Category: 6. Sports

The University community mourns the loss of Kerry Grundlingh, a member of the Class of 2027, who died on July 27 in a cycling accident after being struck by a car in her hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa. She was 21.

Grundlingh was an economics major and member of Mathey College at Princeton and a graduate of St. Mary’s School, Waverley.

A highly accomplished athlete, she was a member of the women’s open rowing team at Princeton. She represented South Africa on its national age-group teams several times. 

This past season, Grundlingh was part of the Princeton varsity eight that won the Ivy League Championship before winning the Petite Final at the NCAAs. According to her family, she had planned to compete in the Ironman 70.3 event in the Czech Republic in August.

At Princeton, she also served as a tutor through the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning and was involved in the Personal Librarian Program, which helps students navigate and find resources at Princeton University Library. She was a member of Princeton in Hollywood and Princeton Pictures.

Surviving family members include her parents, Debbie and Francois, and her brother, James.

A memorial service, which will be livestreamed, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, in Johannesburg (5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time).

The University has extended condolences to the Grundlingh family. In the fall, the University will host an opportunity on campus for students to gather, reflect and support one another.

University resources including Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Religious Life, and the residential colleges continue to be available to students while they are away from campus. Students wishing to speak with a counselor can call 609-258-3141. Additional information on resources for students is available on the TigerLife website. Staff may contact Carebridge to speak with a licensed professional by calling 800-437-0911. 

Gifts in Grundlingh’s memory may be made to Princeton University Rowing Association. Visit Princeton Athetics’ online giving page and select “Princeton University Rowing Association.” There is also an option to select “In Memory Of” and include a name in the comments section.

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The league is dark here in the offseason and this is where the league gets better. That’s because what is done in the summer, in the darkness — away from the spotlight and the public and confined to near-empty gyms — is what helps players go from good to great.

Do they minimize their weaknesses? Develop their skills? Create a new twist or wrinkle that will be unveiled next season, for the betterment of their game and their team?

This is the time to regroup and take the next step. Those who accomplish that will remain on this list — the 10 best players in the Eastern Conference heading into 2025-26.

This compilation comes with an asterisk. It’s assumed that Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, both unfortunate victims of Achilles injuries last spring/summer, will miss all of next season. Both would be locks, but for the sake of discussion, will remain on the sideline for now.

Therefore, with all due respect to Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers — all of whom just missed the cut — here’s the 10:

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Honestly, there’s a bit of a gap between No. 1 and the pack, because none of the rest are bringing two Kia MVP awards, an NBA championship and a Finals MVP … and Antetokounmpo is still in his prime. He is, perhaps undeniably, the league’s finest both-ends player, a force when he’s going downhill toward the hoop and an intimidating presence when he’s protecting it. Free throw shooting and 3-point accuracy aside — he’s rather ordinary, at best, at those tasks — Antetokounmpo remains alone on an island when the subject is Eastern Conference players. He has averaged 30 points and nearly 12 rebounds the past four seasons. He’s the only player to average 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in multiple seasons.

2. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Back-to-back appointments to the All-NBA team certify him as one of the league’s best point guards. He also earned some 2025 MVP votes and is the reigning Clutch Player of the Year. What more evidence does he need? Brunson went from a second-round pick and a backup point guard in Dallas to a franchise player in just a few years. He’s tricky with the dribble, a solid mid-range shooter and of course a player who wants the last shot. He isn’t a particularly willing passer in certain situations, and doesn’t create as much (just 5 apg in his career) as you want from a position designed to make teammates better. Yet where would the Knicks be without him?

3. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

He made the All-NBA First Team last season, which alone would catapult him to this list. Mitchell also qualifies as a transformational player for the second time, doing so once with Utah and now with the contending Cavs. He’s a good rebounder for a guard, distributes well and is a solid enough defender to qualify as a two-way player. As a shooter, he fluctuates from good to average, and his scoring has dipped for three straight years (from 28.3 ppg in 2022-23 to 24 last season). But his impact rarely wavers from game to game, and opposing defenses are always on high alert. That’s especially true in clutch situations, in which Mitchell is constantly aggressive (his 88 clutch points ranked 15th overall last season).

4. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

A torn oblique limited him to just 46 regular-season games in 2024-25, but he’s clearly on the verge of a star breakout. A skilled, 6-foot-10 forward who excels everywhere offensively, Banchero can do damage from deep, on the break and in the post. This allows Orlando much flexibility in terms of its attack, strategy and lineups. In his limited playing time last season, he averaged 25.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.8 apg, all indicative of his all-around ability. He’ll need to improve as a rim protector (he’s never topped 50 blocks in a season) to get raves for being a two-way player, but he’s still just 22 until mid-November.

5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

He’s looking to top a breakout season in which he confirmed all the projections that follow a former No. 1 overall pick: All-Star, All-NBA and carting a once-lowly franchise to the playoffs. Cunningham (26.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 9.1 apg) was a tough assignment for opposing guards in 2024-25 and the flow in his game seems effortless. He usually makes the right pass, takes the right shot and creates plenty of matchup problems while rarely struggling through bad stretches. Cunningham turns 24 next season and is a franchise player who has the Pistons on the rise.

6. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Some might argue that a former Kia MVP — just two seasons ago! — is slotted too low, while others who cite his inability to stay on the floor might say he’s too high. The truth is right here, in the middle, at No. 6 for a center who is a force when healthy. Here are the facts: Embiid has never played 69 or more games in a season and played just 58 combined the last two. His conditioning is a perpetual issue, and his height — combined with his weight — could cause availability problems the rest of his career. That said, he’s an MVP candidate when fit and motivated and can take over games at both ends. He has averaged 30.6 ppg or more in three of the past four seasons, is a decent 3-point shooter, has a career 11 rpg average and is among the game’s best shot blockers.

7. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

As the reigning Kia Defensive Player of the Year and an All-NBA selection in 2024-25, Mobley is trending north and perhaps is still a few seasons away from approaching his peak. His growth is among the reasons why the Cavs are a strong contender, both last season and in 2025-26 … and maybe for the near future as well. His defensive instincts are rare, making him capable of guarding multiple positions and seldom getting mismatched. Last season, opponents shot 44.5% when Mobley was the closest defender (the expected percentage on those shots was 47.7%) and contested 10.4 shots per game, which was among the NBA’s best. He’s still developing offensively, yet does have a 41-point game and is a career 54.8% shooter.

8. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

He experienced a bit of a comedown from his solid 2023-24 season (23 ppg, 5.5 rpg) in which his NBA Finals MVP and championship earned him a supermax extension. Still, for a No. 2 option, Brown rates among the very best — and he’d be No. 1 on several teams that don’t employ, among others, Tatum. We’ll see soon enough what Brown is capable of doing in that role, with Tatum sidelined perhaps this entire season. Brown is an efficient shooter (career 47.8%) and solid overall, though not elite in any particular area.

9. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

A five-time All-Star who, last season, made All-NBA for the third time, Towns still wears the crown as the league’s best-shooting big man and among the best of all time. His ability to stretch the floor makes him a good fit in today’s game — though that has its drawbacks, mainly keeping him from the paint to tackle typical big-man post-ups (last season, he scored 213 post-up points on 213 post-up possessions). But when you shoot as well as Towns (career 40% on 3-pointers), the pluses outweigh the negatives. His 12.8 rpg last season marked a career high in what was his sixth season averaging 20 and 10 (24.4 ppg). Towns does have lapses and can disappear at times, but is usually consistent and reliable.

10. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

He’s one of the NBA’s most gifted offensive players, and that’s not a stretch. As a scorer and passer, few (if any) have done it quite like Young in the 2020s. He has led the league in total assists three times and his 11.6 apg led the NBA last season. He averaged 24.2 ppg in 2024-25 while serving as a consistent threat to pull up well beyond the arc. His shooting efficiency dropped last season (41.1% overall, 34% on 3-pointers) and he remains a notoriously leaky defender. To his credit, though, Young is at least trying harder to prevent being such a liability on that end of the floor.

