Photo highlights from the second week of the Tour de France
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Australia's swimming dominance: Small population but big results
SINGAPORE (AP) — Australia has a relatively small population. But Australia is a giant when it comes to competitive swimming. Whether it's the Olympics, or as it is this time with the swimming world championships opening in the pool in Singapore on Sunday, Aussie swimmers grace the podium. 'We have swimming in our DNA as a country,' Rohan Taylor, Australia's head coach, told The Associated Press. 'We have to be particular and purposeful in finding the talent,' he added. 'And then it's the coaching. We can't get it wrong. We get one crack at the talented athlete.' Consider the numbers Australia won seven gold medals and 18 overall at last year's Paris Olympics, second in both categories to the United States. The United States has 340 million people, almost 13 times Australia's population of 27 million. The Americans won eight gold and 28 overall. China, No. 3 with 12 overall, won only two gold medals from a population of 1.4 billion — 52 times Australia's. Australia's women are swimming powers, led by Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan. Add in Moesha Johnson, who has already won the 10- and 5-kilometer open-water races in Singapore and expects to race the 800 and 1,500 in the pool. McKeown won the 100 and 200 backstroke in Paris and in Tokyo in 2021. She also won both races two years ago at the worlds in Fukuoka, Japan. O'Callaghan is the defending 200 freestyle winner for Paris. Then there's men like Kyle Chalmers, who won the 100 free at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and has piled up nine Olympics medals and 12 in world championships. 'They have done so well on the international stage — multiple times,' Taylor said. 'So it's another opportunity for them to add to their CVs.' Marchand and McIntosh For French star Léon Marchand, the world championships mean easing off. He won four individual Olympic gold medals a year ago in Paris. The Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 are still far off. Time to swim a lighter schedule. None of that for Canadian Summer McIntosh. She won three individual gold medals in Paris, but will go for five in Singapore, a test run for her program in Los Angeles. These worlds, a year after the Olympics, feature swimmers in their prime, older swimmers who want to see if they can make it to LA, and young swimmers making their debut. Another worlds is set for 2027 in Budapest, Hungary — the final proving ground before the 2028 Olympics. Marchand is expected to race only the 200 and 400 individual medley races in Singapore, dropping the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly. He won gold in all four in Paris, but wants to be fresh from the two IM races and world-record shots. In Singapore, McIntosh will go in the two IMs, the 200 fly, and the 400 and 800 freestyle. She did not swim the 800 free in Paris. This time she will, which sets up a showdown with American superstar Katie Ledecky — maybe the most anticipated race of the worlds. Americans rebooting The eight gold medals that U.S. swimmers won to top the Paris standings was their lowest victory total at the Olympics since the 1988 Seoul Games, when the Americans fell to East Germany. Singapore is the place to regroup and add youth, with the home Los Angeles Olympics in view. The American men had a tough Olympics with the only gold from Bobby Finke in the 1,500. Look for some new faces in Singapore. 'The average age of our men's team is younger than the average age of our women's team,' U.S. coach Greg Meehan told The AP. He said it was 'the first time in recent memory.' He ran off names like freestylers Jack Alexy, Luke Hobson, and Rex Maurer and Luka Urlando in the butterfly. 'I do acknowledge that the rest of the world is getting better. There is no doubt about it,' Meehan said. 'I love a challenge — I'm going to lean into that.' Familiar names stand out on the women's side — Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, Kate Douglass and Regan Smith. Ledecky, of course, is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and holds world records in the 800 and 1,500 freestyle. Walsh holds the world record in the 100 fly, and Smith in the 100 backstroke. 12-year-old Yu Zidi Yes. A 12-year-old swimmer named Yu Zidi from China is competing in the world championships, and her incredible times mean she might win a medal. At 12. Yu has qualified in the 200 and 400 IMs and the 200 fly. Her time of 2:10.63 in the 200 IM was the fastest ever from a 12-year-old swimmer — female or male. Yu has a best in the 200 fly of 2:06.83 and 4:35.53 in the 400 IM. Both times would have been good enough for fourth place in last year's Olympics. The Chinese stars are Pan Zhanle, who set a world record of 46.40 in 100 freestyle in Paris, and Qin Haiyang. Qin holds the world record in the 200 breaststroke in 2:05.48. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wallabies relying on Skelton and Valetini to save the series against the British and Irish Lions
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rugby Australia is throwing its biggest body and its most destructive ball carrier at the British and Irish Lions with the recalls of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in a bid to save the series. If that doesn't work for the Wallabies in the second test on Saturday, then the following week in Sydney becomes little more than a victory lap for the Lions and their 40,000 touring Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh supporters. At 6'8" (203 centimeters) and 140-plus kilograms (310 pounds), the France-based Skelton certainly adds significant size and weight to a Wallabies pack that was outgunned in the 27-19 loss to the Lions last weekend in Brisbane. Valetini brings the extra firepower. 'You get a lot of confidence when you have two people with their experience and their presence coming (back) into your side,' Wallabies captain and No. 8 Harry Wilson said Friday. 'They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back, in such a big match, is really exciting for us.' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt spoke about Skelton's on-field calmness and wealth of experience in Europe being of huge importance to the Australian team when he announced a squad this week that contained three changes to the forward pack, none in the backline and a 6-2 split of forwards and backs on the bench. Opening salvos The Wallabies are expecting another physical contest up front at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where a crowd exceeding 90,000 people is expected and there's a chance of rain. Wilson said his lineup needs to fight fire with fire from the kickoff rather than let the Lions out to a big lead like they did in the series opener, which was 24-5 after 42 minutes. The Australians also need to give a young backline, particularly 22-year-old flyhalf Tom Lynagh and 21-year-old center Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i, some front-foot ball to generate better attacking opportunities. 