Latest news with #OlympicGoldMedal
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
‘This is not a fulfilling life': Scottie Scheffler's honest response to realities of professional golf
Long-time world number one Scottie Scheffler is chasing his second major of the year and fourth of his career at Royal Portrush but admits every day he questions why. The most successful and consistent golfer of the last four years appeared to be having some kind of existential crisis as he spoke to the media at Royal Portrush on Tuesday ahead of the 153rd Open Championship – for which he is favourite. Scheffler said winning golf tournaments, which he has done 21 times at various levels – including an Olympic gold medal last year – did not satisfy him. 'This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart,' the 29-year-old American said. 'There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to number one in the world, and they're like, 'What's the point?' 'I really do believe that because, what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. 'Showing up at the Masters every year it's like, 'Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win The Open Championship so badly?' 'I don't know because if I win it's going to be awesome for two minutes, then we're going to get to the next week and it's, 'Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedEx Cup play-offs?' 'It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.' Scheffler has won three times this year, has one runner-up finish and eight other top-10s in 15 events. He has not finished outside the top 25 this season, not missed a cut since the FedEx St Jude Classic in August 2022 and has PGA Tour career earnings of nearly $88m (£65.4m), but admits if golf ever started impacting his family he would immediately quit. 'I'm blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living,' he added. 'This is not the be-all and end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. That's why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me? 'Because I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that's what's more important to me.'
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Boxing vs wrestling: Which is tougher to win Olympic gold in? Redditors debate
Photo: Freepik Winning an Olympic gold medal is a dream for athletes across all sports. The technicalities of sports in determining a champion are often based on the points that each athlete has garnered throughout the tournament. For some, the fastest time also determines the decision. However, in combat sports that primarily require an athlete's physical strength, technical skill, and mental toughness, such as wrestling and boxing, determining a winner under fair and square circumstances can be a matter of debate. With this in mind, a curious Redditor posted a question: 'What is harder to get an Olympic gold medal in, wrestling or boxing?' This gained attention from other Redditors who shared their thoughts and opinions. One shared: 'I feel less confident that the best boxer won a medal than the best wrestler. Boxing judges are so often wrong.' Another replied to this comment and said: 'Boxing judges aren't often wrong, they're often bought LOL! It's so bad that the sport is borderline of being kicked out of the Olympic programme… I'd wager winning a medal in boxing is the hardest thing if you're not the one paying them because your chances, even if you're good, are supremely low against corruption.' See also Japan vs Germany: Japan's shock strategy fools Germany A few Redditors opined that boxing is harder due to its rules, with one noting: 'Comparing by the rules, it may be harder to grab a gold in boxing because your performance is down to five judges' decision instead of a clear-cut point system.' 'Well, boxing is often not based on merit, so I guess it could be harder or easier depending on your nationality/wallet,' said another Redditor about boxing. Some Redditors observed that wrestling is a tough sport, thus making it harder to win: 'I feel like there are way more wrestlers than boxers. Especially from the ground up. And wrestling is one of the hardest sports to be good at (though I am sure boxing is equally as hard). However, I think wrestling has more of a talent pool to draw from and weeding out, making it harder. ' 'Wrestling has the best in the world at the sport, and the scoring is far more transparent. So I'll go with wrestling,' one more Redditor remarked. When the schedule for the upcoming Olympics was announced in 2022, boxing was initially left out of the tournament. However, the IOC provisionally recognised World Boxing as the sport's international governing body, and during the current session in Greece, they voted to reinstate boxing for the 2028 Games. Read more here. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
This is not a fulfilling life – Scottie Scheffler questions why he chases majors
