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It does not get better than this, sparkling spring sea breeze for Sofía day 2

Schultheis mirrors his crew’s enthusiasm, “The results are up and down we are in our early stages as a team the communication and the starts, and how we manage everything. For now it is good to see we can keep up with everyone for speed, racing and results.”Rieger who sailed with Tim Fischer before, explains, […]

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It does not get better than this, sparkling spring sea breeze for Sofía day 2


Schultheis mirrors his crew’s enthusiasm, “The results are up and down we are in our early stages as a team the communication and the starts, and how we manage everything. For now it is good to see we can keep up with everyone for speed, racing and results.”Rieger who sailed with Tim Fischer before, explains, “I had seen Richard racing before in the junior fleets and saw the potential and so said to him ‘What about it?’ and here we are….I was hyped about this, looking for the right guy, and saw the potential and said ‘let’s go and fight for a medal in 2028. And so it started.”After a brisk, breezy start to the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels on Monday which gave the Olympic sailing classes a test from the first start guns of the showcase Mallorcan regatta, today the athletes were afforded a couple of hours to regroup and find their marks before the renowned Bay of Palma sea breeze built on cue.As it is the very start of the new Olympic cycle many of the bigger nations have full squads competing here, Australia have seven duos, France seven, GBR eight and there are 11 pairs are from Germany.54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
01 April, 2025The 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is jointly organised by the Club Nàutic S’Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Real Federación Española de Vela and the Federación Balear de Vela, with the support of World Sailing, and is co-financed by the Govern de les Illes Balears’ Sustainable Tourism Tax fund.

54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
01 April, 2025

More information at www.trofeoprincesasofia.org
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.livesaildie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/49er_2.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.livesaildie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/49er_2.jpg?fit=667%2C500&ssl=1″ class=”size-full wp-image-193858 lazyload” src=”https://www.livesaildie.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/49er_2.jpg” alt width=”1280″ height=”960″> 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
01 April, 2025

54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
01 April, 2025“The conditions were great today, we got a couple of ‘keepers’ and had a lot of fun. We had 10-12kts, real champagne sailing. Now we have such a solid squad now in France with Erwan and Clement the world champions, there are a lot of young guys pushing hard now, so no one’s place is secure. It is great training. We were in Vilamoura for a lot of time and we have the ‘Young Old’ group as we call them and the ‘Young Young’ groups, and we consider ourselves just ‘Old’” grins Amorros, “This our ninth Sofia, we have done a lot of eighth overalls and want to do better this time….and seventh won’t be enough!”The event is part of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, along with the Semaine Olympique Française, the Dutch Water Week, the Kieler Woche and the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.After five qualifying races for the 49er skiffs it is the newly formed young German duo Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger who head the 91 strong fleet. The Sofia title is wide open with none of the Paris 2024 Olympic medal winners here.Reiger concludes, “Seeing where we stand we see the potential but everyone is just getting warmed up so we need to push hard together.”

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Roses Day One: Scores on the doors

If you missed the action, here’s the rundown of the scores of Roses 2025 We have seen some incredible sportsmanship here at Roses 2025, from both sides, not to mention the outpour of support for both sides. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but here are the scores of day one of Roses (as of […]

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If you missed the action, here’s the rundown of the scores of Roses 2025

We have seen some incredible sportsmanship here at Roses 2025, from both sides, not to mention the outpour of support for both sides.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but here are the scores of day one of Roses (as of 11:59 pm on May 2nd).

