★ 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! ★
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Athletics ● World Champion Cordell Tinch of the U.S. got his first Diamond League win of the season on Friday in Doha (QAT), after a second and fifth in two prior Diamond League meets and third at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. The time of 13.23 wasn’t fast, but he was happy:
“We have been practicing well and feeling well, been healthy, to come out here and finally get over the hump of getting a win, I do not think people understand how much is in track and field.
“Just getting that the first one really does matter and you are able to keep the ball rolling from here. So finally to come out here, be able to get one. Not the fastest race but at the same time, we are in the same condition, so to be able to come out and be one that wins feels great.
“It is about how to navigate. It was very challenging last year to be able to come out and run as well as I did all year. This year, I did not start off the best but to build back up towards the end of the season and know that everyone is looking to beat you, that is another type of challenge.”
The other American winner was 22-year-old Addy Wiley, the 2026 World Indoor bronze winner, in the women’s 800 m in a seasonal best 1:57.98, her fifth-fastest ever:
“I feel super honored to be able to get a win and that experience has definitely built throughout the Diamond Leagues to make this possible. I have been thinking about winning a Diamond League meeting for over a year now.
“I ran too hard and I knew I had put my all out there, no matter what the outcome was, but I kind of just asked myself ‘how bad do you want this, do you want today to be the day or do you want to get second place again?’”
● Skiing & Snowboard ● In an announcement which shows a move toward unity by the larger federations, former International Ski & Snowboard Federation Secretary General Urs Lehmann (SUI) is coming back as the interim FIS Secretary General.
He will serve from 1 July to 31 March 2027, with a search process on now. The statement also noted that new President Alex Ospelt (LIE) and the FIS Council “have agreed to establish a separate Working Group to review the financial situation of FIS and to prepare proposals where necessary.” This was a significant issue in the FIS Presidential campaign.
● Tennis ● American icon Serena Williams, 44, will return to Wimbledon in the women’s Singles division after receiving a wild-card invitation on Sunday. She will also play Doubles with sister Venus, 46.
She has won the Wimbledon Singles title seven times, the last time in 2016; Her last appearance was in 2022, losing in the first round. Her career Wimbledon Singles record is 98-14 in 21 appearances.
≡ RESULTS ≡
● Artistic Swimming ● China was the big winner at the World Aquatics Super Final in Toronto (CAN), with World Champion Huiyan Xu taking the women’s Solo Technical at 264.4450 and then teaming with Yanjun Lin to win the Duet Technical (314.0565) and Duet Free (315.0224).
Germany’s Klara Bleyer won the women’s Solo Fee at 281.6175. American Anita Alvarez was fourth in the Solo Tech (242.2800) and seventh in the Solo Free (234.0200). Alvarez and Jaime Czarkowski won the bronze in the Duet Tech (291.4334) and sixth in the Duet Free (279.3276).
Britain’s Ranjuo Tomblin won the men’s Solo Tech (249.2033), and the Solo Free (255.9600), with American David Llorente seventh (201.6338). Tomblin and Isabelle Thorpe won the Mixed Duet Tech (224.3934) and Mixed Duet Free (264.3033). Llorente and Yilian Yuan were seventh in the Tech and Llorente and 15-year-old Chloe Kim were sixth in the Free.
China won the Team Acrobatic event at 243.3207 with the U.S. fifth, and the Team Technical at 305.6316 with the U.S. second at 285.4617. Japan won the Team Free at 257.9333 and the U.S. was third at 238.2152.
● Athletics ● World Champion Oblique Seville won the Jamaican national men’s 100 m title in Kingston in a world-leading 9.82 (wind: +0.6 m/s), with 91-year-old Gary Card second in a lifetime best of 9.93.
Shericka Jackson won the women’s 100 m in 10.81 (-0.3), over Tina Clayton (10.85) and Jonielle Smith (10.94).
¶
At the Iron Wood Classic in Rathdrum, Idaho, World Indoor runner-up Jordan Geist of the U.S. moved to no. 4 on the 2026 world list with a shot put win at 22.24 m (72-11 3/4), his second-best throw ever.
