Category: 6. Sports

Olympic champion Ruben Limardo has announced plans to continue his remarkable fencing journey through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, potentially marking a historic sixth Olympic appearance for the Venezuelan icon.

“My big dream is LA 2028,” Limardo told Panam Sports.

“I want to be the first Venezuelan to compete in six Olympic Games, and I’ll go after another Olympic medal.”

Limardo, who turns 40 on 3 August, is Venezuela’s most decorated fencer and remains a central figure in his national team.

Despite the physical demands of elite competition, he says his passion for the sport continues to grow.

“I still feel good physically. Of course, I get tired more easily, but I enjoy fencing now more than ever,” Limardo told Panam Sports. “Leaving the sport will be difficult as long as I keep winning.”

Wimbledon 2025 – how to watch Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu live

Sabalenka and Raducanu will meet in the women’s singles third round on Friday, 4 July, with the start time to be confirmed.

Wimbledon is broadcast for free in Great Britain on the BBC, who cover the two weeks across their broadcast and digital channels. ESPN show the tournament across South America and in the USA, where Tennis Channel also hold rights.

Canadian fans can follow the action live on TSN and RDS, while Nine Network Australia and Stan Sport share the broadcast of matches in Australia. In India, Wimbledon will be shown on Star Sports and JioHotstar, with SPOTV the place to watch the tennis in the Philippines.

Find the full list of broadcasters for the Championships here.

Fresh off a milestone season that saw Richard Carapaz make history with a stunning solo victory on Stage 17 of the 2024 Tour and capture the prestigious polka dot jersey as King of the Mountains, this expanded collaboration brings even more races, more visibility, and more ambition to the road ahead. 

After a high-impact activation last summer that introduced Cadillac’s all-electric LYRIQ to the cycling world, Cadillac is now doubling down with a strategic, two-season commitment alongside EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Oatly. The extended partnership through 2026 will bring the LYRIQ and Cadillac branding to nearly 100 races over the course of the partnership—including a presence on the team’s official kit for 2025. 

“As someone who’s passionate about cycling, this partnership with EF Pro Cycling resonates on a personal level. Both our teams embrace ambition, precision, and a willingness to lead the way forward. Whether it’s on two wheels or four, we believe progress comes from daring to do things differently. That’s what this partnership is all about,” said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Chief Marketing Officer, GM Europe.  

“In 2024, Cadillac proved that going fully electric at the world’s hardest bike race—the Tour de France—was possible. It was no small feat, but Cadillac made it look effortless. In 2025 and beyond, we want to set a new standard for what performance, sustainability, and innovation look like in professional sport,” said Jonathan Vaughters, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, EF Pro Cycling. 

All-Electric Performance, Front and Center 
Cadillac’s LYRIQ will once again take center stage as a mobile command center for the team, serving as a zero-emissions support vehicle across some of the world’s most iconic and challenging courses. More than just a car, the LYRIQ plays a critical role in EF Pro Cycling’s strategy—offering a calm, quiet space for race planning, carrying spare bikes and gear, and acting as a lifeline for riders in high-pressure moments. 

From steep mountain passes to winding coastal roads, the LYRIQ’s precision, comfort, and endurance will be on full display—proving its capabilities in the toughest real-world conditions. 

Beyond the Race: A Lifestyle in Motion 

Cadillac’s growing presence in Europe isn’t confined to the road. This partnership will extend to unique moments off the saddle, including exclusive activations at the Cadillac City Store in Paris where fans can engage with the brand and discover its world in new and unexpected ways. The store will also serve as the official hotspot to celebrate the end of the Tour de France—bringing the energy of the race into the heart of the city for a memorable finish. 

Shared Spirit, Shared Momentum 
Both Cadillac and EF Pro Cycling embody a spirit of reinvention. Whether it’s the instantly recognizable pink jersey or the sharp, unmistakable silhouette of the LYRIQ, this partnership is designed to stand out—and move forward boldly. 