We saw Lancaster take the lead with 84.5 points, with wins in:

Waterpolo (Women’s)

Football (Men’s 1st)

Football (Men’s 2nd)

American Football (Open)

Climbing (Lead – Open A)

Climbing (Lead – Open Individual)

Climbing (Lead – Women’s individual)

Trampolining

Cricket

Octopush (Open)

Equestrian (1st team)

Swimming (Open 2nd)

Table Tennis (Open 1st)

Football (Men’s 3 (college select))

Indoor Hockey (Open 2nd)

Table Tennis (Women’s 1st)

College Netball (League B)

Snow Sports Racing (Open Ski 1)

Ultimate Frisbee (Outdoor Women’s)

Canoe Polo (Women’s and Open)

Canoe Whitewater (Women’s and Open)

Rowing (Men’s Senior 8)

Rowing (Men’s Novice 8)

Rowing (Men’s Senior 2nd 8)

Rowing (Women’s Novice 2nd 8)

Rowing (Men’s Novice 2nd 8)

Basketball (Men’s 1st)

However, it’s not too late to turn it around for York, who have secured 44.5 points in:

Waterpolo (Open)

Lacrosse (Men’s 1st)

Cheerleading (Open)

Table Tennis (Open 2nd)

Football (Women’s 2nd)

Lacrosse (Women’s 2nd)

Equestrian (2nd Team)

Swimming (Open 1st)

College Netball (League A)

Indoor Hockey (Women’s 1st)

Indoor Hockey (Women’s 2nd)

Football (Women’s 3rd)

Snow Sports Racing (Ski Slalom)

Cross Country (Open and Women’s 5km)

Rowing (Women’s Senior 2nd 8)

Rowing (Women’s Novice 8)

Rowing (Women’s Senior 8)

We’ve also seen a few draws in

Climbing (Lead – Women’s A Team)

Swimming (Women’s 1st)

Swimming (Women’s 2nd)

Indoor Hockey (Open 1st)

With two days and many more matches to go, it’s too early to predict a win for either university, but good luck to everyone competing, and enjoy!



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Bednarek runs this year’s world-best 200m to win at Miami Grand Slam | National

American Kenny Bednarek set the fastest time in the world this year by winning the 200 meters in 19.84 seconds at Sunday’s Grand Slam Track series Miami meet. The 26-year-old from Tulsa, the 200m runner-up at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, defeated Britain’s Zharnel Hughes by 0.29 of a second with Jamaica’s Oblique Seville third, […]

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American Kenny Bednarek set the fastest time in the world this year by winning the 200 meters in 19.84 seconds at Sunday’s Grand Slam Track series Miami meet.

The 26-year-old from Tulsa, the 200m runner-up at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, defeated Britain’s Zharnel Hughes by 0.29 of a second with Jamaica’s Oblique Seville third, also in 20.13.

Bednarek, also a 200m runner-up at the 2022 world championships on home soil in Eugene, captured the Miami men’s 100 title on Saturday in a wind-aided 9.79 seconds.

American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the 400m in 49.69 seconds, beating fellow American Anna Hall by 1.99 seconds.

Two-time reigning Olympic 400m hurdles champion McLaughlin-Levrone won her specialty on Saturday with the fastest time in the world this year of 52.07 seconds.

McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record last August in capturing the title in Paris with a run of 50.37.

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Women’s Track & Field Takes Second at Liberty League Outdoor Championship

Story Links RESULTS ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men’s track & field team concluded the Liberty League Outdoor Championship at RIT in fifth place with 45.5 points. RPI won with 318.5 points. Aynisha McQuillar claimed first in the 100-meter dash in a facility and meet record time of 12.02 […]

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RESULTS

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –

The Ithaca College men’s track & field team concluded the Liberty League Outdoor Championship at RIT in fifth place with 45.5 points. RPI won with 318.5 points.

Aynisha McQuillar claimed first in the 100-meter dash in a facility and meet record time of 12.02 seconds and she won the 200-meter dash in 25.25 seconds.

Rachel Larson clocked a facility record in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.08 seconds. Larson also finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:05.65.

Cameron Ting squeaked out the victory in the heptathlon by seven points as she totaled 3957 and won three of the seven events.

IC dominated the high jump as the Bombers claimed five of the top six spots. Madeleine Wright was the runner-up at 1.62 meters, while Celia Ryan was third at 1.52 meters. Lydia Barber and Ting both cleared 1.47 meters for fourth and fifth and Cecelia LaBonte finished in sixth at 1.42 meters.