Olympic and World Champion Valarie Sion won the women’s discus at 70.29 m (230-07) in the fifth round, improving on her 70.00 m (229-8) in round three. It’s her second meet of the year over 70 m.
¶
At the annual FBK Games in Hengelo (NED), Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol continued her move to the 800 m with a quality win in 1:57.41, not far off her best of 1:57.13 in Ostrava last week. The U.S. saw wins from Sam Prakel in the men’s 1,500 m (3:33.23) and Chris Nilsen in the vault (5.82 m/19-1).
● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Macau Open, Zhe An Hu (CHN) defeated Kantaphon Wang Charoen (THA) in the men’s Singles final, 11-21, 21-10, 21013, while top-seed Ga Eun Kim (KOR) swept countrywoman Ga Eun Park in the women’s final, 21-16, 21-13.
South Korea won the men’s Doubles and Chinese teams won the women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
● Boxing ● Uzbekistan led the medal table at the World Boxing Cup II in Guiyang City (CHN) with 11 total podiums, including four golds (4-3-4), but host China and Kazakhstan each won four classes and had nine (5-1-3) and eight medals (5-0-3), respectively.
The U.S. won two medals, both in men’s classes, with Lorenzo Patricio winning the 55 kg division and Marcus Luther taking a silver at 65 kg.
● Cycling ● At the UCI World Tour Tour de Suisse, a warm-up for the Tour de France, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar took the lead after the first stage and won the fourth-stage Individual Time Trial to pile up a 2:04 lead going into Sunday’s 150.7 km climbing finale into Villars-sur-Ollan.
Pogacar rode away from France’s Lenny Martinez to win stage five by seven seconds in 4:12:24. Overall, Pogacar finished in 15:08:43, up 6:32 on Richard Carapaz (ECU). Brandon McNulty was the top American finisher in sixth (+7:53).
The women’s Tour de Suisse saw four different riders take the race lead after the first four stages, with home favorite Marlon Reusser, who won the stage four Individual Time Trial and grabbed a 10-second lead on prior leader Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA).
Sunday’s 100.4 km, triple-climb route was a Reusser win in 3:07:20, riding away in the final 800 m from Cedrine Kerabol (FRA: +0:07) and Kasia Niewiadoma (POL: +0:07). Overall, Reusser finished in 11:58:35, 1:31 up on Kerabol and 2:02 ahead of Niewiadoma, with Longo Borghini fading to ninth on the final standings.
¶
At the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, Kate Courtney, the 2018 World Mountain Bike champ, continued her successful road career with a 3:02:30 win in Sunday’s women’s road championship. She rode away from Lauren Stephens on the sixth and final lap to win by five seconds with Grace Arlandson third (+0:09). Stephens was second for the second straight year.
Defending champion Quinn Simmons took over on the final two laps to win the 10-lap men’s road title in 4:43:16, beating Kevin Vermaerke (4:45:21) and 2017 winner Lawrence Warbasse (4:45:22). It’s Simmons’ third win in this race in the past four years.
¶
At the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lenzerheide (SUI), France’s 2021 World Junior Champion Adrien Boichis won the Short Track men’s race in 19:59, over countryman Luca Martin (20:01) and American Bjorn Riley (20:05). The top two were reversed in the Cross Country Olympic race, as Martin won in 1:20:43 with a brilliant final lap, and Boichis had to settle for second in 1:21:08. Riley was third again, in 1:21:41.
The women’s XCO went to Rio 2016 Olympic champ Jenny Rissveds (SWE) in 1:24:24, almost a minute up on Ronja Blochlinger (SUI: 1:25:22) and then Savilla Blunck of the U.S. (1:25:34). Blunck won the women’s Short Track race in 20:27, just ahead of Blochlinger (20:27) and 2018 World U-23 Champs winner Alessandra Keller (SUI: 20:31).
In the men’s Downhill,2024 Worlds bronzer Finn Iles (CAN) won again in 2:46:348, over 2019 Worlds bronze winner Amaury Pierron (FRA: 2:46.830) and American Asa Mermette (2:47.584). American Anna Newkirk won the women’s race in 3:12.917, ahead of Lisa Baumann (SUI: 3:13.508).
