Latest news with #Masters
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Servite's ‘Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
CLOVIS, Calif. — Call them the 'Fab Four.' Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval. Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Friday was all about the 'youth movement.' They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989. 'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.' Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time. Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38). Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimga of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth. Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals. 'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me.' Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70). Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters to advance to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimga (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year. USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49. 'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a 10th-grader from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat him at the start I can beat him in the race. He [Jefferson] is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!' Carson's Christina Gray anchored the Colts' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat. Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the 200 while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals. 'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day. Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00).
Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Express
Historic outing for Sabah athletes
Published on: Friday, May 30, 2025 Published on: Fri, May 30, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: (From left) Alison, Shamry and Bernice. Kota Kinabalu: Seven Sabah Masters Athletics Association (Samas) athletes representing the country had a historic outing at the World Masters Games held in Chinese Taipei recently. They returned with a record eight gold, five silver and three bronze medals. Lucy Yong competing in the women's 65 category won three gold medals in the 100m, long jump and triple jump events, while Dr Alison Chew in the women's 40 category delivered two golds in the 100m and 400m hurdles as well as two bronzes in the 200m and 400m. The other gold medallists were Juliana Gumpil (women's 60) in pole vault, Bernice Lau Kam Mun (women's 50) in long jump and Datuk Abdul Mulok (men's 70) in pole vault. Juliana also won three silvers in the 80m hurdles, long jump and triple jump with the other silvers came from Shamry Mohd Ali (men's 55) in 100m hurdles and Charlie Lee (men's 65) in high jump, who also delivered one bronze in 100m. Advertisement Team leader Shamry, who is also Samas treasurer, was delighted with the number of medals won by the team. 'This is the most successful outing ever for both Malaysia Masters and Sabah Masters Athletics at a World Masters Games event. 'Our success has been greatly supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Sabah Sports Council. 'Credit also to our Masters athletes for their dedication and commitments to undergo rigorous training under the guidance of equally dedicated coaches and officials,' he said. He also said they were able to send a bigger squad this time due to cheaper airfare to Taipei. 'Another contributing factor to our success in winning so many medals this time is the affordability of travelling to Taipei, which is the closest World Masters Games (WMG) venue to Malaysia.' He hoped with the continued success story of Samas, more in the State will be encouraged to join them for training and competing in the future. 'Masters athletics is about providing competitive opportunities for adults aged 35 and above, allowing them to continue participating in and enjoying the sport well beyond the traditional athletic years —with a strong emphasis on lifelong fitness, health, and camaraderie,' he said. Meanwhile, Samas was represented by nine members and the other two were Joseph Latong and James Wong Thien Yin. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Elsa Desmond: 'I might have to sell my car in the autumn, it'll be worth it'
Elsa Desmond was just eight years old when she turned on the telly and found herself captivated by the sight of people launching themselves down an ice tube at what turned out to be the Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps. The sport was luge and she was hooked. The good news was that sport was already in her blood. Her dad Brendan once coxed an eight to victory at Henley. Her mum Martha is still a good enough swimmer to be competitive at Masters meets. And young Elsa had an open mind. She played hockey, rugby and water polo, and she threw hammer and tried gymnastics, but Berkshire wasn't exactly a hotbed for winter sports. There were no luge tracks in the UK, or in Ireland where her grandparents had come from. The saying goes that if girls 'can't see then they can't be' when it comes to sport. Desmond couldn't spot anyone wearing British or Irish gear that day in Turin in 2006. And it just made her think how cool it would be to change that. Years of emails followed to the Olympic federations on both sides of the Irish Sea, and she was already 16 when the decade of badgering everyone and anyone finally paid off with an invite to tag along on a British Army sporting expedition to Europe. 