Lyles king of sprints, Jackson produces run for the ages in women’s 200m

Noah Lyles of the US wins the gold medal in the men's 200-meters final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest Friday. (AP)
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Updated 26 August 2023
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Lyles king of sprints, Jackson produces run for the ages in women’s 200m

  • Lyles became the fifth man to do the double — and the first since Usain Bolt in 2015 — as he claimed his fourth individual world title
  • The 29-year-old Jamaican rebounded from the disappointment of being beaten to silver by Richardson in the 100m to time 21.41sec, breaking her own championship record set last year

BUDAPEST: There was double world sprint joy for Noah Lyles in Budapest on Friday while the second fastest women’s 200m run in history saw Shericka Jackson dash Sha’Carri Richardson’s hopes of also achieving the 100/200m sweep.

Lyles became the fifth man to do the double — and the first since Usain Bolt in 2015 — as he claimed his fourth individual world title.

“In my documentary I talked about wanting it to be done, being different from anybody else, and winning double golds was one of the things on my list,” said the 26-year-old American, who could win a third gold in the Hungarian capital in the men’s 4x100m relay on Saturday.

“I wanted to show I am different. Today I came out and showed it,” said Lyles, who is the fourth American to do the double.

In the women’s event, Jackson produced a run for the ages as the 29-year-old Jamaican rebounded from the disappointment of being beaten to silver by Richardson in the 100m to time 21.41sec, breaking her own championship record set last year.

Her time was just seven hundredths of a second slower than the world record of 21.34sec set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.

“I feel like I am a living testimony that you can create something if you really want it and never give up,” said Jackson, who only switched to 100/200m from 400m in 2021.

“Even if I was pretty close to the world record it was not the thing on my mind when I ran.

“As for the world record — I’m close, I’m close, I’m getting there.”

Lyles was not the only athlete to win a fourth individual title on the night, although Yulia Rojas left it to her last jump in the women’s triple jump.

Great champions never know when they are beaten but the Venezuelan pushed it to the limits.

The 27-year-old only scraped into the final eight by the skin of her teeth and then produced two no-jumps.

However, she dug deep with her last attempt for a gold medal-winning jump of 15.06m, snatching victory from Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk who had led from the first round with a mark of 15.00m.

It was not the first time Bekh-Romanchuk has had to swallow that bitter pill as she took silver in the long jump in 2019.

This time she had the consolation of winning her war-afflicted country’s first medal of the championships.

“It was very difficult,” Rojas said.

“The fact that I won the competition with my last attempt makes it very special and memorable.”

Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan took a leaf out of Rojas’s book as she grabbed the javelin title with her last throw.

The 25-year-old’s 66.73m denied Colombia’s Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado, who threw 65.47m in the first round.

“I think everything just came together in the last attempt and it was great,” said Kitaguchi.

“At the beginning, I thought that I would be crying, but now, I just feel the happiness.”

The women’s 800m on Sunday promises to bring the championships to a dramatic climax.

Defending champion Athing Mu did not have the easiest of times in reaching the final, the 21-year-old American being elbowed by Mary Moraa before the bell.

The Olympic champion then almost came to grief going out for the second lap as South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso clipped her heels.

Sekgodiso went tumbling to the track but Mu stayed on her feet and took the second automatic qualifying spot behind Moraa, who danced in delight after timing 1min 58.48sec.

European champion Keely Hodgkinson, silver medallist behind Mu in both the Olympics and the worlds last year, had a far less complicated time as she won her semifinal in 1:58.48.

Kevin Mayer’s defense of his decathlon title lasted just two events as the Achilles problem that had been niggling the Frenchman proved too much.

Young German talent Leo Neugebauer leads going into the second day having set personal bests in both the long jump and the shot put.


Former runner-up Ons Jabeur retires from Wimbledon first-round match

Updated 30 June 2025
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Former runner-up Ons Jabeur retires from Wimbledon first-round match

  • Bulgarian Tomova took a tight opening set on a tiebreak and was 2-0 ahead in the second when Jabeur retired

LONDON: Twice Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur’s tournament lasted only one hour and 25 minutes as the Tunisian retired in her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova on Monday.

Bulgarian Tomova took a tight opening set on a tiebreak and was 2-0 ahead in the second when Jabeur, who reached the final in 2022 and 2023, decided she could not continue.

The 30-year-old former world number two had looked uncomfortable in fiercely hot conditions on Court 14 and needed a long medical timeout in the first set.

Jabeur, who has slipped outside the world’s top 50, suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open.

