Penny Oleksiak is a ghost at the world championships. But the swimmer's legacy for Canada is everywhere
It was a preview, or perhaps a portent. The world swimming championships start here Sunday, and Oleksiak isn't here. She had qualified for the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle, and was slated to be a relay piece, and then came the news: Canada's most decorated female Olympian had missed three whereabouts filings in the past year. Under anti-doping rules, athletes must notify testing authorities of their whereabouts. You can update your status up to one hour in advance, but you need to be available for testing.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cubs add depth to rotation by acquiring Michael Soroka from Nationals, AP source says
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Canada News.Net
3 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Ben Shelton earns first win over Adrian Mannarino to advance in Toronto
(Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images) Fourth-seeded Ben Shelton and sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev got past potentially tricky matches to advance to the third round of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Wednesday. Shelton bested Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino for the first time in three tries, winning 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour, 5 minutes. Rublev earned his 250th career win on the hard courts, using his power to knock off another Frenchman, Hugo Gaston, 6-2, 6-3. Shelton blistered 16 aces and faced only two break points in his nine service games. When the cagy Mannarino could get a racket on Shelton's powerful shots, he ended up with 17 unforced errors and only six winners. 'I have played good matches against him but come up short,' said Shelton, whose losses to Mannarino also occurred on hard courts. 'He makes things really difficult and returns really well. So the way that I served today, to take the racquet out of his hands, I knew I had to be accurate. 'Usually with him a big serve doesn't always work, because his hands are so good and he stands up on the baseline. I have to hit spots and I hit spots really, really well today. I am really happy with the way I served.' Rublev took advance of Gaston's second serve, winning 20-of-27 points. He took advance of limited break chances, converting 4-of-6 of those opportunities. 'He has amazing touch, amazing legs,' Rublev said on Gaston. 'It is natural against those kinds of players to have your rhythm broken. So it is important to step in and take time away from them, because all of that is natural for them.' Other notable seeded players to advance to Round 3 are No. 7 American Frances Tiafoe, No. 12 Jakub Mensik from Czechia, No. 13 Italian Flavio Cobolli and No. 15 Arthur Fils of France. Czechian Jiri Lehecka, seeded 19th, also advanced, as did No. 20 Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina from Spain, No. 25 American Brandon Nakashima, No. 27 Canadian Gabriel Diallo and No. 28 Lorenzo Sonego from Italy. Tiafoe had the closest call, edging Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5). There were no breaks of serve in the deciding set, and the American never trailed in the tiebreaker. Cobolli also battled through three sets and advanced past Canadian wild card Alexis Galarneau, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Cobolli launched seven of his 12 services aces in the deciding set. Three seeded players were not as fortunate and did not advance, including top Canadian No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 23 Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece and No. 31 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
NOLA Gold folds, two California teams join forces in Major League Rugby shuffle
Major League Rugby, which operated with 11 teams this season, is down to nine. NOLA Gold, based in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, said Wednesday it will not be part of the pro rugby league in 2026. Earlier Wednesday, the San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (RFC LA) announced they will join forces and compete in the league next season as the California Legion. The new franchise will host matches across San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County, 'solidifying the new club's vision of becoming a representative of professional rugby in California.' NOLA Gold and San Diego have been part of the league since its inaugural season in 2018. RFC LA started life as Atlanta's Rugby ATL, relocating to California for the 2024 season. Other teams that took part in the league this season were the champion New England Free Jacks, Chicago Hounds, Old Glory DC (Washington, D.C.), Miami Sharks, Anthem RC (Charlotte, N.C.), Utah Warriors, Houston SaberCats and Seattle Seawolves. The league started with seven franchises (including Houston, Seattle and Utah) with original teams in Austin and Glendale, Colo., subsequently folding. The Toronto Arrows, Rugby United New York, L.A. Giltinis and Dallas Jackals also came and went. Toronto joined the league in 2019 but folded in November 2023 after the death of president and general partner Bill Webb. The NOLA Gold roster this season included Canadians Cooper Coats, Tyler Matchem and Callum Botchar while Andrew Coe, Matt Heaton and Conor Young were with RFC LA. NOLA Gold, which finished fifth in the six-team Eastern Conference at 4-12-0, announced its withdrawal from the league in a pithy statement on its website. 'NOLA Gold has informed the league that we do not intend to participate in the 2026 season. Discussions are ongoing with the League regarding future opportunities and potential pathways forward.' MLR CEO Nic Benson, meanwhile, said the new California team 'will build and connect rugby communities to elevate the game in Southern California.' 'We look forward to working with new ownership groups to align, grow rugby statewide,' he added in a statement. Canadian players have found a home in the MLR, with 16 Canadians in New England's squad alone this season. Canadians Andrew Quattrin, Piers von Dadelszen, Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, Ben LeSage and Brock Webster started for the Free Jacks in their 28-22 win over the Houston SaberCats on June 28 to claim their third straight MLR championship. Webster, who played a key role in two of the New England tries, was named player of the match. Canada captain Lucas Rumball and fellow Canadians Matt Owuru, Jason Higgins and brothers Mason and Noah Flesch play for the Chicago Hounds. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.
