Lyles targets Olympic medal haul to underline ‘rock star’ status

Noah Lyles, right, of the US, poses for photos while traveling along the Seine River in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics Friday. (AP)
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Updated 29 July 2024
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Lyles targets Olympic medal haul to underline ‘rock star’ status

  • Lyles winning a treble gold (100, 200 and 4x100m relay) at last year’s world championships in Budapest led to World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe dubbing the 27-year old American as an ‘absolute rock star’
  • The cameras will again be on Lyles in Paris as he seeks to improve on his Tokyo Games showing, where he came away with a bronze in the 200m

PARIS: Noah Lyles will look to banish his Tokyo demons when he takes to the Olympic track in Paris in his continuing bid to fill the void left by Usain Bolt.

Lyles took a major step toward that dream by winning treble gold (100, 200 and 4x100m relay) at last year’s world championships in Budapest.

It led to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe dubbing Lyles, whose contract renewal with Adidas this season was described as the biggest since Bolt’s with Puma, an “absolute rock star.”

Dread-locked rapper more than rock star, the 27-year-old American’s efforts in the Hungarian capital were captured in Netflix’s docuseries entitled “Sprint.”

It firmly shone the spotlight on the self-assured Lyles, who looks more than ready to bring track back into the wider public consciousness and whose brashness was clear for all to hear in a litany of quotable soundbites.

“You have to have the mindset of an icon,” Lyles said of being a top sprinter in “Sprint.”

“I’m a true believer in that the moment isn’t bigger than me, the moment was made for me.”

While many pundits insist that such an outlook is hardly rare for elite athletes, there is no doubt his brazen approach rubs many other people up the wrong way, not least legions of NBA basketball players — and their fans — after Lyles had questioned their claim to be real “world champions.”

Either way, the cameras will again be on Lyles in Paris as he seeks to improve on his Tokyo Games showing, where he came away with a bronze in the 200m.

“That bronze still burns a hole in my chest,” Lyles said last weekend after winning the 100m in a personal best of 9.81 seconds into a slight headwind at the London Diamond League.

“I will be carrying it around during Paris just to remind me that this is not the color we are coming back with.”

His victory in London, however, left Lyles in buoyant mood, and in no fear of Jamaican Kishane Thompson, the fastest man of the year after his 9.77sec in Kingston last month.

“I beat everyone that I touch,” he said. “I don’t see why the Jamaicans are any different. This is what I pray for, this is what I live for and I back myself up, don’t I?“

Lyles, who suffered from chronic asthma as a child, added: “I know exactly where I am ahead of Paris.

“The more eyes on me, the better I perform, or at least that’s what my therapist says. When the TV cameras are on me and people are there, I am not losing.”

The American is still hoping to complete an audacious bid for medals in four events in Paris, adding the 4x400m relay to his repertoire.

He ruffled feathers in the world indoors in Glasgow in March when, after claiming 60m silver behind teammate Christian Coleman, he was selected for the 4x400m relay squad that also won silver.

It was a callup that left the US federation accused of favoritism.

“Let’s just say a lot of people in the US were very, very, very upset that I ran the 4x400 and to that I would say, ‘run faster, push me out!’,” Lyles said.

Bolt retired from the sport in 2017 having won 11 world and eight Olympic golds.

Lyles, whose Budapest sprint double was the first since Bolt’s at the Beijing worlds in 2015, said: “Usain Bolt has done it and him saying to me that he sees what I am doing and he respects it, it is amazing.

“I am the guy who wants to move past being track-famous. I want people to see me on the track, but in GQ and my docu-series, and realize I’m a cool guy too.

“Medals are the first step because then people pay attention to you.

“Then you can go into different directions: fashion, music. You can start collaborating with other people, artists and the world.”

Lyles needs to continue his fine form into the Paris Olympics — the ultimate global championships for the American spectator — simply because to continue garnering attention, he needs to keep winning medals.

That was the go-to strength and allure of Bolt: His ability to dominate and win multiple gold medals at global championships.

Paris podiums beckon for Lyles.
 