● Fencing ● The U.S. dominated the Pan American Championships in Lima (PER), sweeping all three men’s individual titles with Alexander Massialas (Foil), Gabriel Feinberg (Epee) and William Morrill (Sabre, over teammate Colin Heathcock). The U.S. men swept the team titles in Epee, Sabre and Foil.
The women’s winners included American Anna van Brummen in Epee, Canada’s Paris bronzer Eleanor Harvey in Foil (over Carolina Stutchbury of the U.S.), and Natalia Botello of Mexico in Sabre.
The U.S. women won the team titles in Epee, Foil and Sabre to finish with 10 golds in 12 events.
● Gymnastics ● Rising U.S. star Claire Pease, 17, won the women’s All-Around title at the Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), in a 1-2 with Charleigh Bullock – 54.498 to 54.032 with Brazil’s Thais Fidelis in third (52.232). The U.S. woman also won the team title at 161.828 over Brazil (157.796).
The Vault title went to 2022 World A-A champion Rebeca Andrade (BRA), returned to competition for the first time since 2024, with Pease third; Aurelie Tran (CAN) won on the Uneven Bars over American Simone Rose; Isabella Ajalla won on Beam over Rose, and Pease took the Floor title.
The men’s A-A title went to Colombia’s Camilo Vera (81.265) with teammate Angel Barajas second (80.765) and Yul Moldauer of the U.S. in third (78.865). Canada won the team title, scoring 243.026, ahead of Colombia (241.594) and the U.S. (235.961).
Vera, the A-A winner, took the apparatus title on Vault, while the U.S. claimed wins on Pommel Horse (Patrick Hoopes) and Parallel Bars with Moldauer. Guatemala’s Jorge Vera won on Floor; Canada’s William Emard took the Rings gold, and Angel Barajas (COL) won on Horizontal Bar.
¶
At the Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Beijing (CHN), home favorite Qi Wang won the All-Around, scoring 110.80 over Russian Sofiia Ilteriakova (109.00). Ilteriakova won the individual apparatus finals on Ball, Clubs and Ribbon; teammate Arina Kovshova won on Hoop.
● Judo ● Japan overwhelmed the field at the IJF World Tour Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in Mongolia, claiming two men’s wins with World Champion Takeoka Takeshi (66 kg) and World Champion Sanshiro Murao (90 kg), and six women’s golds with three-time Worlds medalist Wakana Koga (48 kg), World and Olympic champ Uta Abe (52 kg), Akari Omori (57 kg), World Champion Haruka Kaju (63 kg), World Champion Shiho Tanaka (70 kg), and Worlds runner-up Mao Arai (+78 kg).
American Jack Yonezuka reached the final of the men’s 73 kg class, but lost to home favorite Ankhzaya Lavjargal, the 2024 Worlds bronzer of Mongolia.
● Sport Climbing ● American Annie Sanders scored her seventh career World Climbing World Cup gold in Innsbruck (AUT), taking the women’s Bouldering final at 68.9, well ahead of Britain’s Erin McNeice (34.8). The men’s title went to Japanese star Sorato Anraku, the 2025 World Champion, with a commanding 74.0 to 59.3 edge over teammate Rei Kawamata.
In Lead, Japan’s Neo Suzuki won the men’s title at 43, just ahead of Alberto Gines (ESP: 42+) and Austria’s four-time World Champion Jakob Schubert (42). Slovenian superstar Janja Garnbret, a three-time World Lead Champion, won the women’s gold at 44, over Sanders (38+) and 2021 World Champion Chae-hyun Seo (KOR: 36+) in third.
● Swimming ● More fireworks on Saturday’s final night of the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, as Van Mathias collected another American Record, this time in the 100 m Breaststroke, in 58.01.
That took down Michael Andrew’s 2021 mark of 58.14 and he moves to no. 4 all-time in the event. Mathias had already set a second U.S. record in the 50 m Breast earlier in the meet. Denis Petrashov (KGZ: 59.39) was a distant second.
American Record setter Anna Moesch won the women’s 100 m Freestyle in a dominating 52.11, ahead of Paris Olympic silver winner Torri Huske (53.05) and Kate Douglass (53.09). World-record-setter Douglass won her fourth event of the meet in the women’s 50 m Fly final, in 25.39, with training partner Claire Cruzan second in 25.76.
