Sports

A tribute to Alan Bell (Wirral VC)

Alan Bell will always be a man who loved volleyball and was determined to use the sport to bring the best out of young people in his local area. Founder and Coach of Wirral Volleyball Club, he played an active part in developing junior players right up until his sad passing. In national Junior Grand […]

Published

2 months ago

May 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Alan Bell will always be a man who loved volleyball and was determined to use the sport to bring the best out of young people in his local area.

Founder and Coach of Wirral Volleyball Club, he played an active part in developing junior players right up until his sad passing.

In national Junior Grand Prix competitions, Wirral finished the 2024-25 season in sixth in the Gold Cup (U15 girls), won the Silver Cup (U16 girls) and were seventh in the Silver Cup (U18 girls).

Alongside his coaching, Alan also found time to serve as secretary of the Merseyside Volleyball League for more than 45 years and was widely respected across volleyball’s communities, not just locally, but nationally as well.

He was also actively involved in the North West Regional squads.

My dad was always passionate about volleyball and its youth development for as long as I can remember,” said Alan’s daughter, Sarah.

“He made many friends among the way, one of his best being Brian Kendall, who sadly passed a few years ago.

“Dad would always tell me the progress of the Wirral teams and tournaments he was running when we spoke, and he was really pleased and proud of how the teams progressed this year.”

Tributes to Alan have poured in on the Volleyball England Facebook page since the news of Alan’s passing was announced, commending his dedication to the sport and his knowledge of it.

“(Alan was) an absolute leading light in coaching over a lifetime. Especially the coaching of children,” said Tim Clifford, of Bedminster Volleyball Club. “His knowledge and expertise is a huge loss to our sport.

“The last spoke to Alan at the end of October for over an hour, not about the on-court coaching but about the safeguarding around travel with juniors and the detail of structuring junior competition to correctly facilitate development. He was very much a like-minded thinker!

“Thank you for all the advice Alan, Rest in Peace.”

Bryan Youlden said: “Very sad indeed….a man who made a substantial contribution and who challenged a number of aspects of the sport from a considered and well-argued perspectives.”

Madn Canham added: “Alan introduced volleyball into many schools on the Wirral and helped gain funding to source equipment. He has organised numerous events, Pontins, beach volleyball and regular school tournaments.

“Both my children have learnt to play through his coaching. I am so grateful for all the opportunities he has provided and very sad to hear this news.”

Keith Nicholls said: “Alan was the epitome of the founders of grassroots volleyball. Totally committed, unwavering in his determination to encourage and assist young people in finding a healthy and compelling community playing our sport.

“There are many who have been touched and guided by his involvement in their life and will remember him fondly.”

And Anna Holsgrove-Smith simply said: “Alan was one of the best and nicest coaches I have ever had. I will miss him greatly.”

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Georgia women win first NCAA outdoor track title

Finishing behind Georgia (73 points) were USC (47), Texas A&M (43), Washington (31), and Illinois (29.5). The University of Georgia women’s track and field team ran away with its first-ever outdoor title at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. Senior Elena Kulichenko (high jump), junior Aaliyah Butler (400-meter dash) and Butler, Michelle Smith, Dejanea Oakley, […]

Published

15 minutes ago

June 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Finishing behind Georgia (73 points) were USC (47), Texas A&M (43), Washington (31), and Illinois (29.5).

The University of Georgia women’s track and field team ran away with its first-ever outdoor title at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Senior Elena Kulichenko (high jump), junior Aaliyah Butler (400-meter dash) and Butler, Michelle Smith, Dejanea Oakley, and Sydney Harris (4×400-meter relay) captured national crowns.

THAT’S HOW YOU END A 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR #DAWGS

Georgia women DOMINATE the @NCAATrackField Championships field to win their first national outdoor by 26 points@UGAAthletics @universityofga @USTFCCCA #GoDawgs | #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/bBEFM6F9By

— Georgia Track + Field (@UGATrack) June 15, 2025

Oakley collected silver in the 400 meters, Smith managed bronze in the 400-meter hurdles, and freshman Skylynn Townsend posted a personal best to take sixth in the triple jump.

