Ten things to know from last week. July 12-18, 2022 included: Allyson Félix retires, Jim Thorpe finally recognized, the World Games...
- The 150th. Cameron Smith (AUS) overtook Rory McIlroy (IRL) on the last day to win the 150th British Open in Golf by one shot. McIlroy started the day with a four-stroke lead. Smith now jumps to 2nd in the World Golf Rankings.
- Greatest female sprinters. Allyson Felix (USA) retired as one of the most successful athletes in history, with 14 world titles and 7 Olympic gold medals on her curriculum. Her last race was as part of the US team that finished 3rd at the 4×400 meters mixed relay of the World Championships, which was her 19th World Championship medal, more than any other female in history. The Dominican Republic won the gold medal. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) won her 5th world title in the women’s 100 meters. She has won every single World Championship and Olympic gold since 2009. Se is the greatest female 100 meters sprinter of all time and the second female with most gold medals at the Word Athletics Championships.
- More World Athletics. Fred Kerley (USA) won the men’s 100 meters on a US 1-2-3. Grant Holloway (USA) won the men’s 110m hurdles, where Devon Allen (USA) was disqualified for being too fast at the start (even though he did not beat the machine gun). Chase Ealey (USA) won the women’s shot put over Gong Lijiao (CHN) and the US also own gold in women’s pole vault, and the women’s hammer throw. Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) won the women’s 10,000 meters -Sifan Hassan (NED) was 4th-, and Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) the men’s 10,000 meters. Yulimar Rojas (VEN) won her third triple jump world title outdoors.
- Finally World Champion! Now there is no doubt that Áron Szilágyi (HUN) is the greatest sabre fencer ever, as he finally won the individual World Championship -he was team World Champion in 2007- after several failed attempts and three consecutive Olympic titles, from 2012 to 2021. Romain Cannone (FRA), who pulled a huge upset in Tokyo 2020, also won gold, in men’s individual épée. Ysaora Thibus (FRA) also finally won a world title after seven world medals since 2013, in women’s foil. Song Se-ra (KOR) won the women’s épée.
- The veterans. Kiszli Vanda (HUN), a six-time World Champion, also won gold in the women’s Kayak standard distance in Canoe Marathon. Andy Birkett (ZAF) pulled the upset with a brutal final sprint to defeat Sprint winner, Mads Pedersen (DNK), in the men’s standard competition. World Champion Dick Jaspers (NED) won gold in men’s three cushion carom, his first gold since 2009. Joshua Filler (DEU), a former child-prodigy, won his first World Games gold, aged 24, in 9-ball billiards.
- Leading disaster. Duathlon was an invited sport at the World Games but its debut was not the brightest. The majority of the women’s competitors were disqualified after a leading group took a shortcut by mistake during the race. Arguably, the pre-race favorites were unaffected, as Maurine Ricour (BEL) won gold. Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger (FRA) won the men’s and mixed relay divisions, partnered by Marion Legrand in the second.
- Gymnastics. Bram Röttger and Helena Heijens (BEL) won the Aerobic Gymnastics Mixed pair just as they did earlier this year at the Word Championships, their first international tournament together. Ukraine won both golds in each of the men’s and women’s -with a stunning performance- pair divisions. Aerobic gymnastics gave four gold medals, including two for Hungary: in Dance and Trio.
- The greatest in Racquetball. Paola Longoria (MEX) added yet another argument as to why she is the greatest female Racquetball player of all time, by taking her third consecutive World Games (since 2009), year since which she has been the best and unbeaten the majority of time. Andrés Acuña (CRC) won the men’s division. Daniel de la Rosa (MEX) and was absent, playing the doubles in the IRT’s Team Root Outdoor Nationals presented by ProKennex, which Acuña won in the men’s singles as well.
- Dominant teams. Germany has long been the greatest team in Fistball and they are increasing such legacy with a third consecutive World Games gold medal. Several big teams confirmed their favorite status by taking the gold medal at the World Games 2022. These included the Dutch Korfball team, which has won every single gold medal since 1985, when Korfball was added to the games. The Men’s Swedish Floorball team also won, repeating their 2017 success. USA beat the Czech Republic in the Men’s Inline Hockey Final and also won the Men’s Flag Football gold but its women’s team was stunned by Mexico 39-6, after having beaten their southern neighbors at the World Championships in Israel, 2021. Germany also won the Men’s Canoe Polo, as expected -but was upset in the women’s division by France- en route to topping the World Games’ medal tally over the local team.
- Over a century late. The Olympic Games have finally recognized Jim Thorpe as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympic Games’ athletics decathlon and pentathlon. He was stripped of his medals in 1913 -long after it was allowed- for having plaid minor league baseball. He had been posthumously reinstated in 1983, as co-winner. The silver medalists never accepted the gold medals offered to them.