Ten things to know from last week. July 19-25 included: The X-Games, Tour de France, Athletics World Championships, etc.
  1. A great Tour. Jonas Vingegaard (DNK, Team Jumbo–Visma) and two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar (SVN, UAE Team Emirates) traded their positions from last year in the Tour de France. On Stage 18, the final in the Pyrenees, Pogačar fell down and Vingegaard waited for him to ride together but the Champion was unable to keep up with the Dane, who extended his lead and also won the Mountains Classification. Hi teammate Wout van Aert (BEL) also had an impressive Tour, with 3 Stage wins -including a time trial-, the Combativity award, and the Points Classification with a record-breaking 480 points. Ineos Grenadiers won the Team classification thanks to Geraint Thomas’s (WAL) third place.
  2. Eugene for the US. The United States of America won their local World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, as they won 13 gold medals -ahead of Ethiopia’s 4- and scored 328 team points -ahead of Jamaica’s 110. Three World Champions broke World Records: Sydney McLaughlin (USA) in the women’s 400 meters hurdles (50.68 seconds) -she also won gold in the women’s 4x400m relay-, Tobi Amusan (NGA) in the 100 meters hurdles (12.12 seconds in the semis), and Armand Duplantis (SWE) in men’s pole vault (6.21 meters). Kimberly García (PER) won gold in the inaugural women’s 35 kilometers walk and the women’s 20 kilometers. Shericka Jackson (JAM) won the women’s 200 m with 21.45 seconds, over Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM).
  3. Evian Major. Brooke Henderson became the first Canadian -male or female- to win two Major Golf tournaments, as she won the Amundi Evian Championship in France. There were 13 lead changes. At some point, there was a seven-way tie for the lead on the back nine. Henderson’s other Major title was the Women’s PGA Championship six years ago when she was 18.
  4. Thai Minimumweights. Thammanoon Niyomtron ‘Knockout CP Freshmart‘ (THA) defeated former World Champion and fellow Thai, Chayaphon Moonsri ‘Wanheng Menayothin‘ -now 55-3(1)- to maintain his unbeaten record of 24-0 (9) and defend the WBA (Super) Minimumweight title. he has been World Champion since 2014, including his first interim World title fights. Another Thai, Panya Pradabsri ‘Petchmanee CP Freshmart‘ is the WBC Champion and could be the big fight remaining to determine the lineal Champion.
  5. Leaders crash out. Charles Leclerc (MCO, Ferrari) was leading the Formula 1 French Grand Prix from the pole when he crashed out on lap 18. Max Verstappen (NED, Red Bull) inherited the lead and won ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton (ENG) and George Russell (ENG). In the US, Josef Newgarden (USA, Penske) also crashed out from the lead in the second Iowa race 2, allowing Patricio O’Ward (MEX, McLaren) to win. They were 1st and 2nd in the first race.
  6. X-Games Great. Garrett Reynolds (USA) made history by winning the BMX Street competition at the X-Games as he reached his 15th gold medal in his career, making him the winningest competitor in X-Games Summer history, and joint first in all of X-Games, tying Shaun White (USA, Snowboarding). He has won 17 medals out of 24 competitions in which he had participated since 2008.
  7. More X-Games action. There were other impressive results at the X-Games. Jimmy Wilkins (USA) became the first skater to win the Men’s Vert five times in a row. World and Olympic Champion, Logan Martin (AUS), won his 5th gold in BMX Street -4th at the Summer X-Games. Rob Adelberg (AUS) won two gold medals in a single day, winning the Moto X Best Trick with a frontflip no-footer on the 120-foot ramp, and the Moto X Freestyle. Colby Raha (USA) broke the World Record in the Moto X Quarterpipe high air with 49 feet. Young medalists included 14-year-old Sky Brown (ENG) defended her Skateboarding Women’s Park title, and fellow 14-year-old, Olympic Champion, Momiji Nishiya (JPN) won the Women’s Skateboard Street.
  8. Finswimming’s Hungarian Champion. Petra Senánszky (HUN) has been a World Champion since 2011, accumulating 17 gold medals. She won three last week at the Finswimming World Championships in Cali, Colombia: in the Women’s 50 m bi-fins and 100 m bi-fins, and the Mixed 4×100 m bi-fins relay. She has been the World Champion of the first two since 2013. She also won two silvers, in the Women’s 4×100 m surface relay and the Women’s 4×200 m surface relay. This follows her two gold medals at the World Games. She helped Hungary top the medal standings with 10 gold medals, although Russia, the winner last year, was absent.
  9. Fencing. Alongside Martina Favaretto, Francesca Palumbo, and Alice Volpi, Arianna Errigo (ITA) won the Women’s team foil at the 2022 World Fencing Championships with a dominant display against the United States of America in the Final. The score was 45-27. This is Errrigo’s 9th gold medal and 20th medal overall at the World Fencing Championships, which places her 3rd among women in the all-time medal tally. She has. won the team event seven times since 2009. Moreover, she won the silver medal in the individual event, losing 10-15 to Ysaora Thibus (FRA). She returned to an individual final after 8 years. France topped the medal tally with four golds, ahead of South Korea’s three, and Hungary and Italy’s two.
  10. Darts comeback. Michael van Gerwen (NED) completed a second career Darts Triple Crown, as he won his third World Matchplay, beating Gerwyn Price (WAL). He recently had wrist surgery and had also had a dip in level since his 2019 Word Championship.