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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
1. Biles wins Worlds A-A, Beam, Floor and U.S. scores 11 medals
2. Kiptum 2:00:35 world record at Chicago Marathon!
3. Asian Games conclude as China totals 383 medals
4. Report: Sapporo to drop 2030 Winter bid, try for 2034?
5. St. Moritz 1948 Canadian hockey gold brings $22,000 at auction
● The iconic Simone Biles won the All-Around, Beam and Floor Exercise golds at the FIG Artistic World Championships in Belgium, plus a Vault silver to bring her career total to a staggering 30. The U.S. won 11 medals, the most of any nation, and the most since 2013, when the American team won 12.
● Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum won his third marathon without a loss and set a world record of 2:00:35! The women’s race was a runaway for Dutch star Sifan Hassan, who won London earlier this year and run the second-fastest time in history in Chicago: 2:13:44!
● The Asian Games concluded in Hangzhou, China, with the host Chinese setting a record for the most gold medals won by one country. Two Chinese swimmers were selected as the “most valuable” athletes, but there is serious concern over the flagrant disregard of North Korea’s non-compliant doping-control status as its flag was freely flown at the Games.
● A Kyodo News report said that a Sapporo bid for a future Olympic Winter Games will have to be for 2034 or later, per the Japanese Olympic Committee, which has a final say in whether a bid will be pursued.
● The giant Ingrid O’Neil memorabilia auction no. 95 saw several items go for more than $10,000, with a 1948 St. Moritz Olympic Winter gold medal from a Canadian hockey player bring the biggest sale at $22,000.
● World Championships: Rowing (U.S.’s Bak wins gold and silver at Coastal Worlds) = Rugby (World Cup quarterfinals set) ●
● Panorama: Los Angeles 2028 (More Belmont Plaza Pool funding to be voted Tuesday) = European Olympic Committees (Istanbul wants 2027 European Games) = Russia (2: Bach confirms “neutral” conditions for athletes; Russian Olympic Committee sues IOC over TOP funds) = Canoe-Kayak (Fox wins two more titles at Slalom World Cup Final) = Cycling (2: Pogacar wins Il Lombardia; Pidcock and Lecomte win Mountain Bike World Cup finales) = Football (Nilsson resigns Swedish confed post over UEFA vote) = Gymnastics (China sweeps individual Trampoline World Cup events) = Judo (Yonezuka first U.S. men’s World Junior Champs finalist!) = Skateboard (U.S. teen Bottger take World Park Champs gold) = Swimming (Haughey moves to no. 3 all-time in 100 m Free at Berlin World Cup) = Volleyball (U.S., Germany and Poland sweep Paris qualifying tournaments) ●
1.
Biles wins Worlds A-A, Beam, Floor and U.S. scores 11 medals
The amazing Simone Biles continued expanding her medal collection at the FIG Artistic World Championships in Antwerp (BEL), especially with her sixth career All-Around world title, and then adding to it in the apparatus finals.
Biles and U.S. teammate Shilese Jones both started on Vault in the All-Around, with Biles placing enormous pressure on the field with a 15.100 starter, her best score of the day among all four events. Brazil’s defending champion, Rebeca Andrade, counted with an excellent 14.700 for second and Jones scored 14.233 for third … and that’s how they finished after three more events.
Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour topped the Uneven Bars at 15.200, with Jones fourth (14.633), Andrade fifth (14.500) and Biles sixth (14.333). Biles and Jones then went 1-2 on Beam at 14.433 and 14.066, with Andrade 10th, and then Biles and Andrade were 1-2 on Floor at 14.533 and 14.066, with Jones fifth (13.400).
The total showed Biles winning at 58.399, followed by Andrade (56.766) and Jones at 56.332, well ahead of 16-year-old fourth-placer Qiyuan Qiu of China (54.799).
Jones, 21, won her fifth Worlds medal in two years (2-2-1) and still had the apparatus finals to come.
¶
On Saturday, the women’s finals included Vault and Uneven Bars. American Joscelyn Roberson’s injury in the Team finals required her to withdraw from the Vault final, and after an appeal, Leanne Wong of the U.S. was also added to the field based on the two-per-country rule. Biles wowed with her signature Yurchenko double pike, but rolled backwards on her landing and coupled with the 0.5 deduction for a safety spotter, still scored 14.433 for her first try, ahead of everyone except Andrade, who scored 15.000. Biles improved in the second round with a less difficult vault to 14.666 for a two-vault average of 14.549, but Andrade was cool and completed a 14.500 finale to give her the win with an average of 14.750. Seo-jeong Yeo of South Korea was third (14.416) and Wong finished seventh at 13.466.