Together, they represent a powerful alignment of performance, sustainability, and style—accelerating Cadillac’s mission to redefine luxury for a new generation of drivers across Europe. 

Head coach Andy Farrell insists his son Owen is ready for a return to international rugby after he was called up into the squad for the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025.

Owen, who has played his Test career at fly-half or inside centre, joins an elite group as he becomes only the fifth player to participate in his fourth Lions Tour.

The 33-year-old, who recently rejoined Saracens from Racing 92, has six Lions caps to his name from his three previous Tours while the most recent of his 112 England caps came at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He replaces Elliot Daly in the squad after he was ruled out for the rest of the Tour with a fractured arm sustained in the 52-12 win against the Queensland Reds on Wednesday.

READ MORE: The Making of Owen Farrell

Andy Farrell said: “I suppose for all of us, really, we look at international games or we look at club games, or whatever, but the person is still the person and the character is still the character.

“The player inside is still the player inside if he is fit and well and ready to fire, and we see all of that [in Owen] – that hunger has always been there.

“We see him adding to the group and injecting a bit of life and experience, as far as what he can bring to the squad.”

When asked what Owen’s reaction to being called up was, Andy Farrell said: “Well he didn’t cry like Finlay [Bealham]! I suppose that’s what happens when it’s your fourth Tour.

“He’s delighted like everyone else. It was just a very short conversation, as in ‘yep, I can get ready, get packed, ready to go.”

Owen Farrell will join the Lions’ touring party on Friday, but naturally there was disappointment for Daly who had impressed at full-back in Australia, including two tries against the Western Force.

Daly becomes the second Lions player to have their Tour ended prematurely after scrum-half Tomos Williams was ruled out with a hamstring injury following the 54-7 victory over the Force.

Andy Farrell said: “It’s disappointing for all of us, like it was for Tomos.

“In the same manner, he’s an unbelievably popular guy amongst the group and obviously he’s vastly experienced.

“The experience that he’s not just got 70-odd caps at Test level but in a Lions shirt he’s somewhat of a Lions legend in regard to the 16 times he’s pulled the shirt on and 11 consecutive games – that’s amazing, isn’t it?

“Five caps, it could have been six had he come off the bench (against South Africa in 2021), he’s a very experienced player who was back to his best as well, so it’s very sad,”

Remember when Lily Zhang and Anthony Edwards challenged each other to an unlikely sports cross-over at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

With basketball star Edwards convinced he could take points off of Zhang and her USA Table Tennis teammates, their banter was one of the many viral storylines from Paris.

More importantly, though, it gave the profile of table tennis a boost in the United States ahead of the country hosting the next Olympic Games at LA 2028.

This week, Las Vegas, Nevada, holds the first-ever World Table Tennis United States Smash from 3–13 July – the first time one of the sport’s Grand Smashes, the top tier of the global circuit akin to the golf majors or tennis grand slams, is played in the United States.

It’ll be another chance for Zhang and her teammates – as well as the sport’s big names from around the world, who’ll be travelling to play in front of a U.S. audience for the first time – to propel table tennis into the consciousness of sports fans in the country.

“It was great that we got more eyes on the interaction but also our sport,” Zhang told Olympics.com at the recent World Championships of her exchanges with Edwards in Paris. “[Table tennis] is not the biggest sport in the U.S. yet, so we’re always looking to get more exposure.”

Having a major tournament on home soil is an opportunity to raise the profile of table tennis in the U.S. once more. It’ll be an occasion for Zhang and her teammates to show the country that they’re still around, not just a once-every-four-years team which pops up during the Olympics.

“I think any time we come out to international tournaments to represent our country, to leave our heart out on the tables, I feel like people see that and appreciate that,” Zhang said. “We’re all just trying our best to represent our country as best as we can, and hopefully that brings more eyes to the sport.

“I think once people get a chance to watch and to come out and support [in person], they really enjoy it and find themselves getting into it.”

