Browsing: Sports
The Al Shaqab Showjumping League Finals came to a spectacular conclusion at the Longines Indoor Arena at Al Shaqab on Saturday, bringing the curtain down on another successful season with the crowning of overall champions across nine categories. Organised by Al Shaqab, the league has established itself as one of the region’s premier platforms for showjumping development, providing riders across multiple age groups and performance levels with a professional environment to hone their skills, nurture emerging talent and strengthen equestrian culture while preparing the next generation of champions. After a closely contested campaign decided through a cumulative points system, Mohammed Alasaker emerged as the Al Shaqab Champions overall winner with 100 points. Saudi’s Khalid al-Hadi claimed the Youth Champions title with 107 points, while Khalid Jassim al-Suwaidi secured the Junior Champions crown with 103 points. In the remaining categories, Abdulla Faisal al-Mana won the Future Champions title with 99 points, Hayfa Hamad al-Thani topped the Amateur Class with 93 points, Salha Khalid al-Obaidli claimed the Intro 3 (80cm) category with 64 points, Mashael Mohammed al-Thani won Intro 2 (60cm) with 62.5 points, and Abdullah Ahmad al-Naser finished first in Intro 1 (40cm) with 54 points. Afreen Team were crowned team champions after accumulating 102.5 points. The winners were crowned by Rashid Nasser al-Kaabi, a member of the Al Shaqab Board of Directors and Mohammed Jaber al-Khayarin, Director of Equestrian Education at Al Shaqab.The final day featured the Youth Champions (135cm), Amateur (105cm), Future Champions (115cm) and Junior Champions (125cm) classes before culminating with the prestigious Al Shaqab Champions (145cm), which offered a prize purse of QR70,000. In the feature Al Shaqab Champions 145cm class, Ibrahim Yousef Almahmoud riding Qataro van het Texelhof delivered two faultless rounds to take victory in 58.85 seconds. Sultan Salem al-Naemi aboard Gannan de La Luce finished second, while Saudi Arabia’s Bader Alfard riding Murdock claimed third place. The Junior Champions 125cm class saw Ahmad Jassim al-Suwaidi dominate the podium, winning aboard Power Girl Jmg while also securing second place with Mona Lansia M. Sharida Nasser al-Kaabi and Extra Pam completed the top three. In the Youth Champions 135cm competition, Saad Ahmed al-Saad partnered Fashion des Douits to victory after a fast jump-off, edging Khaled al-Hadi on Carlton de Sauvageonn into second, with Abdulaziz Khalid Albukhari and Ganges Loca finishing third. The Future Champions 115cm on the day was won by Abdulla Ahmad al-Musafri riding Gringo, ahead of Sharida Nasser al-Kaabi on Graffiti de Lully CH, while newly crowned overall champion Abdulla Faisal al-Mana and Kontiki Dice placed third. In the Amateur 105cm class, Nasser Hamad al-Thani riding Equinoxe de l’Aulne claimed first place, narrowly ahead of overall Amateur champion Hayfa Hamad al-Thani aboard Take Me Home Z, with Iraq’s Mariam Abdulkarim Abed and Sandro Girl finishing third.Honouring the championship sponsors At the conclusion of the 2025-2026 Al Shaqab Show Jumping League, Rashid Nasser al-Kaabi, member of the Al Shaqab Board of Directors, honoured the championship’s sponsors in recognition of their invaluable support and contribution to the success of the season. The organisations recognised included the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (Daam), Old Doha Port and Qatar International Islamic Bank, along with Al Kass Sports Channels for its extensive media coverage that helped showcase the league and bring its competitions to a wider audience of equestrian enthusiasts. The recognition highlighted the importance of collaboration between national institutions in supporting equestrian sport in Qatar and driving its continued growth and success. Khaled Sanad al-Nuaimi: Delighted with the league’s success Khalid Sanad al-Nuaimi, Event Director of the Al Shaqab League, expressed his satisfaction with the success of the 2025-2026 Al Shaqab Show Jumping League, praising the high technical standards and strong participation across all age categories. “We are proud of what has been achieved this season, both technically and organisationally,” al-Nuaimi said. “The Al Shaqab League has provided an ideal platform for developing talent, enhancing riders’ skills and preparing them for higher-level competitions. We witnessed clear progress in the performance of participants from one round to the next, underlining the importance of these championships in strengthening the foundations of Qatari equestrian sport.” He also thanked the riders, trainers, parents and participating teams for their role in the league’s success, while acknowledging the continued support of its partners and sponsors, including the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (Daam), Old Doha Port, Qatar International Islamic Bank and Al Kass Sports Channels. “We look forward to building on this season’s achievements and continuing to develop the league in the years ahead, further reinforcing Qatar’s leading position in equestrian sport at both the regional and international levels,” he added. Related Story Source link