On the Uneven Bars, Jones was first up and scored a terrific 14.766, but was eventually passed by China’s Qiu, who won with 15.100 and Algeria’s Nemour (15.033), and took her second straight bronze medal in the event. Biles was fifth, scoring 14.200.
On Sunday, Biles was on fire, taking the Beam with a 14.800 score, just ahead of China’s 17-year-old Yaqin Zhou (14.700) and Andrade (14.300). Jones was seventh at 12.933. It’s Biles’ fourth Worlds golds in the event.
On Floor, there was little doubt that Biles was the favorite and she came through with a solid 14.633, equaling her second-best score at the Worlds, winning over Andrade (14.500) and teammate Flavia Saraiva (13.966). Jones finished with at 13.666. It’s the sixth Worlds gold for Biles on Floor.
The amazing Biles now owns 30 Worlds medals, with 23 golds, four silvers and three bronzes. Adding in her two Olympic appearances (4-1-2) and she has 37 total medals, including 27 golds. That’s the largest combined total in history for any gymnast, and with her four golds in Antwerp, she will be favored for five golds in Paris and could equal Soviet Larisa Latynina (1956-64) for the most Olympic golds all-time in men’s or women’s gymnastics.
Overshadowed was Andrade, who won five medals as well (1-3-1) and now has nine career Worlds medals at age 24.
¶
The U.S. men were also busy, with All-Around bronze medalist Fred Richard back in action in the Floor Exercise, won by Olympic champ (and Ukrainian-born) Artem Dolgopyat of Israel (14.866). Japan’s Kazumi Minami won his second Worlds silver in the event – also in 2021 – at 14.666, with Kazakh Milad Karimi third (14.600). All-Around winner Daiki Hashimoto of Japan was seventh (14.233) and Richard finished eighth (13.200).
Starting third in the field of eight on the Pommel Horse, American Khoi Young put up a big score of 14.666 that held up until defending champion Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland scored 15.100 as the final competitor and Young settled for silver for his first-ever Worlds medal. Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al-Soud finished third (14.633) for his country’s first-ever Worlds gymnastics medal.
Olympic champ Yang Liu won the Rings at 15.233, his second Worlds gold in the event, but first since 2014! Three-time Worlds gold winner Eleftherios Petrounias took the silver at 15.066 and China’s Hao You won his third career Worlds Rings medal at 14.833 for the bronze.
Sunday’s finals saw Britain’s Jake Jarman, 21, move up from second at the European Championships in the Vault to become World Champion, scoring 15.400 and 14.700 for a winning average of 15.050. Young won a silver, scoring 14.849 off scores of 15.033 and 14.666. Ukrainians Nazar Chepurnyi and Igor Radivilov went 3-4 and American Paul Juda was fifth (14.550). It’s the fourth career Worlds medal for Radivoliv, now 30, in the event (0-2-2).
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Lukas Dauser (GER, also 30) won his first Worlds gold in the Parallel Bars, moving up from silver in 2022. His score of 15.400 was a clear winner over 2021 bronze medalist Cong Shi (CHN: 15.066) and Japan’s Kaito Sugimoto (15.000). Americans Asher Hong and Yul Moldauer finished sixth (14.466) and eighth (13.133), respectively.
On the Horizontal Bar, Tokyo Olympic champ Hashimoto put an exclamation point on his championships, walking away from the field with a brilliant 15.233 score, ahead of 2017 World Champion Tin Srbic (SLO: 14.700), with China’s Weide Su third (14.500). Juda was fifth at 14.100. Hashimoto moved to the top of the podium after Worlds silvers in this event in 2021 and 2022.
¶
Overall, the U.S. led the medal table with 11 (4-3-4) with the women taking seven (4-1-2) and the men winning four (0-2-2). With his apparatus silvers in the Pommel Horse and Vault, Young became the first U.S. man to win three medals at a single Worlds since Paul Hamm in 2003; he’s the first to win two or more apparatus medals since Kurt Thomas and Bart Conner in 1979!
China followed with seven medals (2-3-2), then Brazil with six (1-3-2) and Japan with five (3-1-1).
The 11 U.S. medals is the first time in double figures for any team in a Worlds since the U.S. did it in 2015 (10) and the most since the U.S. scored 12 (3-6-3) back in 2013.
2.
Kiptum 2:00:35 world record at Chicago Marathon!
Whether it’s the shoes, the weather, the pacing or the field, the fastest marathons in history are being run in 2023, with Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum smashing the men’s world record with a brilliant 2:00:35 victory at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday.
