Category: 6. Sports

  • George Russell suggests damage a factor in Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying disappointment

    George Russell suggests damage a factor in Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying disappointment

    George Russell believes that gravel on the track from team mate Kimi Antonelli’s off in Sprint Qualifying could have caused damage that brought his own session to an early close at the Belgian Grand Prix.

    Neither Mercedes featured in the final phase of Sprint Qualifying on Friday, with Antonelli dramatically spinning into the gravel at Stavelot in SQ1. As he recovered to the track, stones were scattered across the asphalt.

    Antonelli exited the session in last place and, while Russell was able to escape in fifth, his afternoon came to a close in SQ2, where he could manage only the 13th fastest time.

    Confident that the Mercedes has strong underlying pace, Russell said: “In Q1, I ran over all of that gravel when Kimi went off. For the rest of that lap, it felt terrible, and the next lap, it felt terrible. Then my lap in SQ2 felt terrible.

    “We saw some damage on the car. We need to see if that’s the reason, because obviously, it’s a big shock to be out in SQ2, and the gap was so big. I’m sure there’s a reason for it.”

    Sharing Russell’s confidence that a poor Friday does not mean Mercedes is out for the count in Belgium, Antonelli said: “The car felt good over the lap, so I’m definitely confident for tomorrow, and we’ll just try to reset and look forward to tomorrow.”

    As for his off, Antonelli was left searching for answers, adding: “It was actually a pretty decent lap.

    “I was around P4, and it just was weird because I lost it completely on exit and I just need to check. Maybe it was a gust of wind, but it was quite weird, the way I lost the car.”

    With one eye on the potential for wet weather on Sunday, Antonelli said: “It’s going to be important tomorrow to do a good quali, and then Sunday might be wet, so a lot of opportunities, but we’ll focus on tomorrow [for now].”

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  • 2025 Belgian Grand Prix – McLaren Sprint Qualifying Report

    2025 Belgian Grand Prix – McLaren Sprint Qualifying Report

    “It’s been a positive start to our Sprint weekend here in Spa. Oscar secured a deserved Pole position, taking a step from the Medium to Soft tyre in SQ3 with a strong lap that capitalised everything available in the car this afternoon. 

    “Lando extracted a bit less from the Soft tyres in SQ3. However, it’s good to have him also starting in the top three, where he will be able to fight for a win in the Sprint and valuable championship points.

    “We will now turn our focus to tomorrow’s competitive sessions. We are only at the end of Friday, the competition is close, and the weather is also likely to play a role. We have a very interesting weekend ahead.” 

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  • Are Celtic fans right to worry about squad depth before new season?

    Are Celtic fans right to worry about squad depth before new season?

    Celtic have brought left-back Kieran Tierney back to the club after his Arsenal contract expired, while recently capped Scotland goalkeeper Ross Doohan and forward Callum Osmand have also signed on free deals.

    Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada have arrived from the J-League, with Benjamin Nygren making it six incomings overall.

    However, even before the heavy loss against Ajax, Rodgers stressed the need for further transfers, particularly in forward areas.

    “I think we still have some work to do,” he said. “I think the players that we have in the building have been very, very good in pre-season so far but, like I say, we have still work to do in the market.

    “I think it’s very clear where our gaps are – in our frontline, where we need support and I’m very confident that we’ll be able to do that before the market finishes.”

    Kyogo Furuhashi’s goals were never truly replaced when he left for Rennes in January and with Nicolas Kuhn departing to Serie A side Como, further goals and assists have been taken out of Rodgers’ forward line.

    Kyogo scored 85 goals in 165 Celtic appearances, while Kuhn contributed 21 goals and 15 assists last season alone.

    Portuguese winger Jota is out with a long-term injury and there are doubts over whether Adam Idah has the attributes to lead the line in high-stakes matches.

    Rodgers has consistently said over the past 18 months or so he doesn’t want squad fillers, he wants players that raise the ceiling of his squad.

    The Celtic boss insists he is “very confident” of quality coming through the door, but it remains to be seen who those players will be.