* * *

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

India’s Abhishek Sharma soared to the top of the T20I batters list after leapfrogging Australia’s Travis Head to claim the No. 1 spot in the latest ICC rankings on Wednesday.

Abhishek Sharma pipped Travis Head after the Australian had held the position for over a year, having overtaken Suryakumar Yadav during last year’s T20 World Cup.

The 24-year-old Abhishek Sharma announced his arrival on the international stage last year after smashing 100 off 47 balls in just his second match for the Indian cricket team.

Since breaking into India’s T20I setup, Abhishek Sharma has cemented his place in the top order. In his most recent outing for the Men in Blue, he struck a blistering 135 off just 54 balls against England earlier this year.

Abhishek’s 135 against England is the highest individual score by an Indian in T20Is and the second-fastest century by a player from the country in the format. He reached his hundred in just 37 balls, two shy of Rohit Sharma’s record.

The hard-hitting left-hander has now become just the third Indian batter to become the No. 1 batter in T20Is, following in the footsteps of the legendary Virat Kohli and current T20 captain, Suryakumar Yadav.

Suryakumar Yadav is in sixth position in the latest ICC rankings for T20I batters while Tilak Varma is third.

Still early in his career, Abhishek has scored 535 runs in 17 matches at an average of 33.43 and a stunning strike rate of 193.84 so far.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya continues to occupy the top spot in the ICC T20I all-rounder rankings.

Varun Chakaravarthy is India’s highest-ranked bowler in the ICC T20I rankings in third spot. Ravi Bishnoi is seventh and Arshdeep Singh is 10th.

SINGAPORE — Swimming in Lane 4 of Heat 2, the 23-year-old from Toulouse surged ahead of the previous record pace during the backstroke leg and extended his lead over the breaststroke. By the finish, Marchand had shattered American Ryan Lochte’s long-standing World Record of 1:54.00 — set 14 years ago at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai — by 1.31 seconds.

“What’s crazy is that it’s a whole second… and it’s still hard to believe. A 1:52 on the 200m — that’s insane,” said a stunned Marchand immediately after the race. “I’m so happy. It’s just incredible.”

Marchand credited the performance to his preparation and mindset.

“Today, I felt really good before the race. In the water, I felt light. Technically, everything felt clean. I had talked with Bob (Bowman) and Nico, and we agreed that tonight was the time to go for it.”

“I went out hard from the start, but I stayed super relaxed. My underwaters were hitting 15 metres every time, and I didn’t make many mistakes. I didn’t realise I was going that fast, but I gave it absolutely everything — arms at full speed to the wall.”

Even in the moment immediately following her record-breaking swim, Marchand reflected on how his race strategy and strengths have evolved:

“The 100 has become my strength, which is wild, because it used to be my weak point. Over the last 50, I still had people to chase. I tried to build that last lap well and went all out. It was really tough, obviously, because I was going at such a fast pace.”

“Now I want to take a moment to think about everything, to process it all… It’s just an explosion of joy. I feel like all the choices I made this year were the right ones, and I want to thank everyone who’s been supporting me.”

Marchand – racing an abbreviated programme from the one that made him a transcendent star of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which is focused on the 200 and 400m Individual Medleys here in Singapore – hinted that more could be in store these next days.

“Since the Games, I’ve had this goal in mind. I didn’t expect things to come together again so quickly… tomorrow’s the final, and it’s going to be great.”

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A day after he had an ugly spat with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis was caught on camera with no such instructions for the England players and support staff on the eve of the fifth and final Test, which starts on July 31. The incident stemmed on Monday, during India’s optional training session, when Fortis asked the Indian management to step away from the pitch side which is to be used for the final Test and didn’t allow the visitors to have a good look at the surface.

Such was the heated altercation, that Gambhir was caught on camera pointing fingers at Fortis, and saying, “You are just a groundsman. You don’t tell us what we can do.” The altercation continued for a good four-five minutes, with Gambhir’s voice echoing around the Oval. “You shouldn’t have used that word. You can’t talk like that.”