This was hardly unexpected, with an excellent field, temperatures in the high 40s (F) at race time and Kiptum, 23, having won the London Marathon in April with the second-fastest time in history at 2:01:25. He had said prior to the race that he was in shape to run the race in two hours. He was.
Kiptum destroyed an excellent field almost from the start, with a lead pack of just seven at 5 km (14:26) and then only fellow Kenyan Daniel Kibet with him at 10 km (28:42) through 30 km. Then Kiptum sped away, with a 49-second lead at the 35 km mark and finishing with a world record by 34 seconds in 2:00:35, eclipsing countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 mark from Berlin in 2022.
Kiptum’s splits are noteworthy, especially his unreal 27:52 10 km (!!!) from 30 to 40 km:
● 5 km: 14:26
● 10 km: 28:42 (14:16)
● 15 km: 43:09 (14:27)
● 20 km: 57:39 (14:30)
● 25 km: 1:12:04 (14:25)
● 30 km: 1:26:31 (14:27)
● 35 km: 1:40:22 (13:51)
● 40 km: 1:54:23 (14:01)
● Finish: 2:00:35 (6:12)
He passed the half in 60:48 and ran the second half in just 59:47; he now has two of the fastest three times in history and is undefeated in three career marathons. For the record, he was wearing the Nike Dev 163 prototype shoes.
Fellow Kenyan Benson Kipruto, the 2022 champion, was a distant second in 2:04:02, a lifetime best, then Olympic bronze medalist Bashir Abdi (BEL: 2:04:32), John Korir (KEN: 2:05:09) and Seifu Tura (ETH: 2:05:29). Kibet did not finish, dropping out after 38 km.
Americans went 6-7-8-9, with Conner Mantz sixth in a lifetime best of 2:07:47 (equal fourth all-time U.S.) and Clayton Young seventh in 2:08:00 (seventh all-time U.S.) and former Chicago champ Galen Rupp eighth in 2:08:48. Sam Chelanga was ninth in 2:08:50, moving to no. 8 all-time U.S.
The women’s was also brilliant, with 2019 World Champion Ruth Chepngetich and London Marathon winner and 1,500-5,000-10,000 m track star Sifan Hassan (NED) running away from the field after 5 km and then Hassan coming from six seconds down at the half to run away by the 30 km mark on the way to a sensational 2:13:44 finish, the second-fastest time in history!
Chepngetich was second in 2:15:37, the equal-seventh fastest time ever, with Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu coming up late for third in 2:17:09, now the no. 11 performer ever.
The U.S. did well here also, with Emily Sisson claiming seventh in 2:22:09, ahead of Tokyo bronze medalist Molly Seidel (8th: 2:23:07), Sara Vaughn (10th: 2:23:24), Gabriella Rooker (11th: 2:24:35) and Emma Bates (13th: 2:25:04). Seidel moves to no. 10 all-time U.S.
The final World Marathon Majors race of 2023 will be the New York City Marathon comes on 5 November
3.
Asian Games conclude as China totals 383 medals
The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games concluded on Sunday, with host China steamrolling the competition and winning 383 medals, more than the next two-highest countries combined!
The Chinese won 201 events, scored 111 silvers and 71 bronzes, while South Korea finished with 190 medals (42-59-89) and Japan had 188 (52-67-69). This was the first time that a country had won more than 200 golds, with the prior high of 199 by China in 2010, when the Asiad was held in Guangzhou. China led the medal table for the 11th consecutive Asian Games.
India notably became the fourth country to surpass 100 medals in an Asian Games, taking 107 (28-38-41). Forty-one of the 45 competing countries won a medal; this year’s Asian Games had the most events ever, at 481.
The biggest medal winners were from China, of course, with men’s swimmer Zhanle Pan winning seven medals (3-3-1). Multiple athletes won six medals, led by six-time gold winners Yufei Zhang (CHN: women’s 50-100-200 m Butterfly, 50 m Freestyle, two relays) and Bingjie Li (CHN: women’s 200-400-800-1,500 m Frees, two relays), and five-time winner Haiyang Qin (men’s 50-100-200m Breaststrokes, two relays and 200 m Medley silver).
Also winning six medals were men’s swimmers Shun Wang (CHN: 4-1-1) and Sunwoo Hwang (KOR: 2-2-2) and women’s swimmer Siobhan Haughey (HKG: 2-1-3).
The Asiad “Most Valuable Player” awards were handed out in Hangzhou, with the selection committee tabbing Chinese swimmers Qin and Zhang. Both will receive $25,000 prizes.
