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New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Ledecky to 12-year-old: Six to watch at swimming world championships
SINGAPORE: The action in the swimming pool begins at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday, when many of the best swimmers on the planet will take to the starting blocks. AFP Sport highlights six to watch over eight days of intense competition: American great Katie Ledecky shows no signs of slowing down as she heads to her seventh world championships looking to add to her haul of 21 gold medals. The 28-year-old won three times at the US championships last month, clinching the 1,500m freestyle by more than 25 seconds. That came a month after she broke her own longstanding 800m freestyle world record, clocking 8min 4.12sec in the event that catapulted her to stardom at the age of 15 during the 2012 London Olympics. Ledecky, who also holds the world record in the 1,500m freestyle and has nine Olympic golds, faces a mouthwatering showdown with Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh in the 400m and 800m freestyle. The biggest name in men's swimming today after his heroics at his home Olympics in Paris last summer. The 23-year-old clinched gold in all four of his individual events, winning the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m medley and the 400m medley to take the roof off La Defense Arena. He will concentrate on the medley events in Singapore. The 400m medley world record holder since 2023, Marchand will attempt to break Ryan Lochte's 200m medley mark of 1min 54.00sec set in 2011. Teenage sensation McIntosh heads to the world championships as swimming's hottest property after breaking three world records at the Canadian trials last month. The 18-year-old sliced more than a second off the women's 400m freestyle mark held by Australia's Ariarne Titmus and obliterated Hungarian great Katinka Hosszu's decade-old 200m medley world record. McIntosh updated her own 400m medley mark to become the first swimmer to break three different long-course world records at the same event since Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. McIntosh won three golds at the Paris Olympics and already has four world titles. McKeown was untouchable at last month's Australian trials, completing a clean sweep of the three women's backstroke events. The 24-year-old was so dominant in the 200m backstroke that she finished more than five seconds clear of second-placed Hannah Fredericks. McKeown, who won two Olympic golds in Paris, owns world records in the 50m and 200m backstroke. She skipped last year's world championships in Doha but won all three backstroke events in 2023 at Fukuoka. The 20-year-old freestyler enjoyed an incredible 2024. In the 100m at the Paris Olympics he destroyed the field to clinch gold in an eye-popping 46.40sec, bettering his own world record. The biggest threat to the defence of his 100m free world title will come from David Popovici in one of the most eagerly anticipated events after the Romanian became the second-fastest man in history with a swim of 46.71sec last month. The 12-year-old came out of nowhere to make global headlines at China's national championships in May with a series of stunning swims. Yu started the China championships by taking second in the 200m individual medley behind Paris Olympian Yu Yiting in 2min 10.63sec – the fastest time in history for her age group. Wearing her "doggy" swim cap, Yu then won the women's 400m individual medley by almost two seconds in a time that would have been fast enough for fourth at the Paris Olympics. The schoolgirl also won the 200m butterfly in another scarcely believable swim that would again have only narrowly missed out on a medal in Paris. - AFP
Kuwait Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
India face Bumrah dilemma as England search for top order stability
India face Bumrah dilemma as England search for top order stability MANCHESTER: India must make a crucial call on the fitness of star pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. England can clinch the series with a victory in Manchester but they have top order questions to resolve, while Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja will be looking to repeat their third Test exploits. AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the first day of the Test on Wednesday: India weigh up Bumrah decision Trailing 2-1 in the five-match series after their painful 22-run loss at Lord's, India cannot afford another defeat if they are to win a Test trip to England for the first time since 2007. That perilous position has increased the pressure to make the right decision on the fitness of Bumrah. India coach Gautam Gambhir made it clear at the start of the series that Bumrah would only be available for three matches due to a nagging back injury. Bumrah, 31, played in the first and third Tests against England, with India losing both matches, and missed the second game, which the tourists won. If India opt to use the world's top ranked Test bowler in Manchester, it would likely rule him out of a potential series decider in the fifth Test. 'We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It's pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester so there will be a leaning towards playing him,' Gambhir's assistant Ryan ten Doeschate said. The need to play Bumrah at Old Trafford has been heightened by injuries to India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and seamer Arshdeep Singh. England's brittle top order England may be within touching distance of winning the series, but questions about their fragile top order remain unsolved. Polarizing opener Zak Crawley could only muster scores of 18 and 22 at Lord's. Ollie Pope, filling the number three spot, reached 44 in the first innings but perished for just four in the second, while Crawley's opening partner Ben Duckett was dismissed for 23 and 12. England must decide whether to keep faith with Crawley, whose international career has been filled with highs and lows. Scores of 267 against Pakistan and 189 against Australia showcased Crawley's ability, but the 27-year-old's frustrating habit of surrendering his wicket cheaply has led to calls for a change at the top of the line-up. However, England have backed Crawley and Duckett to the hilt, and captain Stokes said: 'They complement each other. Left-hand, right-hand. 