There’s another thing Zhang hopes to achieve at the United States Smash in Vegas: Remind the next generation of players that pursuing table tennis is a viable career option – especially with LA28 coming up.

“Hopefully, inspire younger players to pick up the racquet – and to keep playing as well, not just start. In the U.S., a lot of players stop when they go to university, so to be able to have a pathway for a professional career in table tennis, is really the main goal.”

Reuters

• Download the NBA App
• 2025 Free Agent Tracker

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Although Bronny James tries to stay off all social media, that strategy didn’t stop one of his friends from calling him up this week and asking him about LeBron James’ thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers’ direction — and what it all might mean for Bronny’s future.

“I said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’” Bronny James said with a grin Wednesday after practice with the Lakers’ NBA Summer League team. “I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to.”

Bronny sounds ready to spend a long, hot summer ducking rumors, pleading ignorance on innuendo and concentrating on the work necessary to become a contributor during his second NBA season with the Lakers.

LeBron James has decided to pick up his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for his record 23rd NBA season — but his longtime agent, Rich Paul, announced the news with ambiguous comments in which he declared LeBron’s desire to compete for a championship this season, even while the Lakers are building for the future around Luka Dončić.

While many NBA observers are interpreting the comments as a prelude to a possible trade if the Lakers aren’t an elite team in the fall, Bronny James said he isn’t thinking or looking that far ahead. The Lakers took a big step toward contention Wednesday when center Deandre Ayton reportedly agreed to sign with them as a free agent, filling their most glaring offseason need.

LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play together in NBA history last season, but the 20-year-old son of the top scorer in NBA history claims he doesn’t know what the future holds.

“We don’t really talk about that much, but I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, not even pay attention to it,” Bronny said. “Just lock in to what you have going on right now, and that’s what’s going to get me better and keep me focused. I think it’s good that he tells me not to pay attention to that stuff.”

James first played for the Lakers a year ago in the NBA Summer League, and he is returning this month for another run. The Lakers’ first game is in front of their famously passionate Vegas fans against No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks in the marquee event of the tournament.

“Last year it was a crazy environment for me to step in and produce right off — being nervous, too,” Bronny said. “I feel like this year I’ll be able to go out and play freely and know what I’m going to go out there and do for me and my teammates. I’m just really excited to be able to play nervous-free.”

Bronny’s focus is on his conditioning and his diet. He has slimmed down to 215 pounds with a bit more work still to go, and he wants to be able to play 10-minute stretches with no fade.

That’s also important for the mental aspect of the game for Bronny, who went into cardiac arrest two years ago during a summer workout at USC.

“I think that side of confidence just comes with time, and being able to go through or endure myself at a longer rate of time,” Bronny said. “Just being able to be out there for longer time, going at it, just coming in every day and pushing myself even more than I did the last day, I think, is really good for me.”

Bronny also reaffirmed his determination to be a defensive stopper, even though he showed an ability to score last season in the G League and during a 17-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks last March.

“I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor,” Bronny said. “There’s going to be guys that can go out and score 15, 20 (points) a game. I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now, but to get myself on the floor, I have to be a defensive menace, and that’s my main focus, getting into that condition this year.”

Bronny won’t get a chance to play alongside Adou Thiero in Las Vegas, however. The Lakers’ second-round draft pick is still building strength after the left knee injury that bothered him at Arkansas, and while he won’t play in Summer League, he is expected to be fully ready for training camp.

Former Asian Games silver medalist Lakshay Sheoran will lead India’s challenge in men’s trap alongside veteran Zoravar Singh Sandhu and the upcoming Jaswinder Singh.

Neeru, Preeti Rajak and Pragati Dubey will represent India in women’s trap.

In the mixed team trap event, Lakshay will pair up with Neeru, while Zoravar will partner Preeti.

India’s only medal in shotgun events at this year’s ISSF World Cups has come in mixed trap with Kynan Chenai and Sabeera Haris striking bronze at Nicosia back in May.