Lily Seyfert posted a mark of 12.77 meters in the shot put to place second overall and was eighth in the discus with a mark of 37.40 meters. Laura Suppa was the runner-up in the 100 dash in 12.30 seconds and finished the 100 hurdles in 14.44 seconds to place third overall. Suppa also competed in the 200 and was eighth in 27.27 seconds.

Ithaca’s 4×100-meter relay of Marykate Rudnicki, Suppa, Larson and McQuillar posted a runner-up finish in 47.87 seconds. The 4×4 relay of Natalie MacArthur, Julia Ryba, Marykate Rudnicki and McQuillar took fourth in 4:03.64.

Alexis Brown measured 10.75 meters in the triple jump to come in fourth, while LaBonte placed fourth overall in the heptathlon 3802 points.

MacArthur was a sixth place finisher in the 400-meter dash in 1:00.01. Rudnicki was seventh in the 100 dash in a time of 12.78 seconds and Kaden LeChase was seventh in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:09.46. Ryan claimed seventh in the triple jump at 10.59 meters.

 



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Bucknell University

WORCESTER, Mass.– Bucknell men’s track & field produced one of its best championship performances in years by winning two gold medals and finishing fourth after the second and final day of the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Championships. Brian Scotto and Wade Shomper mined the gold medals and Shomper set a school record. 18 Bison finished […]

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WORCESTER, Mass.– Bucknell men’s track & field produced one of its best championship performances in years by winning two gold medals and finishing fourth after the second and final day of the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Championships. Brian Scotto and Wade Shomper mined the gold medals and Shomper set a school record. 18 Bison finished in the top ten and eight Orange & Blue top ten all-time marks were achieved. The two gold medals mark the first time Bucknell won multiple since 2018. 

The Navy men paced the leaderboard finishing with 236 points. Army West Point placed second with 201 points, while Boston University finished third with 134 points. Bucknell (94) and Lehigh (64) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Holy Cross (46), Colgate (30), American (26) and Lafayette (26) completed the men’s standings.

Results

Donner’s Debriefing

 

“I felt both teams had a very good day two. We were clawing for every point we could get to help both teams finish a respectable fourth place. Lea really stepped things up a notch to put on a show in the 200 and 400 dashes and she correctly received Rookie of the Meet. It was great to see Scotto win the 110-meter hurdles and Shomper win the shot put.”

Shomper continued his year-long success in the shot put by winning the event and setting the school record. His record-breaking and event-winning toss of 17.48m (57-4.25) arrived in his second attempt. Shomper now owns the indoor and outdoor shot put records. He became the first Bison since Joseph Breen in 2017 to simultaneously hold both records. 

Shomper became the first Bison since Connor McMenamin (2021) to win gold at the PL Outdoor Championships and he is the first Bison since Timothy Medlock (2009) to finish first in the shot put.

“I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders,” said Shomper. “Today was a good day!”

Shomper headlined the shot put but two other Bison finished in the top eight. Braden Stryker slotted fourth, throwing 16.79m (55-1). He achieved the position in his final attempt. Braiden Pulver earned eighth in his first outdoor championships, tossing 16.05m (52-8). 

Scotto finished second in yesterday’s 110-meter hurdles preliminaries but as the saying goes, “paper doesn’t run,” and the senior reinforced the core maxim in today’s finals. His 14.05 edged the second place finisher by 0.02 seconds. The time moved him into second place all-time in Bucknell history. 

“It means everything to me,” said Scotto. “I went through so much adversity to get here. This is probably my last meet. It feels amazing to be out here and have fun. I can’t put words to it.” 

“Scotto has battled injuries his entire career,” said sprints coach Richard Alexander. “To know all the work he put to get to this moment is so rewarding. If this is the end of his Bucknell career I could not imagine a better way to do it.”

