Latest news with #worldchampionships
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch: 'Feels like yesterday' - Alex Criville looks back on his legendary career
Spanish rider Alex Criville raced on two wheels for almost 15 years and in that time picked up 20 race wins, two world championships and more than 2,000 championship points. From his biggest rivals and the evolution of motorbike racing, to his current favourite equestrian hobbies, Criville tells us all about it, here at Motorsport. Watch: 'Feels like yesterday' - Álex Crivillé looks back on his legendary career To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch: 'Feels like yesterday' - Alex Criville looks back on his legendary career
Spanish rider Alex Criville raced on two wheels for almost 15 years and in that time picked up 20 race wins, two world championships and more than 2,000 championship points. From his biggest rivals and the evolution of motorbike racing, to his current favourite equestrian hobbies, Criville tells us all about it, here at Motorsport. Watch: 'Feels like yesterday' - Álex Crivillé looks back on his legendary career To read more articles visit our website.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Gout Gout to make international debut with sights set on Tokyo world titles
Gout Gout will take an important step on his athletics journey this week against a formidable field on his international senior debut in the Czech Republic, in race that only strengthens the parallels between him and sprint great Usain Bolt. Returning to Ipswich Grammar after a historic Australian season, the 17-year-old has now travelled to Europe in the mid-year school break to compete in Ostrava and at the upcoming Diamond League meet in Monaco in a programme designed to prepare him for the Tokyo World Championships in September. This week's meet – which takes place early Wednesday morning Australian time – provides a first glimpse of the teenager at the epicentre of global athletics, and presents the challenge of competing against senior sprinters on the professional European circuit for the first time. 'The main goal of the season is obviously world championships,' Gout said in the Czech Republic. 'Let's see what I can do on the world stage against professional athletes. Hopefully I can run fast and perform well.' After his record-breaking performances over the past 12 months, including the Australian 200m record of 20.04s and sub-20s wind-assisted 200m times, athletics observers have identified as Gout as one of the world's brightest talents. The resemblance of his style to Bolt's, together with the Jamaican's acknowledgement of the similarities, has done little to temper expectations. The links between the pair will only grow deeper with the Australian's appearance in Ostrava. When Gout was not yet six months old, a 21-year-old Bolt underscored his potential in the same meet with a blistering 19.83s 200m, then his fastest time overseas and still a meet record. Later that year, the Jamaican would win his first Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing. But even before that, Bolt ran a 20.28s at the meet as a 19-year-old. He even travelled there in 2004 as a 17-year-old – the same age Gout is now – although withdrew at the last minute due to injury. Gout again faced questions about his similarities with Bolt this week. 'It definitely feels great, I've heard that a lot of sprinters run here really good. I know Usain Bolt ran here nine times, so the event clearly has a great tradition,' he said. 'Who doesn't want to be Usain Bolt? Being compared to Usain Bolt feels great but I would like to put my personality in the upcoming story.' Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion This year that narrative is focused on Gout's performance in Tokyo, and his upcoming races in Europe are designed to hone his preparation. The 200m field this week includes two athletes who have run legal sub-20s times. Cuban Reynier Mena, 28, has already won Diamond League meets this year in Oslo and Stockholm, where he recorded his season's best of 20.05s. Britain's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, 31, was part of the British men's 100m relay that won bronze at last year's Olympics. Gout said he has been working on his strength and his starts since the Australian season ended in April. 'I'm looking forward to going out on Tuesday, seeing how my training has been, how I have improved,' he said. 'I know there is going to be a good crowd so I hope to have some fun.'