Russia’s Mirra Andreeva holds the trophy after winning the French Open against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 6, 2026. (AFP)…
World championship leading teenager Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable run of successes on Saturday by claiming pole position for Mercedes ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.The 19-year-old Italian clocked one minute and 12.051 seconds to beat the Dutchman by 0.043 seconds in the final minute of a thrilling qualifying session that left both Ferraris on the second row of the grid.After four wins, Antonelli will be seeking to become the first Italian to win five consecutive races since Alberto Ascari achieved the feat for Ferrari in 1952 after extending Mercedes’ run to six successive poles this year.Antonelli said he had produced “a magic lap”.”It was so close with Max!” he said after securing his fourth pole of the season.Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and Mercedes’ George Russell, who is 43 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ title race.McLaren’s Oscar Piastri outpaced team-mate and world champion Lando Norris to qualifying seventh.Antonelli’s pole was the first by a Mercedes driver since Hamilton in 2019 and he became the first Italian to take pole in Monaco since Jarno Trulli in 2004.The session began in warm sunshine with a long queue weaving out of the pits to warm their tyres in preparation for a flying lap, albeit in heavy traffic.An early radio call from Hamilton to complain Leclerc was “backing into me” reflected the tension in the cockpits before Hadjar vented to his frustrations.Leclerc topped the early runs ahead of Norris and Hamilton while Russell toiled for a clean lap before Gabriel Bortoleto clipped a barrier at the chicane and came to a halt, causing a six-minute red flag stoppage.This left most drivers chasing a lap in the final seconds of Q1 while the main contenders stayed in the pits.Leclerc led the way into Q2 ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli while a lap from Sainz, in the added time, saw him claim 10th and avoid an early exit. Alonso outburst Out instead went the two Cadillacs, both Haas drivers and both Aston Martins, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso, 21st, making clear his distaste for the new ‘hybrid era’ cars.”The worst generation of cars I have driven in Monaco,”he said.”Hybrid cars should not be racing. Simple as that.”After 21 previous appearances, including two wins and two poles, Alonso, at 44, is the most experienced Monaco driver on the grid.Verstappen led out for Q2, narrowly avoiding a pit-lane clash with Sainz before the precocious Antonelli set the pace in 1:12.778 ahead of Verstappen until Leclerc moved within 0.070 seconds of him.It was tight and changeable at the top as Red Bull burst into the frame, Verstappen going fastest in 1:12.499 to beat Antonelli by 0.205 with Hadjar third 0.223 adrift ahead of the Ferraris and McLarens.This time, both Williams and both Audis were eliminated along with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad.Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly made the top ten shootout.The final ten had another chance to compose a perfect pole lap.Leclerc bailed out of his first flying run, but hit the sweet spot on his second to clock 1:12.351 and snatch provisional pole.In a sensational sequence, the celebrating Monegasque crowd were silenced as Verstappen clocked 1:12.094 before, Antonelli blew that away as the tension erupted in Italian euphoria around the Monte Carlo harbour. Related Story Source link
