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NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS EZRA FRECH AND HUNTER WOODHALL HEADLINE NBC SPORTS' LIVE COVERAGE OF USATF PARA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SATURDAY ON NBC AND PEACOCK
Live Coverage from University of Oregon's Hayward Field This Saturday, Aug. 2, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock First Time in History Para National Championships Will Be Combined with USATF Championships This Weekend's Event Determines Which Para Athletes Will Represent Team USA at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi from Sept. 26-Oct. 5 STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2025 – Paris Paralympic gold medalists Ezra Frech and Hunter Woodhall headline NBC Sports' live coverage of the 2025 USATF Para National Championships this Saturday, Aug. 2, from iconic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. This will be the first time that the Para National Championships will be held jointly with the USATF Outdoor Championships, which will also be presented across NBC and Peacock. Team USA had a successful 2024 Paris Paralympics with 38 medals (10 of them gold), the second-most of any country and only trailing China. This event serves as the primary selection process to determine who will represent Team USA at this summer's 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, India, from Sept. 26-Oct. 5. Frech is coming off a momentous Paris Paralympic campaign that saw him take home the gold medal in the 100m T63 and high jump T63, the latter of which he won with a Paralympic-record-jump of 1.94m. A rising sophomore at USC – the reigning men's NCAA outdoor co-champions – Frech is the first above-the-knee amputee to be recruited to an NCAA Division I track & field program. Woodhall, a five-time Paralympic medalist, won his first gold medal in Paris in the 400m T62 in addition to a bronze medal in the universal 4x100m relay. Woodhall is married to reigning Paris Olympic long jump gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall, who is also competing at Hayward Field this weekend. Other notable Para athletes expected to compete include Paris Paralympic 100m T38 and 400m T38 gold medalist Jaydin Blackwell, who is the world record holder in both events, Paris Paralympic shot put F46 gold medalist Noelle Malkamaki, five-time Paralympic medalist sprinter Brittni Mason, and 21-time Paralympic track & field medalist Tatyana McFadden, the most decorated U.S. Paralympic track & field athlete in history. Frech, along with fellow Paralympians Jamal Hill (swimming), Courtney Ryan (wheelchair basketball), and Josie Aslakson (wheelchair basketball), stars in Peacock's sports docuseries ADAPTIVE, now available to stream exclusively on the platform. The series presents an intimate and in-depth look into the lives of these world-class Paralympic and their journeys from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics to the 2024 Paris Paralympics. To learn more, click here. NBC Sports' Paul Swangard will call the event alongside seven-time Paralympic medalist Amanda McGrory. Four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, and 2012 London Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee will join Swangard and McGrory to call the USATF Outdoor Championships. Lewis Johnson will serve as reporter. How To Watch – Saturday, Aug. 2 (all times ET) · TV – NBC · Streaming – Peacock, NBC Sports app USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE --NBC SPORTS--
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Rangers want to see from EJ Emery, Malcolm Spence at 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase
Though much of hockey's day-to-day business has slowed considerably by this point of the summer, there's still a very important event that the New York Rangers and other teams will keep an eye on this week in Minneapolis. The 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase features many top prospects from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Each of the four countries is getting an early look at roster and lineup options for the 2026 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The week-long showcase features practices every day and at least four games for each county. The United States, the two-time defending champion at the World Juniors, has 42 players at the showcase this week. They began by splitting up into two teams — White and Blue — each of which will play two games, before a combined U.S. squad plays three games later in the week. The Rangers have two very important prospects taking part in the showcase — defenseman E.J. Emery of the United States and forward Malcolm Spence of Canada. Let's examine what the Rangers are looking from each of their youngsters. Related: E.J. Emery This is Emery's second appearance at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He took part a year ago and was later among the final cuts when the 25-man roster was finalized in December. Though a disappointment that he didn't make the team, it was an excellent experience for Emery, who nearly landed a spot on an absolutely stacked roster. The U.S., with Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue playing major roles, went on to repeat as WJC champion. There are nine players returning from the 2025 gold medal-winning team, including three defensemen. They are Team USA's leaders at this showcase, but Emery is considered to be a part of that leadership group, as well, now that he's 19, heading into his sophomore season at North Dakota and came so close to being on last year's team. 