Novak Djokovic moves into Wimbledon semifinals after Alex de Minaur withdraws
Novak Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz or Lorenzo Musetti on Friday for a berth in the final
Updated 10 July 2024
AP
LONDON: Novak Djokovic got a free pass into the Wimbledon semifinals on Wednesday when his quarterfinal opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew with a hip injury.
De Minaur, an Australian who was seeded ninth at the All England Club, announced he was pulling out of the tournament hours before he and Djokovic were scheduled to play each other at Center Court.
This match would have been de Minaur’s first quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon. He made it that far at the French Open last month, too.
Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz or Lorenzo Musetti on Friday for a berth in the final.
The second-seeded Djokovic has won seven of his men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon.
French headscarf ban continues to draw flak at Olympic Games
Australian boxer Tina Rahimi says ban on French athletes wearing hijabs makes her ‘sad’
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla says she wore a cap at the opening ceremony as a hijab would have seen her barred
Updated 12 sec ago
Arab News
LONDON: France’s ban on religious headwear in sport has continued to draw criticism as the Olympic Games put the spotlight on Paris.
The country’s secular constitution underpins the ban, which prohibits religious symbols and attire in public institutions.
But it caused controversy ahead of the international sporting event — which draws together athletes from many religious backgrounds from all over the world — with French athletes forbidden from displaying symbols of faith.
Though secular, France has a long Christian tradition, and is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community.
Australian boxer Tina Rahimi called the ban on French athletes wearing the hijab “sad.”
Rahimi told Reuters: “As proud as I am to be here, I think in my heart I feel sad that I’m able to be here with my hijab and the other French athletes and people aren’t.
“I still feel for the French athletes and I just hope that it can be overturned for them and they can participate and every woman can feel free in how they want to dress.
“It means a lot to me to be here as a representation of my faith, and to display to other women out there, in particular hijabi women, that they can participate in sport and feel welcome.
“I think that’s really, really important. That’s what everyone wants to feel; they want to go somewhere and feel like they’re included and they’re not being discriminated against.”
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla, a practicing Muslim, said wearing a headscarf would have prevented her appearing in the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday. In the end, the French Olympic Committee said Sylla agreed to wear a cap instead.
Amelie Oudea-Castera, French minister for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said of the Sylla situation: “Our citizens expect us to follow these principles of secularism, but we also need to be inventive about solutions to make everyone feel good.”
David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic Committee, said French athletes were “taking part in a public service mission and in this respect (are) obliged to observe secularism.”
Palestinian Olympic swimmer hopes for sporting chance
Updated 9 min 20 sec ago
AFP
PARIS: Palestinian swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab hopes his appearance at the Paris Olympics will help boost opportunities for athletes from the war-torn territory.
Al Bawwab, 24, who was born in Saudi Arabia and lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, competed in the heats of the men’s 100m backstroke on Sunday.
It is his second appearance in the Olympics, following on from Tokyo, and he has two gold medals from the Arab Games.
And while his time at La Defense Arena was not enough to see him qualify for the semifinals, he hopes his presence on the global stage will highlight the plight of Palestinians who want to compete in top-level sport.
“I have a time just for Palestine, a lane just for Palestine. I think this is my message of peace. We’re trying to get the world to know that we’re human beings. I can play sports like everybody else,” he told reporters after his race.
“I look like a kid from Gaza and the thing is, because of sports you listen to me, and you care about what I say, but nobody cares about what people in Palestine say, so this is my message of peace.
“Please treat us as human beings, we deserve the same rights as everybody else, and we want to play sports like everybody else,” he said.
Al Bawwab swam with a small Palestinian flag painted on his chest and said that the presence of the team and their flag at the Games had prompted reactions.
“Honestly, 95 percent positive,” he said.
“We have a lot of people surprised that we’re even here, they’re surprised how Palestine could qualify to a competition like this, having no food and water in their country.”
However he said some other athletes had “made fun of us.”
“We’ve had, in other competitions, people telling us to take off our flag, take off your shirt, we don’t want to see Palestine on it,” he said
“Imagine if it was your country? But hey, I’m Palestinian and I’m proud, and I don’t care if somebody doesn’t want me to wear my flag, you know, deal with it,” he added.
Al Bawwab said he has had relatives and friends who have been killed during the conflict with Israel.
“I’m not going to talk about the atrocities of what happened to them, but just know I’ve had family members being killed, but I’m here,” he said.
Al Bawwab, who studied in Canada and the United Kingdom and whose parents have Italian citizenship, has been involved in an organization which aims to improve facilities for Palestinian swimmers.
“We don’t have a pool in Palestine but if we start building sports infrastructure it can give a way out for a lot of people it can make them smile for at least five minutes a day,” he said.
Saudi swimmer Mashael Al-Ayed shines in women’s 200m freestyle at Paris 2024
Al-Ayed clocked a personal best time of 2:19.61 on Sunday, a significant milestone on her Olympic debut
Updated 52 min 48 sec ago
Arab News
Paris: In a notable achievement for Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning sports scene, 17-year-old Mashael Al-Ayed secured a commendable sixth place in the women’s 200m freestyle heats at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Al-Ayed clocked a personal best time of 2:19.61 on Sunday, a significant milestone on her Olympic debut.
