Category: 6. Sports

On Sunday (7) Beijing hosts the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting before the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. As such, the fields are a combination of athletes looking for a final tune-up before the big show, and those who are seeking some form of redemption after missing out on selection.

Sarah Mitton is seeking a bit of both. The two-time world indoor champion will head to Tokyo next week as one of the medal favourites in the shot put. But this weekend she may feel she has a point to prove after missing out on victory at last week’s Diamond League Final.

The Canadian was initially declared the champion, but her winning throw was later ruled to be a foul. Memories of that competition will no doubt be a motivating factor when she takes to the circle on Sunday in a competition that also includes Olympic silver medallist Maddison-Lee Wesche, Swedish record-holder Fanny Roos and China’s Zhang Linru.

There’s a strong Chinese presence in the women’s javelin. World U20 record-holder Yan Ziyi, who earlier this year extended her record to 65.89m, will line up against the two women who’ll be representing China in this discipline in Tokyo later this month: Dai Qianqian and Asian champion Su Lingdan.

One week before he takes to the startline for his first-round heat at the World Championships, USA’s Khaleb McRae will aim to produce a confidence-boosting run in Beijing. McRae, who has improved his PB to 43.91 this year, will take on compatriot Bryce Deadmon.

In the men’s 100m, Tokyo-bound trio Eloy Benitez of Puerto Rico, Andre de Grasse of Canada and Xie Zhenye of China will take on USA’s Brandon Hicklin. Meanwhile, the women’s 100m features Trinidad & Tobago’s national champion Leah Bertrand, USA’s Maia McCoy and Celera Barnes.

The men’s 110m hurdles looks set to be a showdown between US duo Freddie Crittenden and Eric Edwards. The women’s sprint hurdles line-up includes USA’s Rayniah Jones, Hungary’s Anna Toth and Germany’s Ricarda Lobe.

Elsewhere on the track, European silver medallist Louise Maraval takes on Tia-Adana Belle in the women’s 400m hurdles, while two-time Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal faces Irish record-holder Mark English in the men’s 800m.

World silver medallist Ernest John Obiena leads a pole vault field that also includes Huang Bokai and Li Chenyang, the two men who have set Chinese records this year.

Will Williams, who’ll represent the USA in Tokyo later this month, takes on compatriot Cameron Crump in the men’s long jump.

The moment when US rhythmic gymnast Rin Keys made history, the 16-year-old wasn’t watching.

First to compete in the ball final at the recent Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Keys had gotten her marks, a 29.050, and gone into the back of the competition halls.

She still had one more final that day – ribbon – and needed to relax, refuel and refocus.

“I just rested a little bit, got my mind back together and then warmed up again,” she told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.

She wasn’t refreshing the scores. She wasn’t expecting the result.

“I didn’t really follow up with the scores because it’s not something that I can control,” Keys explained. “The only result I can control is my own.”

Instead, says Keys, it was her coaches and the US medical staff that broke the news.

At the end of the final, the young American found herself in second place. Her silver medal represents a first for the United States at the World Championships in rhythmic gymnastics.

“I was just taking a break, and then the coaches plus the medical staff looked at me and they were like… showing me the results and said, ‘You’re second,’” she recalled. “And I was like, wait, really?”

“They started coming up to me and congratulating me, and I was so lost. I was like, are you sure?”

In August, Amer Sports brands launched unique retail and experiential initiatives that deepened consumer engagement and expanded our presence in major Chinese cities.

Arc’teryx opens the world’s first Arc’Lounge in Beijing

Arc’teryx unveiled an immersive concept space at The Peninsula Beijing hotel, uniting retail, the ReBIRD™ renewal workshop, and a social lounge. Arc’Lounge forms a complete journey alongside outdoor basecamp in Shangri-La and Beidahu, bridging city life and the mountains. 

As a living expression of the brand’s commitment to fusing the outdoors with urban life, Arc’Lounge is more than a showcase of world-class performance gear. It is a spiritual basecamp where explorers can awaken their drive, reconnect with nature, and gather strength for the journeys ahead.

