Citing recent injury concerns and a strategic focus on the 200m, two-time World Athletics 200m champion Shericka Jackson has withdrawn from the 100m event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Jackson, who has been chasing the 36-year-old world record in the 200m, emphasized the need to protect her body and concentrate on excelling in one event as the Games approach.
"It's a combination of things," Jackson explained at a media event on Wednesday at Puma House. "I got hurt in Hungary and it's a good decision to run one event. I think this is just to protect my body. For the last three years, I've been competing in both events, and I think this decision is a combination of both, just focusing on one event and what happened in Hungary."
Jackson's pursuit of the world record saw her come agonizingly close at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023, where she clocked 21.41 seconds, breaking her own championship record of 21.45 seconds set in Oregon the previous year. Her 21.41 is the second-fastest time ever run by a woman over 200m.
Despite her impressive form, Jackson has decided to focus solely on the 200m at Paris 2024. "That decision was based on coach and I," she told Olympics.com at a press meet-up on Tuesday in Paris. "It's a combination of a lot of stuff. And I made that decision not to contest the 100m and focus only on the 200, and I think we're pretty happy with that. I just [want] to compete at my best, as everybody is here to win.”
Jackson is also uncertain about her participation in the 4x100m relay, an event in which she helped Jamaica secure an Olympic title at Tokyo 2020. "The focus is on the individual event first and then we speak about the relay after," she stated.
In her last race on July 9 at the Gyulai István Memorial in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Jackson pulled up on the home stretch of the 200m. Despite this setback, she assured fans that she is in good shape to challenge for her first individual Olympic title. "Honestly, I was only supposed to compete in that event, and as coach stated, we only run a few races in Europe, and I think that was the only race all of us were supposed to run… I'm in pretty good shape," said the five-time Olympic medallist.
Jackson's primary target remains the 200m title rather than the world record of 21.34 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. "Given how I have been progressing this season, I don't think the world record is on my mind right now," she said.
The Jamaican ladies team finished the first day of the 67th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship atop the leaderboard, driven by stellar performances from Kierra Williams and Emily Mayne. Both golfers shot an even par 72, securing Jamaica's leading position as they vie for the George Teale Trophy.
Puerto Rico trailed closely with a plus one score, while the Dominican Republic held third place with a plus 13 score.
On the men's side, the Jamaican team, competing for the Hoerman Cup, ended the day in third place with a plus eight score. Contributions came from Oshae Haye (71), Rocco Lopez (72), Ryan Lue (76), and Aman Dhiman (77). Puerto Rico led the men's team section with a minus three score, followed by the Dominican Republic in second place with a plus one score.
The championship, featuring nine teams, is being contested at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro, Dominican Republic.
Individually, Jamaica's ladies occupied three of the top five spots. Puerto Rico's Arabella Lopez led with an impressive six under par 66, six strokes ahead of her closest rivals. Tied for second place were Kierra Williams and Emily Mayne, each posting an even par 72. Mattea Issa followed closely in fourth place with a one over par 73. Holly McClean of the Cayman Islands was in fifth place with a three over par 75, while Jamaica's newcomer Kingston Burke was joint 16th with a 13 over par 85.
Among the Jamaican men, former national champion Oshae Haye was the best placed, ending day one in joint fourth place with a one under par 71. The leaders in the men's individual section were Rodrigo Huerta of the Dominican Republic and Marc Alvero of Puerto Rico, both shooting three under par 69. Juan Cayro Delgado of the Dominican Republic was in third place with a two under par 70.
Other Jamaican men's scores included Rocco Lopez (even par 72), Ryan Lue (four over par 76), Aman Dhiman (five over par 77), Jack Stein (seven over par 79), and national champion Zandre Roye (nine over par 81).
The golfers look forward to the second round of competition, set to commence at 8:00 am on Thursday at the same venue in the Dominican Republic.
Manchester United's new signing Leny Yoro has been ruled out for three months, while Rasmus Hojlund will be out for six weeks, according to widespread reports.
Yoro joined the Red Devils earlier this month in a £52.2million deal from Lille and impressed in his first pre-season appearance against Rangers.
However, he was forced off with a foot injury in the first half of United's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles on Saturday and was seen days later wearing a protective boot and using crutches.
The defender will have more tests when he returns to the UK with the rest of the squad but is currently set to be out until October, missing the opening three months of the Premier League season.
Hojlund scored in the loss to Arsenal, but suffered a hamstring shortly afterwards, with his game also being cut short.
He is set to miss six weeks, keeping him out until after the September international break.
Erik ten Hag's injury worries grew in their 3-2 friendly win against Real Betis in San Diego on Wednesday as well.
Marcus Rashford limped off in the second half with an injury to his right ankle after a heavy tackle, while Antony's cameo off the bench only lasted 23 minutes before he had to go off with a hand problem, though both substitutions were later described as “precautionary”.
Rafael Nadal says he does not know what his future holds after being knocked out of the Paris Olympic men's doubles with Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday.
The Spaniards were expected to challenge for the gold medal but instead lost their quarter-final in straight sets to Team USA's Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Nadal hinted after his second-round defeat to Novak Djokovic in the men's singles that he would make a decision on his future after the Olympics were over.
After missing out on the chance to challenge for a third Olympic gold medal, having won the singles in 2008 and the doubles in 2016, the 38-year-old made an emotional exit off the court at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 grand slam titles.
"For me, personally, it was disappointing to not bring back a medal for Spain," Nadal told reporters. "I tried my best in every single minute I was on court, but it was not enough.
"If this was the last time, it was an unforgettable feeling and emotion. They gave me the love and support every single second, and it's super, super special to feel that.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but if that's the last time, I enjoyed it."
Nadal skipped Wimbledon to ensure he would be fit for the Olympics after another injury-hit season.
The next major event is the US Open later this month, but the 22-time grand slam winner is unsure if he will be fit to compete in New York.
"I can't give you a clear answer," he added. "I need some time, but for me, it looks difficult."
Amad Diallo starred as Manchester United beat Real Betis 3-2 in a pre-season friendly in San Diego on Wednesday.
Marcus Rashford, Diallo and Casemiro completed the first-half comeback after Iker Losada's early goal, while Diego Llorente pulled another one back just after the hour mark.
Rashford limped off the pitch after being on the end of a heavy tackle in the second half, while Antony only lasted 23 minutes after his introduction off the bench.
Jadon Sancho had an early goal ruled out for offside before Tom Heaton's fumble gave Losada the chance to poke Betis in front.
However, Diallo was brought down in the box minutes later by Romain Perraud, and Rashford coolly converted from the spot before the Ivorian put the Red Devils in front with a drilled effort into the bottom-left corner.
Casemiro's finish on the half-turn gave United a two-goal cushion at half-time, but Llorente headed in to half the deficit. Betis piled on some late pressure but could not find an equaliser.
Data Debrief: Diallo makes a statement
Diallo said on Wednesday that he wanted to stay at United "for life" as he eyes more game time for the Red Devils this year.
He had the joint-most shots (two) of his team-mates, scoring from an xG of just 0.2, and created three chances, more than anyone else on the field.
Carlo Ancelotti was impressed by Endrick during his Real Madrid debut despite losing 1-0 to Milan in Chicago on Wednesday.
Samuel Chukwueze scored the winner for the Rossoneri, finishing off a wonderful team move in the second half, making it two wins from two under new manager Paulo Fonseca.
Madrid are without big stars Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo after their international exploits, leaving the way for Endrick to get his first minutes for Los Blancos.
The 18-year-old played the first half, and created one chance, though he did not manage a single shot or touch in the box.
Ancelotti was pleased with what he saw from his new signing though, particularly his skill.
"He [Endrick] is someone who has something truly special," Ancelotti said.
"He's very fast, very dangerous in tight spaces, has the ability to turn with speed in little space, very agile in getting himself free and all these qualities he has means he's a great talent. It's rare to see a player with these types of characteristics."