'We want to go out there, we want to oppose ourselves physically, we want to back our skills and we just want to go out and start fast,' Wilson said. 'The 6-2 bench means ... more reason to go out there, throw your body around knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish.' Pressure on Andy Farrell's 2025 squad is determined to join the Lions greats by winning the series 3-0, regardless of how the head coach has tried to downplay that objective. 'They want to wrap up the series and we want to keep the series alive, so there's no doubting there's a lot on the line for both teams,' Wilson said. 'There's a lot of pressure on, and it's what you love about it.' The Lions have won the opening test in the last two series Down Under — in 2001 and 2013 — and lost the second test in Melbourne. In '01, the Australians won the deciding match for an historic series victory in Sydney. The Lions won the third test in Sydney 12 years ago to reclaim the trophy. 'We have put ourselves in a good position after the first test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team,' head coach Andy Farrell said as he announced a Lions starting lineup containing three changes. 'We will have to be a lot better than we were last week.' Owen Farrell, a late inclusion in the squad and making his fourth Lions tour, was added to the bench after leading the team to a win over the First Nations and Pasifika squad on Tuesday in their last mid-week game of the tour. Ireland midfielder Garry Ringrose was a late exclusion from the second test starting lineup after reporting symptoms of concussion, allowing Huw Jones to retain his spot at outside center in new midfield combination with Bundee Aki. England's Ollie Chessum was drafted in to partner skipper Maro Itoje as a replacement for injured Ireland lock Joe McCarthy, and Andrew Porter replaced Ellis Genge at loosehead, giving the Lions an all-Ireland frontrow. The Lions are now 7-0 in Australia, including the victory in the first test and wins over Super Rugby franchises Western Force,Queensland Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies and two invitational teams. ___ AP rugby: The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire
HONOLULU (AP) — Lawmakers on Maui passed legislation Thursday aimed at eliminating a large percentage of the Hawaiian island's vacation rentals to address a housing shortage exacerbated by the wildfire that destroyed most of Lahaina two years ago. It's the latest action by a top global tourist destination to push back against the infiltration of vacationers into residential neighborhoods and tourism overwhelming their communities. In May, Spain ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules. Last month, thousands of protesters in European cities like Barcelona and Venice, Italy, marched against the ills of overtourism. The Maui County Council's housing committee voted 6-3 to pass the bill, which would close a loophole that has allowed owners of condos in apartment zones to rent their units for days or weeks at a time instead of a minimum of 180 days. The mandate would take effect in the West Maui district that includes Lahaina in 2028. The rest of the county would have until 2030 to comply. The council still needs to vote on the bill, but the committee's result is a strong indication of the final outcome because all nine council members sit on the housing panel. The mayor is expected to sign the bill, which he proposed. "Bill 9 is a critical first step in restoring our commitment to prioritize housing for local residents — and securing a future where our keiki can live, grow, and thrive in the place they call home,' Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement, using the Hawaiian word for children. Vacation rentals take up one-fifth of Maui's housing Vacation rentals currently account for 21% of all housing in the county, which has a population of about 165,000 people. An analysis by University of Hawaii economists predicted the measure would add 6,127 units to Maui's long-term housing stock, increasing supply by 13%. Opponents questioned whether local residents could afford the condos in question, noting that many of the buildings they are in are aging and their units come with high mortgages, insurance payments, maintenance and special assessment costs. Alicia Humiston said her condo is in a hotel zone so it won't be affected. But she predicted the measure will hurt housekeepers, plumbers, electricians and other small business owners who help maintain vacation rentals. 'It's not what's best for the the community,' said Humiston, who is president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association. Bissen proposed the legislation last year after wildfire survivors and activists camped out on a beach popular with tourists to demand change. Mayor says tourism will continue but must not 'hollow out our neighborhoods' The University of Hawaii study said only about 600 new housing units are built in the county each year so converting the vacation rentals would be equivalent to a decade's worth of new housing development. Condo prices would drop 20-40%, the study estimated. The report also predicted one-quarter of Maui County's visitor accommodations would vanish and visitor spending would sink 15%. It estimated gross domestic product would contract by 4%. The mayor said such economic analysis failed to tell a full story, noting families are torn apart when high housing costs drive out relatives and that cultural knowledge disappears when generations leave Maui. The mayor told the council the bill was one part of a broader housing strategy that would include building new housing, investing in infrastructure and stopping illegally operated vacation rentals. He said there were limits to how much new housing could be built because of constraints on water supplies and sewer infrastructure. Tourism would continue on Maui but must do so in a way 'that doesn't hollow out our neighborhoods,' the mayor said. The mayor's staff told council members that visitor spending would decline with the measure but most of the drop would be on lodging. Because 94% of those who own vacation rentals in apartment zones don't live on Maui, they said much of this income already flows off-island. They predicted the county budget could withstand an estimated $61 million decline in annual tax revenue resulting from the measure.
