.

Dual meets used to be the basic format of the sport until scholarship limits made them more difficult; both swimming and track & field have looked at a return to school vs. school events to bring more popularity to their sports at a time when both are on the potential chopping block as money is now being shifted to pay (mostly) football and basketball players.

● Volleyball ● The Russian Volleyball Federation has had a long-running suit against the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) over the removal of the 2022 men’s World Championship in view of the invasion of Ukraine, asking $80 million in damages.

On Monday, the Russian news agency TASS reported that comments from RVF Secretary General Alexander Yaremenko:

“The only thing I can say is that there was an attempt to agree on a settlement agreement, but I can’t say yet how events will develop further.”

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ATHLETICS: Kenya’s Lokedi outlasts Obiri, crushes course record at 129th Boston Marathon; Korir breaks away for 2:04:45 men’s win

By
Rich Perelman
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Kenyan star Sharon Lokedi, at the 2022 Boston Marathon

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≡ BOSTON MARATHON ≡

Excellent conditions produced two compelling races at the 129th Boston Marathon, with a Kenyan sweep by John Korir, and Sharon Lokedi, with a brilliant, course-record performance.

The men’s race settled into a lead pack of 16 through the Half in 1:01:54, led by Canada’s Rory Linkletter. By 25 km, it was American Conner Mantz, the Paris Olympic eighth-placer, in the lead, with 14 others still in contact. But Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, the defending champion, dropped off after another mile and 13 remained in contention, with Mantz and Australia’s Patrick Tiernan still in front at 30 km.

Then Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris, the two-time World 5,000 m champ in 2017 and 2019, took the lead, making his marathon debut. Kenya’s Korir, the 2024 Chicago winner, decided to open up and broke the race apart in Newton at the 20-mile mark and got away.

Only five were able to maintain any contact, with Kenyans Cybrian Kotut and Daniel Mateiko, Edris, two-time winner Evans Chebet (KEN) and Alphonce Simbu (TAN) all 20 yards back. Clayton Young of the U.S., ninth in Paris in 2024, moved up to seventh, but six seconds behind the chase pack.

By the 21-mile mark in Newton, Korir was away with an 18-second lead, ahead of Kotut, Mantz, Simbu and Edris. Korir, the younger brother of 2012 winner Wesley Korir, had 19 seconds on the pack by 35 km, on pace for the 2:04s, with the same four trailing.

Korir, 28, was running his third Boston, finishing ninth in 2023 and fourth in 2024 and broke the 2024 Chicago Marathon in the second half, winning by 1:55. He didn’t quite fracture the field as badly on Monday, but passed 24 miles in 1:53:22, 55 seconds up on Mantz, Kotut, Simbu and Edris.

Edris dropped off the back of the chase pack, so Kotut, Simbu and Mantz were battling for second. With a mile to go, Korir ‘s lead was down to 41 seconds, but he cruised home with his third career win in 11 marathons in 2:04:45.

It’s the third-fastest time in the race’s history; only the top two from the wind-assisted 2011 race was faster. Korir was embraced by Wesley at the finish line and John said afterwards that he told his brother he would win!

In the final 200 m, it turned into an all-out sprint for Simbu over Kotut – both in  2:05:04 – and Mantz fourth in 2:05:08, the second-fastest American marathon in history! Only Ryan Hall’s 2:04:58 from Boston in 2011 – also in fourth – is faster, under all conditions (Boston’s course is not eligible for record purposes). Simbu and Kotut had the no. 6 performances in race history and Mantz is no. 8.

Linkletter got sixth in 2:07:02 and then Young was seventh in 2:07:04. Ryan Ford was 10th in 2:08:00, making three U.S. finishers in the top 10. Conditions at the finish were excellent, at 54 F.

The women’s racers started 10 minutes after the men, but it broke up early. There were 15 running together by the 10 km mark, and 14 by 15 km, but then five broke away shortly after.

The group included two-time defending champ Hellen Obiri (KEN) and countrywomen Sharon Lokedi – the 2024 Boston runner-up – and Irene Cheptai, and Ethiopians Amane Beriso, the 2023 World Champion, and 2022 London champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

They passed the Half in 1:08:46, with Lokedi in front and the chase pack fully 49 seconds behind and with Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba’s 2:19:59 race record from 2014 in sight. Those five continued together through 25 km, then Cheptai dropped off and four remained together, on pace to run in the 2:17s.

The four stars continued together through 21 miles and then Beriso let go and dropped back, with Lokedi, Obiri and Yehualaw continuing. Lokedi and Obiri broke away from Yehualaw after 24 miles and Lokedi was pushing, but Obiri was not giving in.

Yehualaw was 14 seconds back at 40 km and 20 with a mile to go, but now Obiri was tracking Lokedi, and waiting. But Lokedi was pushing hard, daring Obiri to hold on … and she couldn’t.

Lokedi, who won the NCAA women’s 10,000 m in 2018 for Kansas, was 25 m up with 1,000 m to go and it was over. The New York City winner in her 2022 debut, she was fourth at the Paris Games last summer and won again in her sixth career marathon, with a sizzling course record of 2:17:22, falling into the arms of her mother after crossing the line.

Obiri was second in 2:17:31, just missing a three-peat, with Yehualaw third in 2:18:06. Those are the top three performances in race history.

It was a long wait, but Cheptai finally crossed in fourth in 2:21:32, then Beriso (2:21:58). The top Americans were in 7-8 with Jess Mcclain (2:22:43) and Annie Frisbie (2:23:21).

American legend Des Linden, the iconic 2018 bad-weather marathon winner, announced this would end her pro marathoning career in Boston, finishing 17th in 2:26:19, her sixth-fastest ever and best since 2017!

The prize money had $705,000 for both the men’s and women’s races for the top 10 placers, of $150,000-75,000-40,000-25,000-18,000-13,500-10,500-8,500-7,000-5,500. And Lokedi got a $50,000 bonus for shredding the course record.

Marathon fans don’t have long to wait for an encore; London is on Sunday the 27th!

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PANORAMA: U.S. women win hockey Worlds from Canada in overtime; U.S. takes ISU World Team Trophy; more U.S. gold in climbing, shooting

By
Rich Perelman
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U.S. women celebrate their 4-3 overtime win against Canada in the gold-medal final of the IIHF World Championship (Photo: IIHF).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The 2030 organizing committee named Cyril Linette as its chief executive. Now 54, he has been the head of the French Canal+ sports division and the Director General of the highly-respected French all-sports daily, L’Equipe.

● Mediterranean Games ● More worry from the International Committee for the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Taranto (ITA), as the report of the Executive Committee meeting earlier in the month noted:

“The Executive Committee also extensively reviewed the progress of the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Tarant?. Concerns were raised regarding ongoing delays in the preparation schedule. The ICMG Coordination Commission presented a comprehensive report and expressed its concerns about the proper functioning of the Organising Committee.

“In response, ICMG President Mr. Davide Tizzano [ITA] will meet on Monday 14th of April, with Italy’s Minister of Sport, Mr. Andrea Abodi. The agenda includes the immediate formation of a joint oversight committee to monitor progress and guarantee compliance with the established deadlines. Furthermore, the ICMG is urging for the immediate reinforcement of the Organizing Committee’s workforce through the hiring of experienced, specialized professionals.”

Not good.

Also a fascinating change in schedule for the 2030 Med Games in Pristina (KOS), with the men’s U-21 football tournament eliminated and futsal – indoor 5-a-side with 20-minute halves – substituted for men and women:

“Following productive discussions with FIFA, the ICMG has confirmed the inclusion of both men’s and women’s futsal in the official sports program of the 21st Mediterranean Games, scheduled to take place in Pristina in 2030. Futsal will officially replace U21 football.

“This decision supports the continued growth of futsal—a fast-paced, increasingly popular sport—and aligns with the ICMG’s commitment to enhancing gender inclusivity in the Games. Additionally, the shift is expected to reduce the overall cost of organizing the football tournament.”

The beginning of more such substitutions for uninteresting men’s (and women’s) age-group football competitions at multi-sport Games?

● Russia ● Russian Anti-Doping Agency Director General Veronika Loginova told the Russian news agency TASS that she expects the remaining legal barriers to RUSADA’s reinstatement will be taken care of soon.

First, there are hearings in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on claims by the World Anti-Doping Agency against RUSADA. Said Loginova:

“CAS has already set a preliminary date, the hearings will be held in September 2025. But we still hope that WADA’s critical comment will be eliminated before that time; work on amending the Law on Sports in the Russian Federation is underway. At the moment, the Russian Ministry of Sports and RUSADA are in contact, we have developed a draft federal law, which, in WADA’s opinion, will remove all questions.

“RUSADA continues to adhere to the position of disagreement with this critical remark that is made against the agency. But the Russian Anti-Doping Agency has done everything in its power within its competence. In particular, in close contact with the Ministry of Sports, RUSADA lawyers have developed the version of the federal law that could eliminate all contradictions.”

She added:

“With the help of interested organizations, we will soon achieve our restoration. I like the position of our Minister of Sports regarding the restoration of RUSADA and the return of domestic athletes to the international arena. I think that if we continue to interact and begin to move even more actively in this direction, then we will soon be able to do this.”

● Swimming ● Tunisian distance Freestyle star Ahmed Hafnaoui, 22, was given a 21-month suspension for “whereabouts” failures by the Aquatics Integrity Unit. The AQIU statement included:

“Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui has accepted a suspension of 21 months, effective from 11 April 2024 until 10 January 2026, for a violation of the World Aquatics Anti-Doping Rules.

“Mr. Hafnaoui admitted that he committed three whereabouts failures within a twelve-month period, thereby breaching Article 2.4 of the World Aquatics Anti-Doping Rules, and accepted a 21-month sanction. His results have been disqualified from 11 April 2024 onwards.”

He was the Tokyo 2020 men’s 400 m Freestyle gold medalist and the 2023 Worlds winner in the men’s 800 m Freestyle and 1,500 m Free. His last meet was the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Qatar.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Athletics ● U.S. Indoor men’s triple jump champion James Carter Jr. has been disqualified after agreeing to a one-month sanction. Per the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“Carter, 24, tested positive for Carboxy-THC, a urinary metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana, and hashish, above the urinary Decision Limit, as the result of a sample collected in-competition at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships on February 22, 2025.”

His suspension was reduced to the one-month minimum since the substance use was out-of-competition and he completed a treatment program. His sanction period began on 12 March, but his results from the date of the test at the USATF Indoor Nationals were nullified. Thus, Russell Robinson will move up to become USATF Indoor champion at 16.67 m (54-8 1/4).

● Beach Volleyball ● The American pair of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher scored another win on the Beach Pro Tour in the Elite 16 final in Brasilia (BRA), defeating Brazil’s Carol Solberg and Rebecca Cavalcante (BRA) in a tough match, 22-20, 21-19.

It’s the seventh Beach Pro Tour win for the U.S. pair, and third medal in the three Elite 16 events this season: bronze in Playa del Carmen (MEX), silver last week in Saquarema (BRA) and now a win in Brasilia!

Olympic champs Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa (BRA) won the third-place match over the tournament’s surprise team, 23rd-seeds Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis (NED), 19-21, 21-15, 15-12.

The men’s final had Dutch stars Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot with their first Beach Pro Tour win since March of 2024, winning over 15th-seeds Evandro Oliveira and Arthur Lanci (BRA), 21-18, 21-23, 18-16. Tokyo Olympic champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) took the bronze with a marathon 21-16, 19-21, 20-18 win over 2023 Worlds bronzers Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl (POL).

● Curling ● /Updated/ At the USA Curling Mixed Fours National Championship in Denver, Colorado, David Falco’s rink – the host Denver Curling Club – was a 7-3 winner over Nina Roth‘s team, in the championship final, defending its 2024 title. Falco took a 4-1 lead after three ends and while Roth closed to 4-3 after five, three more points in ends 6-7 clinched the title for Falco’s home team. 

Jesus Barajas‘ rink defeated Greg Persinger’s squad, 8-2, for third. 

● Cycling ● The 59th Amstel Gold Race was a thriller down to the line in Berg en Terbiljt (NED), with three riders sprinting to the finish: Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, comebacking star – returning from injury – Remco Evenepoel (BEL) and two-time Danish national champion Mattias Skjelmose.

In the end, it was Sjkelmose who got to the line first, barely ahead of Pogacar, the Slovenian’s second straight second-place finish, with all three timed in 5:49:58 for the 255.9 route.

It’s the biggest win ever for Skjelmose and an encouraging return for Evenepoel, who smashed into a postal truck last December during a training ride and broke much of his right shoulder and side.

But Pogacar has been amazing. In his six races this season, he won the seven-stage UAE Tour, then Strade-Bianche, was third at Milan-Sanremo, won the Ronde van Vlaanderen and now seconds at Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold, with five major races – including three “Monuments” in 43 days.

Brandon McNulty was the top American, in 11th (+0:34).

The women’s Amstel Gold – the 11th – was a clearer win for Mischa Bredewold (NED), in 4:03:03 for the 157.4 km course, finishing seven seconds up on countrywoman Ellen van Dijk and Puck Pieterse. It’s the first medal in this race for all three.

● Figure Skating ● The United States defended its 2024 win in the ninth ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo (JPN), winning six of the eight segments.

World Champion Ilia Malinin won both the men’s Short Program (106.08) and Free Skate (183.88), despite a slip – scored as a fall – at the end of his Free Skate program. France’s Adam Siao Him Fa (96.16) and American Jason Brown (93.82) followed in the Short, then Brown moved up to a close second in the Free Skate (179.33).

World Champion Alysia Liu also doubled for the U.S. in the women’s Singles, taking the Short Program at 75.70, just ahead of three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN: 75.54), with Amber Glenn of the U.S. in seventh (63.70). Liu scored 150.97 to go 1-2 with Glenn (148.93) in the Free Skate, with Sakamoto in third (145.00).

American Ice Dance World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the Rhythm Dance at 91.25 over Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (87.15) and took the Free Dance, scoring 133.51 to 131.91 for the Canadian Worlds runner-ups.

In Pairs, it was Japan’s World Champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara easily taking the Short Program with 80.99 points, with Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the U.S. in fifth (64.57). Miura and Kihara won the Free Skate in a closer contest with Worlds bronze medalists Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (ITA: 142.26). Efimova and Mitrofanov were fifth again, scoring 117.67.

All together, the U.S. finished with 126 points to 110 for Japan and 86 for Italy, winning its sixth World Team Trophy in the nine editions.

● Gymnastics ● At the fifth of six legs of the FIG Artistic World Cup, this time in Doha (QAT), Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, the 2023 Worlds Floor bronze winner, was the only double winner.

He took the first event, the men’s Floor, at 14.466 and then won the final event of the meet, the Horizontal Bar, at 14.500, over Chia-Hung Tang (TPE: 14.400). In between, 2023 World Junior champ Hamlet Manukyan (ARM) won on Pommel Horse, just ahead of China’s Yanming Hong, 14.700 to 14.666, and Olympic silver medalist Hao You (CHN) won on Rings at 14.400.

On Saturday, Armenia’s two-time Olympic vault medalist Artur Davtyan won his specialty at 14.449 over Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner (14.383). Chepnuryi came right back to win on Parallel Bars, scoring 14.166 to 14.100 for Jesse Moore (AUS).

Slovenia went 1-2 in the women’s vault, with Teja Belak winning at 13.316 just ahead of teammate Tjasa Kysselef (13.216). Australia’s Commonwealth Games Beam champ Kate McDonald took the Uneven Bars, 13.100 to 13.033 over Lucija Hribar (SLO).

On Saturday, Hungary’s Greta Mayer was a big winner on Beam at 13.133 and Romanian star, the 2024 European Floor silver winner, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea won on Floor at 13.600.

The women’s NCAA Championships were in Ft. Worth, Texas, with plenty of U.S. Olympic star power. Tokyo 2020 Team silver medalist Grace McCallum of Utah was everywhere, placing second in the All-Around, Vault, Uneven Bars and Floor. Jordan Bowers of Oklahoma won the All-Around at 39.7125 to 39.6750 for McCallum.

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, the Paris Team gold medalist and still embroiled in the controversy over the 2024 Paris Floor Exercise bronze, won the Uneven Bars, with 2021 Worlds All-Around silver winner Leanne Wong of Florida third.

Philippine Olympian Emma Malabuyo was second on the Balance Beam for UCLA and teammate Brooklyn Moors, a Canadian Olympian, won on Floor. Oklahoma won its seventh team title in a tight finish with UCLA, 198.0125 to 197.6125.

At the men’s NCAAs at Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home-team Wolverines snapped Stanford’s streak of five straight team titles with a 332.224 to 332.061 win over Stanford, with Oklahoma third (327.891).

Michigan’s Fred Richard, a member of the U.S. Olympic Team bronze medalists in Paris in 2024, won the All-Around at 84.264, for the second time (also 2023), ahead of teammate – and fellow Olympian – Paul Juda (82,164). Juda took the Parallel Bars title at 14.200, while Stanford’s Asher Hong – also a Paris Team bronze winner – won on Floor (14.600), and Rings (14.433).