Women's 200m freestyle heats results.
She earned her spot in the heats through a universality place, effectively a wildcard invitation, allowing her to compete at this prestigious global event. Her performance highlights the progress being made by Saudi women in international sports.
In addition to Al-Ayed, Saudi Arabia’s swimming team features 16-year-old Zaid Al-Sarraj, the youngest of the Kingdom’s representatives in Paris. Al-Sarraj, also granted a universality place, competes in the 100m freestyle, representing the future of Saudi swimming.
The two swimmers highlight Saudi Arabia’s growing presence and potential in the international sports arena.
Ogletree leads LIV Golf UK as Smash and Legion share team lead
Shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65, Ogletree is at 12 under and will take a 2-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round
Updated 28 July 2024
Arab News
ROCESTER: Two years ago, American Andy Ogletree was part of the inaugural LIV Golf field in London. It did not go well. Fighting through lingering hip and back injuries from the previous year, he finished last and was left scrambling for playing opportunities.
This week, Ogletree is again playing at a LIV Golf event in England, and again he is bouncing back from injury. But this time, his position on the leaderboard is distinctly different.
Shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65, Ogletree is at 12 under and will take a two-shot lead as he enters Sunday’s final round of LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club. On the team side, Smash GC and Legion XIII share a four-shot lead over Ogletree’s HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC and Torque GC.
Not only is Ogletree seeking his first LIV Golf title and the biggest victory of his career, but he also hopes to complete an amazing story of redemption.
“Complete the journey,” said Ogletree, who joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers after earning a LIV Golf spot this season as the 2023 International Series champion.
“It’s been a crazy road. I don’t know exactly what it will mean. We’ll see. But for now, just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things that I can control, and we’ll go from there.”
Ogletree, forced to adjust his swing this season to compensate for an injured left wrist, cannot afford to look too far ahead — his closest pursuers are two of LIV Golf’s top players.
Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith is hoping to take a LIV Golf title in England for the second consecutive season, having won last year’s London event at Centurion Club. Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton recently won his first LIV Golf title in Nashville and has been one of the league’s most consistent players since he joined.
Smith and Hatton are each at 10 under, but neither seemed completely pleased with their second round 5-under 66s.
Smith appeared to be separating from the pack after his eighth birdie of the day left him leading by two. But an errant drive at the 16th hole followed by a water ball at the island-green 17th produced consecutive bogeys.
“Probably the most disappointing 5-under I think I’ve ever had,” said the three-time LIV Golf winner. “Was feeling really nice until a couple of loose swings.”
Hatton, like Ogletree, was bogey-free on his round and striking it well from tee to green, as he missed just two greens in regulation. But his putter didn’t heat up until his final 10 holes.
“Played some really nice golf and just felt like I was putting to thin air,” he said afterwards. “Didn't feel like there was actually a hole out there. It took until the 10th hole for a putt to drop.”
Smith and Hatton will play in the final group on Sunday with Ogletree, but there are seven other players within five shots of the lead. These include Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Crushers GC’s Paul Casey, who are tied for fourth; 2023 Individual Champion Talor Gooch, tied for sixth with Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen; and Gooch’s Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka, who is tied for eighth with the RangeGoats duo of Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein.
It will be a big task for Ogletree to hold them all off, but given the journey he’s taken to reach this point he is ready for the challenge. He currently lies 38th in points but a win would move him inside the top 24 Lock Zone with just two regular-season tournaments remaining.
“I think I’ll be nervous, but I’ll look forward to that,” he said. “I’ll run towards that pressure and embrace it, and I think everyone is going to be nervous coming down the stretch. Whatever happens, I’ll accept it and learn from it and move on.”
Standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round:
The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
Muhammad beats Edwards to win UFC welterweight crown
Muhammad, 36, enjoyed the better of the opening two rounds, using a wrestling-heavy attack to take Edwards to the mat
Edwards took the third but Muhammad was back on top again in the fourth
Updated 28 July 2024
Reuters
MANCHESTER, England: Belal Muhammed beat Leon Edwards via unanimous decision to win the welterweight title at UFC 304 on Sunday while Tom Aspinall retained the interim heavyweight crown by knocking out Curtis Blaydes a minute into the first round of the co-main event.
American Muhammad, 36, enjoyed the better of the opening two rounds, using a wrestling-heavy attack to take Edwards to the mat and almost knocking Englishman Edwards out in the second by slamming him to the ground on his head.
Edwards took the third but Muhammad was back on top again in the fourth, controlling Edwards from behind with a body triangle for much of the round.
Edwards managed to land jabs and kicks but could not keep the fight on the feet long enough to do much damage and he was taken down again in the fifth round.
As the clock ticked down in the fifth and final round, Edwards landed a vicious elbow to cut Muhammad but there was not enough time left for him to find a finish.
All three judges awarded the fight to Muhammad, who dropped to his knees after the championship belt was placed around his waist by UFC President Dana White and shouted: "Doubt me now! Doubt me now!" as he left the cage.
Edwards said he had been feeling fatigued all week.
"I'm not surprised, my body just felt tired from round one, all week I've been feeling just tired ... congrats to Belal, he got the job done," he added.