Ethan Knight also achieved notable success in the 110-meter hurdles. The freshman displayed flashes of worthiness, finishing sixth, racing 14.55. The time ranked sixth in Bucknell history, a spot recently vacated by Scotto.  

Knight had a good day overall. He placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles, racing 53.06. The time moved him into sixth all-time in Bucknell history. 

The Bison dominated the discus throw, finishing 3-4-5-6-7. Shomper again led the Bison troops with a third-place throw of 48.38m (158-9). Keenan LaMontagne grabbed fourth place, tossing 48.30m (158-5), Stryker placed fifth, flinging 48.05m (157-7), Robert Lerner earned sixth place, chucking 47.77m (156-8), and Angelo Regec rounded out the fivesome at seventh, throwing 46.65m (153-0).  

The 4×400-meter relay foursome of Preston Lubeski, Amani Brown, Colby Belczyk, and Brandon Foust won bronze, combining for a time of 3:12.89. Their speed ranked fifth in Bucknell history. 

The quartet of Cooper Hyken, Garrett Backus, Luke Petryna, and Foust finished fourth in the 4×100-meter relay. The grouping ran 41.07. 

Freshman Caleb Simbiri celebrated his first Patriot League Outdoor Championships with his sixth place finish in the high jump. He leaped 14.92m (48-11.50) on his first attempt. The rookie sits fifth in Bucknell history for the event. 

Henry Didden earned his second top eight finish of the weekend by placing sixth in the 5000-meter run. The junior ran 14:31.15. 

Lubeski placed seventh in the 400-meter dash, logging 48.10. His time slotted ninth in Bucknell history. 

Ethan Pratt-Perez debuted in the Outdoor Championship with a seventh-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The rookie ran 9:22.40. 

Will Feddeler finished ninth in the decathlon with 6302 points. He placed sixth in two of the final five events; the discus and 1500-meter run. He threw 33.51m (109-11) and ran 4:45.66. His point total ranked fourth all-time in Bucknell history.

The Bison will rest a weekend before competing in the IC4A Championships on May 16-18. 

2025 Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships Major Awards

Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet – Vera Sjöberg, Boston University

Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet – Nathan Kent, Navy

Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet – Peace Omonzane, Boston University

Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet – Robby Manse, Army West Point

Women’s Rookie of the Meet – Alex Lea, Bucknell

Men’s Rookie of the Meet – Guy Margalit, Boston University

Women’s Highest Point Scorer – Jia Anderson, Navy

Men’s Highest Point Scorer – Robby Manse, Army West Point

Women’s Coach of the Year – Mike Smith, Army West Point

Men’s Coach of the Year- Jaime Cook, Navy

 

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field First-Team All-Patriot League (First-Place Finishers)

American: Kaden Kluth (1,500m), Carver Morgan (800m)

Army West Point: Jacob Bowersock (Discus), Nathan Davis (3,000-meter Steeplechase, 5,000m), Javan Guevara-Cragwell (Triple Jump), Robby Manse (Hammer Throw)

Boston University: Thomas Cowan (4×800), Owen Faulha (Javelin), Steven Franco (Decathlon), Michael Onilogbo (100m), Parker Schneider (4×800), Shamiso Sikaneta (4×800), Karsen Vesty (4×800)

Bucknell: Brian Scotto (Men’s 100-meter Hurdles), Wade Shomper (Shot Put)

Navy: Jayden Evans (4×400), Peter DeJonge (4×400), Jacques Guillaume (400-meter hurdles, 4×400), Marcel Jackson (4×100), Jonah Johnson (4×100), Nathan Kent (200m, 400m, 4×100, 4×400), Murphy Smith (10,000m), Sheldon Ulmer (High Jump), William Yurich (4×100)

 

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Second-Team All-Patriot League (Second-Place Finishers)

