Category Archives: Olympics

KUALA LUMPUR: National weightlifter Mohamad Aniq Kasdan (pix) wants to continue to shine next year, with his first mission being to finish at least fourth in the Olympic qualification ranking before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 21-year-old said to achieve that, he needs to make a total lift of 305 kilogrammes (kg) at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand in April.

The coach has set that - 305kg - as my target and, if I can do that, I think I will be ranked fourth in the world... that is my target before going to the Olympics next year.

I am now ranked seventh in the world after the tournament in Qatar two weeks ago and I hope no one can surpass this position, he said when contacted by Bernama today.

In early December, the Johor-born lifter achieved sensational success by winning two medals at the International Weightlifting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Mohamad Aniq, who took part in the 61kg category, took silver in the clean and jerk when he lifted 170kg and 126kg in the snatch for the bronze in the overall category with a 296kg total.

Even sweeter for Mohamad Aniq is that his overall total of 296kg erased his national mark of 291kg, which he had set en route to winning bronze at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, Arab Saudi in September.

The achievement puts Mohamad Aniq in seventh position in the Olympic qualification ranking, where participation in Paris is limited to lifters in the top 10 of the ranking.

However, that wont guarantee a spot for Mohamad Aniq in the prestigious Games since the qualification ranking will often change from time to time until the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-Aug 11, 2024).

Meanwhile, Mohamad Aniq said his coach Edmund Yeo will crank up the pressure on him in the snatch event in the run-up to the World Cup.

Right now I am taking a break, but in January, the coach will switch to high-intensity training in addition to stressing on the snatch, because he saw many weaknesses during the Qatar meet.

We will continue training at home before heading to Shanghai, China in March to compete in a training camp. I think in Shanghai, I will be more focused which will help me get into shape for the World Cup, he said.

The 2024 World Cup will take place in Phuket, Thailand from April 2-11 next year.

Meanwhile, commenting on his progress in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist said the facilities provided would help him gear up for the future.

The facilities that I have enjoyed so far have, to some extent, fuelled me to continue with my excellent run, which in turn keeps me afloat in this programme, he said. -Bernama

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Mohamad Aniq chasing fourth ranking in Olympic qualification for Paris - theSun

Australian athleteMichelle Jennekeis a force on the track and in front of the camera. The Olympic hurdler, who competed at the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro, made her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2013 issue.

Jenneke has made it to the semi-finalsin each of the five World Championships she has competed in, and won gold medals in both the 100 meter hurdles and 4x100 meter relay at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. She participated in the 2023 World Championships at the end of August, and finished 14th overall.

I like the challenge of hurdling. Its a little more technical than straight sprinting, she shared. Its just something that I feel I was born to do.

The 30-year-old posed for photographer James Macari in Las Vegas, and lucky for you, were making an exception to the what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas rule by reflecting on the stunning and moody pics.

I was absolutely amazed when I found out that Sports Illustrated wanted to shoot me because theyre such a big name and its just such an amazing experience. I loved all the suits there were so many Id love to take home with me, Jenneke said while on location. Everyonemade me feel really comfortable. I actually like fell into the whole modeling thing a lot easier than I thought I would. I look at the pictures [and] Im like Wow, is that really me? They turned out so much better than I thought they would.

Below are five marvelous pics of the athlete in Las Vegas.

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

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Olympic Hurdler Michelle Jenneke Brought the Vibes to Las Vegas - Yahoo Life

France is prepared to move the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics if needed over security concerns, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday.

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and tensions elsewhere in the Middle East have raised concerns about security for the Olympics. The opening ceremony is planned to take place on the River Seine, in the heart of Paris, in late July.

“Given we’re professionals, there obviously is a Plan B, Plan C, et cetera,” Macron told French media Wednesday.

The Olympic committee has already committed to increased security for events around Paris. The French military said it will contribute 15,000 soldiers to the unprecedented security preparations.

Those deployments consist of about 10,000 soldiers in and around Paris and another 5,000 around the rest of the country, with some as far away as the Pacific island of Tahiti, which will host the Olympic surfing event.

Macron insisted that any decision to move the opening ceremony would not be made hastily, adding that a backup plan would only be used if “the level of insecurity requires us to revisit the initial scheme.” 

About 600,000 visitors are expected for the opening ceremony July 26.

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France could move Paris Olympics opening ceremony over security concerns - The Hill

Aaron Pico has an idea about what he might do if he doesnt get another MMA fight booked soon, and its going to sound a little out there.

If the Bellator featherweight contender doesnt know what his next step is reasonably soon now that Bellator is owned by the PFL, he might take a shot at making the Olympic wrestling team. But the Californian wont be trying to get on the mats to chase a medal for the U.S. It would be for Mexico.

Give me a time frame of when you think Im going to fight, because if its six months, eight months listen, I have goals, Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. Ill go wrestle, honestly. Ill go try to make the Mexican Olympic team, Paris in 2024. Ill go box. Ill keep myself active. But I just want to have some sense of direction of time of when Im going to fight.