Finishing behind Georgia (73 points) were USC (47), Texas A&M (43), Washington (31), and Illinois (29.5) in the top five.

Georgia finished as the runner-up in back-to-back years, 2017-18, and its 2025 point total of 73 is a school record, surpassing the 62.2 in 2017.

While this is the first NCAA outdoor team title for the Georgia women, they did capture the 2018 indoor team championship.

“We worked really, really, really hard, and we have a team that is starting to form into something that will be a great program,” Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert said.

“It’s very important to me for us to have points all over the place. Track and field is track and field, so we made a point this year and for the future to build all parts of the program, not just the sprints.”

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Fleet feet: Fredericksburg-area track and field athletes bring home state gold

Courtland rising senior Kayden Whitaker was runner-up in the Class 4 state 100-meter dash and was a part of the school-record setting 400 relay team that won a state championship last weekend at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Fredericksburg-area track and field athletes took home both individual medals and team hardware this postseason. Athletes from […]

Published

34 minutes ago

June 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Fredericksburg-area track and field athletes took home both individual medals and team hardware this postseason.

Athletes from Courtland, Colonial Forge, James Monroe, and Massaponax high schools were a step ahead of the competition at their respective state competitions last weekend.

Courtland rising senior and second-year runner Kayden Whitaker didn’t just win races — he set records. He was named MVP of Courtland’s track team, earned all-Battlefield District honors and ran the 100-meter dash in 10.57 seconds, which now stands as a school record.

The accolades didn’t stop there.

Whitaker was voted Runner of the Year after earning the most regional votes from area track coaches. His older brother, Kwame Whitaker Jr., was part of Courtland’s 400-meter relay unit that previously held a school record, but his younger sibling and three others broke the mark.

Kayden Whitaker, along with Anthony Marshall, Daijon Edwards, and Brayden Bachiller, eclipsed the record with a blazing time of 41.75 seconds to win the state championship at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

Whitaker said the camaraderie established with teammates like Marshall, Edwards and Bachiller was a highlight of his season.

One of the group’s most memorable moments came when Whitaker received the baton neck-and-neck with a Varina High runner, but burst past the field on the final leg, winning the Region 4B race by a tenth of a second.

Whitaker finished runner-up in the state in Class 4 in the 100 but took first place in the district and region competitions. He is now preparing for Adidas Nationals June 21-22 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he’ll compete in the 100 and the 200 as well as the 400 relay.

“I really like my chances at nationals. I put in a lot of work over the last year,” he said.

His parents, Kwame Whitaker Sr. and Elena Whitaker, credit Courtland coach Kristen Lowery for shaping all three of their children — including daughter Akeila Edwards — into standout athletes.

“All of my kids have held state and school track records under Coach Lowery’s guidance. It’s just a testament to her coaching,” Elena Whitaker said.

The Colonial Forge boys captured the first track and field team state championship in Stafford County history last weekend. (Photo courtesy of Sean Hill)

Eagles’ boys soar to first team track title in county history

Just a few miles north in Stafford County, Colonial Forge head coach Sean Hill led the Eagles’ boys to the Class 6 state title. It is the first track and field team title in Stafford County history. Hill, a 2003 Colonial Forge alum, previously coached at Riverbend (2014–16) and returned to Forge as an assistant before becoming head coach this year.

This season, his son, Brian Harris, won the state triple jump title with a mark of 47 feet, 1¼ inches, and sophomore Taishaun Daniel took the state title in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 8 inches. Harris has committed to Richard Bland College in Petersburg.

Hill’s 400 relay team of seniors Malik Dark, Harris, Matt Fisher, and Owen Sharlow didn’t just win the state title — they set the Class 6 state record with a time of 40.97 seconds. Fisher will continue his track career at George Mason University.

Looking back on the season, Hill said, “there were some good times and some bad times.”

His team battled injuries, and after losing regionals by just four points, they had a two-week recovery period and bounced back to win it all at the state meet at Todd Stadium in Newport News.

“The boys really stepped up,” Hill said.

It was a year of hard work for the Eagles. They practiced five days per week from 2:30–4 p.m. during the season. Hill said they had to “trust the process, not the outcome,” but the ending was sweet for Hill and his athletes.

“The work is done in practice,” Hill said. “I’m proud of the kids for banding together to make history.”

Forge’s 400 relay squad is preparing for the New Balance Nationals, held at the University of Pennsylvania June 19–22.

Fredericksburg area girls also stood out on the track at the state level. The James Monroe girls’ 400 relay team captured the Class 3 championship at Liberty with a time of 48.74 seconds. The squad features sophomores Zariya Cole and Finé Swain, junior Harmony Jones and freshman Jaziah Banks. They capped a dominant season that also included Battlefield District and Region 3B victories.

In the Class 5 boys 300-meter hurdles at Todd Stadium, nobody was better than Massaponax junior Davian Booker, who won his second straight state title with a time of 37.39 seconds. Booker was also the Commonwealth District and Region 5D champion. He’s the defending national champion in the 400 hurdles after capturing the crown at last year’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet.

The future is bright for track and field in the area, with Booker and several other athletes now preparing to compete on the national stage.

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How women's tennis returned to Queen's in London after more than 50 years

THE QUEEN’S CLUB, LONDON — A little before 6 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Emma Raducanu stood on the Andy Murray Arena at Queen’s Club in west London, soaking up the applause from a packed crowd. She’d just beaten Rebecca Šramková to reach the HSBC Championships quarterfinals, at a time of day that for nearly two decades […]

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50 minutes ago

June 16, 2025

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How women's tennis returned to Queen's in London after more than 50 years

As the crowd watched on from the stands and on BBC Two back home, it felt like the kind of moment the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) had in mind when it secured a women’s event at Queen’s for the first time since 1973. Visibility for women’s tennis and helping the push towards equality were major drivers of the event returning, and with her run to the last eight, Raducanu, the country’s most recent Grand Slam singles champion, acted as the frontwoman for that message.

The original Queen’s Club Championships was a joint men’s and women’s event from 1890 to 1973, before, with echoes of the modern day, a squeezed schedule led to the women’s event being removed from the tournament calendar. The event was held the week before Wimbledon, and with 48 men’s players and 64 women’s players playing simultaneously, there was little wiggle room for the British weather.

If it rained, matches had to be switched to lightning-quick indoor wooden courts in that instance. So the women’s event moved to Eastbourne on the south coast of England, and the men’s to Nottingham in the Midlands. The men returned to Queen’s in 1977, and the tournament reestablished itself as the premier Wimbledon tune-up.

A male-only tournament for over 50 years, Queen’s slowly became synonymous with a particular type of old-fashioned British tennis thinking: Wimbledon was the last Grand Slam to award equal prize money to men and women, and until 2022, former champions were listed on the club’s honor boards by their married names. The legendary Chris Evert was down as Mrs. J.M. Lloyd for her 1981 title, as she won that year during her marriage to the British former world No. 23 John Lloyd.

Part of the motivation for the women’s event returning to Queen’s this year was to shake up some of the long-held assumptions about British tennis. That it is a sport for the middle class, that men are generally given preference, and that change happens at a glacial pace. An extremely expensive members’ club in an affluent area of west London remains emblematic of how outsiders perceive British tennis, even more so than Wimbledon. Both are beautiful, old-fashioned venues, but for colored trousers, panama hats and open-necked pink shirts, Queen’s has typically been the place to be.

Its members, gathered by the clubhouse overlooking the main court with Pimm’s in hand, are far more prominent than their equivalents at the All England Club, who fade into the background.

“It’s kind of what I think a lot of Americans would think of as a (typical) British club,” world No. 8 and Australian Open champion Madison Keys said of Queen’s in a news conference Friday.

Australian Open champion Keys was one of the top-ranked players at Queen’s. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

A small group of Queen’s members last year planned legal action against the event, reportedly furious that they weren’t consulted about it being hosted at the club. Those tensions are said to have largely been smoothed over, helped by the club taking away a fee for booking courts that had existed even for members previously.

“Originally there was some frustration — you know what Queen’s can be like, it can be a bit stuffy,” a member who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect professional relationships, said in a phone interview Thursday.

“But generally now it’s been taken pretty well — the changes to the fees have been good, and the extra week hasn’t been that disruptive. You can still use the indoor and hard courts during the tournaments.”

There is still exasperation among some members about the reduction over the last few years in guest passes for the tournament. This was down from around 400 to 100 in 2023, and they’ve remained hard to get. Queen’s did not confirm the exact numbers for this year’s events, nor whether the possible legal action amounted to anything. Another member made the point meanwhile that the growth of the tournament over the last decade or so has helped transform the facilities at the club.

In any case, these sorts of internal disputes among an extremely privileged group of people are not how those in charge of British tennis want the sport in the UK to be viewed.

The LTA and its tournament director, former world No. 27 Laura Robson, want the women’s event to attract a more diverse audience than the men’s event typically has. Both events are categorised as 500-level tournaments — the number of ranking points awarded to the winner — just below the 1,000 level, which is the rung underneath the Grand Slams.

Various fans said that they were visiting Queen’s for the first time. One 22-year-old Ukrainian supporter explained Friday that he lived locally and bought a ticket on the day. Another spectator, David, was there with his 12-year-old son Woody, taking advantage of the easier-to-access tickets.

Heather Watson, an experienced British player, felt this was a more diverse crowd than is typical at a tennis event in the UK. “I came from Birmingham last week, and it felt quite polite, and then this week I felt I really had the crowd behind me,” she said in a news conference after losing in the second round to Elena Rybakina. “I feel like, because it’s in London, and it’s a big tournament, maybe you get more of a diverse crowd.”

That crowd remains generally well-heeled and overwhelmingly white. Crew Clothing Company, a very middle-class brand, is one of the main sponsors. But, certainly for the first few days, the event had a slightly different feel to the vibe of the men’s event.

“We’re encouraging it (more diversity) with the pricing of the tickets, the fact that it’s more accessible than the men’s,” Robson said Thursday, in an interview in the plush tournament director’s office.

“We’ve got different categories, and we’re encouraging people to even walk up to the door and grab tickets that are available. For the men’s event, no one would ever think to do that. There’ve been a lot of teenagers, a lot of people in their early twenties, which is great. The whole vibe across tennis is to try to get more young viewers and younger audiences. But I think that kind of comes back around to ticket pricing, where you’re not going to get someone in their late teens, early twenties being able to afford a £150 ticket.”

The cheapest ticket prices for the men’s final are £100, before rising sharply, with women’s final tickets starting at £35. There was a similar disparity for the first few days of the events — the cheapest on the Monday and Thursday for the men’s was £50 and £70, compared to £20 for both days in the women’s. There are four men’s matches on those days, compared to three for the women’s event, but the pricing disparity is intentional.

“The two events have two very different personalities and it’s really felt like that — that everyone’s having a good time enjoying themselves in what feels like a relaxed environment,” Robson said. “And the players pick up on that as well, they love the support, they’ve loved the fact that there’s been great crowds in every day.”

More than 52,000 people will come through the gates in total, around 85 percent of the overall capacity. Only two other women’s-only events this year have sold more than that 52,000 figure: August’s Canadian Open and the Charleston Open in March and April. The Queen’s men’s event is a complete sellout as usual.

Robson said the site has been designed to be more free-flowing this week, giving fans space to roam and get close to the players on the practice courts. Seeing the best players in the world helps, and although world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka pulled out, eight of the world’s top 20 made the trip to west London. The quarterfinals contained six of the world’s top 15. The tournament’s place in the calendar, straight after the French Open, will always mean some withdrawals.

But Robson wants to make the event as appealing as possible for the players. The excellent facilities in such picturesque surroundings help; the fact that it takes place at an existing club, rather than at a purpose-built venue, gives it a point of difference to many events on the WTA circuit.

Raducanu reached the quarterfinals at Queen’s, overtaking Katie Boulter as British No. 1 in the process. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Keys said she thinks it’s the best 500 she’s played at, and others have spoken publicly about how well looked after they’ve felt at the event. “It’s phenomenal, it’s so nice, the grass is great, and it’s a good switch-up from where we have been,” Keys said Friday after defeating Diana Shnaider to reach the semifinals.

“It’s fun for me to finally come to new places after all these years on tour. I have always heard from all the guys that they love this tournament, it’s the best. It’s funny, walking into the players’ lounge, and you see all the years they won the best 500. I mean, it’s absolutely been voted that way for a reason. It’s a fantastic tournament. Very happy that the women are here.”

One WTA executive briefed on tournament categorization, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, said that some within the organisation are viewing Queen’s as a “750 or 800” event — i.e., somewhere between a 500 and a 1,000. There is currently no 1,000 event on grass, but Robson wants Queen’s to be in that conversation.

As a former player, Robson wants to create an event that the players love, alongside achieving financial success. Last year, only the Queen’s men’s event made a profit from the British pre-Wimbledon grass-court events.

The prize money at the women’s Queen’s event is $1.4 million (£1 m), making it the highest-paying WTA 500 event of its draw size (28) in 2025, and the women’s prize money at the Lexus Eastbourne International has gone up to $389,000 — making it the tour’s highest-paying WTA 250 event. But both figures remain well below the prize pots for the men’s events — a much higher $2.9 million for the men’s Queen’s event and $863,362 (£637,100) for the men’s Eastbourne tournament. Equal prize money will not arrive until 2029.

A downside of the combined event is that it centralizes the sport even more in London, at the expense of other regions. To accommodate the change, the 250 event in Birmingham was moved and downgraded to a 125 event, below the main WTA Tour. The Eastbourne women’s tournament went from being a 500 to a 250. Whether all of this has any effect on tennis outside of London will become clearer in the next few years.

Ultimately, the Queen’s event provides a platform for British women to have success at one of tennis’s grandest and most historic venues — a place where, for years, they had been on the outside looking in. Katie Boulter, who will give up her British No. 1 status to Raducanu Monday, said after exiting the tournament to Shnaider: “Queen’s is everything that I kind of dreamt it would be. I feel like every single day I have stepped out on the court, it’s been a great crowd.

“It’s been a joy to actually play here, and to get the opportunity is such a privilege. I feel like it’s a moment for women’s tennis and women’s sport in general right now.”

“I think it’s huge for tennis in this country,” Watson said in a news conference. “Having a big tournament here in London, which is the home of British tennis, which is where pretty much all the players live and train, it’s huge and very special for us and feels kind of like a reward.”

Some of the week’s best moments from a British point of view came on the smaller Court 1, where packed crowds saw Raducanu and Boulter team up for the doubles. They beat Jiang Xinyu and Wu Fang-hsien before going down to Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Raducanu will rise to No. 35 in Monday’s rankings, while Boulter will be No. 39. Then there’s Sonay Kartal, who’s just inside the world’s top 50. British women’s tennis is in a solid place, but no one looks like making the jump Jack Draper has over the last year or so to the world’s top five.

Almost exactly 24 hours after basking in the adulation of the Queen’s crowd, Raducanu was again in the primetime slot and had them roaring her on as she saved three match points against Zheng Qinwen. But the Olympic champion quickly took the fourth, and that was it for home hopes at the event. Earlier on Friday, Tatjana Maria treated the crowd to a masterclass in slice-and-dice, defeating former Wimbledon winner Rybakina in straight sets.

Maria then knocked out Keys in another stunning performance, before beating Amanda Anisimova to cap a remarkable tournament that has been more than 50 years in the making.

(Photos: Dan Isitene / Getty Images)

Sports

Villanova Track & Field Caps Season at NCAA Championships – The Villanovan

From June 11 to June 14, three Villanova track and field athletes participated in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Junior Marco Langon, senior Sadie Sigfstead and graduate Liam Murphy all punched tickets to Oregon after qualifying at the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries in Jacksonville, FL, […]

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51 minutes ago

June 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

From June 11 to June 14, three Villanova track and field athletes participated in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.

Junior Marco Langon, senior Sadie Sigfstead and graduate Liam Murphy all punched tickets to Oregon after qualifying at the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries in Jacksonville, FL, last month. It marked, at minimum, all three Wildcats’ second consecutive appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Murphy has made the trip in three consecutive outdoor seasons.

Langon and Sigfstead collected All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in their respective events. Murphy did not qualify in his preliminary race to make the 1500-meter final.

Sigfstead was the first Wildcat in six years to qualify for multiple events at the NCAA Championships, both in the 5K and 10K distances.

She entered championships coming off an outdoor season where she ran personal bests in both the 10K and 5K. Sigfstead ran a 32:39.54 to win the 10K at the 2025 Penn Relays. At the NCAA East Preliminaries, she ran a 15:33.68 5K to punch her ticket to the NCAA Championships.

On Thursday night, Sigfstead toed the line of the women’s 10K final. She went on to run the fastest women’s 10K at NCAA Championships in Villanova history. Her time of 32:40.13 earned her a 13th-place finish and Second Team All-American honors.

It was also 0.59 seconds off of her personal best time. Sigfstead now owns three of the four fastest women’s 10K times in program history.

Two days later, on Saturday night, Sigfstead capped off her outdoor season with the women’s 5K final. The field raced a tactical race instead of a fast one. Sigfstead ran a 16:06.70 to finish 23rd overall and earn an All-American honorable mention.

Sigfstead joins only two other Wildcats – Carole Zajac and Caroline Alcorta – to earn All-American honors in both the 5K and 10K.

University of Oregon’s Hayward Field (Courtesy of Villanova Athletics)

As for the men, Langon returned to Oregon for the second consecutive outdoor season. In just the last year since he was there for the USATF Olympic Qualifiers last summer, Langon picked up the second-fastest 1500-meter time in collegiate history and multiple records across the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons.

In what would be one of the fastest 5K fields of the outdoor season, Langon stared down the chance at standing at the top of the podium.

He raced his first-ever NCAA Championship race on the same track last season in the 5K. Langon finished 21st out of a field of 24 with a time of 14:10.93.

This year was completely different. Langon paced himself with the rest of the field for almost the entire race. He remained in the lead pack as the field stretched thin with 400 meters to go.

On the final turn with the last 100 meters of his season in front of him, Langon emptied his tank in a full-out sprint to the line. As he crossed the finish line, Langon fell onto the track, exhausted.

Langon ran a personal best time of 13:21.17 to finish third behind Oklahoma State University’s Brian Musau (13:20.59) and Habtom Samuel of New Mexico State (13:20.89).

Langon’s time was about 50 seconds faster than his time at the NCAA Championships last year. He earned First Team All-American honors for his performance. With two seasons of outdoor eligibility remaining, Langon’s journey to gold is far from over.

Murphy rounded out the three Wildcats. In his final college championships, Murphy was set to take on the stacked field of the men’s 1500-meter. Earlier this season, he set the new 1500-meter collegiate record, running a 3:33.02 at the Raleigh Relays in March.

However, Murphy ran in a tightly contested semifinal heat and finished sixth with a time of 3:52.44. It was a slow first two laps that ended with a fast bell lap, where Murphy ran a 51.13. For reference, Murphy ran a 54.18 bell lap when he set the collegiate record in March.

Despite the fast final lap, Murphy was not one of the top five in the heat – the top five runners of both heats automatically moved onto the final. Murphy was 0.08 seconds behind Virginia’s Gary Martin. A finish in front of Martin would have secured Murphy a spot in the final.

His performance will still earn him an All-American honorable mention.

While Murphy’s collegiate career comes to a close, his collegiate record 1500-meter time of 3:33.02 is a qualifier for the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from July 31 to August 3.

The top athletes coming out of that meet will be selected for the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo in September. The current World Championship qualifying time for the 1500-meter is 3:33 flat.

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China completes clean-sweep of Super Cup team titles

After successes in the Technical and Free disciplines across the opening two days of the contest in Xi-an, China, the host nation delivered another masterclass performance in what was their last competitive outing before Singapore 2025, which begins next month. Earlier, on the last day of the Super Final, Dennis Gonzalez won his second Mixed Duet crown of the […]

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1 hour ago

June 16, 2025

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Earlier, on the last day of the Super Final, Dennis Gonzalez won his second Mixed Duet crown of the competition, following up the Technical victory alongside Mireia Hernandez on Saturday by combining with Iris Tio Casas for a phenomenal Free title.

Vasilina Khandoshka won a highly-contested Women Solo Free final, ahead of Klara Bleyer of Germany and China’s Xu Huiyan.