'I think they thought I was a pain in the ass. Like, I've been trying to get on that camp for years and I think they finally thought, 'right, let her have a go and then she'll leave us alone'. And that unfortunately didn't happen.' She started off from a low height, her speeds weren't frightening, and she only completed five or six corners on the first run. Baby steps, but the teenager didn't crash any more than anyone else. If anything, she stood out for all the right reasons. The wait had been worth it. That was it. She was up and running. Desmond has seen some impressive athletes try luge and fail but athleticism is very much a key ingredient. Luge isn't skeleton or bobsleigh, you can't career off a wall and still win an Olympic medal, and she saw the beauty in that. Spatial awareness is non-negotiable, and an ability to think quickly while travelling at anything up to 140 kilometres an hour. Resilience is the key, not least due to the inevitable crashes and the ice burn and the bruises that follow. Those are challenges and traits that plenty of Olympic athletes will recognise and be able to tick off their list. Desmond? She has faced obstacles off the track that would have cowed most people and brought this love affair to an end long ago. It was a change of coaching setup that prompted the move from Team GB to Ireland. The major problem with that was, well, Ireland didn't have a luge federation. If she wanted to wear green on the global stage then it was up to her to create one. She was 19. There were five boxes to tick: establish a company at Company House, and then a sporting federation. After that, recognition from the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI), the International Olympic Committee and the International Luge Federation (FIL). An Argentinian athlete's parent provided some guidance, so did some friends in the FIL. Her mother's background in human resources came in handy too, but it was a steep learning curve and almost two years in the making. 'It was a lot of trial and error,' she laughs. 'There were a lot of mistakes made.' That was eight years ago. The ultimate goal was the 2026 Games in Milan Cortina but this wait wasn't as long. Beijing in 2022 wasn't really on the agenda but she crept in under the qualifying criteria and the call from the OFI to confirm it is one she will never forget. 'I may have made her say it three or four times because I just didn't believe her. I really didn't think that that was possible. And then I remember her hanging up and I just cried for about 10 minutes before I was even able to call my mom.' She would be Ireland's first luge athlete at an Olympic Games. Desmond had answered her phone that day while sitting on a bus that would take 48 hours to get from one venue to the next. The bigger nations fly. Smaller nations like Ireland, with one or two athletes, rough it and club together to make things work. That Desmond was the one contacted and not a coach was another point of difference. Normal procedure is for the OFI to inform the coach first. She didn't have one. This is a singular and at times lonely path. And an expensive one with it. The sled she used at the Beijing Olympics came, more or less, from off the shelf via a manufacturer on the open market. It was, to be blunt, a junior beginner's sled modified as much as it could be to get the job done. Now she is working with a German technician to get a proper spec sled that 'could be a complete game-changer' in her career, but they don't come cheap. The final bill might creep up as high as €20,000. Sacrifices, more of them, might be needed. 'We're trying to see what we can lease and what we can buy and I'm working with a technician to try to bring the price down… I might have to sell my car in autumn to be able to afford this new equipment and, if I have to do that, I have to do that. It'll be worth it.' There seems to be no obstacle that can stop this woman of so many parts and so much drive. Currently 26 places higher in the rankings than when she qualified for Beijing, the 2026 Games are well within her sights. Still only 27, Desmond is also the junior development program director for the Irish Luge Federation and she has served as the coach to Lily Cooke who became Ireland's first ever luge competitor at a Youth Olympics last year. Even that isn't everything. The only winter sports representative on the OFI's athlete commission, she was wise enough to recognise her limitations when quitting a brutally tough role as an emergency medicine doctor with the NHS in Southend. Home now is the town of Akureyri at the base of Eyjafjörður Fjord in northern Iceland where she works a similar role for 36 hours a week instead of 70 and for twice the pay. The ultimate aim in her medical career is to be an air medic. This is someone who doesn't like heights and flying, but then she already rips down ice chutes while lying back on a small sled at frightening speeds, and learns Icelandic in her spare time while interfacing with patients there in a critical role. Spinning plates is just what she does. 'It's certainly not easy. I have so many lists stuck up all over my computer, you would not believe it, just trying to keep track of everything that has to be done every summer and preparing for the winter.'