Patrick Hoopes (Air Force) took the Pommel Horse title (14.833), Ohio State’s Kam Nelson beat Hong in the Vault, 14.633 to 14.566, and Oklahoma’s Emre Dodanli (TUR) won the Horizontal Bar final (13.833).

At the second leg of the FIG Rhythmic World Cup series, in Baku (AZE), 2022 World Champion Sofia Raffaeli (ITA) won the All-Around, scoring 113.400, ahead of Taisiia Onofriichuk (UKR: 113.250) and Bulgarian star Stiliana Nikolova (113.150). Rin Keys was the top American, at 107.900 for ninth.

Olympic champ Darya Varfolomeev won two apparatus titles, on Clubs (30.450) and Ribbon (28.450), and Onofriichuk took the Hoop title at 29.250), was second on Ball (28.100), third on Clubs (28.950) and second on Ribbon (28.200).

For the U.S., Keys finished fourth on Hoop (28.900) and seventh on Clubs (26.500), the only American finalist appearances.

● Ice Hockey ● The 24th IIHF Women’s World Championship, held in Ceske Budejovice (CZE), ended the same way that 22 of the prior 23 did, with the U.S. and Canada facing off in the final.

Coming in, Canada had won 13 of the 22 gold-medal matches with the U.S., including three of the last four and this was another classic. Scoreless after the first period, the U.S. got two goals in 29 seconds at 7:16 – by Caroline Harvey on a shot that ricocheted off the goalpost – and then Abbey Murphy on a loose rebound at 7:45, for a 2-0 lead.

That didn’t last long, as Canada came back with two to tie in the following two minutes. Danielle Serdachny scored at 8:37 and Jennifer Gardiner equaled at 9:32, then the Americans fought off two penalties in the final half of the period.

In the third, the U.S. got a power play and made it work for a 3-2 lead at the 5:27 mark, as Taylor Heise scored, and it looked like that might hold up. But after killing a penalty at the 10-minute mark, Sarah Fillier made it 3-3 at 14:12 off a contested shot in front of the net, and the game went into overtime. The Canadians had been the aggressors, with 37 shots to 23 for the U.S., but to no advantage.

A penalty against Canada’s Laura Stacey at 4:35 of the third sent U.S. keeper Aerin Frankel off with an injury, replaced by Gwyneth Philips for the remainder of the game. She saved 17 of 18 shots.

In the overtime, both sides pushed hard, but at 17:06, it was Tessa Janecke who scored the championship-winner. Janecke pressured the Canadian defense into a turnover and teammate Heise found Janecke with a cross-ice assist that earned the U.S. its first title in this tournament since 2023 and 11th all-time, with a 4-3 final.

In the semis, the U.S. fell behind against the home Czech Republic, 1-0, after the first period, but came back with goals by Laila Edwards on a power-play at 8:56 of the second to tie and by Kelly Pannek at 8:26 of the third to score a 2-1 victory. The Americans had a 45-11 shots edge, but found it tough to score.

The Canadians had an easier time with Finland, also falling behind 1-0 after 46 seconds, then scoring eight straight goals for an 8-1 victory. Erin Ambrose tied the game less than two minutes later and Daryl Watts had two goals in the second period, after which Canada had a 6-1 edge. The game ended with Canada enjoying a 34-20 shots edge.

The third-place match was another overtime affair, with Finland edging the Czechs, also 4-3, with a Jenniina Nylund score at 4:52.

● Shooting ● The U.S. scored another gold at the ISSF World Cup in Lima (PER), with Paris Olympic runner-up Sagen Maddalena taking the women’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions title over Norwegian Jeannette Duestad, the 2022 World Champion, 463.3 to 461.4.

The women’s 10 m Air Rifle was a Chinese sweep, with 2024 World Junior champ Zifei Wang scoring a world record 254.8 to best 2023 World Champion Jaiyu Han (250.4) and Xinyi Fan (229.6). Mary Tucker of the U.S. was eighth (124.7). Wang’s score edged countrywoman Yuting Huang’s mark of 254.5 from the 2024 World Cup Final.

In the men’s events, the 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol title went to Matej Rampula (CZE: 30), ahead of China’s newcomer, Lianbofan Su (27). Saturday’s 10 m Air Rifle final was won by China’s Olympic champ, Lihao Sheng, scoring 252.4 to win by 1/10th over Arjun Babuta (IND: 252.3). American Rylan Kissel finished seventh (144.5).

The 50 m Rifle/3 Positions title went to Czech Jiri Privratsky (462.8), the Olympic fourth-placer, ahead of Erik Larsen (NOR: 461.6).

American Will Hinton, fourth at the 2023 Worlds, won the men’s Trap final, 32-31 over Italy’s Mauro de Filippis, the 2019 Worlds runner-up. It’s Hinton’s first individual World Cup win.

The Mixed Team 10 m Air Rifle final went to Norway (Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg), by 17-11 over India. The tournament ends Monday with the Mixed Team Trap and the women’s 25 m Pistol final.

● Sport Climbing ● American Annie Sanders, 17, ended the 2024 IFSC World Cup season with her first win in the Bouldering competition in Seoul (KOR). On Saturday, she got win no. 2 in the seasonal opener in Boulder in Keqiao (CHN), reaching the top to score 54.7 points to 44.9 for France’s Oriane Bertone, the 2023 Worlds runner-up. Said the winner:

“I’m pretty excited honestly. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, especially after the first boulder where I was frustrated and pretty much not getting anywhere on the second boulder.

“I was in a bit of a bad headspace, but the third boulder lightened my mood and the fourth I just gave it everything to get to the zone.”

Sunday’s men’s final had two-time World Cup champ Sorato Anraku (JPN) with a tight win over Korea’s 2024 Worlds Bouldering bronzer, Do-hyun Lee, 99.7 to 99.3. Japan’s Meichi Narasaki for the bronze (83.9), his fifth career World Cup medal (0-4-1).

● Table Tennis ● There were surprise finalists at the ITTF World Cup in Macau, with Brazil’s fifth-seed Hugo Calderano – an Olympic semifinalst in Paris – coming on to score an upset win with a 4:1 (6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4. 11-5) thrashing of China’s 2024 Asian Championships runner-up, top-seeded Shidong Lin.

The all-China women’s final had defending champion and Paris Olympic silver winner Yingsha Sun vs. emerging star Man Kuai, the seventh seed. Here, there was no surprise ending as Sun was a convincing 4:0 winner by 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6.

● Water Polo ● The World Aquatics women’s World Cup Super Final was in Chengdu (CHN), with a new champion as the U.S., the four-time defending champ, did not qualify.

Greece and Hungary faced off in the final, the first time for the Greeks, while the Hungarians were 1-1 and won the 2002 title. A tight, 6-4 game at half for the Greeks was opened up in the third period, as Greece piled up six goals and a 12-7 lead and held on for a 13-9 victory and the World Cup title.

Eleftheria Plevritou, Eleni Xenaki and Christina Siouti all scored three goals each for the winners.

The Netherlands, bronze-medal winners in Paris in 2024, won the third-place game from Olympic champ Spain, 10-8.

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ATHLETICS: Seven individual world leads at Jones Memorial, 400 m best for Lyles, but how about 44.73 for Fred Kerley!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Two-time Olympic men's 100 m medal winner and 2022 World Champion Fred Kerley (Photo: Marta Gorczynska for Diamond League AG)

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ OUTDOOR SEASON ON FIRE ≡

The Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, was a center of interest in the track world this past weekend, with some amazing early-season marks and world leaders in seven individual events:

● Men/200 m: 19.99, Makanakaishe Charamba (ZIM-Auburn)
● Men/400 m: 44.15, Chris Robinson (USA)
● Men/110 m hurdles: 13.09, Trey Cunningham (USA)

● Women/100 m: 10.98, Anavia Battle (USA)
● Women/200 m: 21.88, Julien Alfred (LCA)
● Women/100 m hurdles: 12.51, Grace Stark (USA)
● Women/Long Jump: 6.82 m (22-4 1/2), Anthaya Charlton (BAH-Florida)

In the men’s 100 m, Auburn soph Kanyinsola Ajayi (NGR) won in 9.96 (+1.9 m/s) to move to equal-second on the 2025 world list and 2024 U.S. relay Olympian Courtney Lindsey won the Olympic Development 100 m in 9.97 (+1.9), with 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman third in 10.06.

Worth noting in the men’s 200 m was the return of Tokyo Olympic 400 m champ Steven Gardiner (BAH), who won a heat of the Olympic Development races in 20.40 (-1.0). The men’s 400 m was savage, with Canadian Will Floyd (Georgia) winning the collegiate A-race in 44.93, then Robinson – best known as the 2023 NCAA 400 m hurdles champ for Alabama – getting a lifetime best (and world lead) of 44.15 to beat Matthew Boling (44.92); Jacory Patterson won heat one in 44.27 to move to no. 2 in the world for 2025, with sprint star Noah Lyles getting a lifetime best of 45.87 in fourth, the first time he’s run this distance since 2016.

Two-time Worlds 200 m medalist Erriyon Knighton ran in race three of the 400 and was sixth in 46.26.

Cunningham scored a rare win over Olympic 110 m hurdles champ Grant Holloway in the Olympic Development final, 13.09 to 13.18 (+1.5 m/s).

Two U.S. teams faced off in the men’s 4×100 m, with Lyles anchoring a team of Coleman, Pjai Austin and Knighton to a 37.90 win – no. 2 in 2025 – over Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Kendal Williams (38.18).

In the women’s 400 m Georgia’s Aliyah Butler, the Olympic Trials runner-up in 2024, won her heat in 49.44 to move to no. 4 in the world this season. Olympic fifth-placer Stark won a tight finish with Olympic gold winner Masai Russell in the 100 m hurdles final, 12.59 to 12.65 (-0.7), but they were faster in the heats, with Stark running 12.51 (+0.2), Russell at 12.62 (+1.9) in heat two and Christina Clemons at 12.61 (+1.0) in heat three.

The U.S. had two women’s 4×100 m teams running, with Jadyn Mays, Kennedy Blackmon, Battle and Brittany Brown winning in 42.18 to 42.27 for Melissa Jefferson, Tee Tee Terry, Tamari Davis and Kayla White.

At the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, a noteworthy win for 2022 World men’s 100 m champ Fred Kerley, who ran his first 400m since 2023 and won in 44.73, beating Arizona State’s Jayden Davis (44.84).

Kerley was known as a 400 m star for his 43.64 best from 2019, when he was NCAA champ for Texas A&M. Since switching to the 100 m in 2021, he’s run a 400 m once each in 2022, 2023 and now, 2025.

At the Velocity Fest in Kingston (JAM), home star Ackeem Blake moved to equal-second on the world 100 m list, winning in 9.96 (+1.7) and five-time Worlds women’s 100 m champ Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 38, ran and won her heat of the women’s 100 in a wind-aided 10.94 (+3.1).

In Pittsburg, Kansas, American hurdles star Cordell Tinch revisited the site of his collegiate success at Pittsburg State and won the 110 m hurdles in a speedy – but very wind-aided – 12.97 (+3.4).

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FENCING: U.S. federation announces it is ready to change its transgender rules … if it is told to do so

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ TRANSGENDER RULES IN PLAY ≡

A Friday afternoon post by USA Fencing was clear and concise:

“Given uncertainty around evolving guidelines and potential mandates from oversight bodies, the USA Fencing Board has prepared a revised Transgender and Non-Binary Athletes Eligibility Policy. In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex.

“The policy will be implemented only if and when one or more governing bodies require these updates.”

The federation adopted liberal transgender regulations in 2023, allowing anyone to compete in the women’s division by declaring themselves to be a female prior to the season:

“Within our divisions, USA Fencing will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, regardless of sex assigned at birth, or any other form of gender expression for participation in any division. As such, athletes will be permitted to participate in USA Fencing sanctioned events in a manner consistent with their gender identity/expression, regardless of the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth in accordance with the guidelines listed below.”

However, USA Fencing has come under pressure since Stephanie Turner, a female Foil fencer, refused to compete in a scheduled match at The Cherry Blossom tournament in College Park Maryland on 30 March against transgender entrant Redmond Sullivan.

Turner explained that when her bout against Sullivan came up:

“I took a knee immediately at that point. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual.’

“Redmond didn’t hear me, and he comes up to me, and he thinks that I may be hurt, or he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He asks, ‘Are you OK?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.”

So, she forfeited the match and was disqualified, Sullivan finished 24th in the women’s Foil.

That was only the start of the controversy. Last Tuesday (15th), a hearing was announced for 7 May by the U.S. House Oversight & Investigations Committee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) on the issue of biological men competing in the women’s category in sports, with Turner and USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt to appear. USA Fencing has said it will cooperate with the government’s inquiry.

Back on 4 April, the U.S. Department of Education announced a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” combining resources from the Education and Justice departments, and enforcing President Donald Trump’s 5 February Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”

Against this backdrop and on the same day that the House sub-committee hearing was announced, the USA Fencing Board adopted a “back-up” transgender policy-in-waiting on 15 April:

“This policy was adopted preemptively, under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, as USA Fencing is required to align its athlete eligibility policies — known as the ‘right to compete’ — with standards set by international federations and oversight bodies, such as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), International Olympic Committee (IOC), and International Fencing Federation (FIE), and their Paralympic equivalents. Although USA Fencing does not receive federal funding, it fully respects and adheres to applicable federal law.

“USA Fencing’s current policy remains in place, and eligibility standards remain in effect until we receive guidance to implement the updated policy from oversight bodies such as the USOPC, IOC, FIE, World Para Fencing (WPF), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), or other applicable bodies.”

Now it gets complicated:

● The new policy-in-waiting is clear enough:

“If implemented, the new policy outlines the following:

“The Women’s Category will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex.

“The Men’s Category will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition.

“These eligibility standards will apply uniformly across all sanctioned competition levels, including Division I, IA, II, III, Junior, Cadet, Youth, Veteran, and all other sanctioned categories.”

● As for a governing body telling USA Fencing what to do, that’s a problem.

The International Olympic Committee’s current “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations” – adopted in 2021 – adopts no specific rules, but leaves the question to the International Federations.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is no more than a bystander, as reiterated by USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland last week during a news conference:

“Predominantly, [it’s] important to recognize that the USOPC does not define eligibility criteria for events that are not our jurisdiction. So, typically speaking, at an international level, the International Federations will define eligibility criteria for the events in which they own jurisdiction, World Cups, World Championships, etc., and the National Governing Bodies, domestically, would define eligibility criteria for their events. In some cases, those may be elite-level events, national championships and things; in other cases, those may be lower-level, grass-roots, youth-sport competitions and things of that nature.

“So, we do not have, nor will we have an eligibility policy. It wouldn’t be appropriate, it’s not our role to take on that position.”

That brings us to the Federation Internationale de Escrime (FIE), which has no transgender policy and is effectively rudderless under caretaker “leadership.” The five-time elected President, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov – who won by 120-26 at the FIE Congress on 30 November 2024 – suspended himself from his responsibilities a day later and continued the interim administration of Greek Emmanuel Katsiadakis.

So, there is no one in the normal chain of command above USA Fencing to tell them to implement their stand-by policy.

Except for the Trump Administration, which is clear; from the Executive Order:

“The Secretary of State shall use all appropriate and available measures to see that the International Olympic Committee amends the standards governing Olympic sporting events to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.”

Observed: The USA Fencing Board’s rapid-fire adoption of this new policy-in-waiting allows it to say it needs only to be instructed by the IOC or USOPC to change their rules, something neither organization wants to get involved in.

This is especially true since IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) has said she will convene a discussion on the protection of the women’s category soon after taking office on 23 June 2025.

The obvious choice to implement a new policy is the FIE, which is effectively in hibernation and has been silent on this issue forever.

So, USA Fencing Chair Lehfeldt can expect some harsh questioning on 7 May, unless the federation decides to adopt its policy-in-waiting in the meantime, as a signal of cooperation with Executive Order 14201.

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PANORAMA: USA Football certified as National Governing Body for Flag; U.S., Canada women in IIHF semis; U.S. sweeps ISSF Skeet golds in Peru

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Flag Football ● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced that USA Football has been certified as the National Governing Body for Flag Football in the U.S., and will have the responsibility of selecting the American teams that will compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

USA Football, supported by the National Football League, has been working to add Flag Football as a girls’ sport in state high school athletic programs, with 14 states incorporating the sport so far. .

● Figure Skating ● The U.S. took the lead after the first day of the season-ending ISU World Team Trophy competition in Tokyo (JPN), 52-44 over Japan, with Great Britain third (34).

World Champion Ilia Malinin won the men’s Short Program at 106.08 ahead of France’s Adam Siao Him Fa (96.16) and Jason Brown of the U.S. (93.82), and World Champion Alysia Liu took the women’s Short Program at 75.70, in front of three-time Worlds winner Kaori Sakamoto (75.54). American Amber Glenn was seventh (63.70).