Team Acrobatic – China Continues Team Title Domination

World championship medal-winning nation Japan, who finished second in the Team Free final on Saturday, achieved impressive amplitude with their lifts and showed strong artistic impression throughout their routine, but a score of 199.1476 would not be enough for a further podium finish.

Moving ahead of them after what was described as a “fabulous” swim by commentator Andrea Holland, were the excitable Mexican line-up.

Their energetic display, to the theme ‘Matlalcueye’ – which is another name for the Aztec goddess Chalchiuhtlicue, who is associated with water, rivers, lakes and fertility – achieved a combined score of 209.2038.

That was enough to guarantee them a welcome, Super Final medal.

Next to take to the water in the final event of the contest were Spain with their new routine to Lady Gaga’s ‘Abracadabra’ track.

They premiered the performance at the European Championships earlier in the month, where they took bronze after recording a base mark, but were much improved in Xi’an.

Their captivating performance attained a score of 219.2574 to take them top of the standings, at least temporarily, with the hosts up next, to close out the session.

While Spain brought passion, their rivals had precision, but also creativity combined with clinical delivery and a world class performance simply outclassed the rest of the field.

Their performance, in tribute to the ‘Qin Terracotta Warriors’ captivated home fans in what was the routine’s debut outing. 233.0430 points for the sensational delivery secured the Chinese line-up, which included four of their Paris 2024 gold medal-winners, a further title and a clean-sweep of the team honours at the 2025 Super Final.

“The routine includes some entirely new choreography we never attempted even during Olympic preparations,” Chang Hao revealed to World Aquatics.

“Naturally, this brings psychological tension and pressure; any misstep could trigger unexpected consequences that might compromise our overall score.

Dennis Gonzalez, who has made history this season by becoming the first man to feature in Spain’s team line-up, believes male athletes can bring different benefits to eight-strong line-ups.

“I think I will want to stay inside the team and I will work for that and this year is the year I work for that,” Gonzalez told World Aquatics.

“I think I’m inside the eight people who can stay inside the team event and I’m so happy for that. I think our choreography with one man is much better because you can do different things than the other routines.”

Bronze medallist Itzamary Gonzalez stated the Mexican team were “excited” to reach the World Cup Super Final podium.

“It’s our first time for almost all of us here in China and we are very happy to win a medal,” said Gonzalez. “We went to the Paris Olympics with this routine already and hope we can do our best in the World Championships.”

Mixed Duet Free – Tio Casas and Gonzalez Reign For Spain

Earlier in the day women and men combined to create a fascinating Mixed Duet Free final, which saw athletes create a host of fascinating performances to the joy of the watching audience.

European champions Dennis Gonzalez and Iris Tio Casas are competing together for the first time this season and have quickly established themselves as arguably the strongest Free combination on the planet.

They will look to cement that status at the World Championships in Singapore next month, but added further evidence of their growing partnership and status with a performance which was full of flair and high emotion.

Their ‘heartbreak’ themed routine attained 290.2184 points and ensured they followed up victories in the last two World Cup events with a further success, this time in the Super Final.

“This year is my first-year swimming with Iris, I love swimming with her and we improved together a lot this year with the artistic impression, and the execution,” Gonzalez told World Aquatics. “I think we have a lot of feeling that makes us better.”

Securing silver and his fourth medal from four events was Guo Muye, who this time teamed up with former World junior medallist Liu Jinhan.

They attained an overall score of 275.0896, with Guo saying he “would rate myself highly” after the performance, with Liu adding that they needed to improve their “expressiveness and emotional impact” going forwards.

Rounding off the podium places were Great Britain, as their new pairing of Olympic silver medallist Izzy Thorpe and European solo champion Ranjuo Tomblin combined to claim their second Super Final honour, following bronze in the Technical final on Saturday.

“I’m very happy with my performance,” said Tomblin, after he and Thorpe were awarded a combined score of 262.6855 for their routine which focused on the conflict between light and dark.

“Obviously, there were a few mistakes in some routines, so it’s all about working hard to improve the routines and the impression and hopefully next time in Singapore, the medal colour will be different.”

Women’s Solo Free – Khandoshka Continues Impressive Form

Iris Tio Casas, who finished second in the Tech discipline, was the first of the major names to take to the water on the final day of competition and she posted a competitive score of 221.6776.

However, those taking to the water later in the session began posing points in excess of her total, with European champion Klara Bleyer the first to pass the Spaniard’s score.

Bleyer of Germany, who was fourth in the Tech discipline on Friday, delivered an excellent execution of her ‘Space’ themed routine, which attained a total of 227.5688 – a significant improvement on her previous personal best.

China’s Xu Huiyan, who won the Solo Tech final on Friday, a day where she also claimed gold medals as part of China’s Women’s Duet Tech and Team Tech line-ups, followed.

Her ‘eternal night sky’ themed routine included a host of solid hybrids and scored 226.5251, which secured her a further Super Final medal.

The final athlete to plunge into the pool was Vasilina Khandoshka, who had attained five World Cup podium finishes during the regular season, but was yet to claim a gold.

That would change when it arguably mattered most, with the 23-year-old attaining a title-winning total of 229.8476 for her ‘The mummy’ themed routine, which highlighted her love of Egyptian history and culture.

Third-placed Chinese artistic swimmer Xu, who claimed her sixth medal, from six events, admitted she was “not very satisfied” with her performance and needed to “manage” her stamina better in the future and “build up more endurance.”

World Cup Overall Ranking Winners Revealed

Following the conclusion of the final day of the Super Final and the 2025 World Cup season, the overall rankings in each of the disciplines were confirmed, ensuring athletes in the respective events could be awarded with hard-earned prize money.

Collecting the $30,000 prize for topping the team standings was Spain with 2353.6805 points, ahead of Japan (2062.7472) and Kazakhstan (1623.0837).

Klara Bleyer of Germany topped the Women’s Solo standings with 1360.4353 points, ahead of Vasilina Khandoshka and Georgia’s Mari Alavidze.

The near peerless performer Muye Guo of China attained a commanding victory in the Men’s Solo leader board with 1238.5778 points, ahead of Spaniard Jordi Caceres Iglesias (1121.6038) and Gustavo Sanchez of Colombia (1120.4652).

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MacQuiddy Betters Own School 1500m Record In Portland

Steve Pretre Garrett MacQuiddy will attempt to break his third school record next Sunday in Ontario, where he will race in the outdoor mile. T&F6/15/2025 9:28 PM | By: Cal Athletics Golden Bear Graduate Set To Continue Racing This Summer PORTLAND, Ore. – Just four days after an […]

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June 16, 2025

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MacQuiddy Betters Own School 1500m Record In Portland

Steve Pretre

Garrett MacQuiddy will attempt to break his third school record next Sunday in Ontario, where he will race in the outdoor mile.

T&F6/15/2025 9:28 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Golden Bear Graduate Set To Continue Racing This Summer

PORTLAND, Ore. – Just four days after an appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, California track & field’s Garrett MacQuiddy found himself back at a starting line, hoping to put on a career performance at the Portland Track Festival, held at Lewis & Clark’s Griswold Stadium, after missing out on the final two hours south at Hayward Field. Despite the conclusion of the collegiate season, MacQuiddy, a graduate, still has time to race in a collegiate uniform – and have his times count toward the school record books – until the Toyota USA Track & Field Championships on July 31-August 3.

In the end, it was a wildly successful effort for the Saratoga native, who posted a time of 3:37.94 on Sunday to take seventh place in the 62-man field and better his own school record by over half a second. MacQuiddy last broke the record in April at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 3:38.50, becoming the first Cal man in history to go sub-3:39 and surpassing the 10-year-old mark set by alumnus Thomas Joyce.

MacQuiddy’s next race will be at the Bob Vigars Classic in London, Ont., on June 22, where he will attempt to break Cal’s 16-year-old outdoor mile record of 3:56.18.

Two Golden Bears joined MacQuiddy in Portland, but competed unattached. Rising sophomore Sam Franco shaved seven seconds off his 1500m PR to win the men’s open section with a time of 3:47.64, while rising junior Addie Johnson posted a season-best 4:32.49 in the women’s high performance race.

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