The Star
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Winding road ahead
Payback time: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik beat Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun by edging them 22-20, 21-17 in the quarter-finals. PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik believe they are currently enjoying one of the best stretches of their career after storming into the semi-finals of the Singapore Open. Yesterday, the duo exacted sweet revenge on their Malaysian Masters conquerors Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun by edging them 22-20, 21-17 in the quarter-finals. This will be Aaron-Wooi Yik's third straight semi-final appearance in as many weeks, following strong campaigns at the Thailand Open and Malaysian Masters. In Bangkok, they clinched the Thailand Open title by defeating Denmark's William Kryger Boe-Christian Faust Kjaer in the final. They came close to adding a second title at the home Masters last week but fell to Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the final. Aaron-Wooi Yik are now determined to add another podium finish to their impressive run but must first overcome a tricky semi-final hurdle today against India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. On paper, Aaron-Wooi Yik hold the advantage in both world ranking and head-to-head record, having won nine of their 12 meetings against the Indian pair, who are currently ranked No. 27. However, Aaron is not taking anything for granted, especially after Satwiksairaj-Chirag's impressive win over world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin in the quarter-finals. 'I think they might have been dealing with some injuries recently, so we haven't seen them much in action this past month. That makes it harder to gauge their current form,' said Aaron. 'It doesn't matter what happened in previous matches this is a different situation. For now, we just want to focus on performing our best against Satwik and Chirag and see what happens tomorrow,' added Wooi Yik. Aaron-Wooi Yik credited their recent form to the guidance of new coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, whose influence has brought stability and confidence to their game, although they admit there's still more work to be done. 'I think we've been consistent before this as well, but this time it feels different, maybe because we've improved and become more mature. There's still a lot of room for improvement, especially since this is just the beginning with our new coach. It's a new journey, and we need to be well prepared for what's ahead,' said Wooi Yik. As for the quarter-final win over Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Wooi Yik felt that it was not much different from their Malaysian Masters final last week, except that this time, they were more consistent throughout the encounter. 'I don't think there was much difference because we're teammates, right? We know each other very well. It really comes down to who plays better in the moment. I think today we played better and were more consistent compared to them, so there wasn't much separating us,' he said.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Masters ticket application for 2026 tournament opens June 1
Masters ticket application for 2026 tournament opens June 1 It's an annual tradition. Yes, we're talking about the Masters but we're also talking about entering the drawing to get Masters tickets. People do actually get drawn for this, so don't despair. The first day to apply is June 1 so if this event is on your sports bucket list, be sure to apply. How to apply for 2026 Masters tickets First, you need to create an account (it's free) at If you already have an account (because you've been applying for tickets years to no avail; we get it) then you don't need to create a new one. When does the application process begin? Sunday, June 1, is go time. The application window is open for 20 days, plenty of time to get your name in the hopper. If you do get your name drawn, payment will be due in July. What if I had Monday tickets last April when the course was closed by weather? Patrons who were evacuated from the grounds out of an abundance of caution due to inclement weather on the Monday of the 2025 tournament have a guarantee they can purchase Monday tickets for 2026. All fans who had tickets that day were issued refunds. Can I pick which day in 2026 I want tickets for? Yes. The online application process allows prospective patrons the option to choose up to four tickets for all seven days of the tournament but you will only be selected for one of those days. How much are Masters tickets? The prices for 2026 haven't been posted yet but here's what the individual days cost in 2025: Practice rounds (Monday, Tuesday): $100 Par 3 Contest (Wednesday): $100 First round (Thursday): $140 Second round (Friday): $140 Third round (Saturday): $140 Final round (Sunday): $140 Can I bring a camera to the Masters? Monday and Tuesday are practice rounds and Wednesday is the Par 3 Contest. Those are great tickets to get picked for because you can bring you camera to the golf course and take all the pictures you want on those three days. The four tournament rounds (Thursday through Sunday) have a strict ban against patrons bringing cameras on property. Can I bring my phone to the Masters? Phones are not allowed at all at Augusta National Golf Club. If you get to the gate with your phone, you're going to be instructed to go back and leave it in your car. And it's not just phones that aren't allowed. From the Masters website: The use of such devices for phone calls, emails, text message and other photo, video or data recording and/or transmission is prohibited. The official website has a complete list of items not allowed. Can I sell my Masters tickets? It is not only not recommended, it's not allowed. According to Augusta National Golf Club's official website: As a reminder, Augusta National, Inc. is the only authorized source/seller of Masters® Tickets. The resale of any Masters Ticket is strictly prohibited. Holders of Tickets acquired from third parties, by whatever means, may be excluded from attendance to the Tournament. There were reports of a crackdown on ticket reselling at the 2025 tournament. Can I buy tickets on the secondary market for the Masters? You can, yes. It's a free country, as they say. But, tickets purchased on the secondary market may not get you through the gates, so, as always, buyer beware.