¶
A significant issue at the Asian Games has been the appearance of the North Korean team for the time at a major event since the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, despite North Korea being non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency, has had the use of its flag during the event; WADA media relations chief James Fitzgerald (IRL) reported:
“The DPRK National Anti-Doping Organization continues to be non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and all International Federations and Major Event Organizations, such as the Olympic Council of Asia, are informed of the consequences of DPRK NADO’s non-compliance. WADA is in regular communication with the [National Anti-Doping Organization] as it works to address the issues related to this non-compliance. …
“WADA is aware that the OCA has breached its Signatory obligation to respect the consequences of the DPRK NADO’s non-compliance, namely by flying the DPRK flag at the Asian Games. WADA takes this matter extremely seriously and has written to the OCA on several occasions before and after the opening ceremony of the Games, explaining in clear terms the possible consequences that could arise for the OCA if this matter is ignored.
“WADA is disappointed that the OCA has to date not taken steps to comply with the terms of the DPRK’s non-compliance. WADA will follow due process to ensure that the appropriate consequences are imposed for the OCA’s refusal to meet its Signatory obligations.”
Reuters reported that the acting OCA Director General, Vinod Kumar Tiwari (IND) told reporters on Sunday:
“We are in touch with them and we are trying to resolve this issue; hopefully in the next couple of days we will be able to get through to what WADA wants.
“It’s a very sensitive issue. It’s not very easy to handle, but we are in touch with WADA on a daily basis and hopefully things will be resolved to be mutually acceptable to both parties.
“North Korea, the DPRK Korea, has also written a letter to them very lately telling them that the borders have opened and they can send the doping control officers for the testing which the WADA has agreed and they will be shortly sending it to the DPRK, to North Korea.”
The North Koreans won 39 medals (11-18-10).
4.
Report: Sapporo to drop 2030 Winter bid, try for 2034?
Japan’s Kyodo News Service reported Friday that the Sapporo bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games will be ended:
“Sapporo is set to abandon its bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics at the request of the Japanese Olympic Committee, and will instead aim to stage the games in 2034 or later, sources close to the matter said Friday.”
The JOC, which controls what Olympic bids are made from its country, has been concerned about poor public support for the Sapporo effort in the aftermath of riding cost projections and the odor left by the continuing scandals attendant to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, including sponsorship bribes and the rigging of bids for test-event and venue-management contracts.
However, the Kyodo story also said that the JOC would like to have Sapporo bid again for a future Games, in 2034 or thereafter. The JOC President, 1984 Olympic judo champ Yasuhiro Yamashita will meet with the pro-Olympics mayor of Sapporo, Katsuhiro Akimoto on Wednesday (11th) to chart the future direction of the Sapporo bid effort.
If true, the loss of Sapporo for the 2030 race leaves the International Olympic Committee with three apparent options in Europe, with bids forming in Sweden, Switzerland and France. All are in the development stages, but are following the International Olympic Committee’s strong preference for using existing facilities.
A new, independent survey across Switzerland showed 56% in favor of a Winter Olympic bid for 2030, 2034 or 2038, using existing facilities:
“Support is higher among men (61%) than women (50%). The younger the respondents, the more enthusiastic they are. Those saying they were in favour of the project reached 66% among 18-34 year-olds, compared with 48% among the over-65s.
“The survey was conducted between 19 and 20 September among 29,081 people, 5,570 of them in French-speaking Switzerland.”
For 2034, Salt Lake City, Utah has a ready-to-go bid that it hopes will convince the IOC to select it at the same time a 2030 bid is announced, or earlier.
5.
St. Moritz 1948 Canadian hockey gold brings $22,000 at auction
The 537-lot Ingrid O’Neil Auction no. 95 concluded on Saturday, with seven items selling for more than $10,000:
● $22,000: 1948 St. Moritz Winter gold medal
● $20,000: 2020 Tokyo bronze medal
● $17,000: 1976 Innsbruck Winter gold medal
● $17,000: 1968 Mexico City Olympic torch
● $16,000: 1984 Sarajevo Winter gold medal
● $16,000: 1968 Mexico City Olympic torch
● $11,000: 1932 Lake Placid Winter IOC member badge
The 1948 St. Moritz Winter gold was won by Canada’s Patrick Guzzo, a Royal Canadian Air Force “Flyers” member who was part of a team of World War II airmen who played and won the ice hockey tournament. The 1976 Innsbruck gold was for ski jumping, but it was not indicated whether it was won by East German Hans-Georg Aschenbach (normal hill) or Austria’s Karl Schnabl (large hill). The 1984 Sarajevo gold was for the men’s 30 km Cross Country event, won by Soviet Nikolai Zimyatov.