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  • Jorich van Schalkwyk hits double century as South Africa U19s thump Zimbabwe by 278 runs in YODI – Cricket World

    1. Jorich van Schalkwyk hits double century as South Africa U19s thump Zimbabwe by 278 runs in YODI  Cricket World
    2. Jorich Van Schalkwyk of South Africa U19 hits first double century ton in men’s Youth ODIs  ESPNcricinfo
    3. South Africa’s Van Schalkwyk hits first ever YODI double-century  Dunya News
    4. U19’s Gets Consolation Win Against Bangladesh  Telecom Asia Sport
    5. SA’s Van Schalkwyk becomes first batter to hit U19 ODI double ton | Tap to know more | Inshorts  Inshorts

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  • Belgian Grand Prix Sprint pole margin “not a big surprise” as Max Verstappen and Red Bull focus on “our own race” at Spa

    Belgian Grand Prix Sprint pole margin “not a big surprise” as Max Verstappen and Red Bull focus on “our own race” at Spa

    Max Verstappen believes that losing out on Sprint pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix was “not a big surprise” as the Red Bull driver finished half a second behind pace-setter Oscar Piastri.

    The four-time World Champion split the two McLaren drivers at Spa-Francorchamps during the Qualifying session, and will start alongside Drivers’ Championship leader Piastri for Saturday’s 15-lap Sprint.

    Piastri and McLaren team mate Lando Norris dominated proceedings on Friday, topping FP1 and all segments of Qualifying between themselves as Verstappen proved to be their only realistic challenger.

    Even armed with a low-downforce set-up to take advantage of the numerous high-speed sections, Verstappen believes the outright gap to Piastri will make it difficult to beat him in the Sprint.

    “Being P2 between them I think is a really good result for us and I do think we maximised,” said Verstappen post-session.

    “I enjoyed it out there, the lap itself was fine, was good. Of course the gap is very big but it’s been big already from FP1 so that’s not a big surprise. We just have to focus on ourselves and work on the balance of the car, try to go faster.

    “When you’re almost five tenths off I don’t think going faster or slower on the straight is going to matter a lot. We just have to do our own race and see what we can do.”

    Red Bull brought numerous upgrades to Spa this weekend, including a new front suspension and cooling system packages, but with only one Free Practice session before Sprint Qualifying, Verstappen was unsure of their potential.

    “It’s always difficult in a Sprint weekend to say exactly what they do of course but when you look at the gap, it’s not what we want right?” he said. “But we keep improving, keep trying to find more performance but other teams do the same thing so that’s just how it goes.”

    Team mate Yuki Tsunoda failed to reach the final segment of Sprint Qualifying, finishing SQ2 down in 12th having failed to match Verstappen for another weekend.

    “I missed out by six hundredths, I think that obviously it’s very tight,” Tsunoda explained after the session. “Just like usual, is a very tight session and each detail counts.

    “I tried my best, I think obviously every driver has it where you look back at some bits and bobs we can improve as usual. At least I know that it’s something I can improve but at the same time, missing out like this, it’s frustrating.”

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  • ‘I don’t feel super energised right now’ – tired Tadej Pogačar all but seals Tour de France victory with defensive ride

    ‘I don’t feel super energised right now’ – tired Tadej Pogačar all but seals Tour de France victory with defensive ride

    Watching stage 19 of the Tour de France in a freezing La Plagne, just beyond the finish line, everyone was counting down the kilometres until Tadej Pogačar would launch his usual stinging attack. Would it be 5km to go? 3km? Even 1km? He has the speed.

    Thymen Arensman had attacked early on the climb to La Plagne, but was only around 20 seconds ahead of Pogačar, who was in a group with Jonas Vingegaard, Florian Lipowitz and Oscar Onley for most of the final effort. 20 seconds is the kind of gap that at another race, or earlier in this Tour, Pogačar would have eviscerated with one of his trademark moves. This is the man who seemingly wants to win as much as possible, that we all thought could win seven at this Tour after he won four of the first 13.

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  • England captain Ben Stokes retires early on 66 not out against India, but soon returns – Beloit Daily News

    England captain Ben Stokes retires early on 66 not out against India, but soon returns – Beloit Daily News

    1. England captain Ben Stokes retires early on 66 not out against India, but soon returns  Beloit Daily News
    2. Eng vs Ind 4th Test – Ben Stokes retires hurt with cramps after half-century  ESPNcricinfo
    3. England vs India: Captain Ben Stokes ‘good to go’ on day four, says Ollie Pope  BBC
    4. Watch: Ben Stokes screams in agony, collapses after Mohammed Siraj smashes him on the box  Cricket Addictor
    5. [Watch] ENG vs IND 2025: Ben Stokes returns to bat after retiring hurt earlier in Manchester Test, fans breathe a sigh of relief  CricTracker