It was Madrid's first run-out in pre-season as they struggled to make an impact in the final third.
They managed just two shots on target, having eight overall, but Ancelotti was happy with what he saw as his starting point for the season.
"We competed, we fought, we did some good things," Ancelotti added. "The first game of the pre-season with a lot of youngsters, the important thing was to compete, which we did for the whole game.
"There were some good moments and others we could improve on, but that's normal."
Madrid's next game is against Barcelona in New Jersey on Saturday, while Milan will also take on La Blaugrana next week.
Enzo Maresca got his first win as Chelsea boss with a dominant 3-0 victory over Club America in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke were on target from the penalty spot on either side of Marc Guiu's first goal since signing for the Blues.
It was a nightmare start for the Mexican side as Cristian Calderon gave away a penalty with just 72 seconds on the clock, and Nkunku coolly converted from 12 yards.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could have had two goals on his first Chelsea start, but after failing to hit the target, he set up Guiu to nod it past the flailing Luis Malagon.
Javairo Dilrosun gave Maresca's side a warning just before the break, striking the frame of the goal, but they failed to build on that threat in the second half.
Rodolfo Cota then brought down Nkunku in the box in the 78th minute, but Madueke stepped up to the spot this time, keeping his cool to round off a good win for Chelsea.
"Very happy. In this moment, the main focus cannot be the result," Maresca said after the game. "It's to analyse or judge the performance and to see how we improve.
"In my personal opinion, from Wrexham, Celtic and today, we continue to improve. This is the most important thing.
"We are talking, we are working. It's a habit from years ago. I don't know, but there are things that we need to improve defensively."
Data Debrief: Maresca's tactics start to click
Chelsea scored as many goals in this game as they managed in their previous two games combined, but this time, added a clinical edge to their attacking play.
They created an expected goals tally of 3.65 from 17 shots, nine of which were on target, and while they were slightly edged out in possession, there are positive signs for the new manager.
Arne Slot's winning start in charge of Liverpool continued as goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho earned them a 2-1 win over Arsenal at Lincoln Financial Field.
Kai Havertz pulled one back for the Gunners before half-time, but they struggled to find an equaliser in front of the record crowd on Wednesday.
Despite Arsenal's bright start, Salah put the Reds in front, beating Karl Hein from close range as he drilled a low effort into the bottom-left corner after just 13 minutes.
Diogo Jota arguably should have doubled their lead, but instead struck the post before Carvalho latched onto Harvey Elliott's chipped cross to volley in a second.
Martin Odegaard then intercepted a loose pass in the box to set up Havertz for a sweeping finish to half the deficit five minutes before the break.
And though Mikel Arteta's side dictated the play in the second half, having seven shots to Liverpool's two, they could not find a way past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Data Debrief: Slot's Reds edge it
In some ways, it was a game of two halves, with Liverpool's dominance in the first half getting the job done.
They had eight shots in the first 45 minutes, with Elliott the difference as he got both assists and set Jota up before he hit the frame of the goal.
DJ LeMahieu drove in a career-high six runs with a grand slam and two-run double and the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the slumping Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-5 victory on Wednesday.
In a season-long slump, LeMahieu entered with a .173 batting average and 13 RBIs, but the two-time batting champion hit his third career slam and had his first game with two extra-base hits since Aug. 25.
He joined Joe DiMaggio at Cleveland on May 23, 1948, and Yogi Berra at the White Sox on Aug. 2, 1958, as the only Yankees players with six RBIs who drove in all of New York’s runs.
Nestor Cortes earned his first road win of the season, allowing three runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. He had been 0-5 with a 6.18 ERA in 11 road starts this season.
Clay Holmes worked around a leadoff single in the ninth for his 22nd save in 30 chances.
The Yankees have rebounded from a 10-23 slide with five straight wins and remained a half-game behind AL East-leading Baltimore.
Weston Wilson homered and Nick Castellanos had three RBIs for the Phillies, who have lost four in a row and 11 of 15, trimming their NL East lead over Atlanta to 6 ½ games. Two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, hit into a game-ending double play and is in a 1-for-30 slump.