Coach Ivanizevic slams Tsitsipas after early Wimbledon exit

Updated 11 sec ago
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Coach Ivanizevic slams Tsitsipas after early Wimbledon exit

  • Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match while trailing to French qualifier Valentin Royer
  • ‘He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress… I was shocked’
Goran Ivanizevic gave a scathing assessment of Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying he has “never seen a more unprepared player” in his life following the Greek world number 26’s opening round exit at Wimbledon.
Tsitsipas, the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open runner-up, was forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match while trailing 6-3 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer on Monday due to a back injury.
The 26-year-old, who said he had no answers to his ongoing fitness problems after his elimination, appointed Croatian Ivanizevic as his coach in May after a string of disappointing results at the Grand Slams.
Tsitsipas, a former world number three, has reached only one quarter-final in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments.
“It’s simple and it’s not simple. I’ve talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he’ll return to where he belongs, because he’s too good a player to be out of the top 10,” Ivanizevic told Serbian network Sport Klub after Tsitsipas’ exit.
“He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress... I was shocked, I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.”
Ivanizevic, who won Wimbledon as a player in 2001, helped Novak Djokovic claim nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles before leaving his team in March last year. He then had a short stint with Kazakh world number 11 Elena Rybakina this season.

Doug Ghim clings to one-shot lead at John Deere Classic

Updated 05 July 2025
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Doug Ghim clings to one-shot lead at John Deere Classic

  • Ghim, a 29-year-old Illinois native, is hoping to land his maiden PGA Tour victory in his home state
  • The round of the day belonged to defending champion Davis Thompson, whose bogey-free 63 catapulted him to 11 under

SILVIS, Illinois: Doug Ghim shot a 3-under par 68 and held onto a one-stroke lead over Max Homa and a group of contenders at the John Deere Classic on Friday in Silvis, Illinois

Homa is part of a five-way tie for second after also posting a 68 late Friday afternoon at TPC Deere Run. He matched Ghim at 12 under with a birdie at the par-5 17th hole, but after finding a bunker off the 18th tee he failed to save par and dropped back a shot.

Ghim, a 29-year-old Illinois native, is hoping to land his maiden PGA Tour victory in his home state.

“They couldn’t make it today but I’m anticipating family coming (Saturday), and I’m excited about that,” Ghim said.

Ghim made an eagle for the second straight round, holing out from 179 yards away at the par-4 15th.

“I guess holing out two days in a row is always nice,” he said. “It’s been couple years since I think I holed out from the fairway. To get two back-to- back days is a great.”

He reached 13 under for the tournament with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 4-5, but Ghim bogeyed his closing hole, No. 9.

Homa entered the week an abysmal No. 122 in the FedEx Cup standings amid a disappointing season, but now he’s in the mix for his first win since 2023.

“I don’t think really much changes” on the weekend, Homa said. “I mean, just play the golf course. You’re going to have to shoot really low. If you went out there and tried to do something specific, I’m not so sure that is going to work. Somebody can go out there and shoot 11-under out there and jump everybody.

“So just go do what we did today and play another round of golf. Just keep waiting until the back nine on Sunday basically.”

The round of the day belonged to defending champion Davis Thompson, whose bogey-free 63 catapulted him to 11 under. Tied with Homa and Thompson are Brian Campbell (66), David Lipsky (67) and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (66).

“(On Thursday) I hit a lot of great putts early but they were just burning the edges,” said Thompson, who made four birdies on each nine Friday. “Then I was able to make a few on the back nine (Thursday) and just ride that momentum into today.”

Colombia’s Camilo Villegas (66) and Si Woo Kim of South Korea (67) are part of a group at 10 under as the second round finished up late Friday.

Rickie Fowler dropped four shots in a four-hole span on his back nine, with two bogeys and a double bogey, but he birdied No. 17 to finish up a 1-over 72 and get to 5 under, which wound up being the cut line at the end of the day.

Notable names who missed the cut included Tom Kim of South Korea (4 under), Australian Jason Day (2 under), J.T. Poston (1 under) and Canadian Adam Hadwin (2 over).


Germany off to winning start after beating Poland 1-0 in Women’s Euro 2025

Updated 05 July 2025
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Germany off to winning start after beating Poland 1-0 in Women’s Euro 2025

  • Germany are one of three big contenders for overall victory in Switzerland alongside world champions Spain and holders England
  • Peter Gerhardsson’s team are now unbeaten in 13 games after a second straight win over the Danes, with Sweden running out emphatic 6-1 winners in the Nations League last month

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland: Germany made a winning start to their Women’s Euro 2025 campaign with Friday’s 2-0 win over Poland which moved the eight-time continental champions top of Group C.