“I wasn’t expecting not to feel good,” Jabeur said. “I have been practicing pretty well the last few days but I guess these things happen.

“I’m pretty sad, it really doesn’t really help with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do even though it was a very tough season for me. I hope I can feel better and see what is going to happen.”

Temperatures at Wimbledon were expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius on the opening day of the championships and the All England Club has implemented its warm weather policy.


Pakistan name Azhar Mahmood as latest red-ball head coach

Updated 30 June 2025
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Pakistan name Azhar Mahmood as latest red-ball head coach

  • Azhar Mahmood becomes fourth man to be appointed to the post in last 18 months
  • Pakistan will host South Africa in their first series of latest WTC cycle in October

KARACHI: Pakistan on Monday named former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood interim head coach of the Test side, the fourth man to take the post in the last 18 months.

The 50-year-old will remain in the position until January, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

As a pace bowling all-rounder Mahmood played 143 one-day internationals and 21 Tests for Pakistan, and has been serving as assistant coach since last year.

“The PCB announces Mahmood as the acting red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men’s team,” said a PCB press release.

Mahmood replaces Aaqib Javed, who was interim head coach for the Test series in South Africa in December-January and at home against the West Indies.

Javed left after Pakistan lost all four Tests and finished ninth and last in the third cycle of the World Test Championship.

Javed took over from former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie, who quit six months into his stint in December 2024 after differences with the PCB.

Before Gillespie, former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was team director and oversaw a 3-0 Test defeat in Australia.

Monday’s appointment is part of a series of changes the PCB has taken to improve the performances of the national team after a poor two years.

Last month, New Zealand’s Mike Hesson took over as white-ball head coach for two years.

Pakistan will host South Africa in their first series of the latest WTC cycle in October this year and then Sri Lanka in December-January.


Baniyas emerge victorious in round 4 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Updated 30 June 2025
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Baniyas emerge victorious in round 4 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

  • Final day of action in Abu Dhabi concluded with Al-Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club finishing second and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club taking third

ABU DHABI: The fourth round of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship concluded on Sunday at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City with Baniyas Club taking first place.

The final day of action had competitions in the kids and under-12 divisions (Gi category), with final overall standings confirming Al-Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club in second and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club taking third.

Mohamed Humaid Hamad Dalmouj Aldhaheri, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the championship “reflects the wise leadership’s vision of empowering individuals.”

“The involvement of younger age groups demonstrates the success of our long-term development plans, providing a safe, competitive, and professional environment that nurtures talent and builds a solid foundation for future national champions,” he added.

“The leadership’s continued support, including the directive of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed to double the prize pool, inspires the entire jiu-jitsu community,” he said.

“This sport promotes physical fitness, mental resilience, and values like discipline and respect — key pillars for a strong society and a sustainable, world-leading nation.”

Hamad Nasseeb Al-Ahbabi, father of young athlete Matar Al-Ahbabi, said: “Anyone who’s seen my son’s progress in jiu-jitsu understands how much this sport can transform young lives. This championship is about more than medals.

“It’s about building character, values, and confidence. The generous prize initiative from His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed is a clear sign of how much the leadership cares about motivating and supporting the nation’s youth.”

The next round is in August, as jiu-jitsu strengthens its position as one of the UAE’s leading sports.


Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier chosen as captains of WNBA All-Star Game by fan vote

Updated 30 June 2025
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Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier chosen as captains of WNBA All-Star Game by fan vote

  • Clark received 1,293,526 votes from fans, while Collier had about 100,000 fewer
  • Collier leads the league in scoring at a career-best 24.5 points and is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 per game

 

 