Cease leads surging Padres past Dodgers
Dylan Cease won his fourth straight start and Luis Campusano homered as the red-hot San Diego Padres rolled past the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1 for a two-game sweep.
Jurickson Profar and Campusano each drove in two runs as the Padres won their ninth in 10 games to pull within 4 ½ games of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Pitching in his first start after throwing a no-hitter, Cease limited the Dodgers to one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking three. He improved to 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA in his last four starts.
Clayton Kershaw was roughed up for seven runs – three earned – and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in his second start of the season.
He failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 424 major league starts, a streak that had been the longest since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
The Dodgers have dropped 10 of their last 12 road games.
Holliday hits grand slam for first career home run
Jackson Holliday celebrated his return to the major leagues with a grand slam for his first career home run in the Baltimore Orioles’ 10-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft and baseball’s top prospect, was back in the majors after he went 2 for 34 with 18 strikeouts in April. In his first game back, he grounded out twice before connecting for a 439-foot blast with the bases loaded in the fifth to give the Orioles an 8-3 lead.
Grayson Rodriguez (13-4) tied for the major league lead in wins after giving up three earned runs and six hits in six innings with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Colton Cowser also went deep for the first-place Orioles, who have won four of five after losing five of six.
Baltimore lost All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg to a broken hand after he was hit by a pitch immediately before Holliday’s slam.
The United States continued their quest for a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal after securing their spot in the quarter-finals with a comfortable win over South Sudan.
Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo starred for the 16-time champions, registering a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds in their 103-86 triumph at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
The USA led from the first quarter and never looked back, with 14 of Adebayo's points coming before half-time as their star-studded bench maintained their advantage.
For South Sudan, Nuni Omot led the way with a game-high 24 points, but with a team boasting 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and six NBA champions, it proved too much for the Bright Stars.
Kevin Durant (14), Anthony Edwards (13), LeBron James (12), Devin Booker (10) and Derrick White all finished in double figures to ensure there was no repeat of their close encounter with their opponents prior to the Games.
South Sudan led the United States by 16 points in their pre-tournament fixture, but narrowly avoided a huge upset in London as they emerged 101-100 victors.
The United States will face winless Puerto Rico in their final group game this Saturday.
Meanwhile, in the other Group C fixture, Nikola Jokic made Olympic history as he helped Serbia ease to their biggest win at the Games following a 107-66 triumph over Puerto Rico.
Jokic finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, becoming the first player in Olympic history to record at least 10 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a single game.
Filip Petrusev also played his part in the victory, with Serbia knowing they must beat South Sudan in their final group game to qualify for the knockout stages.
Jurgen Klopp has suggested he is more likely to retire than step back into management.
Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season, and is enjoying a sabbatical away from the game.
The German had been linked with the vacant England job, but has distanced himself from such speculation, while he also reportedly turned down an offer to coach the United States.
And now the 57-year-old, who coached Mainz before leading Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles, has claimed, for the time being, he is considering himself as retired, though he did leave the door open to return to football in some capacity.
"Let's see what it will look like in a few months. Nothing is coming through at the moment," Klopp said.
"As of today, that's it for me as a coach. I didn't quit on a whim, it was a general decision.
"I've also coached the best clubs in the world. Maybe we can talk about it again in a few months.
"I still want to work in football and help people with my experience and contacts. Let's see what else there is for me."
Klopp has won 13 major honours during his managerial career, but enjoyed his most success across his nine-year stint at Anfield.
The 57-year-old would lead Liverpool to eight major trophies, including their first Premier League title and their sixth success in the Champions League.
Of the three sides he managed, Klopp managed more games (491), oversaw more wins (299) and scored more goals (1035) during his Liverpool tenure.
Should this be the end for Klopp, he ends his managerial career having won 584 of his 1075 games in charge, averaging 1.87 points per game across his 23-year career.
Canada advanced to the knockout stages of the Paris Olympics against all the odds following a 1-0 victory over Colombia in Marseille.