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Why three-time Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox has no doubt she can excel ahead of canoe world titles despite recent form slump
There's been some rough water for Jessica Fox since her Paris Olympics medal blitz, but the canoe great feels her title defence is on track 100 days out from the world championships in Penrith. Fox will defend her kayak crown on her home course, with the competition getting under way on September 29, but despite winning gold in the event in Paris, her results this year haven't been at her usual standard. The 31-year-old, who owns six Olympic medals, including three gold, has missed the K1 final at both of the opening World Cup events in Europe. In the opening race in La Seu in Spain, Fox finished 48th in a field of 50 after incurring a 50-second penalty for missing a gate. She also missed the K1 final at the second World Cup event in Pau in France, but at both she bounced back to win gold in the C1 races. 'It's funny, people are always almost shocked when you don't qualify for the final, or when you don't win, as when you've done it so many times it's just expected, but actually it's hard every time,' Fox said from Prague, ahead of another World Cup later this month. 'Even the best athletes make mistakes, so it was disappointing, I was upset, I had a good cry about it, and then I just got back on the horse the next day, got back in my boat and had another crack. 'I'm fine-tuning things and I'm still in a training and building phase at the moment before the worlds, and I'm taking in as much info as I can.' Fox said the gates hung quite low in Spain, and she was too cautious in her approach. But after taking time out to savour her Olympic success, also winning gold in the C1 while her sister Noemie won the kayak cross, she felt she was building nicely for the world championships. Fox admitted the pressure of defending her title on her home course could be on par with the Olympics. 'Paris was magical in every way and it went perfectly, and was a very successful campaign, and fantastic to perform in that way,'' she said. 'Now looking forward, obviously you're always going to have that expectation and target on your back, you're the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion in the kayak, and that hovers there, like a cloud, if you let it. 'Everyone's hungry for that race, and just because you're world number one or just because you're the reigning champion doesn't mean it's different. 'Coming into a world championship at home is going to feel very much like an Olympics in terms of the pressure and the expectation, but I think we'll be ready. 'I love our home course and that's going to serve me, and I'm going to try and make it an advantage.' While she's set to compete in the next Olympics in Los Angeles, Fox is also looking beyond her paddling career and has partnered with charity organisation High Impact Athletes, with sponsors pledging an amount for each 'clean' gate on the course. 'It's about looking beyond sport and going, how else can I have an impact, and how do I keep this interesting and exciting, and what's my legacy going to be?,'' she said.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Habz, Stark light up Diamond League as Girma banishes Paris blues
France's Azeddine Habz (C) celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's 1500m (EMMA DA SILVA) Unheralded Azzedine Habz and Grace Stark lit up a drama-loaded Diamond League meet in Paris on Friday, snatching the limelight with two outstanding performances that put a raft of higher-profile athletes in the shade. Paris proved to be the perfect testing ground as athletes continue to fine-tune their form ahead of September's world championships in Tokyo. Advertisement Habz sent the partisan crowd into raptures by becoming the sixth fastest man over 1500m of all time, riding the coattails of two pacemakers to clock 3:27.49 for a meet record and new French best. In a shockingly fast race, Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech set a world junior record in second, while 11 of the next 12 athletes all timed personal bests, including national records for the Netherlands, Belgium and South Africa. "It's incredible, there's no other word for it," said the 31-year-old Morocco-born Habz, twice a minor medallist at European indoors. "It's truly a dream come true. To succeed in a race like this in Paris is even stronger." Advertisement There were a rash of further meet records in perfect, hot conditions at Stade Charlety. American Stark clocked 12.21sec in the 100m hurdles to go joint fifth fastest of all time, holding off Nigeria's 2022 world champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan. "I wanted to break that 12.3 so bad!" Stark said. "It feels that I can have a party. "And then, I just need to keep working, taking it race by race, stay focused and stay quiet." Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino made no mistake in the women's 400m although she had to pull out all stops down the home straight to outpace Bahraini rival Salwa Eid Naser. Advertisement Paulino, gold medallist at last year's Paris Olympics and the 2023 worlds in Budapest, made it three victories in a row at Charlety in 48.81sec, four-hundredths ahead of Naser. American Rai Benjamin also racked up a meet record of 46.93sec in the 400m hurdles, making easy work of the victory in the absence of Norwegian arch-rival Karsten Warholm and Brazilian Alison Dos Santos. "Sub-47 is impressive. I just ran smart and ran for the win," said Benjamin. - 'A little scared' - Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma lit up the 2023 edition of the Meeting de Paris by smashing the previous world record (7:52.11) for the 3,000m steeplechase. Advertisement There was disaster at the Paris Olympics, however, after Girma fell heavily in the last lap of the Stade de France track. But he made a winning return to Stade Charlety, winning in 8:07.01 after admitting he had overcome a sense of dread. "This is a big thing for me today, especially after the Paris Olympics," Girma said. "It feels it was a long time ago, so this was very important for me. This is a very big achievement, so I am very happy." "I was a little scared at first getting into the race. Now that the race is finished I feel much better." Morocco's Sofiane El Bakkali is the two-time Olympic steeplechase champion, but he opted to race the 5,000m in Paris alongside the Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who claimed his 11th Diamond League victory in 12:47.84. Advertisement Kenya's Faith Cherotich ran a world lead of 8:53.37 in the women's steeplechase, holding off Uganda's Peruth Chemutai. Australia's Nicola Olyslagers, a two-time world indoor champion who has won twice in Paris (2021, 2023), won the women's high jump with a best of 2.00m. Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world and Olympic champion who set the current world record of 2.10 metres at last year's Diamond League meet in Paris, finished second with 1.97m on countback from another Australian, Eleanor Patterson. Grant Holloway, the three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist making his return to action after a disastrous opening outing in China, could only finish fifth in the 110m hurdles, albeit in a season's best of 13.11sec. Advertisement It was his US teammate Trey Cunningham who won in a personal best of 13.00sec, ahead of Dylan Beard, also in a PB of 13.02sec, while Jason Joseph set a Swiss record of 13.07 for third. And Spain's Mohamed Attaoui picked an inside line to outpace the American duo of Josh Hoey and Bryce Hoppel in what he called a "brutal" 800m in a season's best of 1:42.73. lp/ea
