logo
Swimmers racing in a car park? How can you not go and watch?

Swimmers racing in a car park? How can you not go and watch?

Straits Times6 hours ago

The World Aquatics Championships Arena was constructed in a car park in the Kallang. PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
'Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare.' Muhammad Ali said this and who'd dare argue with The Greatest? But impossible in sport isn't just a sublime feat, or a piece of revolutionary equipment. Sometimes it's just a building. Like this gigantic, temporary, blue box constructed on a car park filled with 3.9 million litres of water.
A piece of land in Kallang, where vehicles once stood stationary, is now a place where we will record movement in liquid during the World Aquatics Championships in July. Incredible? But then sport has always been a place of magic and imagination.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Frech stuns sixth-seed Andreeva, lucky loser Jabeur powers through
Frech stuns sixth-seed Andreeva, lucky loser Jabeur powers through

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Frech stuns sixth-seed Andreeva, lucky loser Jabeur powers through

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 9, 2025, Poland's Magdalena Frech in action during her round of 64 match against Belarus' Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo BERLIN - Poland's Magdalena Frech came from a set down to battle past world number seven Mirra Andreeva of Russia 2-6 7-5 6-0 on Monday, booking a place in the Berlin Open round of 16 and staging the upset of the tournament. The 18-year-old sixth seed looked to be cruising to victory when she bagged the first set with an audacious backhand slice dropshot on her fourth set point against Frech. The world number 25, however, was far from finished, breaking at the start of the second set with Andreeva losing her calm and hitting a ball high out of the court. With Andreeva's composure rapidly eroding and her unforced error count shooting up, Frech levelled when the Russian teenager's slice forehand sailed long. The Pole then powered past Andreeva with a bagel in the third, sealing her win when Andreeva sent another forehand wide. It is the first time Andreeva has lost a deciding set with a 6-0 scoreline in her professional career, and it was Frech's second top ten win of her career. Lucky loser Ons Jabeur, beaten on Sunday in the last qualifying round, made the most of her unexpected chance with a 7-6 6-1 win over American Caroline Dolehide. Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, looked comfortable on grass ahead of the season's third Grand Slam in London starting on June 30. The Tunisian, who has slipped to 61st in the world, earned a win for only the second time in her last five tournaments, and will come up against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini. World number nine Emma Navarro also advanced, with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win over Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk. Navarro broke her opponent three times, raced through the first set 6-2 in half an hour with Kostyuk's serve a source of constant concern. The American broke her twice more to move 4-1 clear in the second set and wrapped up her win after 77 minutes when Kostyuk sent a forehand volley two metres past the baseline. She will next play eighth seed Paula Badosa in the round of 16 after the Spaniard dispatched local hope Eva Lys 6-1 6-3 in 61 minutes. Swiss underdog Rebeka Masarova also caused a minor upset, eliminating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour to set up a clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Bublik advance in Halle
Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Bublik advance in Halle

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Bublik advance in Halle

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 27, 2025, Russia's Daniil Medvedev in action during his first-round match against Britain's Cameron Norrie REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open on Monday, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian Open and French Open. Bouncing back after a quarter-final exit in Den Bosch last week, the former U.S. Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist needed just an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break point opportunities and saving both break points he faced. Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018 ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6(5) in a gruelling first-round battle. Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0 and racing to a 6-3 second set to force a decider. The final set was tight throughout, with Darderi earning five break points but unable to convert. Tsitsipas kept his composure and clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory. It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world number three, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018. The Greek is looking to resurrect his career and Wimbledon holds particular importance for the 26-year-old, with the fourth round his best showing so far. Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in exactly one hour. Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner of Italy, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday. Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew from the event due to injury, with Dutchman Jesper de Jong taking his place in the main draw. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Sevilla appoint former player Almeyda as manager
Sevilla appoint former player Almeyda as manager

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Sevilla appoint former player Almeyda as manager

Sevilla have appointed Argentine Matias Almeyda as manager, the LaLiga club said on Monday, with their former player signing a three-year contract at the side which battled relegation last season. Almeyda spent one season at Sevilla when he joined from River Plate in 1996, before moving on to play with Lazio, Parma and Inter Milan in Italy. After ending his playing days back at River Plate, he began his managerial career there. The 51-year-old spent the last two seasons in charge at Greek club AEK Athens where he won the domestic double in his first campaign, having earlier parted ways with San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. Sevilla avoided relegation by one point last season, with manager Garcia Pimienta sacked in April and Joaquin Caparros appointed until the end of the season, a campaign which saw angry fans storm the club's training ground last month. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store