What irked the Indian management, and Gambhir in particular was when Fortis asked the Indians to stay away at least 2.5 metres, according to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. However, the pictures were completely on Wednesday as Fortis was seen having a laugh with England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum on the pitch side.

Later on the day, England batters Ollie Pope and Joe Root were also allowed to spent almost five minutes on the pitch and do shadow practice, something that wasn’t allowed to the Indians, clearly showing Fortis’ double standards.

England announce playing XI for 5th Test

Meanwhile, England made as many as four changes in their playing XI for the fifth Test, including Stokes, who has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Also missing out are spinner Liam Dawson and pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse. England have included Jacob Bethell, who will bat at No.6 along with bowlers Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue.

England playing XI for fifth Test vs India: ⁠Zak Crawley, ⁠Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope (C), ⁠Joe Root, ⁠Harry Brook, ⁠Jacob Bethell, ⁠Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, ⁠Gus Atkinson, ⁠Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue

Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh surged through the final 100m to win the second semi-final of the women’s 200m butterfly on Wednesday (30 July), comfortably booking her place in the final.

More significantly, the victory moves the 18-year-old one step closer to a third gold, and potentially five, as she continues her ambitious bid to match the legendary Michael Phelps’ five-gold haul from a single World Championships.

McIntosh has already sealed gold medals in 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.

McIntosh, who is the second fastest in the history of the 200m butterfly, started slowly but turned on the jets in the second 100m and touched the board first in 2:06.22, ahead of USA’s Regan Smith (2:06.96) and the Republic of Ireland’s Ellen Walshe (2:07.48).

Emily Large (GBR), Ellen Rosendahl Bach (DEN) and Yu Zidi (CHN) also qualified from an extremely fast semi final 2 where six swimmers made the final.

Two swimmers from the first semi final: Elizabeth Deckers (2:06.13), who won the race, and USA’s Caroline Bricker (2:07.86) complete the final line up.

The World Athletics Council has approved new regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions.

The new regulations come into effect on 1 September 2025 and will be applied to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 that begins on 13 September.

All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.

The testing protocol will be overseen by Member Federations as they prepare their athletes and teams for the Championships in Tokyo. 

Commenting on the new regulations and SRY test, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.

“We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology.

“We particularly want to thank our Member Federations for their support and commitment in the implementation of these new regulations.”

The new regulations follow recommendations from the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group approved by Council in March 2025. The Working Group spent over a year studying developments in law, science, sports and society concerning gender-diverse athletes and made the following recommendations which were widely consulted on earlier this year:

• Formally affirm the design of and goals for the female category.
• Revise the eligibility regulations so that they are consistent with the design and goals.
• Merge the DSD (differences of sex development) and Transgender Regulations, and, if the effect is to restrict opportunities for DSD athletes, adopt measures to address the reliance interest of those who are currently in the pipeline.
• Adopt a pre-clearance requirement for all athletes competing in the female category.
• Consider forward initiatives, including to support elite gender diverse XY athletes.

The female athlete category is defined in the Eligibility Rule 3.5, which states that only the following athletes may compete in this category:

a. Biological females.

b. Biological females who have used testosterone as part of male gender-affirming treatment further to a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted in accordance with World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules may not compete in the female category until the passing of a period of time after their last use of testosterone (the period of time will be not shorter than four years and will be determined by World Athletics on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration all relevant factors including the timing, duration, dosages and effects of the male gender-affirming treatment).

c. Biological males who have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and therefore have not gone through male sexual development including any type of male puberty.

d. Biological males with a difference of sex development who satisfy the transitional provisions issued by World Athletics.

The transitional provisions do not apply to transgender women as there are none competing at the elite international level under the current regulations.

The new female athlete category regulations, which come into effect on 1 September, will be implemented with the following standing commitments:

• World Athletics does not judge or question gender identity;
• World Athletics respects and preserves the dignity and privacy of individuals;
• World Athletics strictly observes confidentiality obligations and complies with data protection laws;
• World Athletics never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery.