The defending Olympic champions had won both their group matches, but were docked six points after being found guilty of using a drone to spy on New Zealand's training session ahead of their opening match of the Games.
It subsequently saw head coach Bev Priestman banned from football-related activities for a year, and despite appealing the decision, saw it rejected.
However, Vanessa Gilles' header proved to be the difference as she rose highest to meet Jessie Fleming's corner kick delivery in the 61st minute.
While Canada only took three points from their group games, they joined both Spain and the United States as the only teams to win all their games at the tournament so far.
Colombia, who started the day's action in second, settled for third spot but advanced to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams and will face Spain.
Canada, meanwhile, will continue their quest for a second Olympic triumph in the Parc des Princes on Saturday where they will face Germany.
In the other Group A fixture, hosts France confirmed their place in the knockout stages of the competition after a hard fought 2-1 triumph over New Zealand.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored the opening goal of the game in the 22nd minute, only for Kate Taylor to respond for the visitors two minutes before the interval.
Katoto, who scored a brace against Colombia in their opening group game, notched her second double of the tournament late on to take her tally to five at the Games and secure top spot for the French.
France will next be in action this Saturday in Nantes, where they will face Brazil, who will be without veteran striker Marta following her red card against Spain earlier in the day.
Jarrett Allen has become the latest Cleveland Cavalier to sign a maximum contract extension since the conclusion of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Allen signed a three-year, $91million extension with the Cavaliers on Wednesday, according to multiple sources.
The deal will guarantee him $131million over the next five years.
Allen joins Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley as Cleveland players to ink extensions this off-season, as the franchise has established itself as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
The 26-year-old Allen averaged a career-best 16.5 points along with 10.5 rebounds in 77 games last season. His shooting percentage of 63.4 ranked fourth in the NBA.
The 22nd overall pick of the 2017 draft by the Nets, Allen spent his first three-plus NBA seasons in Brooklyn before Cleveland acquired him in January 2021.
He was named an All-Star in his first full season with the Cavs in 2021-22, when he averaged 16.1 points and a career-high 10.8 rebounds.
In 252 games in a Cavs uniform, Allen has averaged 15.1 points, 10.3 boards and 2 assists while shooting 64.2 per cent.
The Cavs reached last season's East semi-finals before being ousted by the eventual champion Boston Celtics with Allen sitting out the entire play-off series due to a rib injury and Mitchell missing the final two games because of a left calf strain.
In the four post-season games he played before his injury, Allen averaged 17 points on 67.6 per cent shooting and 13.8 rebounds.
Coco Gauff suffered back-to-back defeats in her respective doubles matches as her hopes of an Olympic gold medal were dashed at Roland-Garros.
In her first game of the day, Gauff teamed up with world number six Jessica Pegula to face Czech Republic duo Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova.
After taking the first set, Gauff and Pegula were unable to continue their momentum, falling to a 6-2 4-6 5-10 defeat.
The American pairing started strongly and raced into an early lead, taking the opening set in what seemingly looked like a straightforward victory for Team USA.
However, Muchova and Noskova rallied and in a second set that saw five break points converted by both, the Czech's would prevail to take the game to a decider.
Gauff and Pegula lost four straight games to put their opponents in the ascendency, with Muchova and Noskova able to see out the win to progress to the quarter-finals.
Gauff emerged back onto the clay courts in the French capital for her mixed-doubles match soon after, joining Taylor Fritz to face a Canadian pairing of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski.
The American duo would come from a set down to take the game to a decider, but it would be their opponents who emerge 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 8-10 victors.
Gauff and Fritz exchanged blows with the Canadians, but were edged out in a first set tie-break after losing four games on the spin.
But not wanting to let their dreams of a medal die, the American pair would recover from losing an early break point to rally and earn one of their own in the eighth game, seeing out the win to take Gauff to her second third-set decider of the day.
However, the same result would transpire, with Auger-Aliassime and Dabrowski edging a nail-biting conclusion to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
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