In Ice Dance, World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the Rhythm Dance with 91.12 points, with Canada’s Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles second at 87.15.

The Pairs Short Program and the finish of the men’s and Ice Dance events will be on Friday and the Pairs and women’s Free Skates on Saturday.

● Football ● FIFA has Qatar Airways as its Global Airline Partner through 2030, but that doesn’t necessarily work so well for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

On Thursday, FIFA announced American Airlines as a 2026 World Cup “Official North American Airline Supplier” and

“American Airlines AAdvantage members and Qatar Airways Privilege Club will have access to FIFA World Cup 26 match tickets through their redemption programmes.”

Qatar Airways will retain exclusive flight rights internationally as part of its global FIFA partnership

● Gymnastics ● Eight Russian gymnasts who were not certified as “neutrals” by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique have appealed the decisions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation:

“[T]he FIG refused to grant neutral status to some athletes from Russia due to the posting of a congratulatory message on social networks for Victory Day, the athletes’ participation in a gala concert for Defender of the Fatherland Day, during which the St. George ribbon was used and photographs were taken with children in military uniform.”

Demonstrations of support for Russian continuing war against Ukraine have been grounds for denying “neutral” status to Russian athletes in various sports. Those Russian gymnasts who were approved decided not to compete in FIG World Cup events in solidarity with those who were refused.

● Ice Hockey ● As expected, the U.S. and Canada marched into the semifinals of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice (CZE), with solid wins in the quarterfinals.

The U.S. blanked Germany, 3-0, taking a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Kelly Pannek (5:36) and Lacey Eden (10:05) and out-shooting the Germans, 18-2. Alex Carpenter got the third goal at 18:53 of the second and Aerin Frankel only had to turn away 12 shots for the shut-out; the U.S. finished with a 48-12 edge on shots.

The Canadians pounded Japan, 9-1, with a 53-5 shots advantage and winning the periods by 2-0, 3-1 and 4-0. Jennifer Gardiner scored twice for Canada and Kristen Campbell got the shut-out in goal.

Defenders Renata Fast had three assists and Claire Thompson had a goal and two assists.

Finland edged Sweden by 3-2 in the opening quarter and will play Canada in the re-seeded semifinals on Saturday. The home Czech Republic blasted Switzerland, 7-0 with five scores in the first period and will play the U.S. in its semifinal.

The medal matches will be on Sunday, with the U.S. and Canada having played in 23 of the prior 24 gold-medal finals.

● Shooting ● U.S. stars were in top form at the Skeet finals of the ISSF World Cup in Lima (PER), with 2023 Worlds Team gold medalist Dustan Taylor and 2019 Pan Am Games champ Christian Elliott going 1-2 in the men’s event, 56-55, with Taylor winning hitting his first 35 in a row and Elliott hitting 38 of his last 40!

In the prior World Cup in Buenos Aires (ARG), 2017 World Champion Dania Jo Vizzi edged six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode. This time, Vizzi ended up third, behind teammates Rhode and 2024 ISSF World Cup Final winner Sam Simonton, who ended in a tie at 56/60. Rhode won the shoot-off, 2-1 and claimed her 26th career World Cup win.

That puts Rhode, now 45, one behind all-time World Cup wins leader Rajmond Debevec (SLO), the two-time Olympic 50 m Rifle gold medalist in 2000.

China’s Ku Hai repeated his men’s 10 m Air Rifle World Cup victory from Buenos Aires, scoring 246.4 to edge Brazil’s Rio 2016 Olympic silver winner Felipe Wu (241.0). India’s Inder Suruchi also repeated, as the women’s 10 m Air Rifle winner, at 243.6, over countrywoman and Paris 2024 bronze medalist Manu Bhaker (242.3).

Suruchi and Saurabh Chaudhary won the Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Team event, 17-9, over Hu and Qianxun Yao (CHN).

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U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: Federal government gives USOPC “significant reassurances” on visa and other support for 2028

By
Rich Perelman
-

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ USOPC BOARD MEETING ≡

During Thursday’s telephone news briefing with reporters following the first meeting of 2025 of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board of Directors, chief executive Sarah Hirshland mentioned in passing:

“Gene and I also spent some time in Washington, D.C. last week, where we met with legislators, legislative staff and representatives of the Trump Administration. These are important meetings for the USOPC.”

Are they ever!

Asked for more details, Board Chair Gene Sykes explained that the responsibilities that the national government has to make the 2028 Olympic Games successful has not been ignored:

“We had a wide range of discussions with parties in Washington, D.C. I would say we received tremendous support from the Administration and members of Congress. There is great excitement and focus on the LA28 Games and it is very clear that from the very top of the Administration, they want this to be an incredibly successful experience for all Americans and all of the athletes and visitors who come from, frankly, every country in the world.

“They understand what it means to host the Olympic Games, so we were provided with significant reassurances about the work they’re going to do with us, to manage the visa process, make this work well for athletes and their appropriate entourages, and we were quite pleased to hear that support.”

Further, Sykes noted that the USOPC Board spent time discussing President’s Donald Trump’s February Executive Order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports“:

“One of the key topics on our agenda yesterday was the feedback we received from the State Department regarding the President’ Executive Order 14201.

“As a Board, we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting opportunities for athletes to participate in sport. We will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities. They include the [International Olympic Committee], the [International Paralympic Committee], the International Sports Federations, our own [National Governing Bodies], the NCAA and beyond. We will continue to collaborate with these organizations to ensure that women have a fair and safe competitive environment.

“The Board is dedicated to maintaining an open and ongoing dialogue and we will actively engage on this topic as discussions evolve.”

Asked about the ongoing furor over the disqualification of adult Foil fencer Stephanie Turner after refusing to fight a transgender competitor in a USA Fencing Division I-A tournament in March, and if the USOPC will step in, Hirshland explained:

“Predominantly, [it’s] important to recognize that the USOPC does not define eligibility criteria for events that are not our jurisdiction. So, typically speaking, at an international level, the International Federations will define eligibility criteria for the events in which they own jurisdiction, World Cups, World Championships, etc., and the National Governing Bodies, domestically, would define eligibility criteria for their events. In some cases, those may be elite-level events, national championships and things; in other cases, those may be lower-level, grass-roots, youth-sport competitions and things of that nature.

“So, we do not have, nor will we have an eligibility policy. It wouldn’t be appropriate, it’s not our role to take on that position.”

Hirshland did indicate she and Sykes were pressing the Administration and the Congress on another, crucial issue:

“The thing we were there discussing, and if you will, lobbying for the most centers around the continued conversations around collegiate athletics. We were shamelessly lobbying for the preservation of broad-based sport, and Olympic sport in particular, on college campuses.”

Hirshland added congratulations to USA Football for becoming certified as the National Governing Body for Flag Football ahead of its Olympic debut in 2028, noting that there are now 52 National Governing Bodies and 38 for summer sports:

“We ask a lot of these National Governing Bodies because we want them to be successful in their mission of serving athletes and helping each of them reach their sporting potential. We also want them to be organizationally stable and healthy for the long term, for the benefit of the sport.”

Questioned about the process of certifying a National Governing Body for Surfing, for which at least two organizations are contending – USA Surfing and U.S. Ski & Snowboard – Hirshland explained:

“The process is ongoing, and so, many groups stepping forward with interest in managing that sport program. We have a defined process and we are underway in that process, so that there are steps yet to be taken. At a very high level, there’s an application process, mandatory public hearings, an audit of the applicant capabilities, the candidates and a review of their capabilities to essentially steward the sport in a sustainable and healthy way, so we’re in process for that.”

She was pressed further about whether U.S. Ski & Snowboard would have a built-in conflict of interest as it is already a member of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) and would – to governing surfing – would be required to join the International Surfing Association. She replied:

“It is not necessarily the norm, but it is not unprecedented for organizations to manage multiple sports. It would be new and unique in the United States; it has happened and does happened in a number of cases around the world and you’re right, there are legal provisions and things that would need to be worked through to ensure that that is done in a way that everyone can have confidence in the integrity of the process and the system and the way it’s operated.”

(TSX coverage of the surfing fight and the legal issues involved can be found here.)

On the subject of the progress of the LA28 organizers and the progress of their commercial sponsorship program, Sykes was optimistic:

“The team has secured well more than $1 billion in sales and surpassed the halfway point for our commercial revenue targets. Importantly, we are confident there are more deals to be announced on the immediate horizon. We’re seeing very, very strong momentum.”

The new LA28 budget called for $2.518 billion in total domestic sponsorship revenue.

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ATHLETICS: Obiri goes for three in a row at Monday’s 129th Boston Marathon; Lemma returns to defend 2024 men’s win

By
Rich Perelman
-
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri winning the 2023 Boston Marathon women’s race; can she make it three in a row on Monday? (Photo courtesy Boston Athletic Association).

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≡ BOSTON MARATHON ≡

It’s springtime and Monday is Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, which means it’s time for the 129th Boston Marathon.

Beyond the 30,000 runners who will line up in Hopkinton and try to make it to Boston are the elite stars, notably Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, who will be trying for her third win in a row in the women’s division, done only four times, and twice in the “unofficial era” from 1966-71, and not since the 1999 race.

She will face a talented field, where she is far from the fastest marathoner:

● 2:14:58 ‘22: Amane Beriso (ETH) ~ 2023 World Champion, 2023 Boston runner-up
● 2:16:52 ‘24: Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) ~ 2022 London champ
● 2:17:51 ‘24: Irine Cheptai (KEN) ~ 2024 Hamburg champ, Chicago third
● 2:19:12 ‘22: Keira D’Amato (USA) ~ American Record win at Houston ‘22
● 2:19:33 ‘24: Rahma Tusa (ETH) ~ 2024 Houston champ
● 2:19:50 ‘12: Edna Kiplagat (KEN) ~ 2021, 2021 Boston champ
● 2:20:22 ‘22: Mary Ngugi-Cooper (KEN) ~ 2021 Boston second, 2022 Boston third
● 2:20:22 ‘24: Buze Diriba (ETH) ~ 2024 Boston fourth
● 2:20:32 ‘20: Sara Hall (USA) ~ 2017 U.S. champ; Boston 15th ‘19, 17th ‘23, 15th ‘24
● 2:21:24 ‘24: Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) ~ 2024 Sacramento champ
● 2:21:38 ‘23: Hellen Obiri (KEN) ~ 2023-24 Boston champ, ‘17, ‘19 5,000 m World Champ

Obiri may not be the fastest, but she wins: three times in her six career marathons! She’ll be trying for her third Boston gold in a row, last done by Ethiopia’s Fatuma Roba in 1997-98-99, immediately preceded by Uta Pippig (GER) in 1994-95-96.

The iconic 2018 winner of the worst-weather Boston, 41-year-old Des Linden (USA) is also back, the third prior women’s elite race champ to be entered; it will be her 13th Boston.

The men’s field is also strong, with 2024 winner Sisay Lemma (ETH) also sporting the fastest lifetime best in the race:

● 2:01:48 ‘23: Sisay Lemma (ETH) ~ Defending Boston champ, 2021 London champ
● 2:02:44 ‘24: John Korir (KEN) ~ 2024 Chicago champ
● 2:03:00 ‘20: Evans Chebet (KEN) ~ 2022-23 Boston champ
● 2:03:22 ‘24: CyBrian Kotut (KEN) ~ 2024 Berlin runner-up
● 2:03:31 ‘24: Haymanot Alew (ETH) ~ 2024 Berlin third
● 2:04:24 ‘24: Daniel Mateiko Kibet (KEN) ~ ‘24 Valencia third in debut
● 2:04:38 ‘24: Alphonce Felix Sambu (TAN) ~ 2017 Worlds bronze, 2016 Olympic 5th
● 2:04:45 ‘13: Lelisa Desisa (ETH) ~ 2013, 2015 Boston champ, 2019 World Champion
● 2:05:09 ‘22: Victor Kiplangat (KEN) ~ 2023 World Champion
● debut: Muktar Edris (ETH) ~ 2017, 2019 World 5,000 m champ

Paris Olympians Conner Mantz (2:07:47 ‘23) and Clayton Young (2:08:00 ‘23) are the leading American entries; they finished 8-9 at the Olympic marathon last summer. Mantz finished 11th at the 2023 Boston Marathon; this will be Young’s Boston debut.

Conditions are expected to be reasonably good, with temperatures in the 50s, but also with some wind on the course. The wheelchair racers will start at 9:06 a.m., with the elite men’s field at 9:37 a.m. and the elite women at 9:47 a.m.

There is also prize money, with $705,000 for both the men’s and women’s races for the top 10 placers, of $150,000-75,000-40,000-25,000-18,000-13,500-10,500-8,500-7,000-5,500.

There is an extra $50,000 available for a course record, with the men’s best the wind-blown 2:03:02 by Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) in 2011 and the women’s best a more-reachable 2:19:59 by Buzunesh Deba (ETH) in 2014.

Nationally, ESPN2 will show the race live from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.

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PANORAMA: Seven interested in a future Commonwealth Games; Federal inquiries on transgenders in fencing; Toyota extends with USA Swimming

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight, now the all-time leader in IIHF World Women’s Champs goals, assists and scoring (Photo: IIHF).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Commonwealth Games ● Commonwealth Sport announced Wednesday that it has received seven “Expressions of Interest” in possibly hosting a future Commonwealth Games:

“Canada, India, and Nigeria have already publicly confirmed that they have lodged an EOI for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with two additional nations also confirming their interest in 2030.

“Two EOIs are focused on the future Games pipeline, including New Zealand who have previously signalled their interest in hosting 2034.”

Commonwealth Sport was barely able to get a 2026 host, with Glasgow – which hosted in 2014 – agreeing to stage a slimmed-down event with 10 sports, but now the future looks brighter. Per Commonwealth Sport Director of Games and Assurance Darren Hall (ENG):

“[W]e will now discuss each submission further and work with each interested Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) and its regional representatives as part of a co-creation and collaboration phase to establish hosting feasibility.

“During this next five-month period, candidates moving forward in the process will ultimately be required to provide a detailed Games Proposal to Commonwealth Sport. This will be followed by a Commonwealth Sport-led evaluation process culminating in our Executive Board recommending a host to the Membership for approval at the General Assembly in late November 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland.”

● Athletics ● In the aftermath of the cancellation of the twice-held L.A. Grand Prix for 2025, USA Track & Field wanted to continue with its annual Friday evening distance-racing event, which had been held to promote qualifying times for many years, and held on the day before the L.A. Grand Prix in 2023 and 2024.

So, now USATF is partnering with Sound Running for its “Track Fest” to incorporate the USATF Distance Classic at Occidental College – a frequent site for the Distance Classic in the past – in Los Angeles on Saturday, 24 May 2025.

The meet features racing from 800 m to 10,000 m and is a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet.

The two world men’s discus records set by Lithuania’s Olympic silver medalist Mykolas Alekna were set – as in 2024 – with a Denfly Skymaster discus, made for and sold by VS Athletics of Torrance, California.

Oh yes, the price is $209.95, while they last!

The Athletics Integrity Unit “has banned Emmanuel Kipchumba Kemboi (Kenya) for 2 years from 7 April 2025 for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Triamcinolone acetonide). DQ results from 6 October 2024.”

Kemboi, 28 years old, had a best – now nullified – of 2:08:32 for the marathon for a win in Riyadh (KSA) on 8 February of this year.

● Cycling ● The magnitude of the second UCI World Championships program in the Haute-Savoie (FRA) in 2027 was specified in detail on Tuesday:

“The event will bring together 20 UCI World Championships at 12 sites, with some 10,000 athletes (Elite and Amateur) representing an expected 130-plus nations competing over 13 days for the 281 titles of UCI World Champion at stake. Some two million people are expected to follow the competitions on site, and the cumulative TV audience should reach one billion viewers. More than 700 media representatives will be accredited for the event that can count on the commitment of around 4,000 volunteers.”

Those are increases from the inaugural combined Worlds in 2023 in Scotland, with 13 World Championships and 220 titles decided by about 7,000 participants, both elite and public. The 2027 Worlds are scheduled for 24 August to 5 September 2027.

Admitting he had been drinking heavily, the Belgian spectator who threw a full water bottle and hit race leader (and eventual winner) Mathieu van der Poel (NED) at Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix race was reported to have apologized.

Quoted by the Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad, the 28-year-old suspect wrote in an email:

“I am so happy that he [van der Poel] crossed the finish line first on Sunday, despite my stupid action.

“A water bottle was in the grass. I picked it up and threw it when he passed. Without thinking. Half a second later, I realised how stupid and dangerous it was.”

The man, who has not been named, is being sought by French authorities for the incident.

● Fencing ● Stephanie Turner, a female Foil fencer who refused to compete in a scheduled match at The Cherry Blossom tournament in College Park Maryland on 30 March against transgender entrant Redmond Sullivan, will be in front of a U.S. House sub-committee on 7 May.