'One is a giant, one is not. It is very hard for bowlers to settle in.' Jadeja v Stokes After England's Stokes rose to the occasion at Lord's and Jadeja nearly delivered a match-winning innings for India, the all-rounders will carry hefty expectations in Manchester. Stokes led by example in England's third Test triumph, scoring 77 runs in two innings, taking five wickets and producing a vital run-out of Rishabh Pant. Significantly, Stokes was able to push his body through 44 overs, including spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on the dramatic final day. Now 34, that was the most he has bowled in over six years after being plagued by injuries. 'It was an incredible effort to be able to do that, but that's just how he's built, I guess. He's just desperate to be the man and make things happen,' England batsman Joe Root said. Age was no barrier for the 36-year-old Jadeja either as he kept India in the Lord's Test until the last moments. Now an elder statesman of the team after the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Jadeja's gritty 61 not out from 181 balls took the tourists within a whisker of their 193-run target. He also scored 72 in the first innings and made 89 and 69 in the second Test at Edgbaston. 'I always felt he has the ability to take pressure. With so much of experience, he normally comes with something that the team needs in any challenging conditions. Really, really valuable to the team,' India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said. — AFP
NDTV
18-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Olympic Champion Noah Lyles To Make 100m Season Debut At London Diamond League
Olympic champion Noah Lyles reignites competition with Letsile Tebogo over 100m at Saturday's Diamond League meet in London, a week after the American marked his return to action with victory in the 200m over the Botswanan in Monaco. Lyles runs his first 100m of 2025, headlining an afternoon featuring the cream of track and field athletes, winners of 75 medals between them from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics, across both individual and relay disciplines. A sell-out crowd of 60,000 is expected at the London Stadium, home to Premier League club West Ham and the venue for a memorable athletics programme at the 2012 London Olympics. AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events at the 11th leg of the 15-meet Diamond League circuit: Men's 100m Tebogo admitted in Monaco that Lyles was the crowd pleaser and that when his face appears on posters, people want to come and see him. The Botswanan, who won the 200m gold at last year's Paris Olympics as Lyles came third, was edged out in Monaco by the American, who clocked an impressive 19.88sec in his return to the track from a tendon injury. Lyles said it had been tough watching early-season competition from home, but his comeback was timely with the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon in September. "I have a bye for the US Trials which makes it less stressful because it gives us the time to work on the races," Lyles said. "It gives us time to see what works and what doesn't and to be able to make moves from there." The home nation will be represented by Louie Hinchliffe, world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes. The Jamaican duo of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, and South African Akani Simbine fill out the field in what should be a top-notch race. Women's 200m Julien Alfred was in dominant form when she scorched to victory in the 100m in Monaco in 10.79sec. It looked to be perfect preparation as athletes finetune their bodies, both mentally and physically, ahead of the world championships. "The last week was not the best for me but it also showed me that I am not where I should be and that there are things that I still need to work on," Alfred said after winning in Monaco. "The season is long but I don't have any trials so I will have time to work on the details. I took a step back and realise that I won't put any pressure on myself this year. I was listening to all that outside noise but I focus on just Julien right now." Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt will provide the competition, along with the sole American in the field, Brittany Brown. Men's 1500m The men's 1500m features a stellar cast of homegrown athletes, notably the last two world champions Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr. That pair each outsprinted Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen for victory in Eugene in 2022 and Budapest a year later, respectively. Ingebrigtsen was a late withdrawal from London, his team saying he "still needs a little more time to heal the injury he has been struggling with lately... he does not want to risk anything". Further British hopes ride on the shoulders of Neil Gourley, George Mills and Elliot Giles, while it is Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech who owns the fastest time of the season in 3:27.72. Women's 800m There may be no local hero Keely Hodgkinson on the cards as the Olympic champion is still bidding to recover from injury, but the two-lap race is another loaded one. Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Georgia Hunter Bell form a strong home trio. The presence of Uganda's Halimah Nakaayi and Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin will ensure a rapid race. Men's 800m All eyes will be on Kenya's world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who heads a pack of runners hunting down David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91. Rudisha set that mark when he won gold at the London Olympics, but for the first time in more than a decade, there are a handful of middle distance stars seemingly capable of pushing their limits to the max.
New Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Olympic champion Lyles to make 100m season debut at London Diamond League
London: Olympic champion Noah Lyles reignites competition with Letsile Tebogo over 100m at Saturday's Diamond League meet in London, a week after the American marked his return to action with victory in the 200m over the Botswanan in Monaco. Lyles runs his first 100m of 2025, headlining an afternoon featuring the cream of track and field athletes, winners of 75 medals between them from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics, across both individual and relay disciplines. A sell-out crowd of 60,000 is expected at the London Stadium, home to Premier League club West Ham and the venue for a memorable athletics programme at the 2012 London Olympics. AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events at the 11th leg of the 15-meet Diamond League circuit: Tebogo admitted in Monaco that Lyles was the crowd pleaser and that when his face appears on posters, people want to come and see him. The Botswanan, who won the 200m gold at last year's Paris Olympics as Lyles came third, was edged out in Monaco by the American, who clocked an impressive 19.88sec in his return to the track from a tendon injury. Lyles said it had been tough watching early-season competition from home, but his comeback was timely with the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon in September. "I have a bye for the US Trials which makes it less stressful because it gives us the time to work on the races," Lyles said. "It gives us time to see what works and what doesn't and to be able to make moves from there." The home nation will be represented by Louie Hinchliffe, world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes. The Jamaican duo of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, and South African Akani Simbine fill out the field in what should be a top-notch race. Julien Alfred was in dominant form when she scorched to victory in the 100m in Monaco in 10.79sec. It looked to be perfect preparation as athletes finetune their bodies, both mentally and physically, ahead of the world championships. "The last week was not the best for me but it also showed me that I am not where I should be and that there are things that I still need to work on," Alfred said after winning in Monaco. "The season is long but I don't have any trials so I will have time to work on the details. I took a step back and realise that I won't put any pressure on myself this year. I was listening to all that outside noise but I focus on just Julien right now." Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt will provide the competition, along with the sole American in the field, Brittany Brown. The men's 1500m features a stellar cast of homegrown athletes, notably the last two world champions Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr. That pair each outsprinted Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen for victory in Eugene in 2022 and Budapest a year later, respectively. Ingebrigtsen was a late withdrawal from London, his team saying he "still needs a little more time to heal the injury he has been struggling with lately... he does not want to risk anything." Further British hopes ride on the shoulders of Neil Gourley, George Mills and Elliot Giles, while it is Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech who owns the fastest time of the season in 3:27.72. There may be no local hero Keely Hodgkinson on the cards as the Olympic champion is still bidding to recover from injury, but the two-lap race is another loaded one. Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Georgia Hunter Bell form a strong home trio. The presence of Uganda's Halimah Nakaayi and Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin will ensure a rapid race. All eyes will be on Kenya's world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who heads a pack of runners hunting down David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91. Rudisha set that mark when he won gold at the London Olympics, but for the first time in more than a decade, there are a handful of middle distance stars seemingly capable of pushing their limits to the max.
Int'l Business Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Business Times
Olympic Champion Lyles To Make 100m Season Debut At London Diamond League
Olympic champion Noah Lyles reignites competition with Letsile Tebogo over 100m at Saturday's Diamond League meet in London, a week after the American marked his return to action with victory in the 200m over the Botswanan in Monaco. Lyles runs his first 100m of 2025, headlining an afternoon featuring the cream of track and field athletes, winners of 75 medals between them from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics, across both individual and relay disciplines. A sell-out crowd of 60,000 is expected at the London Stadium, home to Premier League club West Ham and the venue for a memorable athletics programme at the 2012 London Olympics. AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events at the 11th leg of the 15-meet Diamond League circuit: Tebogo admitted in Monaco that Lyles was the crowd pleaser and that when his face appears on posters, people want to come and see him. The Botswanan, who won the 200m gold at last year's Paris Olympics as Lyles came third, was edged out in Monaco by the American, who clocked an impressive 19.88sec in his return to the track from a tendon injury. Lyles said it had been tough watching early-season competition from home, but his comeback was timely with the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon in September. "I have a bye for the US Trials which makes it less stressful because it gives us the time to work on the races," Lyles said. "It gives us time to see what works and what doesn't and to be able to make moves from there." The home nation will be represented by Louie Hinchliffe, world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes. The Jamaican duo of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, and South African Akani Simbine fill out the field in what should be a top-notch race. Julien Alfred was in dominant form when she scorched to victory in the 100m in Monaco in 10.79sec. It looked to be perfect preparation as athletes finetune their bodies, both mentally and physically, ahead of the world championships. "The last week was not the best for me but it also showed me that I am not where I should be and that there are things that I still need to work on," Alfred said after winning in Monaco. "The season is long but I don't have any trials so I will have time to work on the details. I took a step back and realise that I won't put any pressure on myself this year. I was listening to all that outside noise but I focus on just Julien right now." Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt will provide the competition, along with the sole American in the field, Brittany Brown. The men's 1500m features a stellar cast of homegrown athletes, notably the last two world champions Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr. That pair each outsprinted Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen for victory in Eugene in 2022 and Budapest a year later, respectively. Ingebrigtsen was a late withdrawal from London, his team saying he "still needs a little more time to heal the injury he has been struggling with lately... he does not want to risk anything". Further British hopes ride on the shoulders of Neil Gourley, George Mills and Elliot Giles, while it is Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech who owns the fastest time of the season in 3:27.72. There may be no local hero Keely Hodgkinson on the cards as the Olympic champion is still bidding to recover from injury, but the two-lap race is another loaded one. Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Georgia Hunter Bell form a strong home trio. The presence of Uganda's Halimah Nakaayi and Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin will ensure a rapid race. All eyes will be on Kenya's world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who heads a pack of runners hunting down David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91. Rudisha set that mark when he won gold at the London Olympics, but for the first time in more than a decade, there are a handful of middle distance stars seemingly capable of pushing their limits to the max. St Lucia's Julien Alfred is finetuning ahead of the world championships in September AFP Emmanuel Wanyonyi's form suggests he could threaten Kenyan compatriot David Rudisha's 800m world record AFP