Salomon unveils Anfu Concept Store in Shanghai

Salomon has strategically upgraded its retail presence in China with the unveiling of the new Anfu Concept Store. Located in a historic building on Anfu Road, the store merges French heritage with Shanghai’s urban culture, exploring new possibilities for the urban outdoor lifestyle. 

The store debuted the “Road to the Future” project in China, amplifying homegrown design talent on a global stage, while the “Go Wild” community brought urban outdoor lifestyle and energy to Anfu Road. Together with collaborations across 11 local shops, the launch celebrated street culture and deep community ties.

Wilson debuts Wuhan Urban Concept Store – Brickhouse

Wilson celebrated the opening of its urban concept store – Brickhouse in Wuhan, designed in collaboration with renowned architect Shuhei Aoyama.  

The store integrates American tennis club aesthetics with local Wuhan culture, using traditional red brick elements to echo the color of clay courts — a tribute to Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen’s hometown. Wilson also brought its upgraded ”Ace Girl” campaign to Wuhan, inspiring more women to embrace an active lifestyle through tennis.

Peak Performance launches FW25 shell jacket in Dunghuang Desert event

Peak Performance hosted its “True Colors, Shared” event in Dunhuang, a region renowned for its vast desert landscapes and rich outdoor resources, introducing the new “Alpine Spectrum” color theme for fall-winter 2025.  

Inspired by the hues of natural light, the event invited participants to witness the sunrise together and experience the emotional resonance of color in nature. This journey emphasized deeper connections between people and the outdoor world.

These retail moments highlight how our brands are deepening their roots and expanding influence across China’s diverse markets.

MANILA, Philippines – In-form 2025 tournament winners Dean Burmester and Marc Leishman headline the latest wave of LIV Golf stars confirmed for International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus, one of the region’s most anticipated events. The event takes place from Oct. 23–26.

Burmester of Stinger GC brings the momentum of a breakthrough victory at LIV Golf Miami, where he defeated heavyweights Jon Rahm, the captain of Legion XIII, and Joaquin Niemann, captain of Torque GC, in a dramatic playoff. His stellar 2025 season also included a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Hong Kong and two additional top three results, securing fifth place in the season standings and lifting Stinger GC to third overall.

Leishman, a member of the all-Australian Ripper GC, arrives in the Philippines on the back of a superb season that included both an individual and team win in Miami, plus five other top-15 finishes.

Adding further star power to the line-up is veteran Richard Bland of Cleeks Golf Club. The two-time Senior Major champion and top-10 finisher at International Series England last year recorded six top-15 finishes this season on LIV Golf, including an impressive fifth place in Adelaide.

Iron Heads GC standout Jinichiro Kozuma is also in the field. The Japanese player, who originally earned his spot through the LIV Golf Promotions event in 2023, has shown real promise this season with three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up result in Dallas.

Kozuma’s former teammate, Scott Vincent, will also join the line-up in excellent form following a commanding victory at International Series Morocco. On top of that, the Zimbabwean has also secured three additional top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour this season, putting him in strong contention and marking him as one of the players to watch.

The nomination process for the World Athletics Coaches’ Commission is now open. Individuals interested in becoming members of the commission are invited to submit their nominations.

The Coaches’ Commission will ensure coaches’ voices shape World Athletics’ decisions, providing a forum to advance elite coaching initiatives through policies and projects advised to the World Athletics Council.

The commission will focus on elite-level coaching and related high-performance strategies and international competition environments.

The Coaches’ Commission will develop a plan through to 2027, aligned with both the World Athletics Pioneering Change Strategic Plan 2024-2027 and the World Plan for Athletics 2022-2030. The plan will set out the work and specific outcomes to be achieved during the commission’s initial two-year term.

The commission will have between eight and 14 members, including at least two Council Members. The World Athletics President will be an ex-officio member.

The initial term of appointment is for approximately two years from the date of appointment (expected to be November 2025) until the conclusion of the 2027 World Athletics Congress. All future terms of appointment, as applicable, will be four years.

The members will be appointed by the World Athletics Council, on the recommendation of the Nominations Panel.

Information on how to apply to become a commission member can be found in the information and nominations pack, available via the World Athletics Library.

The deadline for nomination submission is 30 September 2025.

