Lyles aims to rescue US sprinting’s honor in 100m at Olympics

Lyles aims to rescue US sprinting’s honor in 100m at Olympics
Noah Lyles, of the US, prepares for a heat in the men's 100-meter at the 2024 Summer Olympics Saturday in Saint-Denis, France. (AP)
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Updated 04 August 2024
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Lyles aims to rescue US sprinting’s honor in 100m at Olympics

Lyles aims to rescue US sprinting’s honor in 100m at Olympics
  • The world’s fastest men have to navigate a semifinal at 1805 GMT before returning for the final at 1950 GMT
  • On the final day of the swimming program, Leon Marchand goes for a remarkable fifth gold of this Games in the 4x100m medley relay
  • Djokovic insists Alcaraz will be the “favorite” for gold on the clay of Roland Garros

PARIS: Noah Lyles has a chance on Sunday to land the Olympic men’s 100m title and restore pride to US sprinting, while Novak Djokovic faces Carlos Alcaraz in a mouthwatering men’s singles final.

On the final day of the swimming program at La Defense Arena, Leon Marchand goes for a remarkable fifth gold of this Games in the 4x100m medley relay.

Marchand has rapidly become the darling of the French crowd, who have turned every one of his swims into a party.

But Lyles will draw much of the focus on the ninth day of full action, as the Stade de France’s lilac track is the setting for what promises to be a memorable men’s 100m showdown.

The Americans will be smarting after hot favorite Sha’Carri Richardson suffered a surprise defeat to Julien Alfred in the rainy women’s 100m final on Saturday.

Alfred, quietly spoken in contrast to the brash Richardson, won the first medal in Olympic history for the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Lucia — and made it gold for good measure.

Lyles, 27, has long claimed he is the rightful heir to Usain Bolt, the peerless Jamaican whose reign as Olympic sprint champion stretched for three Games.

Having won the world title last year, Lyles knows he needs to deliver to back up his claims but his unconvincing heat on Saturday, in which he made an atrocious start, might have sounded some alarms.

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson looked in ominous form, running 10 seconds flat despite easing down significantly in the final stages.

Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, defending Olympic champion after his stunning win in the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics, scraped through his heat in 10.05 sec.

The world’s fastest men have to navigate a semifinal at 1805 GMT before returning for the final at 1950 GMT.

In other athletics action, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh carries the weight of her beleaguered nation’s hopes on her shoulders in the women’s high jump final.

Mahuchikh set the world record of 2.10m in Paris a few weeks ago — and some of the pressure was removed from her shoulders when Ukraine’s women’s sabre fencing team won their nation’s first gold of these Games on Saturday.

Djokovic insists Alcaraz will be the “favorite” for gold on the clay of Roland Garros in the latest instalment of tennis’s generational power grab.

At 37, Djokovic would be the oldest Olympic tennis singles champion since the sport returned to the Games at Seoul in 1988.

At 21, Alcaraz would be the youngest of all time.

Victory would also make Djokovic only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus an Olympic title.

Tokyo gold medallist Xander Schauffele heads into Sunday’s final round of the men’s golf competition tied for the lead with Spain’s Jon Rahm on 14-under par. GB’s Tommy Fleetwood is a stroke behind.

American Schauffele, the world’s form player after winning maiden major titles at the PGA Championship and the British Open this year, carded a three-under-par 68 in his third round at Le Golf National on Saturday.

Badminton semifinals will see India’s Lakshya Sen clashing with reigning champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the standout men’s singles match.

One of the two women boxers at the center of a row about gender eligibility, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, is also back in action on Sunday.

China are leading the medals table after eight days of full competition on 16 golds, with the USA up to second place on 14.

Hosts France have had a stellar first week and stand third with 12 golds.


Arsenal suffer Bournemouth defeat ahead of PSG showdown

Arsenal suffer Bournemouth defeat ahead of PSG showdown
Updated 9 sec ago
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Arsenal suffer Bournemouth defeat ahead of PSG showdown

Arsenal suffer Bournemouth defeat ahead of PSG showdown
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead through Declan Rice’s opener on his 100th appearance for the club
Arteta admitted this week that it was “very painful” to watch Liverpool celebrate winning the Premier League title last weekend

LONDON: Arsenal suffered a blow ahead of their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain as Evanilson fired Bournemouth to a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead through Declan Rice’s opener on his 100th appearance for the club.
But Dean Huijsen equalized in the second half and Evanilson completed the comeback to give Bournemouth their first ever away win over Arsenal.
Beaten 1-0 by PSG in the Champions League semifinal first leg on Tuesday, Arsenal will need a much-improved performance in the second leg in Paris on Wednesday.
The second-placed Gunners also still require six points to guarantee Champions League qualification for next season via a top five finish in the Premier League.
Arteta admitted this week that it was “very painful” to watch Liverpool celebrate winning the Premier League title last weekend.
The Gunners finished as runners-up behind Manchester City for the last two seasons and the Champions League is their last hope of a trophy this term.
Arteta is still waiting to win the second trophy of his six-year Arsenal reign, with his last silverware coming in the 2020 FA Cup.
Arsenal last reached the Champions League final in 2006 and have never won the tournament.
With so much at stake in the Parc des Princes next week, it was intriguing to see Arteta select a full strength side for a relatively meaningless game against Bournemouth.
Instead of resting, key stars Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba were all in Arsenal’s starting line-up.
Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino were the notable absentees for Arsenal, with Arteta revealing the former will need a fitness test to determine his availability for the PSG game.
Bournemouth arrived in north London with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe and had already beaten Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in October.
Evanilson started for Bournemouth after his red card against Manchester United was overturned.
The Brazilian forward wasted a golden opportunity when he headed over after Jakub Kiwior slipped while trying to clear Milos Kerkez’s cross.
Leandro Trossard went close to the opener as the Arsenal forward stooped to meet Martinelli’s cross with a header that forced a good save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Rice made the breakthrough in the 34th minute, running onto Odegaard’s precise pass and rounding Kepa to slot into the empty net before celebrating with a bow to the crowd.
Evanilson nearly caught out David Raya with a lob from 40 yards after the Arsenal keeper miscued a pass to the striker.
Saka should have done better than head tamely at Kepa from Martinelli’s cross immediately after the interval.
Saka went closer moments later, nimbly cutting inside for a curler that fizzed past the far post.
Arsenal had failed to win nine league games in which they held the lead this season, a failing that played a major role in their title race surrender.
And once again Arteta’s side were rocked by a sucker punch as Bournemouth levelled with their first effort on target in the 67th minute.
Antoine Semenyo launched a long throw into the Arsenal area and Huijsen eluded Rice as he climbed to loop a header over Raya into the far corner from six yards.
The Gunners had lost their way and Evanilson made them pay in the 75th minute.
Marcus Tavernier flicked the ball toward the far post and Evanilson poked home, with Bournemouth finally able to celebrate after a VAR check for a potential handball.

Asian Glory for Al-Ahli with Champions League triumph

Asian Glory for Al-Ahli with Champions League triumph
Updated 26 min ago
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Asian Glory for Al-Ahli with Champions League triumph

Asian Glory for Al-Ahli with Champions League triumph
  • It was a deserved win in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium
  • First half goals from Galeno, a beauty, and Franck Kessie did the damage

JEDDAH: Al-Ahli are the champions of Asia for the first time after a 2-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah on Saturday.
It was a deserved win in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium as the green giants join local rivals Al-Ittihad as well as Al-Hilal in that exclusive club –Saudi Arabian champions of Asia.
First half goals from Galeno, a beauty, and Franck Kessie did the damage and once Al-Ahli were ahead, they never looked like letting the trophy slip after being runners-up in 1986 and 2012.


Roared on by the home fans who produced another stunning exhibition of tifos before kick-off and did not let the energy levels drop, the home team starting brightly. Ivan Toney turned smartly on the right corner of the penalty area in the fifth minute, and the England striker’s strong shot forced a flying save from Louis-Thebault Yamaguchi. Moments later, it was Ziyad Al-Johani in the air on the edge of the six-yard box and his shot was also blocked by the ‘keeper.
It was not all one-way traffic, and Marcinho’s shot from the left went just wide of the opposite post. It seemed to spur Al-Ahli on however and they kept pushing forward. Toney, Ibanez and Galeno all had shots though not enough to trouble the goalkeeper too much.
Al-Ahli were on top but just when it started to look like it could be a frustrating evening, Galeno produced a moment of magic. Receiving the ball from Roberto Firmino outside the area, the Brazilian winger, was given a little too much time and space but even so, few expected the outcome –a perfect shot curled into the top corner to repay a considerable slice of that transfer fee paid to FC Porto in January.

For the five-time Japanese champions it was then crucial that they did not concede again before the break but that is exactly what happened. Firmino crossed from the right and there was former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder Kessie to head home from close range. Kawasaki were shellshocked and desperately trying to stay in the game and not fall even further behind.
Their best chance came just before the hour. A cross from the left went all the way to the far post and perhaps Sai van Wermeskerken should have done better with the header but it went high and wide.
Al-Ahli were able to sit back and then look to break and cause problems. Riyad Mahrez, with nine goals already in the tournament, shot just wide from the edge of the area but it was all looking too comfortable for the men in white.
Kawasaki could not create clear chances with only Tatsuya Ito, scorer of a stunner in that 3-2 semifinal win over Al-Nassr on Wednesday, causing a few nerves among the home ranks. He shot just wide from the edge of the area with 15 minutes remaining and then came closer soon after, making a little space for himself outside Toney on the right side of the area and firing just across the face of goal.
That was as good as it got. It was a professional performance from Al-Ahli who never looked like letting their two-goal lead slip. It was a deserved win on the night and also the tournament for the only unbeaten team throughout the group and knockout stages.
The celebrations at the final whistle may well have been heard in Riyadh but the message has certainly been sent loud and clear to the rest of Asia: Al-Ahli are the new champions of the world’s biggest continent and it looks like there is more to come.


Dortmund crush Wolfsburg 4-0 to get back into Champions League mix

Dortmund crush Wolfsburg 4-0 to get back into Champions League mix
Updated 50 min 44 sec ago
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Dortmund crush Wolfsburg 4-0 to get back into Champions League mix

Dortmund crush Wolfsburg 4-0 to get back into Champions League mix
  • The Ruhr Valley club climbed to fourth place on 51 points
  • The top four teams earn an automatic spot in next season’s lucrative Champions League

DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund cruised past VfL Wolfsburg 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi both scoring twice, to get back into the top four and boost their chances of a Champions League spot next season.
The Ruhr Valley club, last season’s Champions League finalists who for weeks looked at risk of missing out on Europe’s premier club competition, climbed to fourth place on 51 points with their fifth win in the last six league games.
They are ahead on goal difference of Freiburg, who host Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, and a point ahead of sixth-placed RB Leipzig, who drew 3-3 with league leaders Bayern Munich.
The top four teams earn an automatic spot in next season’s lucrative Champions League.
Guinea international Guirassy struck after three minutes, charging into the box and pouncing on some sloppy defending to tuck the ball home before adding another just before the hour after a superb passing move for his 19th league goal.
Substitute Adeyemi then took matters into his own hands with two goals in four minutes. He struck in the 69th, two minutes after coming on, following a superb solo 35-meter run and then made it 4-0 with a similar effort to put the game to bed.


Motor racing-Norris wins wet Miami sprint to trim Piastri’s lead by a point

Motor racing-Norris wins wet Miami sprint to trim Piastri’s lead by a point
Updated 44 min 37 sec ago
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Motor racing-Norris wins wet Miami sprint to trim Piastri’s lead by a point

Motor racing-Norris wins wet Miami sprint to trim Piastri’s lead by a point
  • “My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, really happy,” grinned Norris
  • Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was handed a 10 second penalty for an unsafe release

MIAMI: Lando Norris lucked in to win a rain-hit and crash-strewn Miami Grand Prix sprint race in a McLaren one-two on Saturday that trimmed teammate Oscar Piastri’s Formula One lead to nine points.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, winner of the season’s first sprint in China, had a smile on his face again after finishing third with the safety car leading the closing laps before peeling off at the end.
“My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, really happy,” grinned Norris, who won last year’s main grand prix for his first F1 victory.
The Briton got lucky with the safety car just at the right moment as he pitted for slick tires, with Piastri having already stopped, and came back out still in the lead he had inherited.
“I probably would’ve preferred if this had happened tomorrow, rather than today, but I’ll take it. Good job by the team,” he said.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was handed a 10 second penalty for an unsafe release that led to a pitlane collision with Mercedes’ pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli as the Italian was coming in and the champion pulling out.
That dropped four-times champion Verstappen to last of those who took the chequered flag.
Antonelli finished 10th — the 18-year-old left with nothing more than the record for youngest ever F1 polesitter in any format after only 14 laps of actual racing from an original 19.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed on his way from the pits to the starting grid, with heavy spray making conditions treacherous, and did not start.
The safety car led the field around before the start procedure was suspended, with drivers struggling to see, and all 19 cars returned to the pit lane before an eventual standing start on a drying track.
Carlos Sainz crashed his Williams and Fernando Alonso was pitched into the wall after contact with Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls, triggering the decisive safety car to the finish.
“I did pretty much everything right. A bit disappointed to come away with second but that’s how it goes sometimes. Racing is a pretty cruel business,” said Piastri, who will be chasing a third grand prix win in a row on Sunday.
“Hopefully that means I get a bit of luck this afternoon in qualifying and tomorrow.”
Hamilton was one of the first to change from inters to slicks, reaping the benefit as he carved back up through the field.
“It’s been a tough year so far but...I never thought it was going to rain in Miami. It’s the first time we’ve been on track in the wet here and what a race it provided us,” said the seven-times world champion.
Alex Albon finished fourth, but under investigation for a safety car infringement, with Mercedes’ George Russell fifth and Lance Stroll sixth for Aston Martin.
Lawson was seventh and Haas rookie Ollie Bearman took the final point.


Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw

Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw
Updated 03 May 2025
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Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw

Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw
  • Diego Simeone’s side have little to play for in the final weeks of the season
  • Alaves, however, moved provisionally 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone

VITORIA, Spain: Atletico Madrid were held to a dull 0-0 draw at relegation-battling Alaves on Saturday in La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s side have little to play for in the final weeks of the season, sitting third with Champions League qualification virtually assured and leaders Barcelona nine points ahead of them.
Alaves, however, moved provisionally 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone with an important point against their illustrious visitors.
Julian Alvarez was sent off in the only moment to get pulses racing in the first half when he connected high on Argentine compatriot Facundo Garces’ leg, but the referee downgraded his red card to yellow after a VAR review.
Simeone took off his son Giuliano and Antoine Griezmann as he looked for more energy, bringing on Samuel Lino and regular super-sub Alexander Sorloth.
Antonio Sivera saved a Lino long-range effort, Atletico’s first shot on target, with around 20 minutes remaining as what had been a soporific battle burst belatedly into life.
Jan Oblak made a superb low stop to thwart Kike Garcia from close range as Eduardo Caudet’s hosts almost found a way through.
Sivera clawed out a Clement Lenglet effort and Angel Correa could not convert at the end of a swift counter-attack as Atletico threatened but could not find a winner.
“Neither side could get the upper hand, either in possession or in attack, there were no shots in the first half — the game was played in the middle of the pitch without any danger,” admitted Simeone, who turned his attention to the Club World Cup this summer.
“We’ve earned (qualification) on our merit... the Club World Cup, a significant milestone for the last four years of work.”
Ayoze Perez struck twice for Villarreal as they beat Osasuna 4-2 to close in on Champions League qualification for next season.
The top five La Liga teams qualify and the Yellow Submarine are currently fifth, four points clear of Real Betis who visit Espanyol on Sunday.