The 2020 Tokyo bronze was for men’s Freestyle Wrestling at 97 kg, meaning it was awarded either to Reineris Salas of Cuba or Italian Abraham Conyedo.
The Tokyo 1964 Imperial Family Badge that had bidding start at $90,000, did not attract any bids. There were eight other Tokyo ‘64 identification badges on sale, with a Special Delegates Award Badge selling for $1,000, an official’s badge from modern pentathlon for $900 and a Special Delegation badge for $180.
Maybe the wildest item that sold was a 1972 Munich Olympic mascot – Waldi the dachshund – with a radio inside, for $200!
≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
● Rowing ● The World Rowing Coastal Championships were held in Barletta (ITA), with multiple defending champions in the finals, but only two were able to repeat.
Let’s start with Spain’s Adrian Miramon, who won the men’s Coastal Solo 4 km in 27:33.52, ahead of Christopher Bak of the U.S. (27:50.71), for Miramon’s fifth career title, and second in a week, after also winning the Beach Sprint title in Barletta.
Bak claimed a gold, however, in the men’s Double Sculls, teaming up with Kory Rogers and outlasting two-time defending champs Dennis Gustavsson and Eskil Borgh of Sweden, 26:37.94 to 26:39.55.
France’s Jessica Berra was the defending women’s Solo champ, but 2016 World Champion Monica Dukarska (IRL) proved the strongest, winning in 32:09.17, with three-time World Champion Diana Dymchenko (AZE: 32:20.94) second for the third year in a row and Berra getting the bronze this time in 32:33.92.
The Dutch women’s Double Sculls pair of Janneke van der Meulen and Karien Robbers also managed to defend their 2022 titles, winning decisively in a race that featured multiple clashes in 28:35.36 to 28:46.80 for the Austria’s Katharina and Tokyo Olympic Single Sculls bronze medalist Magdalena Lobnig.
In the Mixed Double Sculls, Spain’s two-year grip on the event was broken, as Ireland’s Dukarska took her second gold as she and Ronan Byrne got to the line first in 27:09.60 to 27:41.93 for France’s Vincent Noirot and Edwige Alfred.
● Rugby ● The 10th Rugby World Cup in France concluded the pool phase on Sunday, with the quarterfinals set to begin next Saturday (14th). The pool results:
● Pool A: Host France finished with a perfect 4-0 record, outscoring its opponents by 210-32, including an opening 27-13 victory over New Zealand. The Kiwis finished second at 3-1 (15 points) and beat Italy (2-2: 10) by 60-7 on Friday.
● Pool B: Ireland finished with a 4-0 mark (190-46) and 19 points, ahead of South Africa (3-1: 15), with Scotland (2-2: 10) missing out after a 36-14 loss to the Irish on Saturday.
● Pool C: Wales completed a 4-0 pool sweep (143-59) with a 43-19 win over Georgia, and Fiji (2-2: 11) winning the tie-breaker over Australia (2-2: 11), having won their head-to-head match by 22-15.
● Pool D: England had long wrapped up this group with a 4-0 record (150-39: 18), ahead of Argentina (3-1: 14), with Japan third (2-2: 9), as the Argentines won Sunday’s decisive match, 39-17, against the Japanese.
The quarterfinals:
● Upper bracket (14 October): Wales vs. Argentina and Ireland vs. New Zealand.
● Lower bracket (15 October) : England vs. Fiji and France vs. South Africa.
The semis will be on 20-21 October and the championship on 28 October at the Stade de France.
Attendance in the pool stage was excellent, with 1.809 million fans and an average of 45,218.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The famed Belmont Plaza swimming facility in Long Beach was opened in 1968 – and site of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials – and was demolished over safety concerns in 2014. The City of Long Beach has committed to building a new facility, with an additional step expected to come on Tuesday.
The Long Beach City Council will consider a proposal for added funding for project design services for existing contractor Harley Ellis Devereaux Corporation of Los Angeles to $18.66 million to complete construction drawings for the facility. Once completed, the project could proceed to bids for construction; multiple options are available, with the recommendation for a 50 m competition-style pool and a recreational pool, along with diving springboards.
Long Beach has identified most of the funding for the estimated cost of $74.2 million, but is still $8 million short. But the next step will be to get the construction drawings completed and then go to bid on the building effort; this is part of Long Beach’s plan for infrastructure upgrades prior to 2028, very little of which actually impacts the 2028 Olympic venue plan.