The House Oversight & Investigations Committee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced a hearing on the issue of biological men competing in the women’s category in sports, with Turner and USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt. USA Fencing has said it will cooperate with the government’s inquiry.

The U.S. Department of Education announced, on 4 April, a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” combining resources from the Education and Justice departments, and enforcing President Donald Trump’s 5 February Executive Order, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”

Turner told Fox News Digital: “I’m going to be taking a break from fencing for a while in the U.S. circuit, so that’s a little bit of a disruption for me… It has disrupted my training, it has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public, and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won’t be competing in the United States any time soon.

“I will remain in the public eye for as long as it takes to resolve this.”

● Football ● FIFA announced the addition of 14 locations to its options for team base camps in 2026 for the 48 teams which will compete at the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., bringing the total number of options to 62.

More will be added prior to the Final Draw in December.

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. finished undefeated at 4-0 in Group A and are top-seeded heading into the playoffs of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice (CZE).

The Americans shut down Switzerland, 5-0, in their final group game and finished with a 18-2 goals-against total in their four games. Scoring ace Hilary Knight collected three assists to set the all-time record for most World Champs assists all-time at 50, eclipsing Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser’s 49 from 1994-2016. Knight is now the all-time leader in Worlds assists (50), goals (67) and points (117).

Canada was second in the group at 4-1, followed by Finland at 2-2. The quarterfinals are now set for Thursday:

● U.S. (4-0) vs. Germany (2-2 Group B)
● Canada (3-1) vs. Japan (3-1 Group B)
● Finland (2-2) vs. Sweden (4-0 Group B)
● Czech Republic (1-3) vs. Switzerland (0-4)

The match-ups will be re-seeded after this round, for the semis on Saturday (19th). The medal matches will be on Sunday (20th).

● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced that Toyota Motor Sales USA has extended its sponsorship with the federation through 2026.

Toyota became a USA Swimming sponsor in 2019 and its extension is noteworthy as its Japanese parent did not renew its International Olympic Committee (TOP) sponsorship at the end of 2024.

● Weightlifting ● A doping violation has been alleged against 2024 IWF World Junior men’s 81 kg champion Dae-hee Kwon (KOR) after testing positive for trimetazidine on 26 February 2025.

Per the International Testing Agency:

“A mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the athlete. The athlete has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.”

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NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES: Review of Paris 2024 qualifying procedures asks for less world rankings, more automatic entries (it’s cheaper)

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ OLYMPIC QUALIFYING REVIEW ≡

It’s always about money.

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) submitted a detailed review of the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Systems with the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Program Commission last week, with a strong message:

“A recurring theme across the feedback was the need to minimise qualification costs, particularly by limiting the dependency on long-term ranking systems that require frequent international travel.

“NOCs expressed concern over two-year ranking pathways that heavily favour athletes and federations with greater financial resources.

“The review process thus focused on proposing mechanisms that balance sport performance standards with more equitable and sustainable access. These included calls for more direct qualification pathways and greater use of existing Continental Games as qualification opportunities.”

In other words, let’s go to the continental Games we already have to attend – African Games, Asian Games, European Games, Pan American Games – and stop making our athletes compete all over the world. Specifically:

● “Among the qualification systems that received the highest ratings were Hockey, Equestrian, and Rowing.”

● “In contrast, Athletics, Skateboarding, and Surfing were identified as the three systems most in need of review.”

ANOC noted that between November and December 2024, a total of 132 responses from 112 NOCs across all five continents were received; the ANOC final report noted attention to several of its recommendations:

● “Direct Qualification Opportunities – When ranking systems are used, International Federations (IFs) are encouraged to also provide direct qualification routes to ensure fair access for athletes across all NOCs.”

● “NOC Eligibility Authority – NOCs have the right to apply stricter eligibility or selection criteria than those outlined in the IF qualification system.”

● “Use of Continental Games – IFs are encouraged to incorporate continental events into their qualification systems to promote regional access and reduce costs.”

Again, this is about money and that some federations require athletes to compete more often in order to have more points and high rankings to qualify.

But at least in track & field, where the competition is measured, timed and scored, there is an enduring discussion about whether a one-time hot performance (or a win against a weak field in a continental Games) should be good enough to allow an athlete not to have to compete again until the Olympic Games. In the U.S., this is solved by having a U.S. Olympic Trials in the sport, but not all national federations or National Olympic Committees follow this formula.

And for those NOCs with limited resources, cheaper is always better. (And let’s not hear any complaints from athletes in those countries about limited competition opportunities, right?)

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LOS ANGELES 2028: What happened to the venue plan from the original Los Angeles 2024-2028 bid? Only half survived!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Pasadena's famed Rose Bowl, slated to be a venue for a third Olympic Games in 2028 (Photo: Wikipedia, via Ted Eytan)

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≡ FROM IDEA TO REALITY ≡

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee unveiled nearly all of its unconfirmed venues for the 2028 Olympic Games, disclosing locations and facility plans for 19 sports at 19 sites.

With all but one discipline – Mountain Biking – now assigned, how does the plan for 2028 look now vs. what was proposed when the Los Angeles bid for the Games was accepted in 2017?

A lot different.

In fact, of the planned venue program for 28 sports in 2017, only half – 14 of 28 – are still part of the plan. There are 14 now slotted elsewhere, plus three sports later  incorporated into the permanent sports program and five more added sports!

But let’s see what sports and sites are still where they were originally proposed:

● Aquatics/Open Water: Long Beach waterfront
● Aquatics/Water Polo: Long Beach Convention Center lot
● Athletics: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
● Badminton: USC/Galen Center
● Cycling/Track: Dignity Health Sports Park
● Fencing: Los Angeles Convention Center
● Football: Rose Bowl
● Golf: Riviera Country Club
● Handball: Long Beach Arena
● Hockey: Dignity Health Sports Park
● Rugby Sevens: Dignity Health Sports Park
● Sailing: Belmont Shore marina
● Tennis: Dignity Health Sports Park
● Volleyball/Indoor: Honda Center
● Weightlifting: L.A. Live/Peacock Theater

Beyond the eternal Olympic anchors of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, four sports that were proposed at the Dignity Health Sports Park – opened in 2003 as The Home Depot Center – have been maintained: cycling/track, hockey, rugby sevens and tennis. That’s six of the 14 sports which have remained as in the bid.

In 2017, it was impossible to consider a Los Angeles Olympic bid without one or more facilities at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, as well as the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus. But with the entire Olympic Village assigned to UCLA, every facility there will be needed for training and so judo and wrestling had to be moved.

USC was planned to have its historic baseball facility – Dedeaux Field – reconfigured to host swimming, diving and artistic swimming. But the university is renovating that section of the campus and the decision was made to go elsewhere, sending swimming to SoFi Stadium and artistic swimming to a temporary facility in Long Beach and diving back to the 1932 site at what is now known as the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium.

And no 2017 plan for a future Olympic Games in Los Angeles could imagine not using The Forum, site of basketball in 1984 and of the “Showtime” Era teams of the Los Angeles Lakers. But it was renovated to become primarily a music venue and was surpassed for basketball by the nearby Intuit Dome, home of the L.A. Clippers, opened this season, and confirmed to be the basketball venue for 2028.

Is this good? Bad? Neither; it’s quite normal for actual Olympic venues to vary from bid sites as requirements change and the host city itself changes. In the case of Los Angeles, the change in the program – 23 sports in 1984, 28 in the 2017 bid and now 36 in 2028 – has forced some of the changes and new sites – like the Intuit Dome – offer changes beneficial for the Games.

Perhaps more amazing is that the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic venue landscape not only has no new sites to be built – a key promise of the 2017 bid, which has been zealously maintained – but is reusing five venues/venue sites from the 1932 Olympic Games and eight from 1984:

1932 Olympic venues (5):
● Long Beach Marine Stadium (rowing in 1932)
● Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (track & field)
● LA84/Argue Swim Stadium (swimming, diving)
● Riviera Country Club (equestrian)
● Rose Bowl (cycling/track)

1984 Olympic venues (8):
● Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (track & field)
● Rose Bowl (football)
● Belmont Shore Marina (sailing)
● Long Beach Convention Center (fencing)
● Santa Anita Park (equestrian)
+ BMO Stadium built over the Los Angeles Sports Arena (boxing)
+ Dignity Health Sports Park built over the Olympic Velodrome (cycling)
+ Los Angeles Convention Center (Main Press Center)

The Coliseum – opened in 1923 – and the Rose Bowl – opened in 1922 – will be the first sites to be used for three different Olympic Games.

That’s recycling at its best. There may yet be more changes, but it’s remarkable that five of 29 sites – nearly one in five venues – for the 2028 Games will be conducted at the same venue also used for the Games of the Xth Olympiad, nearly a century earlier!

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LOS ANGELES 2028: LA28 announces most of the remaining Olympic venues, all in Southern California

By
Rich Perelman
-
Questions for equestrian for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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≡ THE VENUE PLAN ≡

Most of the remaining questions about sports and sites for the 2028 Olympic Games were answered on Tuesday, as the LA28 organizing committee published a list of assignments, with venues in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The new sports assignments:

● Athletics/marathon: Venice Beach start
● Baseball: Dodger Stadium
● Boxing: L.A. Live/Peacock Theater for prelims; Crypto.com Arena for finals
● Cricket: L.A. County Fairgrounds
● Cycling/Road: Venice Beach start
● Equestrian: Santa Anita Park
● Gymnastics/Rhythmic: USC/Galen Center
● Rowing/Coastal: Long Beach waterfront
● Shooting/Pistol-Rifle: Long Beach Convention Center
● Shooting/Shotgun: LA Clays Shooting Sports Park
● Sport Climbing: Long Beach Convention Center
● Squash: Universal Studios
● Surfing: Tresles Beach
● Triathlon: Venice Beach
● Volleyball/Beach: Alamitos Beach
● Volleyball/Indoor: Honda Center

Still unassigned is the cycling Mountain Bike course and the football preliminaries, previously stated to be played outside of California. With the move of Rhythmic Gymnastics out of Crypto.com Arena to make way for boxing finals, it is not clear where Trampoline will go, but a move to be with Rhythmic at USC’s Galen Center makes sense.

The marathon and cycling road race starts at Venice Beach take advantage of cooler weather near the coast for both of these endurance events. Unanswered is where the race walks or the cycling Time Trials will be; they could also start in Venice, but could also be placed elsewhere; race walking is often done on loop courses outside the track & field venue.

The equestrian competition at Santa Anita harkens back to the 1984 Olympic Games, where part of the grandstand and temporary stands were added to create a 33,000-seat site for Dressage and Jumping. The Cross Country element of Eventing was not held there due to concerns over heat and horse health and was moved to Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in San Diego County; this will have to be considered once again for 2028.

The move of triathlon from Long Beach to Venice Beach also raises a question about the 10 km Open Water swimming events, also previously assigned to Long Beach, but which might be more conveniently held in the same location.

But most of the questions have been answered.

There was no announcement about Sailing moving from to San Pedro as has been demanded by L.A. 15th District City Council member Tim McOsker, so it remains in Long Beach, but the City of Los Angeles picked up baseball, boxing, the cycling road races and triathlon.

It does not appear that any moves of sports out of the City of Los Angeles were made, so no further approvals from the Los Angeles City Council appear to be needed. The tug-of-war over the prior approvals which were subject to the movement of Sailing to San Pedro is still ongoing.

The International Olympic Committee said last week it was satisfied with the venue master plan submitted by LA28 and left the announcements to the organizing committee. Most of that is done now.

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SURFING: Fascinating battle underway as U.S. Ski & Snowboard tries to take over as U.S. National Governing Body for surfing!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Paris Olympic women’s surfing champion Caroline Marks (Photo: Troy Williams/NSSA via Wikipedia).

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≡ U.S. NGB BATTLE ≡

When the International Olympic Committee agreed in 2016 to add surfing as an Olympic sport at the request of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, the then-U.S. Olympic Committee had no national governing body for the sport.

It recognized USA Surfing in 2017, but poor financial controls and questionable management led the federation into trouble, including a December 2019 audit which identified 15 specific “high risk” issues and a mid-2020 follow-up which noted:

“While progress has been made in the area of financial capability, USA Surfing did not demonstrate significant improvement. There is little documented oversight of organizational spending and the CEO still has a substantial amount of control over both the disbursement and the receipts process.

“Notably, USA Surfing had yet to complete an independent financial audit at the time of fieldwork and disallowed funds have yet to be paid pack to the USOPC. Additionally, the inherited debt from a prior organization had yet to be disposed of.”

It finally got so bad that in December 2021, USA Surfing and the now-U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee agreed that it would manage elite-level surfing and USA Surfing would be de-certified as the sport’s National Governing Body, and come back when it was ready. At the same time, however, USA Surfing remained the American member federation of the International Surfing Association, which is headquartered in La Jolla, California.

Fast forward five years and the U.S. won surfing golds in the women’s competition at both Tokyo 2020 (Clarissa Moore) and Paris 2024 (Caroline Marks), and USA Surfing was ready to re-apply to be the recognized NGB for surfing in the U.S. The timeline for this is specified in the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act at 36 U.S.C. §220528:

“An application under this section must be filed within one year after the final day of—

“(A) any Olympic Games, for a sport in which competition is held in the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games, or in each of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games;”

USA Surfing filed in February 2025 … but it wasn’t alone.

A competing application to become the U.S. National Governing Body for surfing came from … the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Federation (USSS), also in February, which included:

● “U.S. Ski & Snowboard (“USSS”) seeks to take on the Olympic Surf Team in the United States. The intent is for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (“USOPC”) to transfer the currently internally managed Olympic Surf team to USSS.”

● “No one can support these athletes to help them achieve their Olympic dreams better than USSS, which has a proven, long-term record of high-performance support and podium success for athletes. With the growth and popularity of surfing, it’s critical that a well-managed organization take responsibility to help the sport, and these athletes reach their full potential at the Games, and we are best positioned to do so.”

● “[F]rom a commercial perspective adding a summer sport to our 10-winter sport portfolio gives us year-round assets and programming to sell. In recent years, our commercial engine has demonstrated its ability to drive significant revenue and by including surfing in our portfolio we’re best set up to drive upside in the commercial business for surfing.”

There’s no comparison between the organizations. U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s corporate beginnings date back to 1905 and was re-named the U.S. Ski Association in 1962 and added snowboard to its name in 2017. USSS said in its application that it expected revenues of $61.7 million for its 2024-25 fiscal year to end on 30 April.

The USA Surfing Federal tax return for calendar year 2023 showed income of $619,304, after $1.14 million in 2022.

Moreover, USSS chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt (GBR) was the chief executive of the professional World Surf League from 2017-21, before leaving for the ski & snowboard governing body.

However, USA Surfing does have a couple of things going for it in this “competition”:

● In-sport support, starting with the International Surfing Association. In its filing with the USOPC, USA Surfing included letters of support from the ISA, from surfers including Marks and Moore, and, interestingly, from the World Surf League.

In its March announcement of its application for re-certification, USA Surfing shared a statement from ISA President Fernando Aguerre (ARG):

“The ISA strongly believes that a healthy, independent organization that truly represents the interests of surfers and the sport in the U.S. is essential as we look ahead to the LA28 Olympic Games and beyond. That organization is USA Surfing.”

World Surf League chief Ryan Crosby (USA) added:

“USA Surfing has been critical in supporting U.S. surfers, putting in real, hands-on work to provide resources and development opportunities. The trust they’ve built with surfers and the broader community speaks for itself. We believe their continued leadership is essential in shaping the sport’s future and the next generation of Team USA athletes.”

● The Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act, at 36 U.S.C. §220522 requires that a U.S. National Governing Body can be certified only if it, inter alia:

“(6) demonstrates that it is a member of no more than one international sports federation that governs a sport included on the program of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, or the Parapan American Games;”

The one-sport NGB concept was a core component of the 1978 Amateur Sports Act, which elevated the then-U.S. Olympic Committee as the central governing force in the U.S. Olympic Movement and forced organizations which had been governing multiple sports – such as the Amateur Athletic Union – to be broken up into single-sport entities. In this way, wrestlers could decide what was good for wrestlers, skiers for skiers and so on, based on the structures of the International Federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

So, to assign surfing, governed by the ISA, to USSS, already a member of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) looks to be precluded by this section. The USSS application did not mention it … but the USA Surfing application noted it clearly.

A USA Surfing announcement said that it had presented its case at a public hearing last week, and that the USSS public hearing was scheduled for Tuesday; the Stevens Act requires that the USOPC decide what to do within 30 days, by 15 May.

Even then, the loser can appeal the USOPC’s finding to arbitration.

So, for now, hang loose?

