(SP) CANADA-MONTREAL-F1-GRAND PRIX-QUALIFYING
(250615) -- MONTREAL, June 15, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Pole position qualifier Mercedes' British driver George Russell (C), 2nd placed qualifier Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (L) and 3rd placed qualifier McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose after the qualifying session of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix 2025 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, June 14, 2025. (Photo by Song Haiyuan/Xinhua)
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Canada Standard
10 hours ago
- Canada Standard
(SP) CANADA-MONTREAL-F1-GRAND PRIX-QUALIFYING
(250615) -- MONTREAL, June 15, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Pole position qualifier Mercedes' British driver George Russell (C), 2nd placed qualifier Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (L) and 3rd placed qualifier McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose after the qualifying session of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix 2025 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, June 14, 2025. (Photo by Song Haiyuan/Xinhua)
Japan Forward
17 hours ago
- Japan Forward
Racing the UK Ekiden Through 160 Years of Ties
One of Japan's best-loved sporting disciplines is making strides overseas. Britain will host the second UK Ekiden race along the banks of the River Thames on June 20. The event has grown exponentially from the 2024 inaugural event, with 310 runners in 31 teams. Each team is made up of 10 runners competing in a 114km course from Windsor to King's Meadow in Reading and back again. This time, the field includes 16 teams from British universities, as well as a guest team from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. Runners from private companies will also be there, representing well-known names such as Japan Airlines, sporting equipment manufacturer Asics, the Financial Times Nikkei media alliance, and Britain's Royal Air Force. Significantly, a team of students from Kyushu will also be competing. This year marks the 160th anniversary of a group of 15 young men of the Satsuma domain who arrived to study at University College London, despite Japanese being forbidden to travel overseas at the time. The Anglo Satsuma War (photograph of a page in the London Illustrated News) Anna Dingley, founder of the UK Ekiden and a former resident of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan, says the participation of modern-day Satsuma students "helps to celebrate the best of the UK and Japan." "I remember when I lived in Kagoshima and someone pointed out some damage from British cannon fire from 1863," Dingley said. She was referring to a bombardment carried out by the Royal Navy in the brief Anglo-Satsuma War of August 1863. "I did not believe it, but it turned out it was true," she told JAPAN Forward. After the three-day conflict, it was agreed that students ー one just 13 years old ー would travel to the UK to learn about the Industrial Revolution and help build bilateral ties. The students' experiences in Britain helped shape their future, with at least two going on to serve as government ministers. Others also went on to prominent positions in diplomacy, the armed forces, industry, and trade. Masato Fujiwara and his modern-day Satsuma Students running team. (Courtesy of Masato Fujiwara) Today, it is just as important to forge bilateral ties, said Dingley. "I think it's a hugely positive platform for the next generation to learn about Japan, and to take part in the race with Japanese runners too. "Many people in the running fraternity are curious about it, and the wider Anglo-Japanese community too," she said. "There have been one or two local ekiden races in the UK in the past, but this is quite different as we are bringing in many universities to take part, and then the corporate teams who sponsor and fund the race. "It's a virtuous circle because the universities get to participate for free, the students have a great experience of racing and teamwork, and also get to meet all the companies," she added. "The companies have a great teamwork experience too. Often it's a great chance to bond with their Japanese clients or colleagues, and they also get to meet the younger generation." Many, she said, are also drawn by the sport's long history and the devotion it attracts in its homeland. Originally, ekiden was not a sport but referred to the system of horse couriers that carried letters in stages between Japan's major urban centers, primarily the ancient capital of Kyoto and Edo, modern-day Tokyo. The transfer of the post to the next carrier is reflected in the handing over of the sash ー the "tasuki" ー to the next runner in the race. In 1917, the first-ever ekiden was staged as a three-day race over 23 stages from Kyoto to Tokyo. Then, it