Army West Point: Shawn Carter (4×400), Nathan Davis (4×400), Joshua Duncan (4×100), Adam Furman (4×800), Jaxon Hammond (100m, 4×100), Zane Hicke (High Jump, 4×400), Kasen Jeitz (800m, 4×800), Owen Lang (4×100), Robby Manse (Discus, Shot Put), Trey McGinnis (4×100), Brian McSweeney (Pole Vault), Ammon Smith (4×800), Jordan Taylor (4×800), Collin Torres (Javelin)

Boston University: Guy Margalit (Triple Jump), Samuel Roszak (Long Jump), Karsen Vesty (1,500m)

Bucknell: Aiden Tucker (Hammer Throw)

Colgate: Cole Blair (Long Jump), Ethan Eisner (200m, 400m)

Holy Cross: Brian Fennelly (Men’s 100-meter Hurdles)

Lehigh: Gideon Coprivnicar (Decathlon)

Navy: Benjamin Countiss (3,000-meter Steeplechase), Alexander Kirkland (10,000m), Brian Schloeder (Pole Vault), Murphy Smith (5,000m), David Walker (400-meter hurdles)

Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championship Records Broken

*Men’s 100m – Michael Onilogbo, Boston University, Jr., 10.41

*Men’s 200m – Nathan Kent, Navy, Jr., 20.56

Men’s 400m – Nathan Kent, Navy, Jr., 46.19

*Men’s 400-meter hurdles – Jacques Guillaume, Navy, Sr., 51.21

Men’s 800m – Carver Morgan, American, Jr., 1:47.91

Men’s Decathlon – Steven Franco, Boston University, Sr., 7,289 points

Men’s 4×100 Relay – Navy, 39.64

Men’s 4×400 Relay – Navy, 3:08.11

 *Denotes League record was matched





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Alberston wins two jumps for men’s track and field at Ole Open

Story Links NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men’s track and field team had 19 top-five finishes at the Ole Open on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou in its final meet before the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Sophomore Max Albertson won […]

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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men’s track and field team had 19 top-five finishes at the Ole Open on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou in its final meet before the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Sophomore Max Albertson won both the long jump and triple jump for two of St. Olaf’s three first-place performances on the day at the unscored meet. First year Andrew Crisp was first in the five-runner field in the 3,000-meter run (9:20.56) as well. St. Olaf honored its senior class at the conclusion of the final home meet of their careers.

Albertson posted the top long jump (6.79m, 22′ 3 ½”) and triple jump (13.68m, 44′ 10 ¾”) of the day, with the second mark ranking fourth in the MIAC this season. Senior Eh Ler Moo was the runner-up to Albertson in the long jump (6.65m, 21′ 10″), while first year Rik Cumps was third in both events. Cumps was less than an inch behind Moo in the long jump (6.64m, 21′ 9 ½”) and had a mark of 13.04 meters (42′ 9 ½”) in the triple jump.

St. Olaf had four of the top-five finishers in the 800-meter run, led by a runner-up showing from junior Ignatius Fitzgerald (1:54.69). First year Jackson Bullock was third (1:55.22), senior Olaf Coffey took fourth (1:55.31), and senior Sean Hartney placed fifth (1:55.58), with all four Oles separated by less than one second.

Junior Max Thomas posted a second-place performance in the javelin throw with a mark of 46.82 meters (153′ 7″) and was joined in the top five by sophomore Jesse Olson in fifth (43.97m, 144′ 3″). Sophomore Trey Petersen cleared 3.65 meters (11′ 11 ¾”) to take fourth in the pole vault.

Juniors Parker Max and Jack McFetridge recorded fourth-place (4:05.15) and fifth-place (4:05.47) results in the 1,500-meter run, while Moo, first year Gavin Vogel, first year Luke Jones, and first year Jakob Eenigenburg sprinted to fourth in the 4×100-meter relay (43.22).

The two-day MIAC Outdoor Championships will begin on Friday, May 9 at Macalester Stadium, with field events starting at 2 p.m. and track events at 2:30 p.m.