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PANORAMA: Commonwealth Sport chief Jenkins steps down; man who hit van der Poel with water bottle during Paris-Roubaix turns himself in!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel on the way to his 2024 Paris-Roubaix triumph (Photo: Felouch Kotek via Wikipedia).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 1984: Los Angeles ● George Bell, a 7-foot, 8-inch giant who appeared in the closing ceremony of the 1984 Olympic Games, passed away at age 67 on 19 March, in Durham, North Carolina.

Bell, then a student at Biola University, was the costumed “extra-terrestrial being” in the ‘84 Olympic closing ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on 12 August 1984, coming out from the peristyle end amid a cloud of smoke from a landing “spaceship” – actually just a ring of flashing lights carried by a helicopter – to tell the audience, “I’ve come a long way because I like what I’ve seen.”

He was recognized during his life as the tallest man in the world, and while he played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters and had multiple roles in television, he was a member of the Norfolk (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office from December 2000 to May 2014.

● Commonwealth Games ● Commonwealth Sport made a sudden announcement on Monday that President Chris Jenkins (WAL) has resigned, with Dr. Donald Rukane, the President of the Ugandan Olympic Committee, now serving as Interim President.

A new President will be elected at the next General Assembly in November 2025.

Jenkins was the head of Commonwealth Games Wales for 16 years before being elected as President of Commonwealth Sport in 2023. No reason for his resignation was given.

● Russia ● The Russian Sports Minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee expects the suspension of the ROC to be lifted soon. On Monday, Mikhail Degtyarev told a Moscow-area conference:

“There are no legal grounds for disqualification, our Olympic Committee will be recognized in the near future. In my opinion, in two to three months.”

The ROC was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in October 2023 for incorporating organizations governed by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine as part of its Ukrainian invasion that began in February 2022. The situation there has not changed, but Russia is counting on more lenient treatment from incoming IOC President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM).

● Athletics ● Lots more hot action over the weekend, including two outdoor world leads at the Australian Championships in Perth, with two-time World Indoor Champion Nicola Olyslagers and 2022 World Champion Eleanor Patterson going 1-2 in the women’s high jump at 2.01 m (6-7) and 1.98 m (6-6). Olympic men’s 800 m fourth-placer Peter Bol won his fourth national title with a lifetime best of 1:43.79, followed by Peyton Craig (1:44.07) and Luke Boyes (1:44.50), now nos. 1-3-4 on the year.

Lachlan Kennedy moved to equal-third on the world list with a 10.00 in the men’s 100 m heats and then Rohan Browning won the final at 10.01. Teen star Gout Gout won the 200 m in a wind-aided 19.84 (+2.2 m/s).

Olympic women’s 1,500 m silver winner Jessica Hull doubled, taking the 1,500 m in 4:11.36 and the 5,000 m in 15:02.74.

Elsewhere, 2023 U.S. champ Bryce Deadmon took the men’s 400 m world lead at 44.30 at the Texas A&M Teams Invitational, and South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford, the 2024 NCAA Indoor 200 m champ, grabbed the women’s 100 m world lead at 11.06 at the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina.

Grand Slam Track announced its first six challengers for the upcoming 2-4 May meet in Miramar, Florida:

Men/Short Sprints:
● Andre De Grasse (CAN) ~ 2020 Olympic 200 m Champion

Men/Short Distance:
● Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) ~ 2020 Olympic 1,500 m silver medalist

Women/Long Sprints:
● Amber Anning (GBR) ~ 2025 World Indoor 400 m Champion

Women/Short Distance:
● Claudia Hollingsworth (AUS) ~ 2024 U-20 Worlds 800 m silver medalist

Women/Short Hurdles:
● Keni Harrison (USA) ~ 2020 Olympic silver medalist

Women/Long Hurdles:
● Anna Hall (USA) ~ 2023 Worlds Heptathlon silver medalist

A total of 48 challengers will be lined up to face the 48 Grand Slam Track “Racers” who are signed for all four meets.

● Badminton ● Canada collected three golds and 12 medals to dominate the Pan American Championships in Lima (PER), taking the men’s Singles in an all-Canadian final with Victor Lai defeating Joshua Nguyen, the Mixed Doubles, with Ty Alexander Lindeman and Josephine Wu beating compatriots Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai, and in the Mixed Team event.

The U.S. scored wins in the men’s Doubles, with Zhi-yi Chen and Presley Smith and in the women’s Doubles, with Lauren Lam and Allison Lee. Brazil’s Juliana Viana Vieira took the women’s Singles title.

● Cycling ● A Belgian man who threw a full water bottle and hit Paris-Roubaix race leader Mathieu van der Poel (NED) in the face on Sunday turned himself in to Belgian authorities on Monday.

Van der Poel was hit with about 33 km remaining in the 259 km race and said afterwards, “I arrived at 50K an hour and it was like a stone hitting my face. This is just not acceptable” and added later:

“We can’t let this pass. It was a full bidon, and it hurt a lot. If I take that bidon on my nose, it’s broken.

“Hopefully, the police can identify the man because there has to be a trial for this. This is attempted manslaughter. If the UCI doesn’t take action, then we will do it with the team.”

The BBC was told by public prosecutor Filiep Jodts, “We can confirm that the man presented himself to the police.

“An official report was drawn up, in which his statement was recorded. The Public Prosecution Service will decide in the coming days what action should be taken.”

The man who acknowledged throwing the bottle was reported to be apologetic when he turned himself in.

The Union Cycliste Internationale issued a statement including:

“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the associations representing the families of cycling (CPA for the riders, AIOCC for the organisers and AIGCP for the teams) unanimously condemn, in the strongest terms, the unacceptable behaviour of a spectator during the 122nd edition of Paris-Roubaix from the side of the road on 13 April.

“With 33 kilometres to go, this spectator on the roadside threw a water bottle in the direction of Dutch cyclist Mathieu Van der Poel, hitting him in the face. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated in the context of a cycling event.

“The UCI and representatives of cycling’s families express their support for the rider and will explore, in conjunction with the competent authorities, all the legal channels at their disposal so that such behaviour is duly and severely punished, as has already been the case in the past. They will take the same action in the future against any act that threatens the physical integrity of riders.”

● Swimming ● A raft of world-leading marks – sometimes more than one in the same event – in the last 10 days, especially with multiple national championships being held in Europe:

● Men/50 m Free: 21.62, Leonardo Deplano (ITA: nationals)
● Men/100 m Free: 47.27, Kyle Chalmers (AUS)
● Men/200 m Free: 1:45.07, David Popovici (ROU: nationals)
● Men/400 m Free: 3:39.96, Lukas Martens (GER) ~ World Record
● Men/800 m Free: 7:41.52, Daniel Whiffen (IRL: nationals)
● Men/1,500 m Free: 14:38.27, Florian Wellbrock (GER)
● Men/100 m Back: 52.24, Hubert Kos (HUN: nationals)
● Men/100 m Back: 52.04, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS: nationals)
● Men/200 m Back: 1:55.64, Roman Mityukov (SUI: nationals)
● Men/50 m Fly: 22.77, Noe Ponti (SUI: nationals)
● Men/100 m Fly: 50.27, Noe Ponti (SUI: nationals)

● Women/50 m Breast: 30.12, Eneli Jefimova (EST)
● Women/100 m Breast: 1:05.82, Anita Bottazzo (ITA: nationals)

The Italian and Russian nationals are continuing and the British nationals are getting ready.

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MILAN CORTINA 2026: Elegant, spare 2026 Olympic and Paralympic torches revealed in Milan and Osaka

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ TORCHES REVEALED ≡

A dramatic, minimalist design was unveiled for the Olympic and Paralympic torches for the Milan Cortina 2026 Games on Monday, concurrently introduced at the Triennale di Milano and at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan:

“The Milano Cortina 2026 torches have been named ‘Essential,’ a tribute to their minimalist design and were developed by Eni, Premium Partner of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in collaboration with Versalis, Official Supporter of the Games.

“The two versions of the torch – one for the Olympic Winter Games and the other for the Paralympic Winter Games – both feature a reflective, iridescent finish but differ in colour. The Olympic torch in blue-green hues, the Paralympic torch in bronze tones.

“Eni and Versalis entrusted the design development to Studio Carlo Ratti Associati, while Cavagna Group is responsible for the engineering and production of the Torch and its components.”

The long, thin design weighs only 1,060 g (2.34 pounds), excluding the fuel can and includes a unique, vertical window that shows the internal components that make the torch operate. Each unit was made primarily from recycled aluminum and brass and is designed to be re-used up to 10 times, reducing the number to be manufactured. And:

“The burner – the technological core of the torch – will run on bio-LPG, produced at the Enilive biorefinery in Gela, Sicily. Bio-LPG is made exclusively from renewable raw materials, mainly waste sources such as used cooking oil, animal fats and residues from the agricultural industry.”

No information on the dimensions of the torch were provided and while sleek and long, it is well short of the biggest torch in Olympic history, the giant, five-foot-long aluminum and birchwood design for the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer.

The Olympic Torch Relay will include 10,001 torchbearers on a 63-day, 12,000 km (7,456 miles) route that will touch all 110 provinces of the Italian peninsula. The flame will be lit at Olympia in Greece on 26 November 2025, arrive in Rome on 4 December, finally arriving in Cortina d’Ampezzo on 26 January 2026 and at the opening ceremony at the San Siro Olympic Stadium on 6 February 2026.

The Paralympic Torch Relay will begin at Stoke Mandeville in England on 24 February 2026, two days after the close of the Olympic Winter Games and will run on an 11-day route from 24 February to 6 March. Some 501 torchbearers will participate, with five “Flame Festivals” in Milan, Turin, Bolzano, Trento and Trieste, then a ceremony to unite the flames in Cortina d’Ampezzo on 3 March. The relay will continue through Venice and Padua, finishing at the Verona Olympic Arena on 6 March for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

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PANORAMA: Milan Cortina ‘26 budget increases (a little); FIFA gifts $1 million to 11 U.S. cities; Martens crushes men’s 400 m Free world record!

By
Rich Perelman
-
France’s Jimmy Gressier hurdles the finish tape to win the European Running Championships Half Marathon! (Photo: European Athletics).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2040 ● The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) announced last week that its approach to a future Olympic bid is being refined:

“The cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and the Rhine-Ruhr region, which have been involved in the process since the beginning, have approved the further roadmap under the leadership of the DOSB and will submit refined concepts by the end of May 2025. The specific content of the bid process and the timeline were discussed and agreed upon in workshops with the Olympic federations, the state sports associations, the applicant regions, and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI).”

Beyond the May 2025 submittal, the DOSB will report on its view of the proposals in December and then each of the four will have an “opportunity” for a public referendum on their bid by June 2026, but this is not required. A final decision on a bid candidate and proposal is to be made by the fall of 2026.

The German government is keen on a 2040 bid as it would come 50 years after the reunification of the country in 1990.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The 2026 Winter Games organizers in Milan announced an increase in the organizing committee budget of “about” €100 million to €1.7 billion or $1.93 billion U.S.

On 24 March 2024, the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 announced a “lifetime budget” of €1.5 billion, but it has now been increased once again.

This is the organizing committee’s budget for staging the Games, but does not count the cost of new facilities or upgrades being made by the Italian or regional governments, or privately-built sites that will be leased for the 2026 Games.

● Football ● FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) announced an organizational grant to the host cities of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup that will start in June:

“We care about our social role, which is why we are in the process of establishing the FIFA Foundation USA. Also, for the legacy of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, we will contribute USD 1 million to each of the 11 cities that will host matches to support local social projects.

“This means ideally installing mini pitches and organising soccer activities with children on these pitches in areas where they are most needed in each city, something that will ensure that the impact of this groundbreaking global tournament will be felt for years to come.”

The host cities listed by FIFA include “Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York-New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C.”

● Sport Climbing ● The International Federation of Sport Climbing elected Marco Scolaris (ITA) for a fifth (and final) term as President, this time over European Federation chief Tijl Smitz (BEL) by 48-35.

Now 66, he helped to create the federation in 2007, and was named President, then won election in 2009-13-17-21-25. Scolaris has guided the sport into the Olympic program as an added sport at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 and as a mandatory sport for Los Angeles 2028 with separate competitions for all three events.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming made a long-awaited announcement of a new National Team Managing Director, hiring Stanford coach Greg Meehan, who was the school’s women’s coach from 2012-23 and win three straight NCAA team titles in 2017-18-19.

He was 2020 U.S. Olympic Women’s Head Coach, and assistant coach for the 2016 and 2024 Games. He was the women’s head coach for the U.S. swim teams at the 2017 and 2019 World Aquatics Championships, and an assistant in 2015 and 2022.

Meehan replaces Lindsay Minentko, who served in that role from 2017-24. Coaches had lobbied hard for her replacement to be an experienced coach, as was her predecessor, Frank Busch (ex-Arizona) from 2011-17.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Archery ● The World Archery World Cup opener was in Auburndale, Florida, Germany’s Florian Unruh, a Mixed Team silver winner in Paris last year, got a major win over an Olympic champion.

Unruh, 31, dominated the men’s Recurve final against Tokyo 2020 Olympic winner Mete Gazoz (TUR), 7-3, winning the first, second and fifth ends, 30-26, 30-28 and 30-29. India’s Dhiraj Bommdevara took the bronze.

Britain’s 2023 European Games champ Penny Healey was a convincing winner in the women’s recurve final by 6-0 over Alejandra Valencia (MEX), while China’s Jiaman Li, a Paris 2024 Team silver medalist, won the bronze-medal match over 2023 World Champion Casey Kaufhold of the U.S., also 6-0.

China won the men’s Team Recurve final convincingly, 5-1, over India, with Chinese Taipei in third; and China also won the women’s Team gold over the U.S. trio of Kaufhold, Catalina GNoriega and Jennifer Mucino, 5-3. The Recurve Mixed Team final went to Valencia and Matias Grande (MEX) by 5-3 over Elia Canales and Pablo Acha of Spain, with Germany third.

In the Compound Mixed Team event now added to the 2028 Olympic program, India’s Jyothi Vennam and Rishabh Yadav won the final over I-Jou Huang and Chieh-Lun Chen (TPE), 153-151, with a 39-36 win in end no. four.

● Artistic Swimming ● The second leg of the World Aquatics World Cup was in Somabay (EGY), with two-time 2024 World Cup Super Final medal winner Klara Bleyer taking the women’s Solo Technical at 238.2966 over Ukraine’s 17-year-old Daria Moshynska (234.3666) Bleyer then finished second to Italy’s Enrica Piccoli in the women’s Solo Free, 215.3751 to 208.3589.

In the women’s Duet Technical, Russian “neutrals” Mayya Doroshko and Tatiana Gayday scored 268.0551 to edge Ukraine’s Moshynska and Anastasiia Shmonina (261.6125). The second Russian pair, 18-year-olds Anastaiia Sidorina and Veronika Sokolova won the Women’s Duet Free at 256.0388, ahead of Japan’s Uta Kobayashi and Tomoka Sato.

Spain’s Dennis Gonzalez and Mirela Hernandez won the Mixed Duet Tech at 207.3858, over Sitong Guo and Haoyue Shi (CHN: 196.1908) and followed up with another win in the Mixed Duet Free at 273.6421, well ahead of Thailand’s Kantinan Adisaisiributr and Supitchaya Songpan (237.6159).

The men’s Technical was won by 16-year-old Muye Guo (CHN: 224.5450), who also took the men’s Solo Free at 196.7401.

Spain won the Team Technical (276.2168) and the Team Free (317.8093), with Ukraine taking the Team Acrobatic (200.011).

At the USA Artistic Swimming national championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, Mona Schweikert won the Solo Technical title at 217.8767, over Emily Robinson (195.5075) and then Schweikert and Sophie Schroeder won the women’s Duet Technical final at 252.333, ahead of Noriko Gervacio-Denda and Anusha Murarka (233.5042).

Schweikert and Schroeder then took the Duet Free final at 223.8791, winning by more than 70 points. Daria Rodova won the Solo Free final, scoring 162.6625. 

● Athletics ● Fast sprinting at the World Athletics Continental Tour Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone (BOT), with a world-leading men’s 100 m in 9.90 into a 1.4 m/s headwind by South Africa’s Akani Simbine, with Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala in second at 10.00.

Headliner Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic 200 m champ, thrilled the home crowd with a 20.23 win (-1.6) in the featured men’s 200 m, but the world lead went to Sinesipho Dambile in the second race, winning in 20.01 over Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT: 20:13), into 1.8 m/s headwind.

Botswana’s Paris 4×400 m relay silver-medal star Bayapo Ndori just missed the men’s 400 m world lead – by 1/100th – winning in 44.35, and world 800 m leader Kethobogile Haingura (BOT) took his race in 1:44.18.

American Marquis Dendy won the long jump at 7.94 m (26-0 3/4) and Rio 2016 gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad won the women’s 400 m over fellow American Cassandra Tate, 53.81 to 55.59.

South Africa’s women’s Olympic javelin silver winner, Jo-Ane van Dyk won at 61.23 m (200-10) with Ariana Ince of the U.S. in fourth (54.78 m/179-9).