Marc Marquez delivered a masterclass performance to win Saturday’s MotoGP sprint at the Hungarian Grand Prix, leading from start to finish at Balaton Park despite telling fans just days earlier to 'forget' about him even fighting for a podium. The Ducati rider, who recently recovered from double surgery on his shoulder and foot last month, controlled the race from pole position to finish 1.548 seconds clear of KTM's Pedro Acosta. The victory also saw Marquez tie Jorge Martin's record of 18 sprint victories in MotoGP, capping a remarkable turnaround from his modest pre-race expectations on Thursday. ‘If you're starting on the front row, it's a big help and then the strategy was to push in the beginning. That is when I'm feeling fresh and I survived in the end,’ Marquez said after his third sprint victory of the season. ‘So the strategy works in a better way. Tomorrow will be a longer race, let's see how we can manage.’ Aprilia's championship leader Marco Bezzecchi finished third after starting sixth on the grid while Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez came in fourth. MARQUEZ STORMS INTO LEAD When the lights went out, Marquez shot away from pole to lead into turn one ahead of Acosta, while Bezzecchi made a superb start to jump from sixth on the grid to third. Marquez wasted no time implementing an aggressive strategy, streaking away to build more than a second's advantage in just two laps. ‘It was amazing, the pace that he put from the beginning,’ Acosta said. ‘I take like some laps to be ready for the push but anyway, we have to be happy … We have to just try to improve for (the race) tomorrow.’ Behind the leading duo, Bezzecchi was fighting to hang on to third as Gresini Racing's Fermin Aldeguer stayed glued to his rear tyre. But Bezzecchi was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Aldeguer nearly lost control on a chicane before he regained balance and rejoined in fifth place behind Fernandez. With Marquez in cruise control up front and Acosta unable to mount a challenge as he cut his losses, Bezzecchi secured the final podium spot despite struggling with grip and tyre issues. ‘It was a very tough sprint. Very, very difficult because the track was pretty strange, the grip at the beginning especially was very low,’ Bezzecchi said. ‘So it was difficult for me to find the rhythm. Fortunately the start was good … I started to really have troubles with the rear (tyre), so very happy with this result. It came with a lot of tough moments.’ Source link
Noah Lyles of the US celebrates after winning the men’s 100m final at the Diamond League at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy. (Reuters) American Olympic champion Noah Lyles made a winning start to his Diamond League campaign in the men’s 100 metres at the Rome meeting on Thursday, and Julien Alfred beat world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the women’s 200 metres.Lyles was his usual confident self, soaking up the Stadio Olimpico crowd’s applause before the final race of the night, and was typically bullish at the end.”I had a great finish,” Lyles said.”I can go again. Who wants to go?”Lyles made his standard slow start from the blocks and had five runners ahead of him at the halfway stage, but he stormed to the line in a time of 9.88 seconds.Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme ran 9.94 to claim a surprise second place, ahead of Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo.”I am not showing anywhere to lose. I am here to win,” Lyles said.”10 metres before the finish line I knew the race was over and I had already won it. I was thinking about how I was going to celebrate it.”St Lucia’s Alfred and American Jefferson-Wooden have dominated women’s sprinting of late but this was their first meeting over the longer sprint distance.Jefferson-Wooden is world champion over the 100m and 200m, while Alfred is the 100m Olympic champion and 200m silver medallist, and the pair were neck-and-neck going into the final straight, but Alfred pulled away with ease and the American had no reply.Alfred posted a time of 21.93, with Jefferson-Wooden trailing in with 22.17.”I wanted to go a bit faster but I will take the win,” Alfred said.”I am a lot stronger now than I used to be and that’s why I could push a bit extra in the second part of the race.”Likina Amebaw won the women’s 5000m, leading home an Ethiopian 1-2-3. Expectations were high for Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who looked comfortable tucked in behind the pacemakers in the early stages. But once Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi upped the pace, Battocletti drifted back down the field.Yavi’s time at the front ended once the Ethiopians took over, with Freweyni Hailu taking the lead on the penultimate lap. Hailu had to settle for third, however, as Amebaw caught Aleshign Baweke before the line.Norway’s Henriette Jaeger took victory in the women’s 400m with a time of 49.60, in a race which saw Britain’s Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson open her outdoor season after winning the world indoor 800m title.Jaeger came from behind to power to the line ahead of Czech Lurdes Gloria Manuel.Hodgkinson, who has the 800m world record in her sights this year, opted to run the shorter distance to work on her speed over the opening lap of the longer race, and came in seventh, posting a personal best of 51.14.American Trey Cunningham won the men’s 110m hurdles in a personal best time of 12.98 seconds, ahead of Jamaican Orlando Bennett. Related Story Source…
