Welcome to The Sports Examiner SPEED READ, a 100 mph (44.7 m/s) review of what happened this week in Olympic sport:
LANE ONE
Wednesday: The LA28-USOC deal with NBCUniversal could be just the beginning. That deal is just for the U.S., what about new concepts to renovate the sponsorship concept in other countries, or even continents?
Friday: If you’re already making plans for 2020, maybe you’ll want to take off the week of 21-28 June, as the three biggest U.S. Olympic sports – track, swimming and gymnastics – all hold their Olympic trials. It’s a great way for NBC to promote its Olympic broadcasts, but is it good for the athletes?
THE BIG PICTURE
Wednesday: USA Gymnastics announces its 2020 Olympic Trials venue in St. Louis, but the deadline for abuse survivors to file their claims is coming, too, on 29 April. The federation’s future rests on both of these developments.
ARCHERY
Tuesday: U.S. star Brady Ellison looks for 11th career World Cup victory as the season opens in Colombia
ATHLETICS
Monday: Qatar’s Abderrahmane Samba zips to 47.51 world leader to win Asian Championships in Doha, plus three more world leaders in the first two days.
Wednesday: More world-leading marks at the Asian Championships – including four golds for Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser – plus previews of the world-class events at the Drake Relays and USA vs. the World relays at the Penn Relays.
CYCLING
Wednesday: Memorable sprint-finish victories for France’s Julian Alaphilippe and Dutch star Anna van der Breggen at the La Fleche Wallonne races in Belgium.
Thursday: Finish of Ardennes Classics week with the famed Liege-Bastogne-Liege: a pounding, hilly course for men and women on Sunday. Will Alaphilippe win his fourth World Tour race this season? Will van der Breggen win her third straight L-B-L?
DIVING
Wednesday: FINA World Series moves to Montreal, but China stays steady, on a 20-event winning streak this season! Will they ever lose?
FENCING
Tuesday: No. 1-ranked Eli Dershwitz of the U.S. headlines the FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul.
GYMNASTICS
Wednesday: Rhythmic World Cup showdown in Baku as Russia’s Averina twins face Israeli star Linoy Ashram!
SWIMMING
Thursday: New FINA Champions Series bows with $1.03 million in prize money and two star athletes who are suing FINA in line to – perhaps – win the most money? A thorough preview of the weekend’s races in Guangzhou.
TRIATHLON
Thursday: Preview of the second ITU World Series stop, in Bermuda, with Spain’s Mario Mola and American Katie Zaferes as the favorites.
WRESTLING
Thursday: Long and winding road for most U.S. wrestlers to get to the World Championships starts at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. An in-depth preview of who to look for!
PREVIEWS
Beach Volleyball: Wide-open field at the four-star Xiamen Open in China
Curling: Grand Slam of Curling finishes with Humpty’s Champions Cup in Saskatoon
Cycling: UCI World Cup seasons in BMX and Mountain Bike start in Europe
Judo: Pan American Championships in Lima welcome judoka from 29 nations
Sport Climbing: IFSC World Cup swing through China starts in Chongqing
UPCOMING
Highlights of the coming week, covered in the coming days on TheSportsExaminer.com:
● Athletics: Start of the IAAF Diamond League season in Doha (QAT).
● Swimming: USA Swimming’s Open Water National Championships in Miami.
And later today, a look ahead to Sunday’s London Marathon!
