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NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- Sport
- 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--
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
This week's TV: Jason Momoa in ‘Chief of War,' a Marc Maron comedy special, a Leanne Morgan sitcom, and more
'Adaptive,' Today on Peacock: From the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics to the 2024 Paris Paralympics, the three-episode sports docuseries homes in on the dedicated athletes with disabilities overcoming physical and emotional hurdles to achieve victory. Among the series' standouts are one-legged Ezra Frech, who suffered from a congenital limb impairment at birth. Frech competes in both the high and long jumps. In 2024, he garnered two gold medals. Swimmer Jamal Hill has battled the degenerative Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder while pursuing his athletic dreams. Meanwhile, Josie Aslakson won a silver medal in 2024 as a member of the US women's national wheelchair basketball team. Next stop? The 2026 Paralympics Games in Milan-Cortina. Advertisement 'Dope Girls,' Today on Hulu: 'Hacks'' Dance Mom Advertisement 'Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes,' Wednesday on Netflix. Like the never-ending stories of Charles Manson and his circle, New York's 'Leanne,' Thursday on Netflix: Sitcom king Chuck Lorre ('The Big Bang Theory,' 'Mom') fashions a sitcom around stand-up Leanne Morgan. The Southerner's protagonist is trying to remake herself in her 60s after her husband of 33 years leaves to follow his bliss. With the help of her sister (Kristen Johnson) and mother (Celia Weston), Leanne's going to make it as a single senior after all — but the humor lies in the epic fails along the way. All 16 episodes drop at once. 'Marc Maron: Panicked,' Friday on HBO Max: The mustached Boston University alum, stand-up comic, Advertisement Thelma Adams is a cultural critic and the author of the best-selling historical novel 'The Last Woman Standing,' about Josephine Marcus, the Jewish wife of Wyatt Earp.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Raducanu reaches Washington Open quarters
Emma Raducanu hits a backhand against Naomi Osaka in a women's singles match of DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Photo: AFP Emma Raducanu beat four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-2 in their first career meeting to reach the quarter-finals of the Washington Open on Thursday. Raducanu, US Open champion in 2021, next faces former world number three Maria Sakkari after the Greek stunned American second seed Emma Navarro in straight sets. "I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi's won four slams, she's been world number one, won Masters," Raducanu told Sky Sports. "She's so dangerous and on the hard courts, I think she's particularly comfortable. "I knew I was going to have to play well and manage my own service games, which I'm really proud of how I did. I was making some inroads in her service game after I got used to it a little bit. "I'm really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and conditions here in DC." Raducanu, who will reclaim the British number one ranking from Katie Boulter when the WTA rankings are released on Monday, is also into the women's doubles semi-finals alongside Wimbledon 2022 champion Elena Rybakina. Abrupt end Venus Williams' return to tennis came to an abrupt end in the last 16 of the ATP/WTA DC Open on Thursday, with the veteran American losing to Poland's Magdalena Frech in straight sets. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, playing this week for the first time in 16 months, had become the oldest woman to win a WTA match in more than two decades with Tuesday's first round win over Peyton Stearns. But Williams found the going harder against fifth seed Frech in Thursday's third round clash, losing 6-2, 6-2 in 1hr 13min. Williams said she was nonetheless satisfied with her return to competitive tennis. "I had so much fun," Williams said. "Not the result I wanted (but) I got to play a lot of matches, definitely a plus. I couldn't be happier... "I ran out of gas today to have fell short. But I know I can play better and I know I will play better," added Williams, who is due to play in next month's Cincinnati Open after being handed a wild card into the event. Frech will face third seed Rybakina in Friday's quarter-finals. Frech seized the early initiative with a dominant first set performance, breaking Williams in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Pole duly held for a 4-2 lead and then broke again when Williams' serve unraveled in the seventh game. The American double-faulted twice in quick succession to hand Frech three break points, and she converted the first to go 5-2 up, before holding to close out the set. Williams was soon in trouble in the second set, blasting a routine smash well beyond the baseline to give Frech two break points in the first game. Frech pounced on that chance to grab the break for a 1-0 lead and then held for 2-0. Williams held for 2-1 but was unable to threaten on Frech's serve in the fourth game as the world number 24 took a 3-1 lead. Frech's shot variation continued to cause Williams problems in the next game and two wild long forehands from the veteran saw her surrender another break to go 4-1 down. With the game slipping away, Williams loosened up and began to find her range to break back for 4-2. The rally was fleeting as Frech broke again in the seventh for a 5-2 lead and then held to seal victory. In other games on Thursday, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, upset top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to move into a quarter-final meeting with Taylor Townsend on Friday. Townsend took down sixth seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-0. In the men's draw, fourth seed Ben Shelton moved into the quarter-finals after beating Canadian 15th seed Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2. Shelton will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, the sixth seed defeating ninth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4.
