Rallying-Rovanpera heading for victory in Finland with Toyota sweep
Double world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera was heading for a first home victory in Finland on Sunday with his rampant Toyota team ending the penultimate leg with their cars in the top five places.
Rovanpera stretched his lead from 4.9 seconds overnight to 36.1 over teammate Takamoto Katsuta with eight-times world champion Sebastien Ogier third, Elfyn Evans fourth and Sami Pajari fifth.
Briton Evans looks set to take over at the top of the championship after Hyundai's Ott Tanak, who leads by one point, was handed a five-minute penalty and dropped to 14th.
Hyundai had a miserable day with reigning champion Thierry Neuville, second overnight, and Adrien Fourmaux suffering punctures that sent them plunging down the order to sixth and seventh respectively.
"I just tried to keep a good pace," said Rovanpera. "Obviously there was no need to take any crazy risks but I still wanted to go fast so that I've the feeling for tomorrow morning.
"I have the feeling we need to go quite fast tomorrow. It's going to be a big day."
Neuville said it was now just a question of getting as many points as possible.
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"Obviously any good result and any hope for the championship is basically gone," said the Belgian. "We needed a good result here, and we won't get any." REUTERS
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Straits Times
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- Straits Times
World Aquatics C'ships in S'pore deemed as success by athletes, fans and officials
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox French swim star Leon Marchand was among the athletes who thrilled at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. SINGAPORE – It had not been the most ideal of starts for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, with sparse crowds at the water polo and artistic swimming competitions, and a one-day delay to open water swimming due to high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria off Sentosa. But, as the 24-day competition progressed, the Republic recovered well and has earned praise from athletes, officials and fans alike as the flagship aquatics event was staged in South-east Asia for the first time. Originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, the competition was relocated in 2023 after World Aquatics stripped the country of hosting rights following its invasion of Ukraine. 'For any major multi-sport competition, it has its challenges,' said Mark Chay, co-chair of the WCH Singapore 2025 organising committee. 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Straits Times
3 hours ago
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3 hours ago
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Bednarek labels Lyles 'unsportsmanlike' after post-200m scuffle
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Aug 3, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Noah Lyles (left) defeats Kenny Bednarek to win the 200m, 19.63 to 19.67, during the USATF Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/File Photo American sprinter Kenny Bednarek labelled Noah Lyles "unsportsmanlike" after their heated 200 metres showdown at the USA Track & Field Championships almost led to blows on Sunday. Lyles, the three-times world champion in the event, stormed past Bednarek to win in a world leading 19.63 seconds, turning his head to stare down Bednarek as they crossed the line. Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back before the two exchanged what looked like heated words. "Noah's going to be Noah. If he wants to stare me down, that's fine," Bednarek told reporters. "The summary is, don't do that to me. I don't do any of that stuff. It's not good character right there. That's pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race. I've got to give him props. He was the better man today. "What he said didn't matter, it's just what he did," Bednarek added. "Unsportsmanlike (expletive), and I don't deal with that. It's a respect factor. He's fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that's all I can say. Next time we line up, I'm going to win. That's all that matters." Sunday's final set the stage for what is sure to be a fiery rematch when the two race again at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Both have also qualified in the 100m, with Lyles also the reigning world champion in that event. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore launches review of economic strategy to stay ahead of global shifts Singapore A look at the five committees reviewing Singapore's economic strategy Business More support for sectors and workers vulnerable to tech disruptions, global competition Business Singapore to tap advanced manufacturing, AI under strategic review Singapore Strong S'pore-Australia ties underpinned by bonds that are continually renewed: President Tharman Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 After Bednarek's shove, Lyles turned around and raised his arms to his U.S. rival and bounced up and down like a fighter. Their anger spilled into their trackside interview with NBC. "I tell ya, if you've got a problem, I expect a call," Bednarek said. Lyles replied: "You know what, you're right. You´re right. Let´s talk after this." When asked later about the scuffle, Lyles said: "On coach's orders, no comment." REUTERS