The Belmont Plaza Pool replacement is not part of the 2028 Olympic venue program, but could be a training site, especially for water polo, slated to be held in a temporary facility in Long Beach.
● European Olympic Committees ● At the 52nd General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Istanbul (TUR), Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu declared his city would be a candidate to organize the fourth European Games, in 2027:
“We are determined to organize the European Games in Istanbul in 2027.
“Istanbul is a city ready for the European Games with all of its means. We believe that organising the games in Istanbul will send a strong message to Europe and the rest of the world. Istanbul is the largest metropolitan area in Europe and would create an amazing synergy for the European Olympic Committees and European sports.“
Istanbul has made prior, unsuccessful bid efforts for prior Olympic Games for 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2020.
● Russia ● Also at the EOC General Assembly in Istanbul, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach reiterated that the conditions for Russian participation in international events as “neutral” athletes must be strictly followed:
“[T]here have been some comments coming from Russia about these conditions. So let me reconfirm what we said from the very beginning, that these conditions are non-negotiable, we will not waiver. They have to be strictly applied to give this approach the credibility and support it currently enjoys among the public, the athletes and the international community. This support has to be earned day by day by strict application.”
¶
The Russian Olympic Committee filed a lawsuit against the IOC on Friday in Switzerland, claiming it is owed nearly $9 million (U.S.) as its share of the TOP sponsorship program.
ROC Director General Vladimir Sengleyev said Friday:
“The IOC owes us money. It has not paid us for our share of the TOP marketing program, which amounts to $3.71 million that we never received on December 31, 2022.
“This year we were owed a payment of $5 million and, therefore, their outstanding debt currently exceeds eight million dollars. We have filed a lawsuit with a Swiss court demanding this contract be enforced.”
The IOC imposed sanctions on the Russian Olympic Committee after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including the stoppage of any payments to the ROC.
● Canoe-Kayak ● Australia’s legendary Jessica Fox dominated the ICF Slalom World Cup Final in Vaires-sur-Marne (FRA), taking the women’s Kayak and Canoe finals for her 46th and 47th career World Cup wins and winning the seasonal titles in both.
In the women’s Kayak final, Fox suffered two penalties, but her time of 100.78 was still good enough to win from Corinna Kuhnle (AUT: 102.37, 0 penalties) and Klaudia Zwolinska (POL: 102.73/0)
Fox had no penalties in the Canoe final and won easily in 106.04 seconds, over Gabriela Satkova (CZE: 110.08/2) and Britain’s Tokyo Olympic runner-up Mallory Franklin (GBR: 111.97/2) American Evy Leibfarth was 10th, at 125.24, but with eight penalties.
Fox now owns four seasonal Canoe World Cup titles and has won five Kayak seasonal titles in a row.
New Zealand’s Luuka Jones, the Rio 2016 K-1 silver winner, took the Cross final over Britain’s 2023 World Champion Kimberley Woods and Fox. Woods won the seasonal title over Jones and Fox, 229-204-194.
In the men’s Canoe final, Italy’s Raffaelo Ivaldi (95.50/0) was the winner for the second race in a row, trailed by Franz Anton (GER: 96.18/0) and Miquel Trave (ESP: 96.83/0). Luca Bozic (SLO), a seven-time Worlds medal winner, won the seasonal title, with Ivaldi third.
The men’s Kayak final was a win for France’s Titouan Castryck (89.20/0), beating Czech veteran Vit Prindis (91.78/0) and Jonny Dickson (GBR: 91.78/0). Prindis, the 2022 World Champion, won his third seasonal title.
France won again in the men’s Cross final, as three-time Worlds runner-up Boris Neveu got to the finish first, ahead of Finn Butcher (NZL); Britain’s Joseph Clarke won the seasonal title over Neveu, 189-171.
● Cycling ● Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar won his fifth UCI World Tour race of the season with a 31 km solo to take the 117th edition of the famed Il Lombardia race on Saturday for the third year in a row.
The last of the “Monument” races this season was a challenging, 238 km ride from Como to Bergamo that included seven climbs, including the 1,261 m Zambla Alta. But there was a lead group of eight on the final major climb to the top of the 1,052 Passo di Ganda and then Pogacar attacked on the descent and rode away to an impressive, 52-second victory in 5:55:33, with Andrea Baglioli (ITA) and fellow Slovenian star Primoz Roglic following at the head of a group of six that were given the same time.
Pogacar didn’t win the Tour de France this year – he was second – but won Paris-Nice in March and then the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Monument) in April, followed by the Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallonne. In his nine UCI World Tour races, he won five, was second once, third once, fourth once and did not finish the other. A pretty good year.
¶
The final UCI Mountain Bike World Series stop of 2023 was in Mont-Sainte-Anne (CAN), with Britain’s Tokyo Olympic champ Tom Pidcock riding away with the men’s title, taking over on the final two laps to win in 1:26:27, beating Swiss Mathias Flueckiger (1:26:53) – the Tokyo runner-up – and teammate Marcel Guerrini (1:27:58).
The 10-time World Champion Nino Schurter (SUI) won his ninth men’s seasonal title with 1,549 points top 1,509 for France’s 2020 World Champion, Jordan Sarrou.
The women’s Cross Country Olympic race went to France’s Loana Lecomte, the 2023 Worlds runner-up, who bested Rio 2016 Olympic champ Jenny Rissveds (SWE), 1:28:09 to 1:28:24. Dutch rider Puck Piererse, the 2023 European Games winner, was third in 1:29:12 and American Sevilla Blunk was seventh (1:32:10).
Pieterse, 21, won the seasonal title with 1,939 points, well ahead of Lecomte (1,539) and Mona Mitterwallner (AUT: 1,445).
France’s Viktor Koretzky won the Short Track race in 22:05, just ahead of Sarrou (22:07) and Chris Blevins of the U.S. (22:08). Austria’s two-time World Junior Champion Laura Stigger won the women’s race with superb riding over the last two laps in 19:40, five seconds up on Lecomte (FRA: 19:45) and Rebecca Henderson (AUS: 19:46). Americans Gwen Gibson (19:53) and Haley Batten (19:56) finished 7-8.
Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer won the men’s seasonal Short Track series with 1,550 points to 1,440 for Sarrou, with France’s Joshua Dubau a distant third (926). Dutch star Pieterse also won the women’s season championship with 1,420 and five medals in the eight races. Alessandra Keller (SUI: 1,278) was second and Evie Richards (GBR: 1,236) was third.
In the non-Olympic men’s Downhill, Canada’s 2021 World Junior champ Jackson Goldstone led most of the way and won his second men’s race this season in 3:57.836, over George Craik (GBR: 4:02.164) and five-time World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA: 4:04.594). Austria’s Valentina Hoell won her fourth race of the season in 4:40.133, also leading most of the way, beating Nina Hoffmann (GER: 4:53.199) and Veronika Widmann (ITA: 4:54.301). It’s Hoffmann’s sixth medal out of eight races on the season.
Bruni won the seasonal title with 1,698 points over Goldstone (1,616), and Hoell (2,422) topped Hoffmann (1,913) for the women’s championship.
● Football ● The UEFA vote to allow Russian U-17 teams to play, which was seconded by FIFA, continues to have repercussions, as Sweden’s Karl-Erik Nilsson, the UEFA First Vice President, has resigned as head of the Swedish Sports Confederation.
Nilsson, 66, very much against the position of essentially all Swedish sports organizations, voted in favor of allowing Russian U-17 teams, which was revealed by Britain’s Sky News. Nilsson at first denied it, then tried to explain his position, but resigned as the head of the Swedish Sports Confederation:
“It is a very difficult decision to now choose to step aside as I have felt great dedication and joy in the mission. But since it has proven difficult to combine my two roles and that it can affect trust in me and Swedish sports.”
Nilsson was replaced by Anna Iwarsson as the acting Chair of the confederation, who commented:
“I want to be clear, it is fixed. The common Nordic stance regarding Russia’s and Belarus’s participation in international sports is firm.
“We had a Nordic meeting as recently as last month where all the Nordic national sports federations, Olympic and Paralympic committees, agreed that we must stick to the current line as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing.”
● Gymnastics ● China swept the individual titles at the FIG Trampoline World Cup in Varna (BUL), with 2021 World Champion Langyu Yan edging teammate Zisai Wang, 61.460 to 61.310, in the men’s final. Japan’s Ryusei Nishioka was third (60.040); American Ruben Padilla was eighth (58.730).
The women’s final was another Chinese 1-2 for Tokyo Olympic champion Xueying Zhu (56.630) and 2022 Worlds bronze winner Yicheng Hu (56.590), with Japan again third with 2022 World Champion Hikaru Mori (55.760). American Jessica Stevens was sixth at 53.960.
In the women’s Synchro final, Americans Nicole Ahsinger and Cheyenne Webster finished second to Britain’s Bryony Page and Isabelle Songhurst, 48.800 to 48.460. Canada’s Remi Auben and Keegan Soehn won the men’s Synchro (51.950); Americans Aliaksei Shostak and Padilla were seventh, after retiring following two rounds of 10.
