Olympian Hezly Rivera edges Leanne Wong for victory at the US gymnastics championships
The 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist pulled away for a victory at the U.S. gymnastics championships on Sunday, looking more than ready to be the standard-bearer for the women's program in the early stages of the run-up to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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Toronto Star
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- Toronto Star
Sepp Straka withdraws from BMW Championship for family matter
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Sepp Straka has withdrawn from the BMW Championship because of a private family matter, but still plans to play in the Tour Championship next week. His manager, Butler Melnyk, did not disclose the nature of the family matter in a statement that said Straka had asked for privacy.
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Calgary Herald
'I was balling my eyes out' on podium: Calgary's Abigail Strate soars to first international ski-jumping victory
Article content COURCHEVEL, France — Calgary ski jumper Abigail Strate landed on the top step of the international podium for the first time in her career on Sunday. Article content One day after flying to her first-ever podium on the Summer Grand Prix circuit, the 24-year-old claimed her first victory on the large HS135 hill with 108.8 points. Article content 'It is a little upgrade from yesterday,' Strate, who captured bronze on Saturday, said with a laugh. 'I'm still kind of overwhelmed with everything going on. I've never heard the Canadian anthem played on the podium for myself, so I was balling my eyes out. It was really good today. I'm so happy.' Article content Article content It was Canadian ski jumping's first win in Courchevel since Alexandra Pretorius triumphed in 2012 at the Summer Grand Prix. A foursome of young Canadian leapers including Strate, and fellow Calgarians Alex Loutitt, Nicole Maurer and Natalie Eilers have been rewriting the history books. Article content Article content Strate topped a deep field on Sunday to once again have the opportunity to hear O Canada played at the medal ceremony in the French resort. The talented artist in the air, and also while doing her graphic design profession, edged Germany's Selina Freitag for the gold medal by .5 points. Japan's Nozomi Maruyama finished third with 105.5 points. Article content 'Standing on the podium, I was just looking for my team in the crowd. Seeing them happy is extra fulfilling because I know how hard the coaches work for all of us and how hard each of us work too,' added Strate. 'I've been close (to winning) a bunch of times, but I always seem to have found a way to mess it up. It was a great feeling today, knowing you are doing your job for the day, and I couldn't do anything better. It is amazing.' Article content Article content The world's best women's leapers competed in a new spectator-friendly competition format on Sunday. In the first round, athletes jumped in groups of five with the top two in each group advancing to the second round. Each of the top-20 competitors who headed back to the top of the hill started with zero points for the second round. Article content All three Canadian women who suited up on the weekend made it to the final. Loutitt, who claimed Olympic bronze in the mixed-team event in 2022 alongside Strate, finished in eighth spot with 83 points. Maurer placed 17th at 52.2. Article content 'I feel like I have to like (this new format),' laughed Strate. 'There was some stress from everyone, but I like they are trying some different things to make the competitions more exciting for fans to watch.' Article content Article content Strate, who was also leading after the first round in Saturday's competition before she settled for the bronze medal, is no stranger to flying to the international podium in bunches.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
From court to pin: How a Little Leaguer's bat flip became baseball memorabilia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Little Leaguer whose family went to court to get a bat-flip suspension lifted has turned the viral moment into a piece of baseball memorabilia. Marco Rocco is now a pin. The 12-year-old from Haddonfield, New Jersey, was embroiled in a legal fight last month after he was ejected for flipping his bat as he celebrated a home run in the final of the Little League sectional tournament. He faced a suspension from his first state tournament game for the ejection and the bat flip until his father took Little League to court and won an emergency temporary restraining order that allowed Marco to play in the New Jersey state tournament. The flip is set to become part of the pin-trading culture that happens each year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, during the Little League World Series. The pin depicts Rocco flipping the bat on his home-run trot to first base with 'Batflip 2025' at the bottom and 'Haddonfield' inscribed on the left side. The pin is not for sale and is jointly released by the Rocco family and by family friends and former major leaguers, Jeff and Todd Frazier. Only 75 pins were produced in honor of the 75th year of Haddonfield Little League and they will be traded only later this month at the Little League World Series. 'They said it was a significant event in Little League this year,' said Joe Rocco, Marco's father. 'There was a lot of national attention on it and they thought making a pin and keeping a pin at a limited number would be an interesting item at the Little League World Series.' The Fraziers presented the pin idea to Rocco to depict the biggest Little League story to burst on the scene since Mo'ne Davis and he was instantly on board. Rocco said he was unfamiliar with pin-trading culture — which Little League says is widely believed to have started in the mid-1970s by a team from Taiwan — and was simply excited to attend the United States championship and Little League World Series final with his son. Marco tossed his bat in the air on July 16 after his sixth-inning, two-run homer in the final of the sectional tournament. He was ejected and suspended for a game over what his family was told were actions deemed 'unsportsmanlike' and 'horseplay.' Rocco said dozens of parents reached out to him to either offer support or ask for advice on how to handle similar disputes. Rocco said there was, of course, some blowback for his decision to take Little League to court over a disputed decision. 'It was chaotic, for a while, which is not what we wanted,' Rocco said. The Roccos' day in court ended with the judge allowing Marco to play, and Little League did not appeal. Joe Rocco said he was told that Little League would not appeal the decision but would consider adding rules that would ban bat flipping. 'I think after this summer they absolutely need to put some sort of rule on it, whether it goes one way or the other so there's clarity on it,' Rocco said. 'They need to be clear in the rules so this doesn't happen again.' Joe Rocco owns youth sports performance training facility Kresson Sports with Ken Goldin. Goldin is the owner of Goldin Auctions and star of the reality show 'King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,' and also had a son on the Haddonfield team. Yes, Goldin already has Marco's flipped bat in his collection. It will be auctioned. Anyone want to trade a pin for the bat? ___ AP sports:
