Category: Other Sports

Australian Paralympics gold medal-winning cyclist Paige Greco has died aged 28 after a “sudden medical episode”, her family said Monday.

Greco smashed her own world record in storming to victory in the women’s C1-C3 class 3,000m individual pursuit at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

She went on to add bronze in the C1–3 road race and time trial, cementing her status as a top competitor across both track and road.

Greco died on Sunday at her Adelaide home.

“While we are devastated by her loss, we are incredibly proud of the person she was and the way she represented Australia,” her mother Natalie Greco said in a statement released through AusCycling.

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“Paige cherished the connections she made through her sport, and we take comfort in knowing how widely she was loved.”

Greco also claimed multiple world championship titles, most recently earning bronze in the 2025 world championship road race at Belgium in August.

“Paige was an extraordinary athlete who achieved outstanding accomplishments at the highest levels of our sport,” said AusCycling chief executive Marne Fechner.

“Much more than that, she touched the lives of everyone around her with her positive spirit and courageous outlook.”

READ: Mohammad Rizwan achieves major career landmark in third Sri Lanka ODI

TURIN: Jannik Sinner retained the ATP Finals title on Sunday after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 and ending a turbulent season with victory over his great rival.

Italian Sinner brought the house down in Turin by winning the championship match that tennis fans wanted to see, adding the prestigious year-ending tournament to the Australian Open and a landmark triumph at Wimbledon this season.

The 24-year-old also bounced back from a three-month ban, which chopped out a large chunk of his season despite the World Anti-Doping Agency accepting that the Italian was accidentally contaminated with the banned substance clostebol last year.

Sinner has now won 31 straight matches on indoor hard courts, a run which stretches back to the 2023 championship match at Turin’s Inalpi Arena, which he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Four more wins on indoor hard courts would draw him level with Djokovic’s tally set between 2012 and 2015, the second-highest in the Open era, but some way behind John McEnroe’s record of 47.

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He hasn’t dropped a set at the Finals since losing that final to the Serb two years ago, and he was imperious over the week in northern Italy.

While both Sinner and Alcaraz breezed into the final, the championship game was an attritional affair, with each player rock-solid on serve until an enthralling tie-break at the end of the first set.

Sinner took the lead thanks to a brilliant lob which set up a set point, and he made no mistake with a missile of a serve which Alcaraz could only limply send wide.

But Sinner immediately handed Alcaraz the advantage in the second set with two double-faults, which helped hand his opponent a break of serve at the start of the frame.

Sinner hadn’t dropped a service game in the whole tournament up to that point, but he broke back in game six to put the crowd on their feet.

And Sinner collapsed to the ground in joy when Alcaraz sent a backhand wide on the first championship point, before heading into the stands to share his joy with his family amid the roars of the crowd.

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Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a straight-sets win to reach the ATP Finals championship match for the third year in a row.

Sinner broke late in the first set and then pulled away from De Minaur to complete a 7-5, 6-2 win, his 13th in as many meetings with the Australian.

The Italian world number two has yet to drop a service game en route to the final but will likely have a tougher test in the final against top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is the favourite to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in Saturday’s other semi-final.

“Honestly, every matchup (with Alcaraz) is different. We saw it in Rome and Paris, even if it’s the same surface (clay), it can change,” said Sinner, who lost both of those finals before beating his Spanish rival to win Wimbledon.

“Another final, has been an amazing year for me. I’m looking forward for tomorrow… Also, to see for me where my level really is, but at the same time it’s great before the off-season to have this matchup.

“He still has a match to go against Felix… He loves to play indoors, as we know. Let’s see who is going to win. Anyway, I’m happy to be in the final. Then we see.”

Sinner has won his last 18 sets played in Turin, where he beat Taylor Fritz in last year’s final. The four-time Grand Slam champion is on a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts.

The 24-year-old Sinner hasn’t dropped a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic, while De Minaur ends his year with a more upbeat mood than the one he had after losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage.

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De Minaur admitted that he had been in a “dark place” after that loss, which almost cost him a place in the last four, before he beat Taylor Fritz to set up Saturday’s clash with Sinner.

“I had a little shift in perspective. Of course, like, sitting here right now, I feel like I should have finished my Turin campaign having won two matches instead of one,” De Minaur told reporters.

“But you can’t really change the past. You’ve just got to do your best to learn from it, get back up, and keep on heading forward, right? That’s ultimately the goal now. Obviously, I’m in a much better place.”

De Minaur fought off two break points in the opening game of the semi-final but then failed to convert any of the three he carved out in Sinner’s first service game.

The Australian resisted again when Sinner threatened to break in the seventh and ninth games, but the second seed eventually struck the key blow at 5-5 and snatched the first set.

Sinner surged 4-0 ahead in the second set before wrapping up his ninth straight win at the tournament, becoming the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three finals at the season-ending event.

If Sinner faces Alcaraz in the final, it will be their sixth meeting of the season. Alcaraz has won four of the five previous matches, triumphing in the French Open and US Open finals.

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BATAM: Pakistan athletes delivered commendable performances in the ongoing 16th World Bodybuilding Championship (WBPF), taking place in Indonesia.

Ijaz Khan, hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a gold medal winner at the Asian Championship, claimed a bronze medal in the 95kg Bodybuilding category.

Arsalan Baig, hailing from Sialkot, Punjab, secured a silver in the Men’s Physique category.

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The performances highlighted Pakistan’s rising presence in global bodybuilding competitions and marked another proud moment for the nation.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Pham Van Mach secured the first gold medal for Vietnam in the men’s 55kg weight category.

The bodybuilder hailing from Vietnam outperformed several strong opponents, especially India’s top contenders Muru Ramamurthy and Shiv Choram Sundi, to secure the medal.

For the unversed, the championship has attracted the participation of hundreds of competitors from around the world.  The event will last till November 16

READ: Asia Cup Rising Stars: 14-year-old Suryavanshi blasts record-breaking ton

Jannik Sinner reached the last four of the ATP Finals on Wednesday after beating Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 to qualify from the Bjorn Borg group with a match to spare.

World number one Sinner is bidding to retain his title at the prestigious end-of-season tournament, and he cruised into the semi-finals in front of a delighted crowd in Turin.

The 24-year-old was not at his best and struggled with a hand problem at the start of the match, but still had more than enough to see off Zverev for the fifth straight time.

Zverev hasn’t beaten Sinner since the 2023 US Open, being destroyed by the Italian in the semi-finals of the recent Paris Masters, and again, the German couldn’t handle the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Sinner was brutal on his serve, rattling in 12 aces, and once he took the first set with his third break point of game 10, he never looked back.

“If we watch the match today, there were one or two points, that’s why I won the first set,” Sinner told reporters.

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“A couple of points, that’s why I won the second set. If those points go the other way, maybe it’s the same score in the opposite way. You never know.”

Zverev needed to win in straight sets to book his place in the semis, but will now have to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 winner over Ben Shelton, in his final group match on Friday in order to progress.

But he cut an irritated figure on court, frustrated by his inability to capitalise on any of his seven break points, a series of unforced forehand errors and at one point by a flashing advertising sign.

“Listen, I hope to see him again, it’s as simple as that, this week,” Zverev said.

“He’s not unplayable. I had many opportunities. He had one, and he used the chance. This is why he’s number one in the world, you know? He uses the chances that he gets.”

Sinner, meanwhile, will take on Shelton, aiming to top the group and set up a clash with whoever finishes second in the Jimmy Connors Group, which is currently led by his great rival Carlos Alcaraz.

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NEW DELHI: India’s leading men’s tennis player Sumit Nagal has revealed that China denied him a visa just weeks before he was scheduled to compete in the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff in Sichuan, leaving his participation in jeopardy.

Nagal, ranked 275 in the world, took to the social media platform X on Monday to express his frustration over the development.

“I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open Playoff. But my visa was rejected without reason,” the 28-year-old wrote.

The week-long qualifying tournament, which begins on November 24, offers players from the Asia-Pacific region a chance to secure direct entry into the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

Nagal, who reached a career-high ranking of 68 in 2024, has represented India at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

He previously featured in the main draw at Melbourne Park twice, losing in the first round earlier this year and in the second round the year before.

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The tournament organisers have stated that players “should contact the Chinese consulate for information regarding visa requirements” and may request an official letter of invitation if needed.

However, they have yet to respond to inquiries from AFP regarding Nagal’s situation.

AFP also reached out to Nagal’s agent and China’s foreign ministry for comment, but received no immediate response.

The incident comes at a time when India and China are still working to rebuild ties strained by years of geopolitical tension.

The two nations, which share a long and disputed Himalayan border, only recently resumed direct flights after a five-year suspension following the pandemic and the deadly 2020 border clash in Ladakh.

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The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics competition schedule was unveiled on Wednesday by organizers, including a showcase spot for the women’s 100 meters and a Super Saturday session.

LA28 revealed a detailed schedule earlier than usual. It starts with the opening ceremony on July 14 and ends with the closing ceremony on July 30.

The biggest-ever Games will feature 11,200 athletes in 51 sports across 49 venues.

Every team sport will feature an equal or greater number of women’s teams compared to men’s teams for the first time, with 50.5 percent of total athletes being women.

On day one, July 15, the most women’s finals ever held on one day will be contested, starting with the women’s triathlon with a spotlight on the women’s 100 meters.

Doing so will mean women must run three 100m heats in one day.

Organizers flipped swimming and athletics from the traditional schedule so the opening ceremony venue, SoFi Stadium, could also host swimming in the second week.

Track and field events will be held during the first week of the Games, with swimming scheduled for the second week.

Swimmers also have a better chance to attend the opening ceremony without the next-morning races to consider.

A “Super Saturday” schedule on July 29 includes 26 finals sessions in 23 sports, including 15 gold and bronze medal team matches and finals in 15 individual sports.

Among Olympic champions to be crowned on that day are those in athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, cricket, golf, football, swimming, and tennis.

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The last Olympic champions will be crowned in swimming just before the closing ceremony.

Organizers scheduled the marathons on the final weekend, the women’s race on July 29 and the men’s marathon on July 30.

About 14 million tickets will be available for Olympic events, with pricing details to be announced later, but dynamic pricing is not being considered, Ferguson said.

Olympic and sports federation officials have helped create the LA28 schedule.

Weather considerations went into the plan, with some sessions moved into the evening to have cooler conditions, including for horses at Santa Anita for equestrian events.

Baseball and softball will return to the Olympic lineup. Baseball will be played at Dodger Stadium, home of the reigning Major League Baseball champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with medal games July 19.

Baseball will begin on July 13, a day ahead of the opening ceremony, with a new competition window to allow MLB players to compete in the Olympics.

Cricket rejoins the Olympic lineup after more than a century, with the women’s final on July 20 and the men’s final on July 29.

Lacrosse, on the 1908 London Olympic calendar and later a demonstration sport, will return with the men’s and women’s finals on July 29.

Los Angeles will also introduce American flag football and squash on July 15 for Olympic debuts.

Details for the Olympic football tournament, to be staged across the United States, and the Los Angeles Paralympics will be announced later.

Ticket registration for the LA Olympics will begin in January.

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Italy’s Jannik Sinner got his title defence off to a solid start with a dominant straight-sets win over ailing Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Finals on Monday in Turin.

Nine days after their duel in the final of the Paris Masters, Sinner was again the strongest, winning 7-5, 6-1.

But fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti was earlier outclassed 6-3, 6-4 by American Taylor Fritz.

After a tight first set, Sinner swept aside Auger-Aliassime, who had been hampered by a left calf injury, by breaking serve to rush to a 3-0 lead.

He broke him a second time to close out the match with an ace after one hour 41 minutes.

“Obviously, winning the first match is very important in this competition and this format,” said 24-year-old Sinner.

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“It was a very tough match until 6-5. I had some chances to break. He served very well, except that I missed a return, but it can happen. He played some very aggressive tennis, so I’m happy to have overcome a very tough test today.

“I hope it‘s nothing too serious,” Sinner added of his rival. “I wish him obviously a very speedy recovery, and hopefully he is back to 100 per cent physically.”

Jannik Sinner notched his 27th consecutive victory on his preferred indoor hard court surface and took the lead in the Bjorn Borg Group, which will also see the world number two face Germany’s Alexander Zverev and American Ben Shelton.

The native of South Tyrol won the 2024 edition of the tournament, which brings together the eight best players of the year, by stringing together five wins without dropping a single set.

The 2025 edition could allow him to finish the season as world number one, currently held by his great Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, who has beaten him four times this year.

READ: John Cena completes WWE Grand Slam with Intercontinental title win

BOSTON: John Cena etched another golden chapter into his storied WWE legacy on Monday Night RAW, defeating Dominik Mysterio to capture the Intercontinental Championship.

This was the only major title that had eluded him throughout his two-decade-long career.

With this victory, the 48-year-old icon officially joins WWE’s elite list of Grand Slam Champions, becoming the 25th Superstar in history to have won the WWE, Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Championships at least once.

The high-stakes showdown between Cena and Mysterio delivered everything fans expected: drama, controversy, and a heavy dose of nostalgia.

Mysterio, who entered the night as the reigning Intercontinental Champion since WrestleMania, employed every trick in the book, including a submission that went unnoticed by the referee.

But John Cena, fueled by experience and emotion, weathered the storm and turned the bout around in classic fashion.

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The decisive moment came when Mysterio attempted his signature Frog Splash, only for Cena to counter with a perfectly timed Attitude Adjustment (AA) that secured the three-count and sent the Boston crowd into a frenzy.

The win carried special meaning for Cena, who had never previously competed for the Intercontinental Championship on televised programming, his only prior attempts coming at untelevised live events.

Monday’s match, therefore, wasn’t just about the gold; it was about completing the final piece of his WWE puzzle.

In the buildup to the match, Mysterio had mocked Cena’s farewell run, calling himself “the future” while labeling Cena “the past.”

WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque responded by sanctioning the bout, giving fans a generational clash that ended with an emotional and defining victory for one of wrestling’s greatest ever.

Cena now joins an iconic group of Grand Slam Champions that includes the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero — cementing his place, once again, among the all-time greats.

READ: “Some things are beyond my control”: Novak Djokovic hints at early retirement

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has recently suggested the possibility of an early retirement, stirring uncertainty about his ambitious dream of playing until the 2028 Olympic Games.

He shared that the physical toll of elite tennis and recurring injuries may cut his career shorter than planned.

It’s worth noting that Djokovic, who captured an elusive Olympic gold in Paris last year, was forced to withdraw from the ATP Finals in Turin due to an ongoing injury, ending his season prematurely.

Djokovic confirmed his withdrawal through social media, expressing disappointment and gratitude to his supporters.

“I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best, but after today’s final in Athens, I’m sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury. I’m truly sorry to the fans who were hoping to see me play – your support means so much,” he wrote.

The Serb, who recently claimed the ATP 250 title in Athens after defeating Lorenzo Musetti, reflected on his long-term ambitions but acknowledged the growing uncertainty surrounding his future.

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“Since I’ve achieved almost every goal in tennis, I mentioned the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for many more years,” Djokovic said.

“But I don’t know – there are some things beyond my control. I’m trying to stay as healthy as possible, both mentally and physically.”

With most major milestones already behind him, Novak Djokovic is reportedly considering a lighter playing schedule to manage his fitness and extend his time on tour.

Whether the 24-time Grand Slam champion will make it to the 2028 Olympics now remains an open question, one that even Djokovic himself seems unsure about.

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