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  • New Zealand Vs South Africa Live Streaming Details: When And Where To Watch NZ Vs SA T20I Tri-Series Final – Times Now

    1. New Zealand Vs South Africa Live Streaming Details: When And Where To Watch NZ Vs SA T20I Tri-Series Final  Times Now
    2. Unbeaten New Zealand favourites against unsettled South Africa  ESPNcricinfo
    3. Tri-nation series: SA-NZ final tomorrow in Zimbabwe  Ptv.com.pk
    4. Kiwi bowlers set up easy victory over South Africa  Dawn
    5. New Zealand vs South Africa LIVE: Cricket score and updates from Twenty20 Tri-Series in Zimbabwe 2025  MSN

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  • Lewis Hamilton frustrated as ‘career first’ leads to early Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying exit

    Lewis Hamilton frustrated as ‘career first’ leads to early Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying exit

    Lewis Hamilton was left visibly frustrated after qualifying in 18th place for Saturday’s Sprint in Belgium following a session-ending spin.

    While Ferrari brought a significant upgrade package to Spa-Francorchamps, seven-time champion Hamilton was unable to feel the benefits on Friday, shaking his head when asked if the new suspension had made the SF-25 more drivable.

    An error on his opening lap of SQ1 had left the Briton with work to do on his final effort, but a spin at the final chicane as the chequered flag fell sealed his position on the penultimate row.

    Asked what had happened in the session, Hamilton said simply: “I spun.”

    Pressed on whether rear locking had caused the incident, he added: “Yeah. The first time in my career.”

    Attempting to find some form of positivity, Hamilton reflected: “Tomorrow’s a new day. Obviously, I’m massively frustrated. A lot of work has gone in and to be there is not great. Hopefully, tomorrow is going to be better.”

    On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc positioned his Ferrari on the second row of the grid, although the 0.768s margin to pole left him with conflicting emotions.

    “The feeling was pretty good which, to me, it’s a mixed feeling,” said Leclerc. “On one side, I’m happy that the car feels better and, on the other, even if the car feels pretty good, we are still seven tenths off, which is a huge amount of time.

    “Yes, it’s a long track, but it’s still a big amount of time. So there is a lot of work to be done.

    “We just need to add grip to this car at the end of the day. I don’t think we do anything particularly wrong, but we just need more grip that we don’t seem to have for now.”

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  • Archers Parneet Kaur-Kushal Dalal win India’s first gold medal at Rhine-Ruhr

    Archers Parneet Kaur-Kushal Dalal win India’s first gold medal at Rhine-Ruhr

    India clinched their first gold medal at the FISU World University Games 2025 after Parneet Kaur and Kushal Dalal claimed the compound mixed team archery title in Essen, Germany, on Friday.

    The same event will feature at the LA 2028 Summer Games with compound archery set for its Olympic debut.

    The Indian pair scored an impressive 157 to edge out the Republic of Korea’s Park Yerin and Seunghyun Park by three points in a closely-fought final.

    The South Korean team led 78-77 at the halfway mark but the Indian duo steadily pulled ahead over the final two stages.

    This was India’s third compound archery medal at the 2025 World University Games, held in Rhine-Ruhr.

    In the compound men’s team final, the Indian trio of Kushal Dalal, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav and Hritik Sharma narrowly missed out on gold, going down 232-231 to Turkiye’s Batuhan Akcaoglu, Yunus Emre Arslan and Yakup Yildiz.

    India had led 117-114 at the halfway mark but the Turkish trio stormed back in the third stage with a run of three 10s and three Xs, while India managed three 9s.

    Meanwhile, the Indian women’s compound team of Parneet Kaur, Avneet Kaur and Madhura Dhamangaonkar secured the bronze medal with a dominating 232-224 win over Great Britain.

    With three medals secured in archery on Friday, India’s medal tally at the World University Games rose to five.

    Parneet Kaur and Kushal Dalal are also through to the semi-finals of the compound individual events and will aim to add to their medal haul on Saturday.

    Kushal Dalal will take on compatriot Sahil Rajesh Jadhav in the semi-finals while Parneet Kaur will be up against South Korea’s Kim Sooyeon

    The 32nd edition of the biennial FISU World University Games is being held from July 16 to 27 across six cities in Germany. Around 300 Indian athletes are competing.

    India’s best-ever performance at the World University Games came in Chengdu 2023, where the country finished seventh overall with 26 medals, including 11 golds – eight of which came in shooting. However, shooting is not part of the World University Games 2025.

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