Los Angeles Olympic organizers will use the city's 2026 World Cup matches as a key learning opportunity for transport, security and crowd movement as they prepare to stage the 2028 Games, LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover has said.The World Cup will bring eight matches to Los Angeles, with games at SoFi Stadium, offering Olympic planners a live test of how the region handles a major global sporting event before the much larger Olympics and Paralympics arrive two years later.’It gives us an opportunity to look at transportation, it gives us an opportunity to look at security, it gives us an opportunity to look at how are they moving fans around,’ Hoover said in an interview.’For us, we can take that and then scale it,’ he added, noting that LA28 will involve 50 competition venues and about 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes.Hoover said the organizing committee has developed a strong relationship with FIFA and expects lessons from the soccer tournament to feed directly into Olympic planning. EXCITEMENT BUILDING TOWARD LA OLYMPICSThe comments came following three days of meetings between LA28 and the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission in Los Angeles to review preparations.Hoover said the IOC examined operations, venues, delivery models, community engagement, the torch relay, economic impact and sustainability.’The level of excitement is electric,’ Hoover said. ‘To have the IOC here with us … and hear the results of where they assess that we are makes me even more confident that we're going to deliver a Games like none other.’ NO PLAYBOOK FOR MASSIVE LA GAMESHe said the greatest challenge remains the sheer size and complexity of the event.The LA Games will be the largest ever in terms of programming, featuring 36 sports spanning over 800 events.’No one has done an Olympics to this size, to this scale and this scope,’ Hoover said. ‘There's no book that we can go to.’Organizers are drawing on experience from recent and future hosts, including Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026, Brisbane 2032 and Utah 2034, he said. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND TICKET DROPSSeveral planning milestones are approaching. National Olympic Committees are due in Los Angeles next month to inspect venues, the Olympic Village, accommodation plans and arrival operations at LAX.Broadcasters and media representatives are also expected to visit as organizers refine plans for global coverage.Hoover said the next Olympic ticket release is scheduled for August, after what he described as record-breaking initial demand. Paralympic tickets, the mascot, torch design and torch relay details are expected in 2027.The torch relay will visit all 50 U.S. states over 100 days, beginning in April 2028 and ending in Los Angeles on July 14, 2028, the day of the Olympic opening ceremony. Source link
Serena Williams will take part in the women’s doubles at June’s WTA event in Berlin, organisers announced Friday, the next stop in her comeback after a near four-year absence.”Every tournament I add to my schedule right now is special, and Berlin is no exception,” Williams, 44, said in a statement.”I look forward to playing in front of the German crowd and continuing to build momentum for the grass-court season.”Her doubles partner will be announced at a later date.On Monday, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion confirmed her return to the sport to play at London’s Queen’s Club tournament starting June 8.The Berlin Tennis Open begins in the German capital on June 15 and is a traditional warm-up event for Wimbledon, which starts on June 29.Nine of the WTA’s top 10 players are set to take part at the tournament in Berlin’s west.Williams’ third-round exit at the US Open in September 2022 was her final match on the tour.The American’s final opportunities to fine-tune her comeback will be in tournaments at Bad Homburg, in Germany, and Eastbourne, in England, before Wimbledon begins.Williams has won Wimbledon seven times in singles and six times in doubles. Related Story Source link