Long-time world number one Scottie Scheffler is chasing his second major of the year and fourth of his career at Royal Portrush but admits every day he questions why. The most successful and consistent golfer of the last four years appeared to be having some kind of existential crisis as he spoke to the media at Royal Portrush on Tuesday ahead of the 153rd Open Championship – for which he is favourite. Scheffler said winning golf tournaments, which he has done 21 times at various levels – including an Olympic gold medal last year – did not satisfy him. 'This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart,' the 29-year-old American said. 'There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to number one in the world, and they're like, 'What's the point?' 'I really do believe that because, what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. 'Showing up at the Masters every year it's like, 'Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win The Open Championship so badly?' 'I don't know because if I win it's going to be awesome for two minutes, then we're going to get to the next week and it's, 'Hey, you won two majors this year; how important is it for you to win the FedEx Cup play-offs?' 'It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.' Scheffler has won three times this year, has one runner-up finish and eight other top-10s in 15 events. He has not finished outside the top 25 this season, not missed a cut since the FedEx St Jude Classic in August 2022 and has PGA Tour career earnings of nearly US dollars 88million (£65.4m), but admits if golf ever started impacting his family he would immediately quit. 'I'm blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living,' he added. 'This is not the be-all and end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. That's why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me? 'Because I'd much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that's what's more important to me.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Morgan and Diplo to Headline Variety's Sports & Entertainment Breakfast
Variety's annual Sports & Entertainment Breakfast, presented by City National Bank, will return on July 17 in Los Angeles. This year's programming will feature a Fireside Chat with two-time World Cup champion and Olympic Gold Medal winner Alex Morgan, alongside Dan Levy, EVP, the collective & Olympics, Wasserman. Diplo, the Grammy Award-winning producer, DJ, entrepreneur and founder of Diplo's Run Club, will be joined by his management team for a conversation, including Renee Brodeur, partner & EVP, TMWRK Management; Sam Hunt, EVP & managing executive, Wasserman Music; and Todd Palmerton, VP talent, event & IP Creation, Wasserman. More from Variety Ranks as Top Entertainment Business News Site for Three Years in a Row Variety's 'Actors on Actors' Season 22 Breaks Emmys Season Franchise Record With Nearly 100 Million Social Video Views Paul Mescal, Diane Kruger and More Toast to Rising Talent at Variety and Golden Globes' Cannes Breakthrough Artist Party Randie Brooks, senior vice president and team leader with Entertainment & Sports Banking, City National Bank will interview Tina Thornton, EVP, creative studio and marketing, ESPN and Mina Kimes, NFL analyst, senior writer, podcast host and television contributor, ESPN about their vision for the platform's new streaming service launching this fall. The 'Women Sports in the Zeitgeist' panel will feature voices who are taking women's sports to new heights, including Jennifer Cohen, athletic director, USC; Jessica Hammond-Graf, president, Women's Elite Rugby; Liz Gray, co-head, CAA Brand Consulting, CAA; Susie Piotrkowski, VP, women's sports programming & head of espnW; and Ilona Aman, CMO, Athleta. Other programming includes the 'Sports Programming Visionaries' panel which has top executives in programming exploring how the genre is evolving. Headlining that panel is: Colin Campbell, Head of Development, Omaha Productions; John Dahl, SVP content, NASCAR; Gotham Chopra, filmmaker and co-founder, Religion of Sports; Meredith Batten, VP head of content planning and programming, NFL; Stephanie Medina, director, FOX NFL Sunday, Fox Sports; Jon Miller, president, acquisitions & partnerships, NBC Sports. 'At City National Bank, we are dedicated to serving the financial needs of athletes, entertainers and the organizations that support them,' said JaHan Wang, executive vice president and head of Entertainment & Sports Banking at City National Bank. 'That's why we're honored to continue our partnership with Variety's Sports & Entertainment Breakfast, which serves as a catalyst for connection between these industries and drives meaningful conversations for what's next in sports and entertainment.' 'We're honored to bring together these exceptional leaders and creators who are actively shaping the future of sports and entertainment,' said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer, Variety. 'Thank you to City National Bank for their continual partnership.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Briton Yafai stunned by Rodriguez in first pro loss
Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai loses for the first time as a professional [Getty Images] Galal Yafai's world title ambitions suffered a major setback as the British flyweight was dropped in the final round in a shock points loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr in Birmingham. Fighting in his home city, the 32-year-old Olympic gold medallist was rocked early and struggled to handle the relentless pressure and punch volume from the Mexican in a high-tempo contest. Advertisement Yafai had moments of success and showed resilience, but was repeatedly hurt, notably in the seventh and ninth, before hitting the canvas in the twelfth. Although he beat the count, he was clinging on until the end and there was no dispute over the result with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109. Yafai is defeated for the first time in 10 professional bouts and loses his WBC interim title. Once tipped for a rapid ascent to full world honours, the Tokyo 2020 champion now faces a significant rebuilding job. "[Rodriguez] was relentless tonight. Yafai couldn't have got into a worse start but I'm so proud of him," Yafai's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said. Fast start from Rodriguez sets the tone Rodriguez Jr is a former unified strawweight world champion and wins his 40th bout in 47 fights [Getty Images] Rodriguez burst out of the blocks, rattling the champion early and buckling Yafai's legs with a sharp left uppercut. Yafai struggled to fully recover as Rodriguez's quick hands continued to find the mark through the early stages. Advertisement Yafai rallied in the fourth, landing clean with his backhand, but was hampered by blood pouring from a cut above his left eye. Rodriguez also suffered a cut later in the fight. The Birmingham fighter – who cruised past Sunny Edwards in November – looked second-best throughout, his body language offering little encouragement to the home crowd. He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's pace. Rodriguez had his fired-up corner roaring in the seventh when Yafai was floored, although it was ruled a slip. The damage, however, had already been done earlier in the round, with the 31-year-old away fighter landing a flurry of punches. A crisp straight right and uppercut connected in the eighth, with Yafai showing heart and toughness to stay in the fight. Both men were inspected by doctors before the ninth due to cuts, but it was Rodriguez who continued to dominate, hurting Yafai again as blood stained the referee's shirt. Advertisement By the championship rounds, Yafai looked increasingly resigned to his fate. A clean left-right combination dropped him in the 12th. He rose with a wry, deflated smile before moments later leaving the ring without giving a post-fight interview. A world title shot against Japan's unified champion Kenshiro Teraji had seemed within touching distance but instead Yafai's dream of becoming an Olympic and world champion is paused for now. "He failed on the hurdle to elite level and that's sometimes what happens. He'd only had nine fights," Hearn added. 'The new Katie Taylor' stars on debut Tiah Mai Ayton competed in kickboxing and Muay Thai before transitioning to boxing [Getty Images] Earlier, Britain's Tiah Mai Ayton announced herself to the professional ranks in style by stopping Hungary's Sara Orszagi in a ferocious debut. Advertisement Dubbed "the next Katie Taylor" by Hearn, the 18-year-old super-bantamweight rocked Orszagi with crisp right hands from the opening bell. She dropped her in the third, then ended it seconds later with a clean shot. As the referee waved the fight off, a smiling Ayton strutted back to her corner, poking her tongue out to her team. "Eddie's been bigging me up, so I had to show what I'm about," said Bristol's Ayton, a flawless 21-0 as an amateur. A beaming Hearn added: "She's born for this. She's built for this. She's a special talent." On a strong night for Matchroom's prospects, Manchester's 2024 Olympian Pat Brown secured his second professional win with a brutal second-round stoppage of Croatia's Ivan Duka. Advertisement A sharp right hook to the body, followed by a thudding left hook and a crisp left uppercut brought an early end to Duka's night. Brown, 25, will be back in the ring in just two weeks' time on 5 July in Manchester. Also on the card, super-bantamweight Peter McGrail earned a hard-fought majority decision over Romania's Ionut Baluta, and British welterweight champion Conah Walker retained his belt with a seventh-round stoppage win over Liam Taylor. More boxing from the BBC