was a 507-kilometer event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the transfer of the nation's capital to Tokyo. However, it was quickly adopted as a competition by universities and companies, emphasizing unity, resilience, and shared goals. Today, the most important event on the ekiden calendar is the two-day New Year race. Teams of students from Japanese universities run from Tokyo to the mountain town of Hakone and back the following day. It covers a distance of 219 kilometers. Jo Auer, student at Magdalen College, Oxford, was on the winning team in 2024's inaugural race and will be hoping to repeat that feat in 2025. (©Phil Hill) Jo Auer, a 26-year-old student at Magdalen College, Oxford, will be competing in this year's race once more. She's hopeful that her team can repeat their victory in the 2024 inaugural race. "We didn't go in with any expectations ー it was more about enjoying the experience and working together as a team. So crossing the line in first place made it all the more special," she said, adding that running an ekiden was different from her previous races. "It was unlike anything I'd done before," she said. "I'd never raced in a long-format relay, and it turned out to be far more fun and memorable than typical solo racing. Wearing the traditional 'tasuki' sash added a unique cultural touch. And running the final leg ー with Windsor Castle coming into view as I emerged from the woods ー was genuinely unforgettable." Ekiden running demands a different approach, she added, but also has benefits. "There's nothing quite like it," said Auer, who is originally from Brisbane in Australia. "The long-format relay demands endurance and strategy, but also a deep sense of teamwork. You're not just racing for yourself — you're carrying something symbolic, both literally with the sash and figuratively with the team's shared effort. Covering such a long distance together, across a beautiful landscape, and then celebrating as a unit at the finish, it's a uniquely rewarding experience." Masato Fujiwara will carry the traditional sash in honor of the Satsuma students. Nevertheless, he admits to being something of a running novice. "I have had little experience with running before, and I am not a member of my university's ekiden team. For me, running was something that I did in high school," said Fujiwara, who is studying pharmacy at Fukuoka University. "I have been fitting in training around my university life since I found out I would be participating in the race in April," he said. "As a complete beginner when it comes to running, I have been thinking about how to train most effectively in a short time so I can run just over 10 km. Masato Fujiwara, third from left, outside Exeter Cathedral during his UK homestay. (Courtesy of Masato Fujiwara) It will not be Fujiwara's first visit to the UK. He spent three weeks in the city of Exeter as a homestay student during middle school. At the time, he was impressed by the number of historical buildings in Britain. "Although the UK and Japan are far apart, I hope that through this race, we can overcome that distance, sweat together through sports, and become good friends," he added. "I also hope that by sharing the culture of Japan's ekiden with others, more people will become interested in Japan as a country." Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at Oxford University during their state visit to the UK, which overlapped with the inaugural UK Ekiden in June, 2024. (©Reuters) After 30 years dividing her time between the UK and Japan, Dingley shares that hope. "To be honest, I didn't really know so much about ekiden when I lived in Japan," she admitted. "I've always enjoyed iconic journeys rather than necessarily focusing on running. I've cycled the length of Britain, Land's End to John O'Groats, sailed across the Atlantic, and travelled back from Japan overland on the Trans Siberian Express in midwinter. "It's that iconic journey aspect of the Hakone ekiden, which is one of the key reasons I knew our UK Ekiden also had to be along a special route like the Thames Path," she added. In 2024, the UK Ekiden coincided with a state visit to London by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. Both had studied at Oxford University. A portion of the profits was also donated to charities. Among those were organizations supporting the rebuilding of the Noto Peninsula, devastated in a January 2024 earthquake. The relationship between the UK Ekiden and Ishikawa Prefecture will continue in the 2025 event, Dingley said. Raising awareness and increasing assistance to the hard-hit region remains front and center in the event. By Julian Ryall
Winnipeg Free Press
18 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sam Burns holds steady on soggy Oakmont to lead US Open
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Sam Burns only wobbled twice on a soggy Oakmont course Saturday and held his nerve with a great lag from just inside 60 feet on the final hole for a 1-under 69, leaving him one round away from a U.S. Open title and no margin for error. Burns, who has never contended in his 20 previous majors, next takes on the Sunday pressure of golf's most stringent test alongside Adam Scott, the 44-year-old Australian and the only player among the top 10 with experience winning a major. Scott, whose lone major was 12 years ago at the Masters, didn't make a mistake since a soft bogey on the opening hole and looked far younger than his 44 years down the stretch with brilliant iron play and enough putts for a 67, leaving him one shot behind. This was shaping up to be a wild chase to the finish, with only four players under par. That starts with Burns at 4-under 206. He has five PGA Tour titles, the last one more than two years ago. He is coming off a playoff loss last week in the Canadian Open. J.J. Spaun, who lost in a playoff at The Players Championship in March, kept pace with Burns throughout the back nine until the end, when he couldn't save par from a bunker and shot 69. He joined Scott a shot behind. 'It seemed like we were kind of back and forth,' Spaun said. 'He would take the lead, I would take the lead, I would fall back, whatever. But it was fun. You can't really play against your opponent; you got to play this course. There's just so much on demand with every shot.' The other survivor to par was Viktor Hovland, who has been smiling as much as anyone on a course that has been exasperating to so many all week. Hovland salvaged a bogey from an opening tee shot into the bushes and an exquisite shot off the muddied cart path. But he hit the pin on the uphill ninth hole for birdie and hit an amazing wedge from the cabbage left of the 17th green for a tap-in birdie. He closed with a bogey from the rain-soaked rough on the 18th for a 70 and was three behind 'I'm well aware that I've got a chance tomorrow, and if I shoot a low round of golf tomorrow then anything can happen,' Hovland said. 'But there's a lot of good players around me. Adam Scott played a brilliant round today, just didn't really miss a shot. That forces me to play some really good golf tomorrow.' Carlos Ortiz turned in one of the most remarkable performances by going bogey-free for 30 consecutive holes. The streak ended on the 18th, but the Mexican still had a 67 and was very much in range at even-par 210. Missing from the mix was Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player who had won three of his last four tournaments coming into the U.S. Open. Scheffler never found any momentum, with one critical stretch coming right before the turn. After holing a 20-foot birdie putt on the sixth, Scheffler saved par after driving into the rough on No. 7 and hitting wedge to 3 feet. But then what looked like a tap-in par on the long par-3 eighth turned into a shocking miss. He wound up with a 70, moving him from a tie for 23rd to just outside the top 10. But he was eight shots behind Burns, his best friend on tour with whom he shares a house at the majors. 'I put myself in this position,' Scheffler said. 'It's not the position I want to be in, but I've done a good job of hanging in there and staying in the tournament.' The best news for this U.S. Open was that it finished the third round without weather getting in the way. Oakmont received an inch of rain from when played ended on Friday evening. The USGA offered to refund tickets to spectators who didn't want to traipse through the muck. Divots taken from the fairways looked like pelts, and the greens were noticeable softer and more receptive. There was one spell midway through the round when umbrellas were out and the sun was shining. Everyone plodded along, trying desperately to avoid rough that hasn't been cut and greens that never seem to lose their speed. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Burns, a 28-year-old from from Louisiana, had the look of someone determined to add his list to young Americans ready to capture a major. He took a most unusual route on the tough third hole with a drive well to the left, over the church pew bunkers and into the adjacent fourth fairway, allowing him to avoid a blind shot. He picked up birdies with a wedge from the fairway to a back pin on No. 5 and a tee shot to 7 feet on the accessible par-3 13th. Equally important were the three times he saved par from the fairway after getting out of position off the tee Then came the closing stretch. He clipped a wedge that raced toward a back pin and checked up a foot away on the short par-4 17th. And he caught a break on the 18th when his drive into the rough caught a good lie, a rarity at Oakmont, allowing him to reach the back of the green nearly 60 feet away. He gently rolled the putt down to 4 feet for one last par and the lead. ___ AP golf:
