✕

VIEW

GSTAAD: Qatar’s beach volleyball team, featuring the world-class duo of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, clinched the title at the Gstaad Elite16 tournament in Switzerland after a straight-sets victory over Sweden’s Jacob Holting Nilsson and David Ahman in the final, with scores of 21-19 and 22-20.

Qatar team displayed exceptional skill and composure throughout the match, securing the championship in one of the premier stops of the Elite16 tour – part of the prestigious five-star circuit governed by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB).

This triumph further cements Qatar’s standing among the world’s top beach volleyball nations and adds to an impressive string of achievements by the duo this season.

Earlier this year, Younousse and Tijan claimed gold at the Xiamen Elite16 event in China, followed by a victory at the Pingtan Asian Open. They also secured gold at the GCC Beach Games ‘Muscat 2025’.

On the continental stage, the Qatari pair continued their dominance by winning the 24th Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Songkhla, Thailand – one of the continent’s oldest and most prestigious tournaments. They also took gold at the Asian Beach Tour held at Al Gharafa Beach Courts in Doha, defeating Australia in the final in straight sets, further underscoring the rising standard of Qatari beach volleyball and the growing strength of local competition.

Qatar’s beach volleyball program has seen a meteoric rise in recent years, marked by a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and a fourth-place finish at Paris 2024. These accomplishments highlight the country’s steady progress toward becoming a global powerhouse in the sport.

The Aussie Stingers have started the Tri Nations Test Match Series with a thrilling penalty shoot out win against Olympic rivals USA in Perth.

In front of a passionate home crowd at Perth’s High Performance Centre, the Stingers were excited to play their first official game on home soil since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Olympic silver medalist Alice Williams was the first to convert, with a penalty in the opening minutes.

Despite two goals in response from the USA, Williams found the back of the cage in the dying seconds of the first quarter to level the scores 2-2 at quarter time.

The Aussies added another two goals to their haul in the second quarter, courtesy of Abby Andrews and New South Wales Institute of Spot (NSWIS) scholarship holder, Olivia Mitchell.

In the third, a buzzer beater goal from Dani Jackovich (NSWIS) put the Aussies back in it, trailing by one at the three-quarter time break.

Williams scored another in the fourth quarter, with Jackovich again scoring in the final minutes to draw the scores 8-8 at the end of regular time.

In penalties, huge saves in goals from goalkeepers Gabi Palm and Gen Longman (NSWIS) kept the Aussies in it, and with Williams the last shooter, she slotted it into the back of the net to secure the win for the Aussies.

For NSWIS athlete Bronte Halligan (pictured), it was a case of deja vu, and she was proud her team were able to secure the win.

“An 8-8 score and then to go into penalties…the irony wasn’t lost on me. Almost 12 months ago we had the exact same score in the semi final against them at the Olympics,” Halligan said.

“It was just a true dedication to the hard work the girls have put in all year, and it was really exciting for our first official home game (this cycle) on home soil to come up with a big win in penalties.”

Williams said that she enjoyed the challenge, and seeing her teammates rise to the occasion.

“That was a really good game. The US is always really hard and a tough challenge for us, but I love the style of water polo that we played,” Williams said.

“I always think there’s room to improve. Honestly, I’m not sure my stats were, but the girls really stepped up as well in moments where we needed them.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sporting JAX, a Gainbridge Super League club, is set to make history as Jacksonville’s first professional women’s soccer team during the International Women’s Soccer Series—less than a month away.

The preseason matchups on Aug. 2 and Aug. 10 will mark the beginning of the club’s inaugural 2025-26 season and the launch of the first pro women’s soccer team on the First Coast.

The club is scheduled to host Hibernian FC Women and Wrexham AFC Women—two of the top teams in the league—at Hodges Stadium on the University of North Florida campus. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. kickoffs.

Midfielder Sophia Boman, a Minnesota native, said the excitement of being part of a new chapter in women’s sports hadn’t fully sunk in.

“Once I signed here, I went back home and was training at Minnesota for the remaining couple of months,” said Boman. “It’ll be really fun to be able to play teams from Europe and kind of get a taste of how they play. I think that’ll be a really great experience and I hope a lot of fans are able to come out and support us in our first preseason matches,” she added.

(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — A smiling Tania Tan crossed the finish line of the women’s 10,000m race at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau on Friday morning — and she had more than one reason to smile.

She bagged the gold medal, defeating a tough competitor from New Caledonia, and in doing so, delivered the Northern Mariana Islands its first-ever athletics gold medal in Pacific Mini Games history. The victory was also a redemption moment for Tan, who missed the podium during the 2022 Mini Games on home soil.

Tan’s gold, combined with Lyle Andrew’s win in the men’s hammer throw and Isaiah Aleksenko’s triumph in the pool, made Friday the most successful single day for Team Marianas in Palau, with three gold medals.

The 24-year-old distance runner completed the 25-lap race around the Palau National Track and Field in 38:03.57, finishing well ahead of Natalia Prado Alfonso of New Caledonia, who clocked in at 38:29.15 — about 100 meters behind. Tahiti’s Louise Grossgogeat took bronze with a time of 39:48.01.

Four other runners were still entering their final lap when Tan crossed the finish line.

Record day in athletics

Also topping the medal podium was Lyle Andrew, who dominated the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 33.06 meters, well ahead of Fiji’s Glen Finau (29.63m). Guam’s Alonzo Acosta placed third with a 23.62m throw.

Five other athletes competing for Northern Marianas Athletics delivered strong performances, with three setting new national records.

Maria Quitugua set a new NMI javelin record with a throw of 37.30m.

Kaithlyn Chavez set two national records on Saturday — first in the 400m with a time of 1:01.36, and then in the 800m at 2:26.83.

In the men’s 10,000m, Nash Santos broke one of the longest-standing national records with his 36:30.64 finish, surpassing the 1994 mark of 36:39.7 held by John Hoffman.

Other results

Simon Tang reached the 400m hurdles finals with a time of 1:00.97.

Theodore Rodgers ran 11.88 seconds in the 100m qualifying heat.

The athletics competition took a break Sunday and resumes Monday. Scheduled to compete:

Tan and Santos in the 5,000m.

Tang in the 110m hurdles.

Rodgers in the 200m.

Andrew in the discus throw.

Chavez in the 400m finals.

Top Team in Micronesia

With 2 golds from athletics and 3 more medals from weightlifting on Saturday, Team Marianas raised its total to 9 golds, 7 silvers, and 10 bronzes.

Joey Colisao won a silver (total) and bronze (snatch) in the men’s 110+kg class, while Jason Limes added a bronze in the clean and jerk in the same division — closing out NMI’s campaign in weightlifting.

With 26 total medals, Team Marianas remains in the Top 10 of the overall medal standings and ranks first among Micronesian nations, surpassing:

Marshall Islands (5 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze)

Palau (4-17-13)

Nauru (3-22-8)

FSM (3-2-3)

Kiribati (3-1-3)

Guam (2-3-4)

NMI is still in contention in beach volleyball, 3×3 basketball, athletics, and triathlon.

In beach volleyball, Andrew Johnson and Logan Mister advanced to the semifinals after defeating:

Vanuatu’s Fletcher Uma Abel and Stivano Banga, 21-10, 21-16

PNG’s Richard Batari and Tonnie Gima, 21-16, 21-16

In baseball, the NMI was scheduled to play Palau in a makeup game on Sunday night, with the winner advancing to the final against Guam.

Swimming, va’a, and weightlifting teams return

NMI swimmers are scheduled to return home Monday morning, bringing with them 6 golds, 3 silvers, and 4 bronzes, along with a handful of national records.

Isaiah Aleksenko capped off his dominant run with a sixth gold medal, winning the 100m backstroke in 52.55 seconds on Friday night.

Joining the swim team on the return flight to Saipan are the va’a and weightlifting squads.