World Athletics

Rugby World Cup 2025 has been a wonderful experience for us. Having so many people cheering for us at every game, for every player, has been incredible. It’s amazing to see full stadiums and the support all the people are giving us. There’s so much love, so much energy. Good energy that we can feel. And it’s all the more touching because sometimes it’s from someone who doesn’t know the team or doesn’t know who is playing against who, but they are cheering for each moment and they are giving us the strength to play harder and for longer.

That was the case when we played against France over the weekend, where Bianca Silva scored Brazil’s first ever try which we all celebrated together. It was a really big moment for us as a team. We all deserved that try because we work hard together. That try showed the world that Brazil is capable of being among the best teams in the world, we just need more practice. We need to play more games and have more experience to try to beat some big teams.

After the game we celebrated more; everyone together, dancing Brazilian style. Dancing and singing gives us a lot of energy, an energy to share with others. It’s all about the flow and making sure everyone’s on the same page in celebrating a team goal being achieved.

I’m truly living my living a dream by being here. It’s a big pleasure to be a part of this team that is making history. I’m so proud of how we’re helping write a new page in the history of rugby in our country.

I was lucky enough to be Brazil’s flagbearer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It’s hard to compare that experience to this one because they are so different. But the fact is we have been putting our name in the sevens game for a while, and now we’re at a 15s Rugby World Cup. It’s a big step up for us and I’m really happy to be part of it because we all work hard to put Brazilian rugby on the map and show the world that Brazil is about more than football. We have a lot of sports and rugby can be one of those big sports too.

It’s not just about showing the world, though; we also want to show the people of Brazil what they can get out of playing rugby. Rugby is a sport of values and we have a big responsibility to show everyone these values and I believe that this is the way we can grow rugby in Brazil.

I have gotten so much out of rugby personally. My team is my second family. We spend more time with our team-mates than with our families. We are sisters who work together. We have each others’ backs every time, and that is why rugby is so important because you don’t do anything alone, you need others. It’s a collective sport. You celebrate everyone’s achievements, not just yours. Each one of us in the squad tries to help each other be better players so we can all be better players in return and therefore a better team.

I have first-hand experience of the upliftment this team is capable of. I am a survivor of breast cancer, from which I recovered to make my way back onto the rugby field. I’m proud of this because I feel I can show other women in the world that cancer is not the end of your life, it’s just one part. I can show them what is possible and I’m really proud of this because I’m showing it in practice – it’s not just words.

It really works if you have good support and if you have a really good mindset. You can achieve things you never imagined, and rugby helped me so much in my recovery. Not just because of my mindset as a competitive athlete, but from the point of view of the collective.

Rugby has helped me in so many ways. It has given me good friends, good support, it has given me people who care about me. So rugby helped me in my recovery not because of my discipline or what I did on the field, but more because of the people that rugby gave me to support me.

I am hoping this weekend we can all pull together and beat Italy and finish the tournament on a high. Pulling together is the Brazilian style of play. While some teams have a gameplan or a structure they will stick to regardless of the players, we prefer to identify each person’s tools and use everyone’s individual skills to make a better collective. Yes, we have fast feet and loud fans, but each player and fan is different, and each plays their part on and off the field to help a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s what I love about being a rugby player, and that’s what I love about being Brazilian.

SYDNEY:

Australian rugby league great Darren Lockyer said on Thursday he wants to buy a controlling stake in the embattled London Broncos, inspired by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds’ exploits at football club Wrexham.

Former Australia captain Lockyer is part of a consortium that is keen to restore the Broncos — now struggling in the second-tier Championship — as a Super League force.

“We’re off to London tomorrow,” the 48-year-old told The Australian newspaper.

“We’re obviously keen for the London Broncos to get back into Super League and we’re going to have a look over the weekend and continue our due diligence.”

Lockyer said he hopes to replicate the success of Reynolds and fellow movie star Rob McElhenney, who paid £2 million ($2.7 million) in 2021 for Wrexham.

They have since become the first club from the top five divisions of English football to secure three consecutive promotions, growing into a powerhouse business.

Lockyer, who played his entire career with the Brisbane Broncos, also pointed to NFL quarterback star Tom Brady buying an ownership stake in Birmingham City.

“I’m aware of what Ryan Reynolds did with Wrexham FC and Tom Brady is involved with Birmingham,” he said.

“There’s been these examples in world sport of turning clubs around and one lesson I’ve learned from Tom Brady is if you have the work ethic and the resources, you can get a business to grow.”

“I’m entrepreneurial, so is Grant, and when something is put across your desk and you have knowledge of an industry and you think you are capable of doing it, there is that desire to get involved,” he added, referring to his business partner Grant Wechsel.

Relegated from the Super League last year, the Broncos are currently 10th in the Championship.

Pakistan will be up against the UAE in the fifth match of the UAE T20I Tri Series. This article will provide you with PAK vs UAE Match Prediction, Toss Prediction, Score Prediction, Best Batter Prediction, and Best Bowler Prediction for the 5th match.

PAK vs UAE Match Prediction: Who Will Win Match 5? UAE T20I Tri Series 2025:

Match Details

Match: Pakistan vs UAE 5th Match

Date: September 4, 2025

Time: 8:30 PM IST

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

Live streaming: Fancode

Live broadcast: Eurosport

PAK vs UAE Match Prediction—Head-to-Head Record

Pakistan and the UAE have gone head-to-head in a couple of matches so far in the T20I format of the game, with Pakistan coming out on top on both occasions.

UAE is still in search of its first win against the former T20 World Cup winners, Pakistan, and would like to give its best in a bid to win the upcoming match.

Total Matches Played: 02

PAK Won: 02

UAE won: 00

Tie: 00

No Result: 00

Pitch Report & Conditions

It will be interesting to see what kind of surface is presented for the PAK vs UAE match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, as the venue has offered surfaces with a different nature on a couple of occasions in the ongoing series than what the venue is known for.

The ground, which is known for offering a good batting wicket with little to no help for the bowlers, has witnessed ball gripping in the wicket, which makes run scoring a bit difficult

Weather Report

There is no chance of rain during the match and the temperature is expected to be a high of 42 degrees and a low of 31 degrees.

PAK vs UAE Match Prediction- Probable XIs

Pakistan Playing 11:

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem

UAE Playing 11:

Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (c), Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra (wk), Ethan DSouza, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique

Form and Fitness

There is no form and fitness concern in the fifth match of the tri-series.

PAK vs UAE Score Prediction

If we look at the previous four T20I matches played at this venue, which were all part of the ongoing tri-nation series, a score of 170-180 can be a winning total while batting first.

Players to Perform Prediction

PAK– Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

UAE– Muhammad Waseem, Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid

Best Batsman Prediction

Who will score the most runs for PAK in the match: Saim Ayub or Fakhar Zaman

Who will score the most runs for UAE in the match: Muhammad Waseem or Asif Khan

Best Bowler Prediction

Who will pick the most wickets for PAK in the match: Shaheen Afridi or Haris Rauf

Who will pick the most wickets for the UAE in the match: Junaid Siddique or Muhammad Rohid

Conclusion: Who will win the match?

Pakistan will start the match as the favorite and is expected to win the match.

Niels Laros: What makes him a favourite for Tokyo?

There is a short, pragmatic answer and a longer, technical one. Pragmatically: Laros arrives in Tokyo carrying momentum. Winners arrive with a different air. They run races with fewer doubts and they force rivals onto the back foot.

His Diamond League success, the mile victory in Eugene and the U23 double provide the kind of evidence selectors, bookmakers and opponents take seriously.

Technically, the case is more interesting. Laros combines bona fide 800m speed (he has dipped into the low-1:44s this season) with 5,000m endurance (13:10 on the ring road in Nice). That blend is ideal for modern championship 1500m racing, which routinely requires a fluid response to tactical variations: a slow, bunched, hard-kicking final; a relentlessly fast, gritted tempo; or something in between.

Laros’ training, he says, is a “mix of everything”: winter threshold work, summer VO2 and specific track sessions, a deliberate attempt to manufacture range rather than specialise too early. Those are his words to CITIUS Mag.

There is also the intangible of finishing speed. Laros’ last-lap kick has been compared, by observers, to the decisive sprints of established champions: he times his moves with a rare coldness for someone of his age and, more importantly, he looks relaxed doing it, a quality that, at championship level, costs you less energy across the rounds.