Pico said dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico means he could try to make the Mexican national team and represent that country in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, even though he lives and trains in the U.S.

Pico acknowledged such a thing would come with plenty of obstacles, which means his most likely next step remains in MMA. But hes just uncertain of what that will be after the merger. Some Bellator fighters will continue to fight other Bellator fighters in Bellator-branded events in 2024. Others will fight their PFL champion counterparts, the PFL has said. And still others might just get folded into the PFL and make runs ini the 2024 seasons.

I have two fights left on my (Bellator) contract, Pico said. Im No. 2 in Bellator (in the featherweight division). And a big goal of mine was to become a world champion in Bellator. I would love to fight for the belt. Thats something that I want to have on my resume is a Bellator championship. I felt like I really had momentum to be a world champion. Im right there. Im starting to come into my own as a fighter. I have everything in order with my team. I feel solid.

So to be quite frank, I would love to fight for the Bellator world championship and my dream was to have Scott Coker wrap the belt around my waist because I started with him. He stuck by me through the ups and downs. Im forever grateful for him. Hes always been by my side and encouraging me to keep going through the tough times and through the good times.

Coker, however, has not been announced as one of the Bellator personnel who will make the transition to the PFL after the sale.

Pico said he wants to fight Bellator featherweight champion and all-time pound-for-pound great Patricio Freire. But Pitbull may be targeted for one of the aforementioned champ-vs.-champ fights.

Jeremy Kennedy also has been stumping for a fight with Freire, though, even though Freire has 2023 PFL featherweight $1 million winner Jesus Pinedo on his radar, too. They faced off in the cage after Pinedos win.

So when the signs for Pico point toward him continuing to wait for whats next, the Olympic thing or boxing sound a lot more realistic.

And he said if somehow Kennedy jumps him in line, hell ultimately deal with it. But at 27, hed take fights with all those names.

Iwant to be remembered and, to be up front, I want to make money, Pico said. I want to put on classic fights. Im exciting andI want to fight the best guys in the world and in all organizations. I only have a certain amount of time in this game, and I dont want to waste it. I want to fight.

But, uh, that, that wouldve, that was a dream of mine. But, uh, I, Im optimistic that, uh, well see. I just have to be prepared for anything.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Aaron Picos unknown Bellator-PFL future has him thinking Olympics - MMA Junkie

While cities host the Olympic Games to showcase their community, locals leverage the heightened media attention for other reasons some good, some not so good. It is on this landscape in which the organizers plotted the most public of Opening Ceremonies for the Paris 2024 Games. Will they regret it? Heres an update from insidethegames:

If France is hit again by extremist attacks or a security crisis in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics, the huge opening ceremony Paris plans to hold on the banks of the Seine could be postponed, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

Security, involving tens of thousands of police and soldiers, will be tight: athletes will be paraded in boats on the Seine through the heart of the French capital in the first Summer Games opening ceremony to be held outside the usual stadium setting. Hundreds of thousands of spectators will fill both banks of the river.

We are preparing a unique opening ceremony that I hope will make the French very proud, Macron told France 5.

It will be a moment of beauty, true art, a celebration of sport and our values, with the Seine and the capital as the theatre, he added. He did say, however, that the plans could be revised for security reasons. Full report

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program*: Mens One Person Dinghy ILCA 7 (41) Womens One Person Dinghy ILCA 6 (41) Mixed Two Person Dinghy 470 (19) Mens Skiff 49er (20) Womens Skiff 49erFX (20) Mens Kiteboard Formula Kite Class (20) Womens Kiteboard Formula Kite Class (20) Mens Windsurfing iQFoil (24) Womens Windsurfing iQFoil (24) Mixed Multihull Nacra 17 (19) * Quota per event in parenthesis but does not include Universality Places (2 men, 2 women)

Venue: Marseille, France Dates: July 28-August 9

Details: Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/ World Sailing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/

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Paris 2024: Will they regret it? >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News - Scuttlebutt Sailing News

Sunisa "Suni" Lee may be the reigningall-around women's gymnastics champion, but for a while she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to return to defend her title at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.

The 20-year-old, who enrolled at Auburn University after winning gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, made the tough decision to step off the mat and end her college career in Aprildue to a "non-gymnastics health related issue" that she later shared was an incurable kidney disease.

And though she declined the invitation to attend the U.S. team selection camp for the world championships in September, she is still hoping to recover in time to compete in Paris, an impressive feat considering her health issues almost ended her career permanently.

"It was really scary and really, really heartbreaking," Lee told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I definitely went through a little bit of a mental spiral because gymnastics is my outlet and it's my safe space."

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How Suni Lee Refused to Let "Really Scary" Kidney Illness Stop Her From Returning For the 2024 Olympics - E! Online - E! NEWS

Patterson is right.

Returning to the Games after taking all-around gold is difficult and something that hadnt been done by any female winner since the legendary Nadia Comaneci returned to the 1980 Games after securing the all-around crown four years earlier in Montreal.

