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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Athletics ● Grand Slam Track announced another contracted “Racer” for the 2025 season in 2022 World men’s 400 m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos (BRA).
He’s been one of the event’s “Big Three” along with Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ and world-record holder Karsten Warholm (NOR) and American Rai Benjamin, the winner at Paris 2024.
Grand Slam Track also signed Paris Olympic men’s 400 m bronze winner Muzala Samukonga (ZAM) and 400 m hurdles fourth-placer Clement Ducos of France.
The announcements bring the Racer total to 13 so far.
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The London Marathon announced another new record for fund-raising, with the 2024 race bringing in £73.5 million (about $98.6 million U.S.), far surpassing the 2019, pre-pandemic total of £66.4 million. Said London Marathon Events chief executive Hugh Brasher (GBR):
“The TCS London Marathon is an extraordinary day and a wonderful celebration of humanity, where tens of thousands of people take on an incredible challenge and do good for others.
“We salute every single participant who has contributed to this world record-breaking total of £73.5 million for the thousands of charities which provide essential services to so many. It is astonishing that the London Marathon has now raised more than £1.3 billion for charity since the first edition in 1981.”
The race had a record number of 53,840 finishers.
● Shooting ● Technology marches on in sports, with the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) now discussing video review for shotgun – Skeet and Trap – events.
Travision, a Norwegian company, demonstrated the possibilities of its system in Lonato (ITA):
“[T]here was a test event to trial this new system which includes giving the judges or referee a tablet that records the progression of the scores on a digital scoreboard, automatically updated after each target. It also allowed them to check the target to see if it has been hit or if it counts as a miss.
“This check had a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) replay to further confirm if a target has been clipped or not, providing better clarity over close calls for athletes, judges and the viewers in attendance live and at home.”
No commitment yet, but the possibilities are clearly of interest, with the goal to ensure correct judging and scoring.
● Swimming ● Canadian star Maggie Mac Neil, 24, announced her retirement from competitive swimming, following her fifth-place finish in the Paris Olympic 100 m Butterfly final and appearances on three relays. She won three Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020, winning the 100 Fly and earning a silver on the women’s 4×100 m Free relay and a bronze in the women’s 4×100 m Medley relay.
She posted on Instagram:
“I have always wondered what the moment would feel like, when I decide to hang up the cap and goggles.
“Well, here it is. I am officially retiring from competitive swimming. The little girl above would have never dreamed this is where her love of swimming would take her.
“I’ll keep it brief, but I am so grateful for all the memories, people, and places I have gotten to experience just through swimming. Anyone who I crossed paths with never, ever told me I couldn’t achieve my goal of going to the Olympics. It’s still surreal to be able to say I’m a 2x Olympian.
“I’m excited to begin the next chapter of my life journey, as I embark on discovering who I am outside of swimming.”
Mac Neil was the 2019 World Champion in the women’s 100 m Fly and took silver in that event in 2023, plus six more medals (0-2-4) in relays. She won seven World Short-Course Championships golds in 2021 and 2022, including the 50 m Back (2021-22), 100 m Fly (2021-22) and 50 m Fly (2022), plus two relays. She set world 25 m records in the women’s 50 m Back (two) and 50 m Fly.
She won three NCAA titles at Michigan (2) and LSU (1) in Freestyle and Fly events.
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Australia’s Paris Backstroke star Kaylee McKeown won the Australian 25 m women’s Nationals in the 100 m Backstroke and set a world record of 54.56, crushing the mark of 54.89 by fellow Australian Minna Atherton from 2019.
McKeown doubled in the 100-200 m Back in the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games and won both events for Australia at the 2022 World Short-Course Championships in Melbourne (AUS). It’s her sixth world record – long-course and short-course combined – all in Backstroke events.
She’s still expecting to swim the 50 and 200 m Backstrokes and 100 m Medley later in the meet.
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