World Athletics

• FAQ document

It is nearly time for the obligatory Formula 1 summer break for teams and drivers, but before then there’s the Hungarian Grand Prix, the fourteenth round of the season. The Hungaroring has hosted this race ever year since 1986, hence this year is its 40^th anniversary. The track is demanding and technical, qualities compounded by the fact it is usually held in torrid mid-summer weather.

The track. Situated just a few kilometres outside Budapest, the track is 4.381 kilometres in length, featuring a narrow, twisty layout without any real straights apart from the one that incorporates the start-finish line. That’s why it is often compared to a karting track, but on a bigger scale. Therefore, it’s very busy, with corners following one another relentlessly with the margin for error reduced to a minimum. There are two DRS zones, one on the main straight and the other on the run from turn 1 to turn 2 and these are the only real overtaking opportunities, but even here it is tricky, which means qualifying is the key moment of the weekend.

Hot weather. The circuit sets a stern test for drivers and cars in many ways. High air and track temperatures expected over the whole weekend, mean that thermal management is essential for the tyres, power unit and gearbox, the latter coming under a lot of stress with around 78 changes of gear per lap. Car balance can make the difference: a precise set-up combined with a good level of aero downforce is essential to stop the car sliding and wearing the tyres excessively, especially in the middle part of the race.

Programme. The cars take to the track for the first time on Friday for two free practice sessions, starting at 13.30 and 17.00 CEST. The final hour of preparation time is at 12.30 on Saturday, followed by qualifying at 16.00. On Sunday 3 August, the red lights go out at 15.00 before the drivers tackle 70 laps, covering 306.63 kilometres.

Fred Vasseur Team Principal

In the last few races, we’ve made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to a lot of hard work back in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance. Before the mandatory summer shutdown, we have one more race, the Hungarian Grand Prix, where we want to continue moving forward. It will be interesting to see how the updated SF-25 performs on a completely different track, twisty, with plenty of medium and low-speed corners. Charles and Lewis are both in good form, and the team is also performing well. We want to head into the break with another strong result.

Ferrari stats

GP Contested 1111

Seasons in F1 76

Debut Monaco 1950 (A. Ascari 2nd; R.Sommer 4th; L. Villoresi ret.)

Wins 248 (22.32%)

Pole positions 253 (22.77%)

Fastest laps 263 (23.67%)

Podiums 834 (25.02%)

Ferrari stats Hungarian GP

GP Contested 39

Debut 1986 (S. Johansson 4^th; M. Alboreto ret.)

Wins 7 (17.95%)

Pole positions 8 (20.51%)

Fastest laps 9 (23.08%)

Podiums 26 (22.22%)

Three questions to…

Federica Cimarosti

Scuderia Ferrari HP, Aerodynamics Programme Integration

1. The Hungaroring is known for its tight, twisty layout with very few high-speed sections. How does this influence the aerodynamic setup of the SF-25, and what kind of trade-offs are typically involved at a track with such characteristics?

The Hungaroring is one of the slowest tracks of the season. Its slow and medium-speed corners and very few straights have a significant influence on the aerodynamic setup of our car.

This is a high/max downforce race: the cars run larger rear wings and more aggressive front wing angles, aimed at maximising performance through the many corners.

The correct balance between straight-line speed and cornering performance is always a key point: at the Hungaroring the penalty of extra drag from the car set up is relatively small because the main straight is short and there are only a few flat-out sections. This allows the team to sacrifice top speed for more downforce, improving lap times by enabling higher cornering speeds and better traction out of slow corners.

Downforce also helps to protect the tyres, but an aggressive setup could lead to degradation over a stint, therefore mechanical grip and tyre management also come into play.

2. Hot track temperatures and short straights mean that cooling is a key concern in Budapest. How do you balance the need for sufficient cooling with the goal of minimizing aerodynamic drag in such demanding conditions?

This is another challenging trade-off to make between cooling requirements and aerodynamic efficiency, between reliability and performance.

The SF-25 includes various different cooling configurations by design, aimed to cover quite a wide range of cooling levels, always keeping the SF-25’s power unit and brakes within safe limits, at the minimum possible aerodynamic cost (mainly driven by the drag increase induced by the high cooling setup).