Indian shotgunners drew blanks at the Buenos Aires and Lima legs, both of which featured all shooting disciplines – rifle, pistol and shotgun. The Nicosia leg, like Lonato, was also exclusively for shotgun events.

“The squad has settled down well and training in right earnest,” Indian shotgun shooting team coach Vikram Chopra said. “We even went out to celebrate Anant’s birthday on Tuesday and it was brilliant from a bonding perspective as well. This will be the last World Cup stage before the World Championships in Athens and it is important that things start falling into place at the right time.”.

As many as 551 athletes from 73 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will compete at Lonato. Winners in each individual event will secure a spot at the year-end ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha.

Where to watch ISSF World Cup 2025 Lonato live in India

Live streaming of the ISSF World Cup 2025 Lonato will be available on Olympics.com. There will be no live telecast of the shotgun event on any TV channel in India.

ISSF World Cup 2025 Lonato: Indian shooting squad

• Skeet (men): Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Anantjeet Singh Naruka
• Skeet (women): Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon, Ganemat Sekhon
• Trap (men): Lakshay Sheoran, Zoravar Singh Sandhu, and Jaswinder Singh
• Trap (women): Neeru Dhanda, Preeti Rajak, and Pragati Dubey
• Mixed team trap: Lakshay Sheoran/Neeru Dhanda, Zoravar Singh Sandhu/Preeti Rajak

ISSF World Cup 2025 Lonato schedule

Finals only. All in India Standard Time (IST)

July 8, Tuesday

• Women’s skeet final – 6:30 PM
• Men’s skeet final – 8:00 PM

July 12, Saturday

• Women’s trap – 6:30 PM
• Men’s trap – 8:00 PM

July 13, Sunday

Trap mixed team (bronze and gold medal matches) – 6:30 PM onwards

Femke Bol: “I love love”

Once upon a time, in two lands not so far away, a Dutch hurdler and a Belgian pole vaulter fell in love. They met just before her career took off on the global stage, falling for each other and for the rhythm of life in sport. Since then, they’ve grown as athletes and as partners, learning how to navigate long-distance training camps and life’s small, everyday moments together.

“That can be hard sometimes,” Bol said when asked how they manage to keep their relationship from being consumed by the world of sport. “If he’s focused on training or I am, we can talk about it all evening long. I think that’s normal. But we’re also good at watching a show together and forgetting about everything, or planning a vacation, or going golfing, just doing something completely different and enjoying each other’s company.”

There’s a sweetness in the way Bol speaks about Broeders, a warmth that’s both candid and matter-of-fact. “We miss each other a lot with different training camps, [so] we really value the time we do have together, without all the stress,” she said. “Especially before big championships, those weeks are full of stress. I’m super nervous, and so is he. Sometimes we need to not talk about it at all. Or sometimes we’re really good at supporting each other through it. It depends on the moment.”

Support, in this relationship, isn’t just lip service. She recalled the night of the Paris 2024 Olympic 4x400m mixed relay final. Earlier that day, Broeders had competed in his own Olympic qualification round, which hadn’t gone as planned. That night, Bol ran to Olympic gold.

“That’s tough,” she reflected. “We didn’t talk about his day. We focused on my final. It was incredible how he handled that. He was truly happy for me, even though he was dealing with so many emotions of his own. That means a lot. That he could set his own feelings aside in that moment.”

Asked if it was important to her that he’s an athlete, Bol smiled. “Not at all. Honestly, the only ‘requirement’ I had was that a guy was taller than me, and even that didn’t work out!” she laughed.

Bol is open about her emotional nature and the intensity with which she feels. “I love love. I give a lot of love,” she said. “But I’m also a very emotional person… if a training session goes badly, I might fall apart for half a day, and I bring it all to him.”

So what makes him so special? “He’s caring, sweet, social, very calm, and patient. His personality alone makes me feel calm, just being with him helps.”