In the national team when 18, and now aged 30, Cecilie Moe Weinreich has been at the top of the tree in women’s Canoe Polo for a very long time. “From 2012 to 2015 I was a player, from 2015 to 2019 I was the captain and from 2020 to 2023 I was actually a player and a coach at the same time,” she tells. “I was not ready to quit playing in 2020, so I balanced both roles for four years.”

“We have a coach on land this year, and I am very grateful to be able to focus on my playing, and interacting with the team solely as a team-mate.”

For Weinreich, pure enjoyment now carries high priority: “Not that I didn’t enjoy it previously – I did! But to prolong my time in the sport I try to absorb all the great things like the fun of a game, an important victory and maybe most importantly the social bond and the freedom. Playing Canoe Polo, I forget all else in life. I am just there, in the moment, giving all I have. I try to enjoy that feeling and just enjoy that my life dream, of competing in The World Games, is coming true.”

Denmark’s clear target for The World Games

With a Golden Goal win against Great Britain at the World Championships 2024 in China, Denmark’s women’s team secured 7th place and thereby the last qualifying place for The World Games 2025. The big target is to reach the semi-final. The seven other women’s teams competing in Chengdu are China, Germany, Iran, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

“In 2023, my last year as a player-coach, we managed to get 5th at the European Championships, the highest ever placement for the team. We were very close to reaching the semi-final – and it is definitely within reach now,” says Weinreich. “Five years ago, it seemed impossible that we could ever qualify for The World Games. But here we are! A hard and solid team effort!”

“I’m proud of my achievements as a coach”

“Canoe Polo is a very small sport, and sometimes it can be hard to find qualified volunteers that can help for example with coaching. Combining playing and coaching was very tough, but also very rewarding. I am so grateful for all that I have learned about myself, team sports and coaching during this period,” says Weinreich.

“But it was also very taxing on a personal level, and it cost me a lot of energy to balance the role of playing and coaching at the same time.”

“Even though I know I made some mistakes from time to time, I always aimed to do what was best for the team, and therefore I am very proud of what I achieved with the national team as the player-coach.”

She is typical of the thousands of devoted individuals in small sports, who make great sacrifices because of pure love for the sport, despite no salary.

Team tactics matter

“For our sport, technique and tactics are very important. We can do technical drills both on land and in the kayak, and tactics are best studied on land by watching and analyzing games and situations – then using the analysis on water during our training sessions. We do spend a good amount of time talking tactics and practicing. It is vital to be a good team!”

“We do consider each opponent separately,” continues Weinreich, “but it is different from team to team and coach to coach how much the opponent is studied. When I was coaching, we tried to develop Excel sheets with statistics from other teams and players, so we could write down ‘Number 1 from Switzerland shoots like this – so we can block her shot like that’. That’s my own ideal approach.”

And so to Chengdu

“Our strongest opponents are probably the Dutch, Italian and Spanish teams,” concludes Weinreich.

“They are in our group, and we want a good start in the group, for a better quarter-final opponent. But I believe anything can happen at The World Games. It really depends on who shows up with the right mental game.”

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Usain Bolt’s times in the 100 and 200 meters are still in tact to this day with the Jamaican legend breezing to world records in both events, yet he has admitted he prefers one over the other

Usain Bolt has opened up about his preference for the 200 meters over the 100m, despite holding world records in both events. The legendary sprinter boasts eight Olympic gold medals and records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.

The track superstar set a groundbreaking time of 19.30 in the 200m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, surpassing the previous record.

He then outdid himself at the World Championships in 2009 with an astonishing 19.19 seconds, a record that remains unbeaten.

At 38, Bolt still holds the fastest-ever 100m record as well, clocking in at 9.58 seconds during the 2009 Worlds. Despite this, and having the three fastest 100m times to his name, he has a special affection for the longer sprint.

“The 200m is my favourite event,” Bolt revealed on the Ready Set Go podcast. “So when I got that, it meant so much more to me than the 100m.”

Bolt has admitted that he once saw the 200m world record, previously held by American star Michael Johnson, as “untouchable”. He even thought attempting to break Johnson’s mark of 19.32 would be futile, confessing: “When I broke it in 08, I didn’t know I could do it.”

His iconic performances from 2008 and 2009 have since become etched in athletics lore however. He added: “Even now people say, ‘Oh the 100?’ And I’m [like], ‘But, 200m, you know what I mean?’ It’s my favourite thing. When it comes to the 200m I don’t fear anybody. I’m ready all the time.”

The arrival of Australia’s young sprint sensation Gout Gout has stirred speculation about whether Bolt’s legendary records will stand the test of time.

At just 17, Gout shattered Bolt’s mark for the fastest 200 metres by a 16-year-old, as per the Mirror.

Gout clocked an impressive, though wind-assisted, 200m time of 19.98 seconds earlier this year, and although his official personal best in the 100m is still 10.17 seconds, he did achieve a wind-backed 9.99 seconds at a meet in Perth last month.