NEW YORK: Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier will captain the WNBA All-Star Game next month, the league announced Sunday.
Clark received 1,293,526 votes from fans, while Collier had about 100,000 fewer.
“It’s cool that fans get to be a part of it and have a little impact on the game,” Clark said. “It’s going to be special to do it here in this city. ... Trying to make it the best All-Star that the WNBA has ever had. It’s certainly a cool honor.”
The Indiana Fever star, who is sidelined with a groin strain, is averaging 18.2 points and a career-high 8.9 assists. She also led the fan voting last season, her rookie year, but the All-Star format was the US Olympic team playing against a select group of WNBA stars so no captains were chosen. She learned she was captain in a phone call from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Collier leads the league in scoring at a career-best 24.5 points and is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 per game. Her daughter surprised her wearing a shirt saying “Mama you’re a All-Star,” as she scooted into the locker room with former Lynx great Sylvia Fowles right behind her to let Collier know the news.
“It’s really cool,” Collier said to reporters before warming up for a game Sunday night “I went from never being a starter to captain.”
This will be her fifth All-Star appearance.
Before squaring off in Indianapolis on July 19, Clark and the Fever will face Collier and the Lynx on Tuesday in the Commissioner’s Cup final.
The 10 starters were selected from across the WNBA without regard to conference affiliation. Current players and a media panel joined fans in selecting the All-Star starters. Fans voting accounted for 50 percent, while the players vote and the media choices each account for 25 percent.
The pair will draft their fellow starters from a group that will be revealed on Monday. After the starters are announced, the league’s head coaches will choose the 13 reserves by voting for three guards, five frontcourt players and four from either position. Coaches can’t vote for players from their own teams. The 12 reserves will be revealed next Sunday.
“Obviously I’m going to try and get my teammates on my team, that’s the goal,” Clark said. “Once they come out with whoever has made it and whoever hasn’t, I’ll get to pick and choose. I don’t know how it works.”
The two All-Star captains will then draft their respective rosters by selecting first from the remaining eight players in the pool of starters and then from the pool of 12 reserves.
Clark and Collier also led the initial fan voting, with Indiana’s Aliyah Boston in third. Boston finished second last season behind Clark in the fan vote.


Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a winner of 15 Triple Crown races, dies at 89

Updated 30 June 2025
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Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a winner of 15 Triple Crown races, dies at 89

  • His family said Sunday that Lukas died Saturday night at his Louisville, Kentucky, home
  • Lukas won 15 Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby four times. Only good friend Bob Baffert has more Triple Crown victories, and Lukas owns a record-tying 20 in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships

NEW YORK: D. Wayne Lukas, the Hall of Famer who became one of the most accomplished trainers in the history of horse racing and a face of the sport for decades, has died. He was 89.

His family said Sunday that Lukas died Saturday night at his Louisville, Kentucky, home. Lukas had been hospitalized with a severe MRSA blood infection that caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions.

“Wayne devoted his life not only to horses but to the industry — developing generations of horsemen and horsewomen and growing the game by inviting unsuspecting fans into the winner’s circle,” his family said in a statement. “Whether he was boasting about a maiden 2-year-old as the next Kentucky Derby winner or offering quiet words of advice before a big race, Wayne brought heart, grace, and grit to every corner of the sport. His final days were spent at home in Kentucky, where he chose peace, family, and faith.”

Lukas won 15 Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby four times. Only good friend Bob Baffert has more Triple Crown victories, and Lukas owns a record-tying 20 in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

“The whole secret of this game, I think, is being able to read the horse: Read what he needs, what he doesn’t need, what he can’t do, what he can do,” Lukas said in May before his 34th and final Preakness Stakes. “That’s the whole key. Everybody’s got the blacksmith, everybody’s got to the same bed available, the feed man. We all can hire a good jockey. We all can hire a pretty good exercise rider if we’ve got the means, so what the hell is the difference? The horse is the difference and what we do with him in reading him.”

Lukas was affectionately known around the barns and the racetrack as “Coach” because he coached high school basketball before his professional career with horses began. Even with months to go before his 90th birthday, he would get up on his pony in the early morning hours and go out to the track himself, rather than letting his assistants do the day-to-day work.

Born Darnell Wayne Lukas on Sept. 2, 1935, in Wisconsin as the second of three children, he rose to prominence in the sport with quarter horses in races that are effectively sprints. He moved into thoroughbreds in the late 1970s and won his first Preakness with Codex in 1980.

Lukas has 4,967 documented victories in thoroughbred racing, with his horses earning more than $310 million from more than 30,600 starts.

“Today we lost one of the great champions of Churchill Downs and one of the most significant figures in Thoroughbred racing over the last 50 years,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said. “We will miss his humor, his wisdom and his unmatched capacity to thrill the fans with the performances of his horses on our sport’s biggest days.”

Achieving something of a career renaissance over the past decade, one he credits to finding the right owners willing to spend money on horses, Lukas won the Preakness last year with Seize the Grey. Asked what motivates him to keep doing his job well into his late 80s, he gave a pep talk fit for a locker room before a big game.

“If you have a passion, you eliminate all the excuses,” Lukas said. “That’s how it works. You get up early. You go without a meal. You drive. You go without sleep — as long as you got the passion. Don’t let that sofa pull you down. It’s a little easy when that alarm goes off to say, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know if I really want to do this today.’ Erase that. The most important decision you’ll ever make in your life is your attitude decision. Make it early, and make the right one.”