Christian Wueck’s side lead Sweden, 1-0 winners in a Scandinavian derby with Denmark, on goal difference after coming through a hard-fought group opener in St. Gallen thanks to goals in the second half from Jule Brand and Lea Schueller.

Germany are one of three big contenders for overall victory in Switzerland alongside world champions Spain and holders England.

But the “Frauenteam” were far from their best for most of the match, with Wueck frequently bellowing at his charges to up their game.

And they lost captain Giulia Gwinn to what looked like a knee injury before half-time following a nasty fall in a challenge with Ewa Pajor.

“She’s injured her knee and will undergo an MRI tomorrow, at which point we’ll know what’s happened,” said Wueck.

“It was a tough, hard-fought victory. Poland made it very, very difficult for us with their style of play... We’re happy with the result and we know that we can do better.”

Germany had won all six previous encounters with Poland but the game was even until Brand cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable shot six minutes after half-time.

And Brand was on hand in the 66th minute with a perfect cross for Bayern Munich striker Schueller, who made sure of the points with a simple header.

Germany have now won six matches on the bounce, scoring 26 goals in that run, but looked some way below the standard shown by tournament favorites Spain on Thursday, with England facing France on Saturday.

Poland acquitted themselves admirably in their European Championship debut but Barcelona’s Pajor, who has scored 51 goals for club and country this season, was uncharacteristically wasteful with her finishing.

Pajor walloped a great chance at Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger just before Schueller doubled Germany’s lead and did the same with a close-range header with nine minutes remaining.

Filippa Angeldahl scored Sweden’s winner in the 55th minute in Geneva after exchanging passes with Kosovare Asllani and firing into the far corner.

Sweden should have doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Madelen Janogy headed Hanna Lundkvist’s pinpoint cross narrowly wide, while moments before Stina Blackstenius was denied by Frederikke Thogersen’s brilliant goalline clearance.

“It was an enormous sense of joy and relief. There are so many nerves when you start a tournament that it was a wonderful feeling to score that goal,” Angeldahl told reporters.

Peter Gerhardsson’s team are now unbeaten in 13 games after a second straight win over the Danes, with Sweden running out emphatic 6-1 winners in the Nations League last month.

Sweden kept a tight handle on Denmark’s skipper Pernille Harder, although she did smash an effort off the crossbar with nine minutes remaining.

The Bayern Munich forward was also involved when VAR decided not to award a penalty to Denmark in the opening minutes for a potential handball by Madelen Janogy, who was marking Parder.


Sabalenka fights off Raducanu, Alcaraz marches on, Keys and Osaka crash at Wimbledon

Updated 05 July 2025
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Sabalenka fights off Raducanu, Alcaraz marches on, Keys and Osaka crash at Wimbledon

  • A record 36 seeds in the men’s and women’s singles failed to reach round three and the upsets continued Friday as women’s sixth seed Madison Keys and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka departed

LONDON: Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka fought off inspired home favorite Emma Raducanu in a cauldron-like Center Court atmosphere to keep her Wimbledon quest on track but it was the end of the road for two other Grand Slam champions on Friday.

Sabalenka edged a ferocious contest under the roof after requiring eight set points in the opening set and then roaring back from a 4-1 deficit in a sizzling second.

“Wow! What an atmosphere, my ears are still hurting, it was super loud,” a relieved Sabalenka said on court after wrapping up the win on her third match point.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, chasing a third successive Wimbledon title, was also put through the wringer by Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff before sealing a last-16 spot with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

A record 36 seeds in the men’s and women’s singles failed to reach round three and the upsets continued on Friday as women’s sixth seed Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka departed.

Japan’s Osaka looked every bit the Grand Slam great for a set before losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. American Keys racked up 31 unforced errors in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Germany’s Laura Siegemund, at 37 the oldest woman left in the singles draw.

Sabalenka is the only top-10 seed left in the top half of the draw and, with only three remaining in the bottom, she might be starting to think this could be her year.

If she does win the trophy to add to her two Australian Opens and one US Open, she will look back on Friday night under the Center Court roof as perhaps the turning point.

Had she lost the opening set the partisan crowd might well have roared former US Open champion Raducanu to victory.

Even after clinching the first set with a deft volley, Sabalenka found herself in trouble as 40th-ranked Raducanu blazed ahead and had a point for a 5-1 lead. But she then switched on the after burners to overwhelm the flagging Briton.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said the 27-year-old Belarusian. “I had to fight for every point to get this win.”