'Coming in as a bit of an older guy to the '07s (players born in 2007) here — younger guys, new guys — just try to show them that we're all one team and we're all trying to do the same thing,' the Rangers first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft explained. 'Obviously, there's a final team everyone wants to make, but we're all here to win Gold at the end of the day.' Related: The Rangers want to see Emery not only make the U.S. squad this year, but they'd love for him to stand out and be a clear-cut top-six defenseman. There's an important role for him to strive for, that of a dependable shutdown defenseman, which is what Fortescue did for Team USA the previous two World Juniors. A year after being one of the youngest players at the showcase for the United States, Emery is now considered more of a veteran. So, the Rangers will also watch closely to see what type of leader Emery is among his peers. Lastly, is there more to Emery's offensive game than what he showed as a North Dakota freshman last season? Emery had one point (an assist) in 31 games last season. As much as the Rangers love his defensive play, they want to see him show more on the other side of the puck this week. Malcolm Spence New York's top pick in this year's draft, second round (No. 43 overall), Spence is one of 36 players present at the showcase for Canada, and one of 20 forwards. Those odds weigh somewhat in Spence's favor of making the team if he has a good showing in Minneapolis and a strong start to his freshman season at the University of Michigan. However, these numbers are deceiving because there are eight forwards — each a first-round draft pick — who were invited to the showcase by Hockey Canada but couldn't or didn't attend. Among those are 2024 draft standouts Tij Iginla and and Beckett Sennecke, and 2025 first-rounders Caleb Desnoyers and Roger McQueen. So, the Rangers want to see Spence stand out this week and put himself solidly in the middle-six conversation. That means playing to his strengths — committed to a 200-foot game, standing out on special teams when/if given that opportunity, putting up points and using his ample size (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) to be a physical force. A solid first impression this week should keep Spence in the mix even if some of those big names are available to play for Canada in the tournament. But this week feels like a crucial one for Spence, as far as the WJC is concerned. Related Headlines Jonny Brodzinski preps for Rangers season with summer league hat trick in Da Beauty League Rangers legend 'never really had a chance to say goodbye' until Chris Drury phone call changed everything Rangers top draft pick Malcolm Spence earns praise at World Junior Summer Showcase Rangers' most memorable regular-season games from 2000-25, including Mika Zibanejad's 5-goal night
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Bigger than football' - how Mjallby are gatecrashing Sweden's elite
While most football fans across Europe patiently wait for the new season to begin, the story of the year in Sweden is already taking shape. The nation's top tier, Allsvenskan, is home to Champions League regulars and historic giants such as Malmo, AIK, Hammarby and Djurgarden. Yet with less than half of the season left to play, it is Mjallby, based in a town of fewer than 1,000 people, who find themselves four points clear at the top of the table and on track to play in Europe. From overcoming near-bankruptcy to creating the best team in the country on a shoestring budget, the club's journey to this point has been remarkable. Mjallby were established in 1939 by the merging of two local teams, and have spent much of the subsequent 86 years outside the Swedish top flight. A coastal area closely tied with fishing and agriculture, the people of Solvesborg municipality are hard working and proud. They show up in numbers at their modest 6,500 capacity Strandvallen home in the small town of Hallevik, with average attendances more than four times the size of the local population. It's by the sea, but a far cry from the vast arenas of Stockholm and Malmo as Mjallby try to make up for lost time. After a joint-best finish of fifth in the 2024 Allsvenskan, they have won 13 of their 18 league games this term and tasted defeat just once. Since July 2024, they have also gone 18 home league matches unbeaten. Mjallby have already beaten title rivals Hammarby, currently in second place, home and away this season, despite having one of the smallest turnovers and budgets in the division. "It's difficult to take it all in, it's happened so fast," midfielder Elliot Stroud told BBC Sport. The 23-year-old, Mjallby's top goal contributor in the league with four goals and five assists, is thriving in a high energy, high pressing attacking system, something only recently introduced at the club. "When people thought of Mjallby, they thought of long balls, long throws. We've always been strong defensively, but last season we brought in a new assistant coach who brought lots of great offensive ideas," added Stroud. That coach is Karl Marius Aksum. He had never previously coached at senior level when he joined Mjallby in January 2024, but his academic work and ideas won over manager Anders Torstensson. The Norwegian, who regularly shares tactical insights on social media, has a PhD in visual perception in elite football. It has a particular focus on scanning, which refers to the active head movements players make before receiving the ball to gather information from their surroundings. "It's a critical skill in modern football because the movements of the players are faster and the press is better, so you have to update your surroundings all the time," Aksum