The first European Running Championships were in Brussels and Leuven (BEL), opening with France’s Jimmy Gressier, the 2021 European Cross Country winner, storming away in the second 5 km to win the men’s Half Marathon in 59:45, a lifetime best, and crossing the line by hurdling over the finish tape! Norway’s Awet Kibrab was a distant second in 1:01:08.

Why the jump? Said Gressier: “I celebrated like this because I will do steeplechase in the summer.”

Home favorites Chloe Herbiet and Juliette Thomas went 1-2 in the women’s Half in 1:10:43 and 1:10:57, with Sara Nestola (ITA: 1:11:26) a distant third.

France scored a 1-2 in the men’s 10 km with Yann Schrub and Etienne Daguinos in 27:37 and 27:46, and Italian star Nadia Battocletti, the Paris women’s 10,000 m runner-up, won the women’s 10 km road title with ease, finishing in 31:10 to 31:25 for Eva Dieterich (GER).

Italy got a second win in the men’s marathon with a surprise from Illiass Aouani, breaking free only in the final meters to win in 2:09:05 from Israelis Gashau Ayale (2:09:08), Maru Teferi (2:09:17) and Haimro Alame (2:09:27). It was Aouani’s second career marathon.

Spain claimed the women’s marathon title – and a 1-2 finish – with Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie in 2:27:14 and Majida Maayouf (2:27:41), ahead of two more Israelis: Lonah Salpeter (2:28:01) and Maor Tiyouri (2:28:01).

Paris Olympic 20 km silver medalist Caio Bonfim (BRA) dominated the World Athletics Race Walk Tour Gold race in Rio Maior (POR), winning in 1:20:47 over four-time Worlds medal winner Perseus Karlstrom (SWE: 1:21:26).

Ecuador’s Paula Torres, ninth in the Paris 20 km, scored an impressive win in the women’s race in 1:29:47, walking to a 15-second victory over 2022 World Champion Kimberly Garcia Leon (PER).

Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki, a two-time Olympian who was the 2011 Worlds men’s 800 m silver medalist, was killed in a shelling by rebels in the North Darfur region according to a local media report. He was 35.

● Beach Volleyball ● Another classic showdown in the men’s final of the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 in Saquarema (BRA) between the last two Olympic gold medal teams: Paris winners David Ahman and Jonatan Helvig (SWE) and Tokyo champs Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR).

This time it was Mol and Sorum with a straight-sets win, 21-18, 21-15, the 27th career FIVB World Tour win for the Norwegian stars.

Third place went to Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot (NED), who defeated the surprise team of the tournament, 23rd-seeded Pedro de Oliveira and Renato de Carvalho (BRA), 21-11, 21-14.

The women’s tournament played out exactly according to seeds, with the Brazilian pair of Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta (BRA) defeating second-seeded Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher of the U.S. by 21-19, 16-21, 15-10.

In the third-place match, the 2022 Worlds bronze winners, Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann (GER) defeated Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw of the U.S., 21-16, 21-16.

● Curling ● The Grand Slam of Curling’s final tournament of the season, the Players’ Championship was in Toronto (CAN), with re-matches of the 2025 World Championships in both the men’s and women’s final.

The women had Worlds winner Rachel Homan (CAN) and her rink against the legendary Swiss squad skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni (SUI), the defending champion in this tournament. The Swiss got single points in the third and fourth ends to go up 2-0 and then 4-1 by the end of the sixth.

But Homan slammed back with three in the seventh to tie. But Tirinzoni’s rink managed a match and tournament-winner in the eighth for a 5-4 victory and a second straight Players’ title.

The men’s final had World Champion Bruce Mouat (SCO), the winner of this tournament in 2021 and 2022 facing Worlds finalist Yannick Schwaller (SUI) again. Mouat tied the match at 2-2 with two points in the fourth, then scored two in the sixth for a 4-3 lead, extended to 5-3 in the seventh. But Schwaller got two in the eighth to tie, only to see Mouat got a final point in the extra end and won, 6-5.

For Schwaller, it was his second final at the Players’ in the last three seasons, but he’s now 0-2.

● Cycling ● The 122nd edition of the famed Paris-Roubaix race covered 259.2 km total, with 55 km of cobbled roads across 30 different sections and was expected to be a showdown between two-time defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (NED) and Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar.

It was.

Pogacar attacked with 72 km to go, breaking down a lead group of five with only van der Poel and Belgian Jasper Philipsen keeping pace. With 45 km left, Philipsen let go and then it was 1×1 until, with 38 km left, Pogacar missed a corner, hit a crash barrier and had to change bikes; by then, van der Poel had a 20-second lead and could not be touched.

Winning for the third time in a row – not done since 1978-79-80 by Italy’s Francesco Moser – van der Poel crossed all alone in 5:31:27, with Pogacar second (+1:18) and Mads Pedersen (DEN) winning a three-way sprint for third (+2:11).

The women’s race was another monument to the talent of 33-year-old French star Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, the 12-time World Championships gold medalist in Mountain Bike, but also a dangerous road racer, and the 2014 Worlds Road Race winner.

Now concentrating on the roads, she scored her biggest win since that 2014 victory, negotiating the 148.5 km course from Denain to Roubaix – with 29.2 km of cobbled roads – in 3:40:07, breaking free of the peloton with 19 km to go and winning easily. Even more impressive is that she had been ill a couple of days before and wasn’t even sure she could go!

Italy’s Letizia Borghesi was second (+0:58), with Dutch stars Lorena Wiebes and Marianne Vos both at +1:01 in third and fourth. Chloe Dygert was the top American, in eighth (+1:06). In the fifth running of the women’s race, Ferrand-Prevot is the first French winner!

Portugal’s 26-year-old Joao Almeida got his biggest win yet by taking the 64th Itzulia Basque Country stage race in Spain by a hefty 1:52 over Spain’s Enric Mas and by 1:59 against Maxmilian Schachmann (GER).

Schachmann won the first-stage time trial and held the lead through three stages, then Almeida took over with a 28-second win in the hilly fourth stage and was never headed. He also won the final sixth stage in a sprint finish with Mas.

The second weekend of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Araxa (BRA) saw American Christopher Blevins move up from silver in the first Cross Country Olympic men’s race to the top spot on Saturday, winning a three-way dash to the finish in 1:22:42 to 1:22:44 for last week’s bronze winner Martin Vidaurre (CHI) and 1:22:45 for Adrien Boichis (FRA).

Blevins also won the Short-Course race on Friday in 21:02 over last week’s XCO winner, Victor Koretzky (FRA: 21:07) and 10-time World Champion Nino Schurter (SUI: 21:09).

Rio 2016 Olympic gold winner Jenny Rissveds won the women’s Cross Country in 1:26:59, racing away from last week’s winner, Samara Maxwell (NZL: 1:27:27) on the third lap, with 2021 World Champion Evie Richards (GBR: 1:27:33) in third. Richards took the Short Course race on Friday in 21:24, ahead of last week’s XCO runner-up, Laura Koller (SUI: 21:25) and Rissveds (21:25).

● Diving ● The second World Aquatics World Cup was in Windsor (CAN), with the Chinese continuing to dominate, winning eight of the nine events.

The men’s Springboard saw Britain’s Jourdan Houlden score a big win at 470.85, followed by American Carson Tyler (20) at 447.65 and China’s Jiyuan Zheng (also 20) at 433.15. Zheng teamed with Yukang Hu to win the 3 m Synchro title at 388.05, with Mexico’s Osmar Olvera and Juan Celaya claiming silver at 381.72; Americans Jack Ryan and Quentin Henninger took the bronze at 374.73.

The men’s 10 m was a Chinese 1-2 with Zilong Cheng coming from ninth after the first dive to win the last two and take the gold with 511.10 points, ahead of countryman Zifeng Zhu (499.40) and Ukraine’s 2024 Worlds bronzer Oleksii Sereda (490.80). American Joshua Hedberg was sixth at 413.30. Cheng and Zhu were easy winners in the 10 m Synchro with 437.25 points, with the U.S. pair of Hedberg and Carson Tyler second at 387.90.

In the women’s 3 m Springboard, Jia Chen won for the second straight World Cup, edging Olympic champ Yiwen Chen, 379.05 to 369.90, with Australia’s Paris 2024 silver winner Maddison Keeney third (336.55).

In the 3 m Synchro, Olympic champions Chen and Yani Chang were easy winners at 312.54, followed by Canada’s Sonya Palkhivala and Amelie-Laura Jasmin (276.30); Americans Kyndal Knight and Anna Kwong finished sixth (257.40).

In the women’s Platform diving, Paris silver winner Yuxi Chen (19) and Olympic champ Hongchan Quan (18) went 1-2 at 417.55 and 407.55, with American Anna Lemkin in 11th at 263.30. In the 10 m Synchro, China’s Wei Lu and Minjie Zhang won at 327.36, ahead of Mexico’s Gabriela Agundez and Alejandra Estudillo (291.90), with Lemkin and Lanie Gutch of the U.S. in fourth (274.26).

China won the Mixed Team event, with Yuxi Chen, Yiwen Chen, Zilong Cheng and Zongyuan Wong with 478.80 points, way ahead of Mexico (412.70) and Italy (402.45), with the U.S. (Gutch, Jack Ryan, Sophia Verzyl and Tyler) in fifth, scoring 385.85.

● Gymnastics ● A break-out performance for 17-year-old Jayla Hang of the U.S. at the FIG Apparatus World Cup in Osijek (CRO)!

The World Junior All-Around fourth-placer in 2023, Hang started with a bronze on the Vault at 13.766, behind winner Valentina Georgieva (BUL: 14.149) and China’s Linmin Yu (14.066). She was eighth on the Uneven Bars (11.666), won by China’s Fanyuwei Yang (13.766), then scored a silver on Beam, behind only Eythora Thorsdottir (NED), 13.900 to 13.766.

Finally, Hang won on Floor, scoring 13.466, ahead of Israeli Yali Shoshani (13.300), for her second career World Cup gold and third medal of the meet. 

Israel scored two men’s wins, with Tokyo Olympic Floor winner Artem Dolgopyat winning that event at 14.133, ahead of American Jun Iwai (14.133), earning a medal in his World Dup debut.

Ron Pyatov got the other Israeli gold, winning the Parallel Bars at 14.300, ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Minh Casali (14.133).

Armenia’s Hamlet Manukyan took the Pommel Horse (14.633), 2022 World Champion Adem Asil (TUR) won on Rings in a tight battle with Nikita Simonov, 14.700 to 14.500, and Croatia’s Aurel Benovic scored a 14.400 to 14.383 win on Vault over Paris Olympic bronze medalist Harry Hepworth (14.383).

Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, the 2023 Worlds Floor bronze winner, took the Horizontal Bar title at 14.666, over Alexander Myakinin (ISR: 14.433) with Iwai in eighth place (12.433).

● Ice Hockey ● At the IIHF Women’s World Championships in Ceske Budejovice (CZE), the undefeated American and Canadian teams faced off on Sunday after two easy wins each. The U.S. handled Finland, 7-1 and the Czechs by 4-0 and Canada posted victories against the Finns (5-0) and by 4-0 against the Swiss.

The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by defender Lee Stecklein at 10:36 and then double the edge at 12:22 of the second from a slick goal by defender Megan Keller, taking the puck at center ice, weaving through three defenders and wristing a shot past two more. The Americans had an 18:12 edge on shots after two periods.

In the third, the U.S. was aggressive, but Canada got right back in it with a goal at 6:50 from Laura Stacey, but that was all the scoring. The U.S. controlled the action, even when Canada added an extra attacker in the last two minutes and American keeper Aerin Frankel turned away a Stacey try in the final minute to preserve the 2-1 victory. The U.S. ended with a 28-19 shots edge for the game.

In the 24 prior women’s Worlds, the U.S. and Canada have played in the final in 23 of them, and four straight and will be favored to do so again. Group play continues through the 15th with the playoffs beginning on 17 April.

● Ski Mountaineering ● The ninth and final ISMF World Cup of the season was in Tromso (NOR), with Swiss Remi Bonnet finishing a perfect Vertical Race season with his fourth win in four races, in 18:41.9, comfortably ahead of Belgian Maximilien Drion du Chapois (18:57.6).

The men’s Sprint went to Swiss Thomas Bussard for his first win of the season, ahead of teammate Jon Kistler. The Individual Race on Sunday was another win for Bonnet, in 1:02:41.6, ahead of Davide Magnini (ITA: 1:03:14.5) and teammate Matteo Eydallin (1:04:29.7). Bonnet also won all four of the Individual World Cup races this season.

The women’s Vertical saw the third win in four races for French star Axelle Gachet Mollaret, an easy winner in 22:00.2, ahead of teammate Emily Harrop (22:37.7). In the Sprint, it was Harrop once again, with her seventh win in seven races in 3:30.2, beating Marianne Fatton (SUI: 3:24.8).

Sunday’s Individual Race was a second gold – and a perfect, four-for-four season, for Gachet Mollaret (1:14:14.1), again ahead of Harrop (1:16:11.8) and Alba de Silvesto (ITA: 1:17:09.7).

● Swimming ● A world record in the men’s 400 m Freestyle, with Germany’s Olympic champ Lukas Martens winning the Stockholm Open in Sweden in 3:39.96 to remove the 3:40.07 by countryman Paul Biedermann from 2009.

Martens smashed another of the “super suit” world records, aided by polyurethane swim suits which were banned in 2010. Men’s world marks from the “super suit” era remain in the 50 m Free, 200 m Free (by Biedermann), 800 m Free and 200 m Backstroke, plus the 4×200 m Freestyle.

● Water Polo ● Defending champion Spain and emerging power Greece faced off in the World Cup men’s final in Podgorica (MNE), after the Greeks defeated Hungary, 18-14, in their semi and the Spanish got by Croatia, 19-14.

Greece had not make the final of this tournament since 1997, but jumped on the 2023 World Cup winners with a 4-2 lead after the first period, but after an 10-goal second quarter, the game was tied, 8-8, at half. The Spanish poured in four more in the third for a 12-10 lead, and held on. Both sides scored four in the fourth and Spain prevailed, 16-14. It’s their second straight title after having never made the final before their 2023 win.

In the third-place match, Hungary and Croatia were in a 14-14 tie after regulation and went to a penalty shoot-out, with the Hungarians managing a final, 18-15 victory.

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ATHLETICS: Discus insanity in Oklahoma, with two world records for Alekna in same series, American Record for Allman!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Men’s discus world-record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania (Photo: Marta Gorczynska for Diamond League AG).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★

≡ DISCUS RECORD FRENZY ≡

At the thrower-friendly Throw Town World Invitational in Ramona, Oklahoma, the discus was again the star, thanks to astonishing winds which allow the platter to go further than anywhere else. After a world record in the men’s discus in 2024 by Lithuanian star Mykolas Alekna, field-event fans had this weekend circled.

Things got crazy starting on Saturday for the women. Louisville’s NCAA runner-up and Paris Olympic Jayden Ulrich extended her lifetime best by more than 3 m in round one, getting out to 69.39 m (227-8) for the world lead in 2025 and moving to no. 3 all-time U.S.!

But Olympic champ Valarie Allman and 2023 World Champion Lagi Tausaga-Collins were both watching and blew up the A section! Allman reached 69.52 m (228-1) on her first throw, only to lose the lead to Tausaga-Collins with a world-leading 70.72 m (232-0).

No problem for Allman, who whirled to a world-leading 73.52 m (241-2) monster in round three, improving her American Record by 2 m from 71.46 m (234-5) in 2022) and now to no. 6 all-time! It’s the longest throw in the women’s disc since 1989! And it’s the no. 10 throw ever.

And even with the aiding wind, one can make the case that this was likely the longest throw ever – a world record – with doping controls actually in place.

Allman continued with a great series, finishing with 66.71 m (218-1), 68.10 m (223-5) and a mighty 70.16 m (230-2). Allman authored the no. 1 and 9 throws in U.S. history; Tausaga stays at as the no. 2 performer ever and her throw is no. 6 ever.

In third was Veronica Fraley, the 2024 NCAA champ and Paris Olympian for Vanderbilt, who also got a lifetime best at 68.72 m (225-5) on her first throw, now no. 4 in U.S. history.

The men’s discus was on Sunday, and was insane. Throwing fourth in the first round of the A section was American Sam Mattis, who scored a lifetime best of 70.08 m (229-11) in Thursday’s Oklahoma Throws Series meet, to move to no. 8 all-time U.S. He unloaded another PR on Sunday, this time at 71.27 m (233-1), the no. 2 throw in American history! Only Ben Plucknett’s 1983 monster of 71.32 m (234-0) is longer.

Lithuania’s Alekna, the Olympic silver winner in Paris and at the 2023 Worlds – who set the world record in this meet last year – was the final thrower in the first round and responded brilliantly, taking the lead with another world-record throw, of 74.89 m (245-8)!