Distance Freestyle icon Katie Ledecky claimed her third win of the meet in the 800 m Free, winning in 8:12.87, with Mika Nikanorov second in 8:26.24.
Tokyo Olympic champ Bobby Finke, who lost the 1,500 m Free to Harvard’s William Mulgrew, took the 800 m Free over Mulgrew, 7:56.21 to 7:56.51, with his familiar final 50 m sprint.
Patrick Sammon won the men’s 100 m Free in 47.92. Ilya Kharun, now affiliated with the U.S., won the men’s 50 m Fly in 22.73, beating Andrew (23.08). South African Aimee Canny won the women’s 100 m Breast final in 1:05.97
¶
Hungary’s David Betlehem, the Paris 2024 bronze winner, took the 10 km gold at the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup in Setubal (POR), touching just ahead of France’s Sacha Velly, 1:43:23.7 to 1:43:24.0.
Australia’s Moesha Johnson, the 2025 Worlds 5 km and 10 km gold medalist, took the women’s race in 2:08:12.1, beating Bettina Fabian (HUN: 2:08:13.3.
● Triathlon ● The World Triathlon Championships Sprint in Quiberon (FRA) was a triumph for home favorite and Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand, finishing in 58:29, ahead of Tilda Mansson (SWE: 58:37) and Jolien Vermeylen (BEL: 58:42). Beaugrand was first out of the water and then had the second-fastest run to get to the line first.
Rio 2016 Olympic champ Gwen Jorgensen was the top American, in 10th in 59:12, with Gina Sereno in 11th (also 59:12).
Countryman Dorian Connix, the 2023 World Champion, took the men’s race in 53:16, using a final sprint to finish ahead of Vasco Vilaca (POR: 53:17) and teammate Ricardo Batista (POR: 53:19). John Reed of the U.S. was eighth in 53:36. Connix’s consistency was key: seventh fastest in the swim, ninth on bike and seventh in the run.
The French sweep was completed in the mixed relay, with Leonie Perault, Yanis Seguin, Emma Lombardi and Connix winning in 1:23:42, well ahead of Italy (1:24:06). The U.S. was sixth at 1:24:21 with Sereno, Seth Rider, Jorgensen and Reed.
● Wrestling ● It’s a tough thing to have a world champion wrestler unable to represent their country, but that’s what happened to reigning men’s 86 kg title holder Zahid Valencia at the USA Wrestling Final X in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday.
He lost, two matches to one (2-3, 4-1, 4-0), to four-time World Champion Kyle Dake, who will go back to the Worlds after losing to Valencia in 2025. Dake won Worlds golds at 74 kg and 79 kg and now will try at 86 kg.
Spencer Lee, the 2024 Olympic runner-up, won at 57 kg; Marcus Blaze, the 2025 U-20 Champion, took the 61 kg class; 2023 World Champion Zain Retherford won the 70 kg final; two-time Worlds medalist James Green made his eighth U.S. senior team at 74 kg; 2025 Worlds silver winner Levi Haines won at 79 kg; 2016 Olympic 97 kg champ Kyle Snyder made the team again, as did Wyatt Hendrickson at 125 kg.
Trent Hidlay, the 2025 World Champion, won at 92 kg in a separate bout last week.
¶
In the women’s Final X, four-time World Champion Helen Maroulis made her 13th U.S. national team and will defend her 2025 Worlds gold at 57 kg. Olympic and World Champion Amit Elor, back from maternity, won the 72 kg class by forfeit. Two other bouts will be held later due to medical postponements.
Two teenagers made the U.S. Worlds team, including 18-year-old Morgan Turner, the two-time World U-17 champ, at 50 kg, who has now qualified for the national team for the U-20, U-23 and senior levels! Fellow 18-year-old Everest Leydecker, the World U-20 champ, won at 55 kg
World Team member Adaugo Nwachukwu won at 62 kg, defeating two-time Worlds medal winner Macey Kilty in three bouts. Two-time Worlds medalist Kayla Miracle won at 65 kg; Cristelle Rodriguez swept her bouts 55 kg and Abigail Nette swept at 59 kg.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 681-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