 



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Sant Andreu stun Sabadell to secure Champions League crown

Sant Andreu’s players and coaches were presented with the trophy after downing Sabadell in the final. Photo: Aniko Kovacs CN Sant Andreu led just once in the women’s Champions League final – 2.4 seconds from time. Queralt Anton’s winning goal completed a miraculous comeback as they staged a 0-3 run in the last three minutes […]

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Sant Andreu’s players and coaches were presented with the trophy after downing Sabadell in the final. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

CN Sant Andreu led just once in the women’s Champions League final – 2.4 seconds from time. Queralt Anton’s winning goal completed a miraculous comeback as they staged a 0-3 run in the last three minutes of the game, which title-holders Astralpool CN Sabadell were dominating – especially at three goals up in the middle of the third – but they were unable to break their fellow Spaniards. This is a historical first for Sant Andreu, while Sabadell’s plan for a three-peat and an all-time record-tying eighth trophy was ruined. Elsewhere, on a dramatic final day, the bronze went to hosts Olympiacos SFP after they swept FTC Telekom Waterpolo aside 18-11.

2024/25 Champions League Women
Final Four, Finals
Saturday, 3 May 2025

Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 18-11 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) – Bronze Medal Game
Astralpool CN Sabadell (ESP) 8-9 CN Sant Andreu (ESP) – Gold Medal Game

Sant Andreu completed a stunning comeback to claim the title. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

Sabadell may have been dominant in the Spanish league, but it was St Andreu that managed to break their reign in single-game finals, notably by claiming back-to-back Spanish cup titles.

Still, this was the Champions League final – the biggest match in the club’s history – and it unsurprisingly took some time for the underdogs to settle.

In the opening four and a half minutes, title-holders Sabadell went about their business and quickly established a 3-0 lead, thanks to a stunning Simone van de Kraats hat-trick.

The Dutch star put away two man-ups and lobbed a nice one from a counter, while St Andreu looked a little bewildered in attack.

But once they got going, the contest really began to heat up. Olympic champion Elena Ruiz opened St Andreu’s account after five minutes with a fierce shot from the perimeter, then, after killing a Sabadell six on five, Paula Camus scored a great goal from the centre for 3-2.

Sabadell goalkeeper Laura Aarts made several great saves in the final. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

St Andreu also forced two more six on fives to go even before the first break, but they couldn’t beat Sabadell’s defence and goalkeeper Laura Aarts.

That proved painful as Sabadell struck first in the second quarter, with Rita Keszthelyi’s exquisite lob doubling the defending champions’ lead. They were far from playing perfect, as they missed two six on fives, but St Andreu also lacked the necessary energy to catch up their arch-rivals.

After three minutes of back-and-forth, Sabadell could finally launch a clean three on two counter and Bea Ortiz gently put the ball in the net for 5-2.

Their fellow Catalans also overcame their difficulties, as after an eight-minute-long drought, Nona Perez sent the ball home from a six on five. Since the remaining two minutes of the half brought only battling with no real chances, the game remained tight at 5-3.

Sabadell’s Simon van de Kraats fired in four goals, but it wasn’t enough to help guide her team to a third successive title. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

Perez’ great individual action goal reduced the gap to one shortly after the restart, and after another denied six on five, St Andreu had a possession to go even. Aarts’ saves kept them at bay, though, and van de Kraats returned to the stage with a fantastic shot from distance.

St Andreu then missed a crucial six on five and Ortiz’s rocket gave Sabadell a three-goal lead once more.

It didn’t last long, though, as Alba Munoz’s great centre shot, plus a brilliant six on five play and Perez’s third of the night cut St Andreu’s deficit to one again, with 1:38 to go.

Both sides had a woman-up, but each side’s defence worked hard to keep the score at 7-6 before the final quarter.

The chess-like game continued there – it was a big tactical battle, where defences ruled the field. Sabadell couldn’t create any real danger in their first six on five, and St Andreu couldn’t even force an exclusion.