Then Australia’s Olympic bronze winner Matthew Denny, who won Thursday’s Oklahoma Throws Series meet at 74.25 m (243-7) and moved to no. 2 all-time, got hot again and reached 70.72 m (232-0) in round two and 72.24 m (237-0) in round three to pass Mattis for second and backed that up with a 71.78 m (235-6) toss in round four.

Then came Alekna, now trying for a world record on every throw, and he did it again to end the fourth round, spinning out to a stupendous 75.56 m (247-1)!

That’s two world records in the same series, done only once before, 49 years ago, when Olympic champion-to-be Mac Wilkins of the U.S. reached 69.80 m (229-0), 70.24 m (230-5) and 70.86 m (232-6) in San Jose, California on 1 May 1976!

Alekna fouled on his last two tries, but Denny was in rhythm and improved to 74.78 m (245-4) in round five and reached 73.36 m (240-8) in round six.

So, after Sunday’s carnage, the all-time list of the best throws ever (including secondary throws in series):

● 75.56 m (247-1), Mykolas Alekna (LTU), 2025
● 74.89 m (245-8), M. Alekna 2025 ~ in series
● 74.78 m (245-4), Matthew Denny (AUS), 2025
● 74.35 m (243-11), M. Alekna, 2024
● 74.25 m (243-7), Denny 2025
● 74.08 m (243-0), Jurgen Schult (GDR), 1986
● 73.88 m (242-8), Virgilijus Alekna (LTU), 2000
● 73.56 m (241-4), Denny 2025 ~ in series
● 73.46 m (241-0), Denny 2025 ~ in series
● 73.38 m (240-9), Gerd Kanter (EST), 2006 (10/5)

Seven of the top 10 ever were all in Ramona, in 2024 and 2025!

Elsewhere, Rachel Tanczos of the U.S. grabbed the world lead in the women’s hammer with a lifetime best 78.80 m (258-6) on her fifth throw on Friday, moving to no. 3 all-time U.S.!

Current men’s javelin world leader Curtis Thompson of the U.S. won at 81.97 m (268-11).

Incredible. And only in Oklahoma.

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ATHLETICS: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce apparently means it this time, will retire after 2025 season

By
Rich Perelman
-
Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates her 200 m win at the Pan American Games in Lima (Photo: Lima 2019)

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≡ SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE ≡

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games did not go the way Jamaican superstar Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce wanted. She qualified second in her heat of the women’s 100 m in 10.92, but an injury sidelined her for the semis and left her not only out of the 100, but the 4×100 m relay as well.

Although she expected to retire after Paris, she has now indicated she’ll be back – at 38 – for one more season in 2025, although she has not raced yet:

● She told Fox5 New York during a 29 January interview promoting her plant-based hair-care line Afimi, that she “has one more year left.”

● Last Thursday (10th), she posted a career highlights video and added “unfinished business.”

It’s hard to overestimate the impact that Fraser-Pryce  – all of five feet tall – has had as an athlete and a role model, especially in Jamaica.

She made her first World Championships appearance in 2007 on the Jamaican 4×100 m relay that won silver and then went on a tear:

● 2007: Worlds 4×100 m silver
● 2008: Olympic 100 m gold
● 2009: Worlds 100 m gold, 4×100 m gold
● 2011: Worlds 4×100 m silver
● 2012: Olympic 100 m gold, 200 m silver, 4×100 m silver
● 2013: Worlds 100 m gold, 200 m gold, 4×100 m gold
● 2015: Worlds 100 m gold, 4×100 m gold
● 2016: Olympic 100 m bronze, 4×100 m silver
● 2019: Worlds 100 m gold, 4×100 m gold
● 2021: Olympic 100 m silver, 4×100 m gold
● 2022: Worlds 100 m gold, 200 m silver, 4×100 m silver
● 2023: Worlds 100 m bronze, 4×100 m silver

That’s eight Olympic medals (3-4-1) and 16 Worlds medals (10-5-1) across 16 seasons, including time out for maternity. She had the world-leading 100 m mark in six different seasons, including 2008-12-13-15-19-22, and is no. 3 all-time at 10.60 from 2021 (post-maternity). Amazing.

Fraser-Pryce said in her Fox5 interview that her return to gold in 2019 after having a son was especially impressive for her, as she wasn’t sure she could get back to championship form.

She has been running more sparingly in recent seasons, with 11 meets in the 100 and 200 m in 2022, then only four in 2023 and just three in 2024, all in the 100 m, ending after the heats in Paris.

Even with an abbreviated season in 2024, she still ranked 13th in the world at 10.91, so if she can fully healthy, she can be a factor in 2025. But she will end her career as an icon, for sure.

Fraser-Pryce will join former 400 m hurdles world-record holder and 2016 Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad (USA) as confirming their retirements after this season.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: LA28 removes equestrian from Galway Downs in Temecula; Santa Anita tipped as replacement

By
Rich Perelman
-
A Frederiksborg horse (Photo: FEI).

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≡ MORE VENUE MOVES ≡

/Updated/In the bid stage for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Los Angeles team proposed a temporary facility for Equestrian in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, which remained the plan for the 2028 Olympic Games, awarded in 2017.

That was changed in a 21 June 2024 announcement that the 242-acre equestrian facility at Galway Downs in Temecula would be the site for all of the equestrian events: Dressage, Jumping and Eventing.

This followed a stated desire by Olympic Broadcasting Services, the television production arm of the International Olympic Committee, to place all of the equestrian events in one place to increase the drama and reduce costs and production complexities. The selection of Galway Downs was approved as a venue change out of the City of Los Angeles on 28 March, subject to LA28 moving sailing to San Pedro; nevertheless, LA28 announced the approvals in a statement.

However, last Wednesday (9th), the LA28 organizers informed Galway Downs that it would not be hosting equestrian; Galway Downs owner Ken Smith said in a statement:

“We are extremely surprised that we were suddenly removed from consideration. We don’t understand how, based on the March 28 [Los Angeles] City Council’s vote of approval, that this could happen.

“When we started this process more than four years ago, we understood the equestrian venue selection for LA28 would be a highly competitive, evolving process. Being selected as the proposed equestrian venue put Galway Downs and Temecula Valley on the world stage. We’re very proud of that, and we’re just getting started. Galway Downs will continue to host elite national and international competitions as well as additional sporting events.”

And he wasn’t the only one surprised:

● Said Temecula Mayor Brenden Kalfus:

“Galway Downs has showcased its equestrian center in Temecula Valley as the superior venue capable of hosting all Olympic equestrian games.

“While the city is disheartened to learn of this abrupt change, particularly in light of LA28’s venue approval granted by the Los Angeles City Council just two weeks ago, we remain confident that Galway Downs will continue its legacy and mission uninterrupted as a vibrant, world-class Olympic-caliber equestrian presence in Temecula Valley.”

● U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-Temecula) said in a published statement on Saturday:

“I’m deeply disappointed to learn that Galway Downs in Temecula is reportedly no longer LA28’s proposed host site for equestrian events at the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games. This abrupt move appears arbitrary, unwarranted, and our community deserves a clear explanation of the process that led to this change. At this time, a satisfactory reason has yet to be offered.

“It must be said that for several years, the state-of-the-art facility at Galway Downs, the city of Temecula, and the Riverside County community have prepared to host these important events and showcase the very best that all three have to offer. Significant investments in time, material, and preparation have already been dedicated to serving as the host site, and Galway Downs is the only equestrian venue in the greater Los Angeles region with the existing infrastructure to accommodate all Equestrian Events, including a full-length cross-country course.

“I look forward to productive and informative conversations and a more comprehensive transparent process that provides fundamental fairness to Galway Downs and unifies our Southern California community as we welcome the world to our home in 2028.”

LA28 has not revealed a new venue for equestrian. The sport was held at Riviera Country Club for dressage and jumping in 1932 with the cross-country competition on a road course in Westchester. In 1984, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California hosted dressage and jumping, but the cross-country event was held at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in San Diego, California.

San Diego is also the home to the 212-acre Del Mar Fairgrounds, which includes a long-established – since 1937 – thoroughbred racing meet, now from 18 July to 7 September in 2025 plus 30 October to 30 November. It will host the Breeders’ Cup world championship on 31 October and 1 November this year. Del Mar could be an alternative if a suitable course for the cross-country event can be determined.

/Update/A post on dressage-news.com reported that Santa Anita would be the 2028 site, as it was in 1984. Part of the permanent grandstand and temporary seating was used to create a 33,000-seat venue for Dressage and Jumping then, but the summer weather was considered too hot for horses for the cross-country event and so it was held at Fairbanks Ranch, requiring the horses to be transported south and then north again. No announcement from LA28 as yet.

At present, there are nine full sports, two sports disciplines and the football prelims sites which are not located as yet for the 2028 Olympic Games:

● Boxing
● Cycling/Road and Mountain Bike
● Equestrian
● Football preliminaries (to be held out of state)
● Sport Climbing
● Surfing (expected to be Huntington Beach or Lower Tresles)
● Shooting (expected to be Prado Olympic Shooting Park or another local site)
● Volleyball (Beach and Indoor)
● Baseball (expected to be Dodger Stadium)
● Cricket T20
● Squash

While the International Olympic Committee approved the overall venue master plan at its Executive Board meeting last week, it has left announcements of specific venue moves to the LA28 organizers.

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ATHLETICS: Lots of critiques and suggestions for Michael Johnson following Grand Slam Track I in Kingston

By
Rich Perelman
-
SportsMax TV anchor Mariah Kelly and analyst Leighton Levy reviewing Grand Slam Track I (Image: SportsMax.tv screen shot).

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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

One sign of success for the debut of the Grand Slam Track circuit last weekend in Kingston, Jamaica, is the continuing chatter about it in track & field circles.

For U.S. fans, for whom any kind of news coverage of track & field is a surprise, consider that the Caribbean sports channel SportsMax.tv devoted 19 minutes to a review of the circuit debut, primarily with SportsMax.tv editor and track and field analyst Leighton Levy (JAM).

Asked if the meet was hit-or-miss, Levy said:

“Hit in terms of the performances, and miss in terms of the crowd.

“The crowd engagement was fine but the numbers weren’t what they were expecting. … [Founder] Michael Johnson alluded to that yesterday when we spoke after the after the meet concluded; he said the crowd was disappointing but they were engaged.

“And that is where it was let down because I think they made a number of – I don’t want to call them flubs – but I don’t think they understand or understood the culture of Jamaica or the nuances that affect this country in terms of disposable income and those other things that I believe impacted the the attendance.

“For example, Sunday at 12:00, most Jamaicans are thinking about Sunday dinner, are not thinking about leaving their homes, and on a Friday, you know, 5:30 in the evening is when most people are leaving work and battling what usually is gridlock traffic or on a Friday afternoon in the city.

“Those are some of the things that I think impacted the attendance overall but in terms of the performances I don’t think anybody can complain.”

Anchor Mariah Kelly added:

“One of the things I found that really stood out for me was the professionalism, like when I walked into the National Stadium, I think the atmosphere was nice, the environment, I just wish it had a bit of Caribbean flavor to it which I felt lacked personally.

“Because you know one of the things Caribbean people like is music and entertainment and all of that and I felt like if there was that bit of flavor it probably would have drawn a bit more people.”

Levy wasn’t sure better entertainment would have helped, and observed:

“I think the timing of the meet in terms of when it started for one, and I don’t think there was enough beating of the bushes on the ground in Jamaica.

“I think social media was fantastic in terms of how they engaged their their fans on social media – Instagram, Tik Tok – you know all the different platforms. But in terms of on-the-ground I don’t think there were a lot of people who were engaged, because I remember talking to some people in New Kingston about two-three weeks before the meet started and some of them weren’t even aware.”

He also mentioned the lack of some of the big-name stars who did not appear, such as Jamaican sprinters Shericka Jackson, Kishane Thompson or American Noah Lyles.

It was also noted that veteran track watchers in Jamaica do not want to sit in the National Stadium on the backstraight during daylight hours because it’s so hot. And it was.

Levy was asked about whether Grand Slam Track would return in 2025:

“Well it was difficult to say, because there were people who I was speaking to weren’t giving much away. What Michael Johnson did say, he was asked directly whether or not the Grand Slam leg has a future in Jamaica and he says everything is under review; that was all he was willing to say, which suggests to me that for right now they are not particularly convinced that Jamaica is the ideal venue for a Grand Slam meet.

“They want to see full stadiums, they want to see energy, which we did have, but it sells better – you sell a better product when you have fans from all sides of the stadium sharing and enjoying the proceedings and I think they were let down by the fan support.”

Co-anchor Ricardo Chambers said the fan issues can be fixed:

“I think the reasons can be fixed from Grand Slam’s standpoint because I think if they understand the culture, if they understand the reality of Jamaica and make certain adjustments, then you will see significantly better crowds, so I think that’s more on Grand Slam than it is on the fans.”

Levy added one last observation that Grand Slam Track invested $450,000 to resurface the track and made other upgrades to the stadium, and asked, “do you want to walk away from that investment?”

Johnson, to his credit, went to X on Monday and asked, “What can we do over the season to make @GrandSlamTrack better?”

He got dozens and dozens of replies; some of those which expressed recurring comments included:

● “Reduce dead time between events.”

● “More solid bibs” and “The bibs are ripped and make no sense just have actual jerseys.”

● “More storytelling, more behind the scenes, crowd engagement.”

● “Split screen in cases like the men’s 3k (winner on main cam, series battle in secondary cam).”

● “Pace of action is the biggest issue. Without field events, starts need to be much tighter. Too much dead air.

● “2+ hours 3 days in a row is a lot. Even as a super track fan, 2 days would be preferred.”

● “In stadium energy needs a boost. Pull out all stops to fill stands. Think about some visual effects – lights/pyro/other.”

● “Easily could’ve had field events. Athletes compete during down time btwn races. 3 jumps/throws each.”

● “Racers and challengers should intro themselves like the NFL: ‘Jason [Kelce] U of Cincinnati’ or something like that.

● “Butts in the seats. But what you’re attempting to do is exactly what we’ve all wanted. Betting, beer, speed = excitement. You’ve clearly got the comp, just set it in the right place, where the crowd matches the energy.”

And there was this reminder of reality:

“Tighter broadcast/timeline for sure. Need to keep the ante going, otherwise it is too easy to get into phone scrolling and get distracted, attention spans these days (for both in-stadium and TV).”

The second leg of the four-meet circuit comes from 2-4 May in Miramar, Florida, no doubt keeping some of these ideas in mind.

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SPORTS MEDICINE: Australian study showed 35% of non-certified sports supplements had World Anti-Doping Code-prohibited substances

By
Rich Perelman
-
An Australian study warned against the use of non-certified sports supplements (Photo: Wikipedia via ragesoss).

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≡ SUPPLEMENT DANGERS ≡

Sports supplements are commonly taken by elite athletes, but a new study released by Sport Integrity Australia once again rang the warning bell:

● “Of the 200 products tested, 35%, around one in three, were found to contain one or more WADA Prohibited Substances. This demonstrates that the risk from sports supplements in Australia remains high.”

● “In this most recent survey, 57% of the positive products did not list the prohibited ingredients on their packaging or website, leaving athletes vulnerable to unknowingly breaching anti-doping rules. Products marketed as pre-workouts, fat burners and muscle builders were the most likely to be contaminated.”

The study, completed in February 2025 and conducted by an independent lab commissioned to do testing by Sport Integrity Australia of commercially-available supplements, acquired 201 different products in random online orders:

“The categories of sports supplements (product type) provided to the purchaser to buy were amino acids, creatines, protein powders, fat burners, pre-workout, post workout, nootropics and muscle builders (including claims of testosterone boosters).”

Of these, fat burners made up more than a quarter of the total items obtained (~27%), with muscle builders second at 15%. The labels were inspected to see if any prohibited substances – according to the World Anti-Doping Code – were listed, and then tested. The results:

● 128 out of 201 (64%) had no issues with prohibited substances.
● 70 out of 201 (35%) included prohibited substances
● 3 out of 201 (1%) were not fully analyzable.

The results by supplement type for prohibited substances:

● 53% (17 of 32) of muscle-builders
● 49% (27 of 55) of fat burners
● 40% (2 of 5) of nootropics
● 34% (20 of 58) for pre-workout supplements
● 20% (1 of 5) for post-workout supplements
● 10% (2 of 21) of amino acids
● 7% (1 of 14) for protein supplements
● 0% (0 of 11) for creatine

In all, that’s 70 out of 201 or 35%, with all of the prohibited substances on one of the classes of anabolic agents, all strictly prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Code.

Of these 70 products which had banned substances, in terms of warnings to the user:

● 57% (40 of 70) had banned substances not disclosed on the label
● 40% (30 of 70) listed names or synonyms on the label

Six of the 70 had warnings on the label, “not to consume if subject to WADA testing.”

The conclusion was:

“The prevalence rate for products containing a WADA Prohibited Substance in this survey was 35%; therefore, an athlete purchasing an uncertified product online has a one in three chance that the product contains a WADA Prohibited Substance.”