With his records potentially in jeopardy, Bolt playfully hinted at lacing up his spikes again for an All-Star event with other retired track stars, including podcast host and five-time Olympic medallist Justin Gatlin.

“I’m ready, just for the fun of it. I’m ready, let’s go. It’ll be fun,” Bolt said. “Me, you (Gatlin), Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake.

“I would definitely like to compete against Maurice Green, Ben Johnson. Let’s give Noah [Lyles] the spot just because I would love to race against him.”

BOULDER – The Colorado volleyball team has signed transfer rising junior defensive specialist/libero Peyton Neal (Nolensville, Tenn./ Nolensville HS) from UNC at Charlotte, head coach Jesse Mahoney announced on Tuesday, May 13.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Peyton to Colorado,” Mahoney said. “She brings high-level experience, and we project her to be a great compliment to our current back court. Peyton is as competitive as they come and will fit in perfectly with our team culture.”
 
An Eastern Michigan Tournament All-Tournament Team selection and UNCG Tournament MVP (2024), Neal led her team in digs as both a freshman and a sophomore with 408 and 333, respectively. She recorded 30 or more digs twice, 20 or more digs 12 times, and double-digit digs in 37 competitions during her time at Marshall University – her home before Charlotte. In a match against Utah Tech during her freshman season, Neal contributed a career-high 35 digs, along with three assists and an ace (Sept. 16). In two seasons at Marshall, Neal played in 52 matches and appeared in 190 sets. She totaled 741 digs (3.94 dps), 175 assists, 59 aces and 62.0 points. Neal will have two years of eligibility remaining with CU.
 
Neal expressed her excitement for joining the Buffs and ultimately what made her choose CU to continue her collegiate volleyball career.
 
“I chose to continue my career at CU in order to combine high quality academics with a competitive environment full of talent,” Neal said. “I know the coaching staff will push me to achieve my potential while playing alongside teammates who compete at the highest level. The staff and team made me feel welcome from the start, and I knew I had found something special. The campus is beautiful, and I am so excited to call University of Colorado my home.”
 
Under ninth-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado finished the 2024 season 13-17 and went 6-12 against Big 12 opponents. Coach Mahoney has led the Buffs to a 141-126 (.528) record in his nine seasons at the helm. After the conclusion of the regular season, rising junior OH Ana Burilovic was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team, and rising juniors DS/L Avery Bolles and OH Sydney Jordan were both named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. The Buffs registered five dominant sweeps in the 2024 season, including victories over Cincinnati (Nov. 9) and Kansas State on senior night (Nov. 27). CU also played in nine five-set matches in 2024, seeing victories over six teams and three five-set victories in a row in October – against Texas Tech on Oct. 5, at UCF on Oct. 13 and at Arizona on Oct. 16.
 
For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
 

Boys Volleyball fell 3-1 to Los Gatos High School in its second-to-last game of the season on Wednesday, May 7. In the first set, the Matadors kept the set close, taking the game to extra points. However, they were ultimately unable to close out ahead, instead losing 30-28. Both teams traded points throughout the second set, but the Matadors ultimately dropped the set 25-20.

Facing a 2-0 sweep as they came into the third set, MVHS geared up for a comeback. Like the first set, the third set also went to extra points, but the Matadors finished on top at 26-24. However, they were unable to continue this momentum into the fourth set and fell with a score of 25-9.

Senior, captain and outside hitter Praneel Shah attributes the team’s loss to its energy coming into the game, claiming it was lower than usual. As it was LGHS’s Senior Night, Shah describes the energy from the other team as much more radiant.

“We fell to some runs early on,” Shah said. “In the first, second and especially in the fourth set, there was a lot of fatigue setting in. It’s important for us to start off hot and carry that through the entire set.”

Shah spent his first three years on Varsity as a setter, but switched to outside hitter at the beginning of this year. This was a significant change for Shah that he is still adjusting to even as the season nears its end.

“It’s a different experience and it needs a lot of adjustment,” Shah said. “As a setter, you’re conducting the entire offense, but as an outside, you’re delivering the ball to others, and you’re the one who has to go make those plays. It’s a different role altogether.”

Serving specialist and senior Ridwan Khan agrees with Shah about the team lacking energy throughout the game, but is still proud of his personal performance in the match.

“Last game, I came off the bench and I missed four serves,” Khan said. “This game, I made it a priority for me to make all my serves, so I’m glad I hit them all today. Overall the team did well.”

Additionally, Khan praised the mindset of the team, claiming that the team viewed every game as winnable since it won eight of its last nine games. Between sets, he says the team didn’t lose motivation, as despite falling behind early, they constantly believed that they could win.

“An overwhelming majority of our points came from their errors,” Khan said. “We just need to make sure that we can put a ball away on our own system. But the energy throughout the game was good, and up to a certain point, all of us believed we were going to win the game. I’m glad that we had that.”