England’s Josh Tongue celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson with teammates during day two of the first Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, Britain,…
Alexander Zverev moved to the verge of a long-awaited first Grand Slam title as the second seed saw off Jakub Mensik in four sets on Friday to set up a French Open final against Flavio Cobolli.The German will face 10th seed Cobolli on Sunday after securing a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Mensik.Cobolli did not even have to play his first Grand Slam semi-final, as his last-four opponent and fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the tournament shortly before the match due to illness.Zverev has endured several near misses at the majors, with three previous final defeats, including against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros two years ago.”This is a Grand Slam, it’s best of five, things are going to happen, opponents are going to play better. I managed it,” said Zverev.”I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”Zverev will be a strong favourite when he faces Cobolli, against whom he holds a 3-1 winning record, to finally get over the line and lift a Slam trophy.The world number three was playing in his 11th Grand Slam semi-final and his experience showed against Czech youngster Mensik.The 20-year-old, in the last four of a major for the first time, tired as the match went on as his previous exertions in Paris, including two five-set matches, took their toll. DEALT WELL WITH PRESSUREZverev has dealt well with the pressure of being the tournament favourite since the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, in the second and third rounds respectively.He will face one last test of his mental strength on Court Philippe Chatrier in two days’ time, but should at least be fresh physically after reaching the final having only lost two sets in six matches.”Pure emptiness, there’s absolutely nothing in my head,” insisted a smiling Zverev in his on-court interview.”We’re athletes, very few of us have anything in our heads. Sometimes it’s easier to be stupid and not to think too much.”The 29-year-old has been within one set of victory in two of his previous three Slam finals, when facing Alcaraz in Paris in 2024 and when he blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.Zverev is also aiming to end a 14-month title drought dating back to a clay-court event in Munich in April last year.MENSIK BRIEFLY THREATENED WITH COMEBACKZverev took a closely-fought first set courtesy of a break in the 11th game, having earlier saved three break points to deny Mensik a 5-3 lead.The 26th seed could not keep pace at all in the second set, as Zverev broke twice and only dropped four points on his own serve.Mensik called for a medical time-out just three games into the third set, appearing to struggle with a neck injury.But he dragged himself back into the contest seemingly out of nowhere, breaking to take a 4-2 lead in the third set as his use of the drop shot started to make a greater impact.That shot wrapped up a hold to love and the set — only the second Zverev had lost in the tournament.Mensik could not keep up his momentum, though, falling 2-0 behind in the fourth set as consecutive backhand unforced errors gifted Zverev a break.The three-time Grand Slam runner-up powered into the final from there, despite drawing the ire of some spectators for disputing two line calls and also receiving a warning for a time violation.Zverev wrapped up victory on his first match point as Mensik netted a backhand. ARNALDI WITHDRAWSWorld number 104 Arnaldi had spent the most amount of time on court for a player en route to a Grand Slam semi-final, winning marathon matches in the third and fourth rounds.His quarter-final opponent Matteo Berrettini retired injured in the second set of their last-eight tie.But Arnaldi’s dreams of a remarkable Slam title were ended by a virus.”It’s tough — for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I felt pretty good,” said Arnaldi.”Every time I get up I feel dizzy and not the best… so that was the right decision for me.”Cobolli has dropped just two sets in the event so far and impressed in his quarter-final victory over Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.”It’s tough for me to speak also. When he came to me an hour ago I almost cried,” said Cobolli of his friend Arnaldi.”At the same time I’m happy with the result this week.” Related Story Source link
Williams’ Spanish driver Carlos Sainz takes part in the first practice session at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, ahead of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand…