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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Athletics ● Grand Slam Track announced five more signees for its 48-strong seasonal “Racer” group including:
● Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) ~ 2023 World Road 5 km gold medalist
● Oblique Seville (JAM) ~ 2022-23 Worlds 100 m fourth-placer
● Sasha Zhoya (FRA) ~ 2023 Worlds 110 m hurdles sixth-placer
● Alexis Holmes (USA) ~ 2024 Olympic women’s 4×400 relay gold
● Nickisha Pryce (JAM) ~ 2024 NCAA women’s 400 m champ
This brings the “Racer” total up to 43 of 48 spots; the first meet of the new circuit is in April next year in Jamaica.
● Cycling ● Former Australian cycling star Rohan Dennis, now 34, who won the Olympic bronze in the Tokyo 2020 men’s Time Trial and won the Worlds Time Trial twice, pled guilty to charges of dangerous driving causing death and an aggravated charge of driving without due care.
He hit his wife, Melissa Hoskins, with his car on 30 December 2023 and she subsequently died from her injuries. They married in 2018 and had two children; the new charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
● Football ● FIFA announced a report produced by Deloitte Canada showing that the FIFA World Cup 2026, to be played in part in Canada – Toronto and Vancouver – will generate C$1,9 billion in direct expenditures in capital, organizational and visitors, and a total economic impact of C$3.8 billion. (C$1 = $0.71 U.S.)
The analysis covers the lead-up to the tournament as well as the matches themselves from June 2023 to August 2026: “The findings estimate positive contributions of CAD 2bn to Canadian gross domestic product (GDP), CAD 1.3bn to labour income and CAD 700m to government revenue.”
● Gymnastics ● The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) listed its top-10 moments in women’s Artistic gymnastics for 2024, led by American star Simone Biles at no. 1:
“Simone takes Paris: Simone Biles (USA) was on fire at Paris 2024, picking up three golds and a bronze and bringing her Olympic medal total to 11. With seven golds, two silvers, and two bronzes accumulated over three Olympic Games, Biles stands as the most successful U.S. gymnast, male or female, in history.”
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was saluted at no. 2 for her All-Around silver, Vault silver and Floor gold, and the comeback story of American Suni Lee came in at no. 3:
“She overcame two kidney diseases to make it back to the Olympics, and once there nothing could stop Sunisa Lee (USA). To her full set of colours from Tokyo, Lee added team gold and All-Around and Uneven Bars bronzes in an extraordinary showing from one of gymnastics great showwomen.”
● Skiing ● The International Ski and Snowboard Federation posted a reply to letters received from some national federations and athletes about a rejection of a $400 million offer by CVC Capital Partners for a joint venture. FIS’ message explained the rejection was not due to a media rights conflict, but:
“CVC’s proposal was unrelated to the centralization of media and broadcast rights. It was an investment proposal for the creation of a joint venture to manage all commercial rights associated with FIS and its member federations. FIS’s ongoing centralization process with Infront for international media and broadcast rights would not conflict with such a collaboration with private equity; in fact, it could enhance its effectiveness.
“FIS did not reject CVC’s proposal. …
“If raising capital becomes necessary, FIS would engage a financial advisor to conduct a transparent process, ensuring the best possible terms. Currently, FIS is well-capitalized and does not require additional funding to execute its strategic plan.”
● Swimming ● The World Aquatics 25 m Swimming Championships got underway in Budapest (HUN) with an impressive rush of records – seven – set on the first day, with five from the U.S.:
● Men/50 m Butterfly: 21.43, Noe Ponti (SUI)) in semi two
● Men/4×100 m Free: 3:01.66, United States (Jack Alexy, Luke Hobson, Keiran Smith, Chris Guiliano)
● Women/400 m Freestyle: 3:50.25, Summer McIntosh (CAN)
● Women/50 m Butterfly: 24.02, Gretchen Walsh (USA) in heat five
● Women/50 m Butterfly: 23.94, Gretchen Walsh (USA) in semi two
● Women/200 m Medley: 2:01.63, Kate Douglass (USA)
● Women/4×100 m Free: 3:25.01, United States (Kate Douglass, Katharine Berkoff, Alex Shackell, Gretchen Walsh)
Wow! There were also two more American Records set:
● Men/100 m Freestyle: 45.05, Jack Alexy (4×100 m lead-off)
● Men/200 m Medley: 1:49.51, Shaine Casas
The U.S. gold-medal onslaught was led by Douglass, the Olympic 200 m Breaststroke gold medalist and 200 m Medley runner-up. Her record win in the 200 Medley in Budapest eclipsed Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu’s 2014 mark of 2:01.86, also set at the short-course Worlds. American teammate Alex Walsh was second in 2:02.65.
The American relay wins began with the women, who lowered Australia’s 3:25.43 mark from 2022 and led from start to finish. The men started with Alexy, a relay gold medalist at Paris, who took the U.S. record on the lead-off leg (45.05) and lowered the world mark of 3:02.75 by Italy at the 2022 short-course Worlds.
Casas won the men’s 200 m Medley by 1.37 seconds over Italy’s Alberto Razzetti (1:50.88), with fellow American Carson Foster in fourth (1:51.32). Casas’ time of 1:49.51 took the U.S. record from Ryan Lochte, who had the meet record of 1:49.63 from way back in 2012.
McIntosh, a triple winner in Paris, crushed the women’s 400 m Free world mark of 3:51.30 by Bingjie Li of China in 2022 and is her second career Worlds short-course gold. Australia’s Lani Pallister was second (3:53.73), with Americans Paige Madden fourth (3:55.12) and Claire Weinstein fifth (3:56.12).
Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi won the men’s 1,500 m Free in 14:16.40, just ahead of German star Florian Wellbrock (14:17.27), with Daniel Matheson (14:37.56) the top American in 11th.
Walsh blew up the world record in the women’s 50 m Fly in her heat, winning in 24.02 to smash the 24.36 from 2009 by Therese Alshammar (SWE) and then broke 24 at 23.94 in semi two! Those two swims of less than a minute combined earned her $50,000 for two world records … plus she gets a share of $25,000 for the world-record relay win!
Ponti got his world mark in the 50 m Fly semis and will try to lower his record in tomorrow’s finals. The meet continues through Sunday.
● Weightlifting ● North Korea continued to collect medals – two more gold – at the 2024 IWF World Championships in Manama (BRN), now with eight wins in 10 classes!
Chong-song Ri won the men’s 81 kg class, lifting a combined 371 kg and also winning the Snatch and Clean & Jerk segments. Kazak Alexey Churkin, the 2022 bronzer at 73 kg, got the silver at 368 kg.
Suk Ri took the women’s 64 kg class with a world-record 264 kg total, also setting a Clean & Jerk world mark of 149 kg along the way. Teammate Un-sim Rim took the silver at 256 kg.
The competition continues through Sunday, but will anyone else win a weight class?
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