Sport Integrity Australia Director of Research, Dr. Naomi Speers, “urged athletes to only use supplements that have been screened for prohibited substances by independent companies such as HASTA and Informed Sport, through a process known as batch testing.

“While no supplement is 100 per cent safe, batch-tested products significantly reduce the risk of contamination because an independent laboratory has already run some checks to see if the product contains a prohibited ingredient before it gets on the shelf.

“We encourage athletes to check all their supplements by using the Sport Integrity app.”

The app offers a list of more than 12,000 batch-tested supplements sold in Australia, and has been effective in reducing supplement-related positives, down to just one in 2024.

It is making a difference.

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PANORAMA: Cycling star Pogacar faces “Hell of the North” Sunday; disappointment on LA28 quotas for pentathlon, surfing and weightlifting

By
Rich Perelman
-
Four Il Lombardia titles in a row for Slovenia’s amazing Tadej Pogacar (Photo: UAE-Team Emirates).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● Fascinating article by high-performance coach and author George Perry on a possible future revision in the way that the U.S. Center for SafeSport operates.

Perry notes that the Center was created by Congress in 2018, but without any agency oversight:

● “Congress did not grant any government agency the power to regulate the Center for SafeSport; nor did Congress charge any agency with safeguarding America’s youth athletes. Congress conferred that power directly to a private nonprofit corporation, the Center for SafeSport.”

● “The 2018 amendment to the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act went even farther. Rather than simply giving the center unregulated and unreviewable authority to do as it sees fit, Congress delegated to the center its exclusive power to write laws.”

Because of this, Perry explained:

“This is known as dynamic incorporation, whereby Congress gives some other entity a free hand to promulgate rules that take on the force of U.S. federal law. …

“The Center for SafeSport, therefore, is sitting on an unprecedented dual grant of government power: it can set and enforce its own rules without any government review, and those rules take on the force of federal law.”

However, a case now being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, FCC v. Consumers’ Research, is testing this concept, about a delegation of power in the telecommunications sector. That decision could end up impacting the way SafeSport operates, including assignment of an agency parent charged with oversight.

● Cycling ● Lots of interest in Sunday’s 122nd Paris-Roubaix race, one of the five “Monument” races in the sport and famous (infamous?) for its heavy inclusion of teeth-chattering cobblestone roads (actually granite blocks) in the course.

The 2025 route from Compiegne to Roubaix is 259 km for the men, with 30 sections of cobbles totaling 55 km! Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel is the two-time defending champion, both times beating out Belgian star Jasper Philipsen.

But the focus will be on Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, who won the 2024 Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the World Road title race last year and already owns wins in three Monument races:

● Ronde van Vlaanderen (2): 2023, 2025
● Liege-Bastogne-Liege (2): 2021, 2024
● Il Lombardia (4): 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

He missed out on a win at Milan-Sanremo on 22 March this year, finishing third for the second year in a row, in his fifth entry in the race. This will be his first try at Paris-Roubaix, nicknamed “L’Enfer du Nord” or “the Hell of the North.”

The fifth Paris-Roubaix women’s route is 148.5 km, riding on the final 17 sectors of the men’s course, with 29.2 km of cobbles. Belgian star Lotte Kopecky is the defending champion, also second in 2022 and coming off an important win in the Ronde van Vlaanderen race on 6 April.

Canada’s Alison Jackson, the 2023 winner, is also entered.

● Ice Hockey ● In Wednesday’s opening matches of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice (CZE), the U.S. smashed Finland, 7-1, in the opener and the host Czech Republic blanked Switzerland, 3-0.

Hayley Scamurra had two goals for the U.S. and Aerin Frankel turned away 19 of 20 shots in goal.

On Thursday, Canada had no trouble with Finland, 5-0, with Jennifer Gardiner scoring twice.

Group play will continue through the 15th.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne responded to the loss of eight athlete entry quota spots for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in an unhappy statement:

“We note with considerable disappointment the decision by the IOC to reduce the LA28 quota for Modern Pentathlon from 72 to 64 athletes. It is clear that the selection of five new team sports especially for LA28 has created a challenge around overall athlete numbers.

“The decision is difficult to accept after everything the Pentathlon community has done to help remodel our historic multisport to become a leader in sport innovation, in line with the future direction of the Olympic Games. Modern Pentathlon worked in close collaboration with the IOC throughout this process, making the news even more unexpected. We look forward to further dialogue with the IOC Sports Department on this matter.

“That said, our community is resilient and we will prove to the world in three years’ time that our new-look Pentathlon is worth an enhanced, not diluted, place in future Games.”

● Shooting ● The International Shooting Sport Federation welcomed the announcement of its 2028 event program, and added that there will be changes to the formats of some events:

● The number of athletes in finals for Skeet and Trap and the men’s 25m Rapid-Fire Pistol will increase from six to eight, the same as the other individual finals.

● The 50 m Rifle/3 Positions final will be from the standing position only; however, qualifying will remain prone, kneeling and standing sections. This will speed up the timing of the event and help with television coverage.

● Mixed team finals will move from one-on-one medal matches to four teams shooting at once, with an elimination format after each round.

These format changes will apply as of 1 January 2026 and be included in the qualifying events for the LA28 Games.

The ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires (ARG) concluded on Thursday with two Mixed Team events. It was an all-China final in the Mixed Team 10 m Air Pistol, as Qianke Ma and Yifan Zhang defeated Qianxun Yao and Ku Hai, 16-10.

The Chinese Taipei team of Kun-Pi Yang and Wan-Yu Liu won the Mixed Team Trap gold, dispatching Australia’s Mitchell Iles and Penny Smith, 35-32.

China topped the medal table with 11 (5-3-3), ahead of India (8: 4-2-2) and the U.S. (6: 2-3-1).

● Surfing ● “The International Surfing Association (ISA) acknowledges with disappointment the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to include Longboard Surfing in the LA28 Olympic Games.

“The ISA appreciated the opportunity to present Longboard’s value for Olympic inclusion and are grateful for its consideration in the LA28 program. While our request for additional athletes for Shortboard Surfing was also declined, we will continue our push for greater participation at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.”

The Shortboard discipline was continued for 2028, with 48 athletes to compete.

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation acknowledged the allocation of 120 athlete spots for the 2028 Olympic Games, with some disappointment:

“While the International Weightlifting Federation had requested an increase of the existing bodyweight categories (from five to seven, for both men and women) with a minimal impact on the final number of athletes (from the present 120, to 126), our International Federation understands that within the context of keeping the 10’500-athlete overall quota (excluding the five sports proposed by the LA28 OCOG), there wasn’t a wide available margin for the sport of Weightlifting.”

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LANE ONE: Who won and who lost in the IOC’s 2028 Olympic events derby? Plus, why no beach volleyball in Santa Monica now makes sense

By
Rich Perelman
-
Artist's rendering of the LA28 gymnastics venue in downtown Los Angeles (Image: LA28)

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≡ LA28 IN SHARPER FOCUS ≡

The announcement of the 2028 Olympic event program and the athlete entry quotas for each revealed Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee inevitably has winners and losers among the 31 primary sports now part of the Games.

Here are five winning changes for six International Federations for 2028:

● Aquatics
Two long-sought additions to the aquatics program were made, with the addition of the men’s and women’s 50 m Backstrokes, Breaststrokes and Butterflys and the addition of four teams in women’s water polo, so that both the men’s and women’s tournaments have 12 teams.

World Aquatics has been lobbying for this seemingly forever and now has its wish, but at a price. The cost is that there was no increase in the number of athletes who can be entered in total, which remained at 1,370. Squads were limited to 12 players at Paris 2024, so the four new women’s polo teams chop 48 athletes out of swimming or diving or artistic swimming.

And how will swimming squads be arranged to allow for entries in the six added events? There are going to be great swimmers who won’t be in the pool in 2028 due to the limitations that will come from today’s additions.

● Archery
World Archery has long sought the addition of one or more Compound events, to go along with the traditional Recurve events. It got its wish with a Compound Mixed Team event, but – again – the overall quota of 128 archery remained the same. Some Recurve archers will have to stay home.

● Football
FIFA got two wins with the addition of four women’s team for a 16-team tournament and the reduction of four teams for men, down to 12. First, no change in its player quota was needed: still at 504. Moreover, the women’s expansion continues to promote that side of the sport, while further degrading the men’s tournament, which is fine with FIFA, making the U-23 teams (with up to three overage adds) even less of a threat to its ultra-lucrative men’s World Cup.

● Golf and Gymnastics
In an easy add to expand the programs of these popular sports, a mixed team event of some format was added to both sports. No addition in quota, so the competitors will come from the existing entry pool, but it’s more sessions to sell to spectators and to show on television.

● Sport Climbing
In this sport, separate events are held in Speed, Lead and Boulder. For Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, artificial combined events were held, but now each event will be contested on its own, as is normally seen. The quota was expanded from 68 to 76 athletes to make this happen, a great outcome for the sport.

The obvious losers:

● Athletics
Race walkers, already angry at the loss of the men’s 50 km Walk in Paris for a mixed relay, saw that event go away altogether! Now, two events will be held, a men’s and women’s Half Marathon, replacing the prior 20 km events. At least the athletics quota of 1,810 was not touched, so these events might get a few more entries.

● Modern Pentathlon
Although IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell (NZL) went to some lengths to praise the new direction of the sport – insisted on by the IOC – it still cut the quota from 72 to 64 and gave the spots to Sport Climbing. That’s not a good thing by any means.

● Weightlifting
This sport was in serious jeopardy of being left off the 2028 program completely due to its long history with doping. But it made it back in, but with only 120 entries, after having 196 at Tokyo 2020 and 260 at Rio 2016! All the pressure from the other 30 sports and the 10,500 athlete limit are going to make it hard for this sport to ever make it back to where it was before.

Adding in the 698 athletes in the five added sports requested by the LA28 organizers, and the total is projected to 11,198 athletes across a record 36 sports and 351 events, with 5,655 women (50.5%) and 5,543 men (49.5%), another Olympic first.

One of the announcements that had been expected was the full venue plan for LA28, which was agreed – sort of – with the IOC Executive Board, with the organizing committee to make future announcements.

But at Wednesday’s news conference, IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi (SUI), provided significant insight into what can be expected:

“Today the Executive Board has validated the master plan in broad terms, and that’s a really practical and helpful step forward. As for the announcement, including each and every detail, let’s be clear, this will be the responsibility of L.A.

“What I can tell you, though, is that the key principles that were followed for the establishment of the master plan were to use and maximize the use of existing venues, no new permanent infrastructures, maximize also the opportunities within the City of L.A. and also re-group the venues to avoid stand-alones.

“Every time you have stand-alone, you’re complex-ifying the operations.

“So, all-in-all, these principles were followed and now the master plan has been adopted. For the details, let’s wait until L.A. will make the announcement.”

The key language here:

● “maximize also the opportunities within the City of L.A.”
● “re-group the venues to avoid stand-alones.”

Both are going to come into play quickly:

● From the “stand-alones” perspective, it makes perfect sense why continuing to pursue beach volleyball in Santa Monica was dropped. Not only was the City of Santa Monica recalcitrant, but this venue was all by itself.

So, following this logic, doesn’t it make better sense to group beach volleyball and surfing together in Huntington Beach, already a finalist for the surfers and a historic site for beach volleyball?

● The comment about maximizing venues inside the City of Los Angeles is a tantalizing possible reference to a move of sailing to San Pedro from Long Beach, being noisily insisted on by L.A. City Council member Tim McOsker. But that’s not sure at all, as there are other issues in play in that sport.

However, it could be a signal about how some other events are sorted out, such as the marathons, race walks and road cycling events. Baseball will certainly be at Dodger Stadium, but is there a venue for indoor volleyball in L.A.? The Honda Center in Anaheim was proposed in the LA28 bid, and the Kia Forum in Inglewood is available, but both outside the city limits. What about boxing, originally at the L.A. Convention Center, but now homeless? And Mountain Bike, possibly in Griffith Park?

And Cricket and Squash are not yet assigned; surely Squash can find a spot in Los Angeles.

When Dubi speaks, it’s worth listening, so watch for LA28 to try and squeeze some more sports inside the city limits, to help make L.A. as much of a winner as possible.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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PANORAMA: Oklahoma City OKs $34.5M venue guarantee to LA28; three possible hosts for 2030 Commonwealth Games; Turkish unrest kills SportAccord

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Los Angeles City Council vote on continuing work on an agreement on a $2.2 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center (Photo: L.A. City Council video screen shot).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● “[T]he Oklahoma City Council unanimously approved a resolution expressing full support and commitment to staging the canoe slalom and softball events in OKC as part of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.”

The financial aspect of the action means “The City will secure a financial guarantee with appropriate partners of $34.5 million to be paid to LA28 only if Oklahoma City does not fulfill its commitment to stage these events.” The commitment is for:

● “The City commits to providing the necessary city venues, including the whitewater and softball facilities, the Oklahoma City Convention Center, Scissortail Park, Paycom Center and other city properties, as needed.”

● “Maintenance and Improvements: The City and OCPPA will ensure necessary maintenance and improvements to the whitewater and softball facilities, complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

● “City Services: The City will provide essential services such as security, public safety, police, fire and EMS services, transit and transportation, traffic management and sanitation services.”

Said Mayor David Holt: “This was our first opportunity as a City Council to state our official support for staging two sports during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“This resolution of commitment is the first of many official actions the council will take over the next three years relative to this historic event. I’m grateful to the City Council for their unanimous vote.”

The Los Angeles City Council debated at length the viability of moving ahead of a major, $2.2 billion upgrade of the Los Angeles Convention Center, with construction that would begin prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, pause, and then be completed afterwards.

There was significant discussion about financial risks, and also the possibility of construction issues which might impact the use of the Convention Center during the 2028 Olympic Games. The construction schedule would be monitored closely to ensure that work would end in time for the use by LA28, with fencing, judo, table tennis and wrestling now scheduled to be held there, and more may be added.

Ultimately, the Council voted to go ahead by 14-1 with negotiations on an agreement to build the upgrade, and answers on the ability to place freeway-facing signage on the Convention Center exterior, with a final yes-or-no on the decision due in a couple of months. The new efforts to get to an agreement ready for approval are estimated to cost the City $27.75 million.

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The International Olympic Committee announced the completion and signature of the Olympic Host Contract, which included the financial guarantees provided by the French government and the regional governments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

● Commonwealth Games 2030 ● GamesBids.com reported that signals of interest to host the centennial Commonwealth Games in 2030 were made by Canada, India and Nigeria, but not yet confirmed by Commonwealth Sport.

If agreed to bid by Commonwealth Sport, the formal bids will be developed through August, with the host selection to be made at the 2025 Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in November.

The inaugural 1930 British Empire Games was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which passed on the 2030 event. Commonwealth Sports Canada’s letter noted the support of the governments of Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island, and the Ontario Regional Chief for the Chiefs in Ontario, to “co-create” a Commonwealth Games along the flexible lines now in use by Commonwealth Sport.

● SportAccord ● “It is with great disappointment that SportAccord announces the cancellation of the 2025 edition of the SportAccord Convention, which had been scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 9 to 12 June.

“Following a comprehensive assessment by the SportAccord Executive Committee, and in light of the evolving political context and unresolved issues at the host city level, it was concluded that the Convention could not proceed as planned.

“However, the removal of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from office on 19 March 2025 led to political disruption in the days that followed, during which Acting Mayor Nuri Aslan was appointed. As a result, several fundamental conditions for hosting the event could no longer be met, and it was decided that the event could no longer proceed. It is hoped that these developments will not affect other major international events scheduled to take place in the city.”

SportAccord has been a key meeting point for the international sports community, with 1,700 attendees from 65 countries in Birmingham (ENG) in 2024. The choice of Istanbul had only been announced on 13 March.

● Women’s Sport ● Sports Illustrated, now run by technology and content company Minute Media, announced a six-day “SI Women’s Games” to be held in Oceanside, California – north of San Diego – from 28 October to 2 November of this year:

“Teams of domestic and international athletes representing ‘Team Americas’ and ‘Team World’ will participate in a week-long series of team and individual competitions across basketball, gymnastics, tennis, flag football, volleyball and combat sports.”

The event will be shown via an agreement with Scripps Sports for ION in the U.S.

● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires (ARG), 42-year-old Jean Pierre Brol (GUA) won the men’s Trap final from American stars Walton Eller, 43 – the 2008 Olympic Double Trap winner – and Paris Olympian Will Hinton, 46-43-31 in the Wednesday final.

Australia’s Penny Smith, the Paris bronze winner, took the women’s title, scoring 44/50, including her last 15 in a row, to edge 20-year-old Carey Garrison of the U.S., the 2023 World Junior bronze winner (42/50).

China’s Zifei Wang and Buhan Song won the Mixed 10 m Air Rifle gold, beating India, 17-9, in the final. The competition ends on the 11th.

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