Sport
Triathlon-Races to go ahead on Wednesday as Seine passes water quality tests
The decision to postpone the men’s race at the last minute on Tuesday had triggered anger among some athletes, Reuters reported.
Organisers cleared the Olympic women's and men's triathlons to go ahead on Wednesday after the latest Seine river water tests showed lower levels of bacteria, ending days of uncertainty over whether the central Paris swim was viable after heavy rains, Reuters reported.
The men's triathlon had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday but was postponed until Wednesday after the river failed water quality tests.
News that the races would go ahead on Wednesday came as a relief for teams and athletes, as well as for Paris authorities who have promised residents a swimmable Seine as a long-term legacy of the Games, with the triathlon a very public test.
"It is with great joy that we received this news," Benjamin Maze, technical director for France's triathlon federation, told Reuters. "Now that we know we will race, we can mentally switch fully into competition mode."
Fifty-five women representing 34 countries will kick off the contest at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT), with France's Cassandre Beaugrand and Britain's Beth Potter, two of the top contenders for gold, set to dive into the river side by side, read the report.
The men's event will take place at 10:45 a.m., immediately after the women's race.
"The results of the latest water analyses, received at 3.20 a.m., have been assessed as compliant by World Triathlon allowing for the triathlon competitions to take place," Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said in a statement.
Paris has spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.52 billion) of public money on wastewater infrastructure to contain sewage and minimise spillage into the river, and Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip earlier this month in a bid to convince doubters that the water will not make them ill.
The decision to postpone the men's race at the last minute on Tuesday had triggered anger among some athletes, Reuters reported.
"If the priority was the health of the athletes this event would have been moved to another location a long time ago," Belgium's Marten Van Riel wrote on World Triathlon's Instagram page.
"We are just puppets in a puppet show."
The gamble that the river would be clean enough for the triathlon was never guaranteed to pay off as water quality varies widely day-to-day, with rainfall causing concentrations of infection-causing bacteria like E. coli to rise.
Wednesday's races were given the green light despite rain overnight and forecasts for showers around midday which could hit towards the end of the men's event.
Organisers make the call based on analysis of river samples taken the previous day at 5 a.m. combined with a discussion between experts on overnight weather, according to Paris 2024.
Sport
Afghanistan clinches ODI series victory against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan's national cricket team triumphed over Zimbabwe by 8 wickets in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) to claim the series victory.
In a dominant bowling display, Afghanistan dismissed Zimbabwe for just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. The Afghan batsmen then chased down the target comfortably in 26.5 overs, losing only 2 wickets along the way.
The standout performer of the match was Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who took a remarkable 5 wickets, while Rashid Khan supported with 3 wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai and Farid Ahmad each claimed 1 wicket.
The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain, but Afghanistan bounced back strongly in the second match, securing a commanding 232-run victory.
This series win follows Afghanistan's earlier success in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, further cementing their dominance in international cricket.
Sport
Bangla Tigers lift Lanka T10 Super League title
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers beat favorites Jaffna Titans by 26 runs in Thursday’s Lanka T10 Super League final at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
The Tigers produced a fine all-round performance to beat the Titans, who had won all their matches in the lead up to the final.
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers, put into bat first, posted 133 for seven from their allotted 10 overs through some useful contributions from their top order batsmen.
The openers Mohammad Shahzad and Kusal Perera added 35 runs from 2.4 overs before they suffered a middle order collapse and reached 59 for three at the halfway stage of the innings.
However, skipper Dasun Shanaka and Shevon Daniel revived the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 44 runs in three overs.
Shanaka made 21 with two sixes and two boundaries while Daniel struck 26 with one six and three boundaries before Kennar Lewis and Dhananjaya Lakshan added the finishing touches.
Chasing 133 runs for victory, Jaffna Titans lost wickets at regular intervals and they eventually finished at 107 for six despite a fighting unbeaten half century from middle order batsman Tom Abell.
Richard Gleeson wrecked the Hambantota Bangla Tigers’ innings with excellent figures of three wickets for 21 while Shanaka captured two wickets for four runs.
Sport
Afghanistan crush Zimbabwe by 232 runs in second ODI
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 232 runs in the second ODI on Thursday to secure a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sent to bat first by Zimbabwe who won the toss, Afghanistan posted 286-6 in Harare.
Sediqullah Atal scored 104, his first hundred in an international match. Abdul Malik followed with 84.
In reply, Zimbabwe scored 54 runs before being bowled out in the 17.5 overs.
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Naweed Zadran took three wickets each. Fazlullah Farooqi picked up two wickets and Azmatullah Omarzai one.
This was the second match of the ODI series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. The first was abandoned due to rain.
The third and final game of the series will be played on Saturday.
-
Sport5 days ago
Zimbabwe’s opening ODI against Afghanistan abandoned
-
World4 days ago
North Korean troops suffer 100 deaths, struggling in drone warfare, South Korea says
-
Latest News2 days ago
Afghan men must stand with women to support viable future of country: US envoy
-
Latest News4 days ago
Two horror accidents on Kabul-Kandahar highway leave 52 dead
-
Sport3 days ago
Afghanistan crush Zimbabwe by 232 runs in second ODI
-
Regional5 days ago
Iran’s president to make rare visit to Egypt for D-8 summit
-
International Sports4 days ago
Lanka T10: Kandy Bolts in at 4th spot in playoffs after thrilling day
-
World5 days ago
NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Kyiv from US, source says