told BBC Sport. "It's especially important for players in the middle of the pitch, because they could have important information 360 degrees around them." He worked on the players' scanning to make them "better passers and better players both offensively and defensively", and was given the freedom to implement other principles to revolutionise their attacking play. A team that once relied heavily on crosses and set-pieces now plays out from the back to keep possession and moves up the pitch as a unit. Aksum favours "game specific" training over drills like rondos, which focus on a specific skill without recreating real match conditions. "No Playstation coaching, we provide players with principles but never the exact solutions. They have to make the decisions," he added. With 35 goals in 18 games this season, Mjallby are the division's top scorers and have the fourth-highest average possession (53.8%) - up from 47.5% three years ago. 'We had to take control' Making a title charge with an average player age of 24 and just three international players is impressive, but it's no accident. Rewind to 2016 and Mjallby were struggling in the third tier and close to bankruptcy. Victory on the final day spared them what would have been a fatal relegation to the fourth tier, but serious changes were needed off the field. Swedish clubs are owned by fans because of the 50+1 rule, meaning rich owners cannot bankroll teams to success. Mjallby's transformation over the last decade has been organic, and driven by chairman Magnus Emeus. The businessman changed the mindset regarding finance, reducing the club's running costs and making the operation more efficient. "We took control of our costs, we have one of the lowest turnovers in the league, but we also have one of the lowest costs," Mjallby chief executive Jacob Lennartsson told BBC Sport. "For every Swedish krona that leaves this club, we ask the question: Is this making us better? "Football is so much about love and passion, but in the end it's so important that you have a good economy." Mjallby began to focus on developing young players and selling them as a way to survive. Defender Colin Rosler - son of former Manchester City striker Uwe - was sold for £950,000 just 18 months after joining on a free transfer. Midfielder Nicklas Rojkjaer - described by Aksum as the best player he has ever worked with - joined Danish side Nordsjaelland earlier this month for about £1.4m. The stars of this season like Gambian forward Abdoulie Manneh, centre-backs Axel Noren and Abdullah Iqbal, and Swedish midfielder Ludwig Malachowski Thorell seem destined for big moves in the future. Older players like captain Jesper Gustavsson - who played in that decisive final-day game nine years ago - and striker Jacob Bergstrom, both 30, have provided invaluable experience. Such a strategy appears at odds with challenging for honours, but Lennartsson believes a balance can be found. "The problem is when you start to win games, players attract bigger clubs. The balance is to make them understand that it's about what is best for the club," he said. "I understand the players' perspective. At Mjallby they will get a good education and play for one of the best teams in Sweden, but they will not get the best money. "No player that has ever asked to leave Mjallby stays for a long time afterwards. Maybe a half or full season, but they get their dream move in the end." The club is getting stronger year on year. Since 2016, their annual turnover has grown from minus £350,000 to £2.3m, while equity has increased vastly too. Sharing joy after tough times While continuing to grow, what has emerged from the near-ruins of 2016 is a club that remains rooted in a tight-knit community. Where else would several members of a title-challenging squad all live in the same building and regularly bump into fans while doing their grocery shopping? "If we don't have anything to do we will have a barbecue, cook out, hang out," revealed Stroud. "Those bonds build off the pitch and follow on the pitch too. That's the key. We are all so close and that's special at a fairly small club." Mjallby's official supporters' association, Sillastrybarna, has grown from less than 30 hardcore fans to at least 500, all while cultivating a positive, anti-racist and anti-sexist culture in the stands. Not to be outdone by their counterparts in Stockholm, the choreographies and displays produced by the Mjallby Tifo group get more elaborate with each passing season. For those who have witnessed their journey, the emotions of this season are hard to comprehend. "The greatest feeling is sharing this moment with my mates who have been standing by my side all along this journey," said Sillastrybarna chairman Patrik Thorell. "Mjallby is bigger than football, it is a big family. Seeing these people full of joy every weekend, and to share this feeling with them, it really is one of the best feelings in the world." After watching his team play at Mjallby, one opposition supporter wrote on social media: "It should be impossible to play football here - nobody lives here, there is one shop and only animals. "You turn right on a road where the world ends and the sea starts, and there is Strandvallen. It's amazing they play elite football there, but they do." Those words have been adopted by the club as both a source of motivation and grounding. "We are not that big, we need to keep our feet on the ground," added Lennartsson. "We use this to keep our expectations in check." Whether or not Mjallby get their fairytale ending in November, the future looks bright for the club where the world ends and the sea starts. Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