Home hopes

Raducanu’s loss ended hope of a British hat-trick on day five after Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie sailed through to the last 16 in impressive fashion.

Local favorite Kartal moved on with a remarkable display against French qualifier Diane Parry, claiming nine games in a row to come from 1-4 down to win 6-4, 6-2.

Norrie kept the home flag flying in the men’s singles by beating Italian Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who overcame Brazilian wonder kid Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).

Kartal had earlier reeled off nine games in a row after a slow start to beat French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4, 6-2 and set up a clash with Russian Pavlyuchenkova.

French Open winner Alcaraz extended his winning run to 21 matches by beating Struff but it was a Jekyll and Hyde performance as he again showed vulnerability.

“I was suffering in every service game... 0-30s and breakpoints down. It was stressful. Every time he could push me, he did. I was trying to survive,” Alcaraz said.

The 22-year-old will face Russian 14th seed next after he beat French qualifier Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova ensured there would be some Fourth of July celebrations for Americans.

After being taken the distance in his first two matches, fifth seed Fritz had a slightly easier ride as he beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 to reach the last 16 where he will face unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson.

Despite spending more than nine hours on court, Fritz said he felt fresh ahead of his Sunday assignment with Thompson.

“This is going to sound crazy,” said Fritz, who has been suffering tendinitis in his knee and had to deal with a bruised arm after a fall. “My body is actually feeling better after each match. I feel like somehow it felt the worst after my first round but now it’s getting better.”

Anisimova, the 13th seed, also reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Hungarian Dalma Galfi.

Shelton, who was left seething after his second-round clash with Rinky Hijikata was suspended late on Thursday with him about to serve for the match, needed around one minute to finish the job on Friday, hitting three aces and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32.

French showman Gael Monfils also had to resume his match but the 38-year-old could not prevent a 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6(5) 6-4 defeat by Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

“I don’t really know. I wish I could win this match today but that’s sport. I’m going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the US tour.”

It was the end of the road for Monfils’s wife Elina Svitolina too as the Ukrainian 14th seed fell 6-1 7-6(4) against 24th seed Elize Mertens.


PSG ‘dead’ unless they keep improving: Luis Enrique

Updated 05 July 2025
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PSG ‘dead’ unless they keep improving: Luis Enrique

  • PSG played an entertaining attacking style with three forward on their way to Champions League glory

ATLANTA: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Friday his team will keep adapting and improving to pursue future success and if they failed to do so they would be “dead.”
The European champions face German giants Bayern Munich on Saturday in the Club World Cup quarter-finals in Atlanta and the Spanish coach said they will not keep relying on the same system.
PSG played an entertaining attacking style with three forward on their way to Champions League glory, but Luis Enrique said one day he would diverge.
“We will change it because teams adapt — in football there is nothing magical,” Luis Enrique told reporters.
“When you overcome the press, your opponent adapts, when you create superiority in an area, your opponent adapts, there is no magic formula.
“There is no coach who has a system or a move, and that’s it, that’s the difficulty of modern football, all coaches are prepared, all players are better physically and technically than ever.”
“So you adapt, you improvise, and you become unpredictable for your opponent, or you are dead.”
Luis Enrique said playing the same way that led PSG to a first treble this season would not suffice going forward.
“It’s not enough to do what we’ve done this past season in the next, we have to change, we have to improve things,” added Luis Enrique.
Bayern Munich beat PSG 1-0 in November in the Champions League group stage, before the French side found their stride and went on to triumph in the competition for the first time.
“We have a little bit of revenge to take, we know they’re a tough team, but we’re much stronger than in November,” said Ousmane Dembele, who was sent off in Munich.
“A lot has changed — the players have clearly raised their level, I’ve raised my level too, and we have a lot of confidence. We know what we need to do on the field, we can beat any team.”
The 28-year-old is a leading Ballon d’Or contender after a superb campaign, although has only made a brief cameo as a substitute in the Club World Cup thus far.
Dembele suffered a quadriceps injury during the Nations League at the start of June and came on in PSG’s 4-0 romp against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
The forward said he is now “100 percent” fit but it is up to Luis Enrique whether he starts against Bayern at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s not the time to give information to my opponent — we’ll see tomorrow,” said Luis Enrique.