Every level of cooling is achieved through a series of specific, modular components, both at the intake (sidepod inlets, brake cooling ducts) and at the outlet (louvres, engine cover openings, chimneys). Each of these elements can be adjusted according to operating conditions.

Finally, in Budapest the aerodynamic cost for the extra drag is less severe than in other races due to the lack of long straights, as top speed is less important.

3. Can you tell us a bit more about you? How did you join Ferrari and what do you like best about being part of the Scuderia?

I joined Ferrari in 2006, after a few years with another F1 team, where I learned a lot, but ever since I was little my target was always Ferrari.

I started in Ferrari as a test engineer in the wind tunnel, and eventually became an Aerodynamic Team Leader. In the following years, I had two kids and I eventually joined the Aero Track Group, where I worked on brake cooling and wind tunnel tyre development. It was really exciting. Then, I moved onto a new challenge aimed at maximising the Aerodynamics Programme Integration, looking at the aero development from a different and new point of view.

Having the opportunity of challenging myself in an inspiring environment, with a diverse team, is really a great way of working. Team spirit is the key to fight for wins.

Profile

Federica Cimarosti

Born: 03/07/1975

In: Maniago (Italy)

Hungarian Grand Prix: facts & figures

2. The number of cities that have been the capital of Hungary. Up to the 13th century, it was actually Esztergom, on the Danube along the border with what is now known as Slovakia, to the northwest of Budapest. There was a reason behind this status, as it was where Stephen, the first ruler of Hungary, was born and crowned. In 1241, the Mongol hordes invaded and King Béla IV had to escape to Buda, which he made the capital, in the area where the Castle, the Fisherman’s Bastion, and Matthias Church now stand. However, it would take a long while—until 1873 in fact—before the city of Budapest came into being, when Buda, Pest, and Óbuda were united into one large city.

44. The number of letters in the longest word in the Hungarian language, which is megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért, which translates roughly as “for your behaviour as if you were people who cannot be desecrated.”

There is a word with 67 letters, but it is not included in the official vocabulary: eltöredezettségmentesítőtleníttethetetlenségtelenítőtlenkedhetnétek. It is more of a tongue twister than a real word and can be translated roughly as “you could pretend to be people who cannot be forced to undergo the deprivation of the state of being unfragmented.”

These are examples of the agglutinative nature of the Hungarian language, meaning suffixes are added to words to give them complex meanings.

80. The percentage of Hungary’s subsoil which contains water. Although landlocked, the country can rightfully claim to be called “the land of water,” as it is ranked fifth in the world for the number of thermal springs, sitting behind Japan, Iceland, Italy, and France.

462. The number of points scored in the Hungarian Grand Prix by Scuderia Ferrari, the most of any team. The first of these came courtesy of a fourth place for Stefan Johansson in 1986, the first time the race appeared on the World Championship calendar. In second place is Red Bull Racing on 381, followed by McLaren on 378 and Mercedes on 334.

Of the drivers, Lewis Hamilton has the most with 286, followed by Sebastian Vettel with 170, and Fernando Alonso with 143.

2008. The year in which the famous statue of the Fat Policeman, also known as “Uncle Karl”, was unveiled in the market square at the crossroads of Október 6 utca and Zrínyi utca, near St. Stephen’s Basilica.

Local superstition has it that it is lucky to rub his belly, which is why that part of the bronze statue has a golden patina. Also, doing so—most importantly—grants you immunity against gaining weight, no matter how much Hungarian food you enjoy.

France’s Léon Marchand broke the 200m individual medley (IM) world record on Wednesday (30 July), clocking 1:52.69 during the semi-finals of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, to better the previous mark of 1:54:00 held by Ryan Lochte.

The four-time Olympic champion shared that he intended to rewrite history ahead of the semi-final and produced a storming race to obliterate the time set by Lochte in 2011.

Marchand, who is only swimming the medley events individually in Singapore, will contest the men’s 200 IM tomorrow. He will bid for a third world title in the event.

More to follow.