● Judo ● Japan dominated the World Junior Championships in Odivelas (POR), winning nine of the 14 classes, but the U.S. made some history as well with a men’s 73 kg silver from Jack Yonezuka.
He won the first men’s medal at the World Juniors in 30 years in 2022 with a bronze-medal finish, but this time reached the final after defeating Japan’s Keito Kihara in overtime in the semifinal. Yonezuka and Azerbaijan’s Vusai Galandarzade also went into overtime in the final, with Galandarzade winning by ippon.
It was the first final for a U.S. junior since Kayla Harrison’s 2008 gold and 2009 silver at 78 kg; he’s the only American man ever to reach a World Junior final.
● Skateboard ● U.S. riders took three of the top four places at the World Park Championships held in Rome (ITA), with 16-year-old Gavin Bottger winning first Worlds medal – gold – on his final run.
After a miss on his first run, Bottger was sitting fourth after two rounds of the final at 83.06, but popped a terrific run that scored 94.03 and no one could match it. Brazil’s Luigi Cini also came up big in the third round, moving from seventh to second with a 91.90 for silver. American Tate Carew, 18, the 2022 U.S. national champ, scored 91.34 on his second run and settled for bronze, with 2022 World Champion Jagger Eaton fourth at 88.33, also in the second round.
Japan won its third world title in the last four as 15-year-old Tokyo runner-up Kokona Hiraki and Hinano Kusaki (also 15) went 1-2 at 94.54 and 93.20, both in the second round. American Minna Stess, 17 – the 2021 national champ – got the bronze for her second-round run of 90.80; teammate Ruby Lilley was seventh at 84.40.
● Swimming ● The first World Aquatics World Cup (50 m) was held in Berlin (GER), with Australia (19) and the U.S. (16) winning the most medals, and double Olympic backstroke star Kaylee McKeown winning four events.
She swept the 50-100-200 m Backstroke finals and also took the women’s 200 m Medley for her wins, one ahead of Italy’s Thomas Ceccon (100 m Free, 100-200 m Back) and China’s Haiyang Qin – fresh from the Asian Games – who won the 50-100-200 m Breast events.
They were the only triple winners; American Michael Andrew won the men’s 50 m Back and 100 m Fly, and claimed silvers in the 50 m Free and 50 m Fly as the only swimmer besides McKeown to grab four medals.
American Katie Grimes won the women’s 400 m Medley, earned silver in the 200 m Back and a bronze in the 800 m Free, for three medals in three different disciplines! The other American winner was Charlie Clark in the men’s 1,500 m (14:59.21).
The top performance of the meet was Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey’s sensational 52.02 win in the women’s 100 m Free, the world leader for 2023 and now no. 3 on the all-time list! A pretty impressive follow-up to winning the 100-200 m Freestyles as at the Asian Games a week before. Haughey also won the 200 m Free in a speedy 1:55.10.
Swedish sprint star Sarah Sjostrom won the women’s 50 m Free in 23.95, a time only she has bettered this year, ahead of comebacking Australian star Cate Campbell, who moved to fifth on the world list at 24.11 in second.
Australian Lani Pallister won the women’s 400 m Free in 4:02.07, moving to no. 6 on the year list, and the 800 m Free in 8:16.02, now no. four on the season.
Qin equaled his own world-leading time in the men’s 100 m Breast (57.69), set at the World Championships.
The second World Cup comes next week in Athens (GRE).
● Volleyball ● The three FIVB men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments concluded on Sunday, with the U.S. men qualifying for Paris 2024 in Group B in Tokyo, Japan with an undefeated run.
The Americans were 7-0 and won 21 of 25 sets to top the Tokyo group, ahead of Japan (5-2), which also qualified for Paris 2024. Slovenia was also 5-2, but lost to Japan head-to-head.
In Rio de Janeiro (BRA), Germany was 7-0, taking 21 of 25 sets, with host Brazil at 6-1. Cuba was a non-qualifying third at 5-2.
The Xi’an (CHN) group was won by Worlds runner-up Poland, also at 7-0 and winner of 21 of 29 sets. Canada and Argentina were both 5-2, but the Canadians won their head-to-head match and advanced.
This will be the 13th Olympic appearance for the U.S. men at the Olympic Games, winning previously in 1984, 1988 and 2008. Brazil will be making its 16th Olympic start and won in 1992, 2004 and as hosts in 2016.
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