Sabadell had another woman-up, played after a time-out, and even though their first attempt hit the frame of the goal, their second attempt succeeded – Keszthelyi’s blistering shot bouncing in off the post for 8-6.

The Hungarian star then let two more shots fly, but couldn’t hit the target, so Sabadell missed the opportunity to maybe end the contest.

Sant Andreu’s Nona Perez scored a hat-trick against Sabadell and was also awarded the MVP trophy. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

Instead, a time-out 3:07 from the final buzzer helped St Andreu to regroup and Ariadna Ruiz hammered in a stunning strike from action for 8-7.

And soon it was even, for the first time since 0-0, as Queralt Anton’s shot was an even more spectacular rocket from the perimeter with 1:58 to go.

St Andreu had a chance to take the lead, but Aarts produced a massive stop. Van de Kraats’ lob then hit the woodwork and the chasers had their golden moment coming – a six on five after another time-out with 19 seconds on the clock.

And it was sheer joy for St Andreu. It looked for a while that Sabadell’s defence could clear the ball, but Anton somehow found it among the defenders and fired it in from 7m – with just 2.4 seconds remaining.

There was no way back for Sabadell, as an easy block sealed a famous victory for St Andreu and completed a remarkable comeback.

Indeed, it was a miracle in the water – a 0-3 run in the last three minutes. It was a special way to write history and lift the most prestigious trophy for the first time in the club’s histroy – as well as denying Sabadell a three-peat.

Sabadell – stuck on seven titles – will now have to wait at least another year to catch up Orizzonte on the all-time ranks where the Italians still lead with eight trophies.

Sant Andreu’s players celebrated a famous victory against Sabadell. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

Earlier on Saturday – in the bronze medal game – hosts Olympiacos started brightly and jumped to a 4-1 lead in a span of two and a half minutes.

That was bad news for FTC, as the game was following a similar pattern to their semi, where they scored first then conceded four in a row.

The Hungarians fought back to 5-3 early in the second, but two fine perimeter shots from Vasiliki Plevritou and Abby Andrews quickly put the hosts on the path to the medal podium.

Vanda Valyi pulled one back from a penalty, then the Magyars killed three Greek six on fives, but they were still unable to penetrate Olympiacos’ stubborn defence, and their French international goalkeeper Mia Rycraw was also doing a splendid job.

Olympiacos’ Australian star Abby Andrews scored twice in her team’s victory against FTC. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

The hosts’ Maria Myriokefalitaki then did what they were failing to do in their six on fives, as she scored from the centre with a brilliant backhander to make it 8-4, 22 seconds before the turnaround.

To have a small chance of a close match, FTC needed to convert their extras, but they kept on struggling, just like they did on Friday. After netting their first, they missed their next six, while Olympiacos hit two from action in 31 seconds to make it 10-4.

Even though Fradi had a better spell a little later, when they scored two from back-to-back possessions, the Plevritou sisters on Olympiacos’ side were doing a way better job.

Vasiliki Plevritou had a game to remember, scoring seven goals to help steer her team to the Champions League bronze medal. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

Vasiliki hit three goals in a row, and captain Margarita was outstanding in defence – while Fradi’s Eleftheria couldn’t come up with her usual great contributions in this match.

Indeed, Olympiacos were a class apart in the third period. After hitting eight in the first half, they added seven in the penultimate quarter to go 15-6 up to secure the bronze medal before the fourth had even started.

The Greek defence loosened up a bit once the game was sewn up, which allowed FTC to come a little closer, but Vasiliki Plevritou continued to fire in some brilliant shots – she stopped at seven goals, so considering the final result, 18-11, it could even be said she made the difference.

Olympiacos’ swept FTC aside to win the bronze medal. Photo: Aniko Kovacs

More photos from today’s action can be found by clicking here, credit Aniko Kovacs. Watch live water polo on www.euroaquaticstv.com, and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics



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