Latest news with #OlympicMedallist
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Karateka Grace Lau ‘cool' about carrying Hong Kong's gold medal hopes at World Games
World No 1 Grace Lau Mo-sheung said she had this year mastered how to perform at her level amid all the accolades, and that her status as a world-leading athlete was no longer putting her under pressure during competition. Advertisement Speaking on Monday ahead of the second World Games of her career next month, the karateka also said the multi-sport event was a competition she cared about. 'I was learning how to deal with my No 1 title last year as I truly felt the pressure,' she said. 'I am all good this year, and after what I have learned, I won't repeat the mistakes of the past and let them drag me down. 'I have felt fine this year, and I knew that I was not bothered any more given my performance in the Premier League and the Asian Championships.' With three Premier League victories in four outings and a regional title – her third straight – since the start of the year, Hongkonger Lau said she was 'cool' about being the city's gold medal hope in Chengdu. The Hong Kong delegation received its World Games send-off on Monday. Photo: Handout 'It's not about any extra pressure or motivation now, I just need to perform at my standard [and the results will take care of themselves],' said the Olympic medallist, who won a bronze in Tokyo in 2021.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Olympic legend Cate Campbell shares huge personal news after ‘biggest heartbreak'
Eight-time Olympic medallist Cate Campbell has announced her engagement to long-time partner Adam Kerr, sharing the dreamy proposal on Instagram. 'A complete and wonderful surprise,' the 33-year-old captioned a carousel of photos showing off her sparkling diamond ring. Kerr, a geologist and geotechnical engineer, had no idea who Campbell was when they first met five years ago through mutual friends. 'He maintains he never Googled me, he wasn't star struck!' Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023. Campbell shot to fame as a teenager, qualifying for her first Olympics in Beijing at just 16. She went on to represent Australia at the London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2021 Games. Competing in freestyle sprint events - the 50m and 100m - Campbell became a powerhouse in individual and relay races. Over her glittering career, she's collected four Olympic golds, one silver, and three bronze medals, and still holds the short course world record in the women's 100m freestyle at 50.25 seconds. Although she officially hung up her goggles in June last year, she's now diving into a new pool of personal joy. 'Last Saturday while watching the sun rise at our new local beach, Adam turned and said: 'Cate, I have a question for you.' 'I thought maybe he was going to ask what kind of plants to put in our gardens, what kind of dog we should get, or what we should make for dinner. 'Instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said 'yes'…(and cried a lot). 'Simply the perfect way to start the next chapter of our lives.' The couple briefly broke up, something Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald was her 'biggest heartbreak' when Campbell and her sister Bronte relocated from Brisbane to Sydney in late 2018, to train under coach Simon Cusack, who had joined the NSW Institute of Sport. The move was aimed at improving their chances ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games. But for Cate, things quickly spiralled. In June that year, after the Tokyo Games were delayed due to the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, she hit rock bottom. Campbell recalled sitting in the dark on her kitchen floor, sobbing uncontrollably after a power outage. 'I was trying to make myself a cup of hot chocolate before I went to bed,' she told Wide World of Sports. 'It was like something switched in my brain,' she said. 'I just remember having what I can only call a breakdown. 'I was so distressed, and it was almost like I was watching myself having this reaction ... big sobs and tears and noises. 'I was like: 'Oh, I've never heard myself make those noises'. 'Being unable to cope with the fact that the power had tripped for the second time ... there's something wrong here. This is not a normal reaction. This is not OK.' She later opened up to Nine about what the New York Times has dubbed 'post-Olympic blues.' 'You can go and have the most incredible time, and then you come back and you feel a bit down or suppressed ... you're just kind of like wondering about what's next, because you've been so geared towards this one thing for so long,' Campbell explained. 'When you're preparing for something as big and intense as an Olympics, it takes over your whole life. 'As much as we try and tell our athletes you need balance and you're more than just the athlete and you're more than your achievements, it is an all-consuming career choice. 'Your preparation for the 100m freestyle, you'll prepare two million minutes, and your race will be one minute ... that's crazy.' Fellow Aussie swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan broke down in a poolside interview with Campbell while talking about her own struggles post-Paris Games. Kaylee McKeown also admitted she'd been in a 'really dark place.' Even 28-medal winning legend Michael Phelps has spoken about battling similar emotions. 'You work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it's like you're … at the top of the mountain, you're like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?' he told Healthline. But for Campbell, it was her break-up with Kerr that hit hardest. When she returned to Brisbane in late 2020, resuming her training ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo 2021 games, the couple reconnected, and have been together ever since. News of her engagement has been met with a flood of support from the swimming community. 'Congratulations!!! This is so beautiful, so happy for you both,' fellow gold medallist Shayna Jack commented. Campbell's Rio teammate Emma McKeon wrote, 'Congratulations,' while Tokyo champion Ariarne Titmus added, 'The best news.' As for kids, Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald she's still undecided. 'I need to figure out who I am outside of the pool before I go into something as time and identity consuming as parenthood.'
CBC
10-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Summer McIntosh expected to make a splash at World Championship
Canadian swimmer and Olympic medallist Summer McIntosh will compete in five events at the upcoming World Championships. She heads into the event after setting three world records at Canadian trials.
CBC
04-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Penny Oleksiak withdraws from swimming worlds citing whereabouts case with World Aquatics
Canada's Penny Oleksiak has withdrawn from the world aquatics championships due to being in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics, she announced on social media Friday. The 25-year-old Toronto native said "it does not involve any banned substance" and "I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time." The world championships are set to begin July 11 and end Aug. 3 in Singapore. Oleksiak received support of her decision from Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins, who said the organization believes Oleksiak "is a clean athlete who made an administrative mistake," in a statement on social media. Paulins did, however, say it was "disappointing news." Paulins said athletes are responsible for completing whereabouts and submitting filings on time to comply with anti-doping rules to avoid sanctions. Oleksiak is a seven-time Olympic medallist and nine-time world championship medallist.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Pregnant Barker announces end of her season
Four-time Olympic medallist Elinor Barker has announced her 2025 season is over because she is pregnant for the second 30-year-old Welsh competitor told social media followers the news after finishing 16th in the British National Road Championships in Ceredigion, more than five minutes behind winning compatriot Zoe posted: "Raced my last race of 2025 today at Nationals TT, but for the happiest reason, as we're expecting our second baby in December."Extremely lucky once again to have full support from @unoxteam and @britishcycling and to be surrounded by so many experts."She added: "Ps. If you're trying to hide a pregnancy at work, try to pick a job that doesn't require wearing skintight Lycra every day."Barker will also miss the Women's Road World Championships in September, including the time trial. Barker gave birth to her first child, son Nico, in 2022 having already won Olympic team pursuit gold in Rio in 2016 and silver in Tokyo in added bronze in Paris in 2024, where she also won another silver in the has also spoken of her battle with endometriosis and the joy of success with her son present.