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Venus Williams' bid for her first winning streak since 2019 ends in a loss to Magdalena Frech in DC
WASHINGTON — When Venus Williams' bid for her first winning streak since 2019 ended with one last forehand that landed long, the spectators at the D.C. Open's main stadium gave her a standing ovation. She responded with a smile and the sort of pirouette and wave she usually reserves for celebrating wins. Williams hadn't competed anywhere in more than a year, and so even if this tournament was over for her after a 6-2, 6-2 loss to 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech in the second round, just being back out there was big for the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion — and her many fans. 'Oh, I had so much fun. Definitely not the result I wanted, but still a learning experience. The part about sport (and) life is that you never stop learning,' the 45-year-old Williams said. 'I got to play a lot of matches here and that definitely was a plus. The fans in D.C. are just epic. I couldn't have been happier with my first week back.' Her victory in the first round against 35th-ranked Peyton Stearns made Williams the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova was 47 in 2004. That was Williams' first win in singles since 2023, and she joked afterward that she was motivated to succeed because she wanted to be able to renew her access to the WTA's health insurance plan after being inactive for so long. This hard-court tournament was the first event for Williams since March 2024; she missed time because of surgery for uterine fibroids. 'Health care is so important — and access to health care and being able to see the right and the best doctors for whatever you're going through,' Williams said. 'Obviously it's a fun and funny moment, but it's an issue that people are dealing with, so it is serious.' She won a doubles match in Washington, too, and playing a total of four matches — two each in singles and doubles — across four days finally caught up to her. 'I feel like I ran out of gas today, unfortunately,' Williams said. 'I tried to find the energy, and I didn't find it.' The last time Williams won at least two matches in a row was in August 2019, at the Cincinnati Open, where she put together three consecutive victories before losing to Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. Williams began well against Frech, going up 2-1. But from there, Frech claimed seven straight games to own the first set and lead 2-0 in the second. Frech is a 27-year-old from Poland whose best Grand Slam showing was a run to the fourth round at the 2024 Australian Open before losing to Coco Gauff. 'I can't even imagine how she pushes herself,' Frech said about Williams. 'It's really amazing.' The show under the lights on this evening was all about Williams, whose greeting was much louder when she walked out on court toting a green exercise band. Every time Williams unfurled one of her booming groundstrokes — and make no mistake, she still can hit the ball hard — the crowd in the main stadium let out a roar. The problem for Williams: She frequently was unable to properly calibrate those shots, including when she sailed a forehand way out after rushing forward to get to a short ball off Frech's racket. That gave Frech a 3-2 lead. Williams would drop her head or slump her shoulders after some misses, and she had 14 unforced errors in the opening set, more than twice as many as Frech. Fans often responded with an 'Awwww' right away, before trying to give Williams a boost by yelling support. There were clap-accompanied chants of 'Venus!' when she broke to get within 4-2 in that set. But Williams didn't get another game. 'There's so many learnings from here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve,' said Williams, who also accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the Cincinnati Open. 'The good news is I'm always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in.' In other action, top-seeded Jessica Pegula lost to 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, and Emma Raducanu dominated her first career matchup against Naomi Osaka, winning the showdown between past U.S. Open champions 6-4, 6-2. Seeded men advancing included No. 1 Taylor Fritz, No. 4 Ben Shelton, No. 6 Frances Tiafoe, No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev, No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and No. 14 Brandon Nakashima.
The 42
7 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'I ran out of gas': Venus Williams bows out of DC Open after tennis return aged 45
VENUS WILLIAMS' RETURN to tennis came to an abrupt end in the last 16 of the ATP/WTA DC Open on Thursday, with the veteran American losing to Poland's Magdalena Frech in straight sets. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, playing this week for the first time in 16 months, had become the oldest woman to win a WTA match in more than two decades with Tuesday's first round win over Peyton Stearns. But Williams found the going harder against fifth seed Frech in Thursday's third round clash, losing 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 13 minutes. Williams said she was nonetheless satisfied with her return to competitive tennis. Advertisement 'I had so much fun,' Williams said. 'Not the result I wanted (but) I got to play a lot of matches, definitely a plus. I couldn't be happier… 'I ran out of gas today unfortunately. . . sorry to have fell short. But I know I can play better and I know I will play better,' added Williams, who is due to play in next month's Cincinnati Open after being handed a wild card into the event. Frech will face third seed Elena Rybakina in Friday's quarter-finals. In other games on Thursday, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, upset top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to move into a quarter-final meeting with Taylor Townsend on Friday. Townsend took down sixth seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-0. Britain's Emma Raducanu continued her impressive run of recent form with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Japan's Naomi Osaka and will face Greece's Maria Sakkari on Friday. In the men's draw, fourth seed Ben Shelton moved into the quarter-finals after beating Canadian 15th seed Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2. Shelton will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the last eight, the sixth seed defeating ninth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4. Australia's Alex de Minaur is also into the quarter-finals after downing Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-4. Top seed Taylor Fritz also sailed into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Matteo Arnaldi. – © AFP 2025