Douglas and Biles did the same more than 30 years later.

Liukin and Patterson say part of the challenge that comes with returning to the sports biggest stage is the way life changed after their golden triumphs as a new world of opportunity opens up.

I didnt see what happens after you win an Olympic gold medal [as a kid], explained Patterson. So, when that happened for me, I truly did not know what to expect or what life was going to look like after the Olympics.

I thought I was going to go home and go right back into the gym and just keep doing what I always did because that was my life and all I knew was being in the gym every day," she continued. "When I got home, I realised, Oh, life is really different.

While Douglas, Biles and Lee all enjoyed their moments in the sun following their Olympic triumphs, each found their way back to the sport with Douglas continuing to the Rio Games, Biles returning for the Tokyo Games and Lee competing first in collegiate gymnastics before returning to elite competition last summer.

Each has hinted at a love for the sport - and unfinished business.

I think you obviously have to have a passion if you want to continue going, especially after youve reached the pinnacle of what you can do in your sport, said Patterson. The passion definitely has to be there for you to continue after something like that.

Liukin, who attempted to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, agreed: I still loved the sport, that love has never gone away or changed, she said of her careers continuation. What I struggled with the most was, 'wait, just because I achieved that thing, which Im so proud of why is that I need to now move on or why is it expected that you do it and youre done?'

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Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, and Sunisa Lee: Can USA Gymnastics have its own 'Dream Team' at Paris 2024? - Olympics

Surfing in Jamaica is never a solitary experience.

While surfers in other countries tend to look for a secluded spot, the waves near Wilmots home surf in Bull Bay are one big party.

"In Jamaica, the surfing community is very close," Wilmot said. "There are only, I would say, less than 100 of us on the island so you know everybody. And the big difference is we want to go surfing with each other. A lot of places in the world, you try to find that spot where there's nobody surfing. We don't want that. That's boring. So you call people up, you get on WhatsApp, you say, 'Hey, are you surfing here? Are you surfing there?' And you try to put a group of people together."

Having enjoyed the benefits of being part of this community, Wilmot is eager to have other female surfers experience it as well. To that effect, she has started up Surf Girls Jamaica a women-only surf camp that gives girls essential skills to get started in the sport.

Aside from the physical benefits of surfing, Wilmot said there are many mental benefits as well.

The athlete has multiple certifications in surf therapy and follows the Blue Mind Theory. Originating from marine biologist Dr. Wallace Nichols, this theory looks at the way that people can use water to improve well-being, creativity and productivity.

"It's been proven that being in the ocean actually reduces your blood pressure and it calms you down," Wilmot said. "One of the cool things I've learned doing surf therapy is that the salinity of the ocean is the same as the amniotic fluid, so once you're in the ocean your body will start to heal and reset because it's a familiar environment for you."

On a psychological level, the Blue Mind Theory suggests that being in or near the water can help with trauma, inflammation and anxiety. And when it comes to societies where girls regularly find themselves in vulnerable situations, the ability to tap into these benefits through surfing can be priceless.

"It can be very empowering," Wilmot said. "It also is a very grounding sport. It takes your mind off of everything else that's happening. The only thing you can really think about in the water while you're surfing is surfing. You can't focus on anything else. And I think translating that into real life is something that is beneficial to these girls, like dealing with issues one day at a time, one step at a time, one wave at a time."

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Jamaica's surf healer Imani Wilmot taps into ocean forces to empower women - Olympics

Will the men's 100m or 200m world records fall first?

There's only one man to answer that: the current holder of both records, the eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt.

Despite having been retired from athletics since 2017, the Jamaican still holds the title of "the world's fastest man": 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m.

"It's a great title," Bolt told World Athletics Inside Track. "It's something that I enjoy even if I say it's not the most important it's always the (medals), but it's a great title to have.

"It's something I enjoy knowing."

So which record will go first? "Not worried about none of them," Bolt laughed.

"I really don't know, I think the 100m's going to be harder (to break) because it's quicker, and if you make a mistake during the race you're not going to get it.

"It's a lot more technical so I think maybe the 100m's going to go last."

United States sprinter Noah Lyles, the current world champion in both the 100m and 200m events, targeted Bolt's 200m 19.19 in 2023 but did not achieve his goal. The American's 19.31 national record remains the third-fastest time ever.

Reflecting on his 100m world record in Berlin in 2009, Bolt said: "I remember actually we had a bet: me, my coach and my masseuse, on how fast I was gonna run.

"I knew I was gonna break the world record because I was in such good shape at the time. I was running great throughout the season."

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Usain Bolt: My 200m world record will be broken before 100m - Olympics

The U.S. womens three-on-three program will defend its Olympic gold medal this summer in Paris, and for the first time, an American mens team will be there too.

Both the womens and mens three-on-three programs from the U.S. qualified for the 2024 Olympics, according to an official announcement from FIBA on Wednesday. The top three teams on each side as of Oct. 31 received automatic bids to Paris, and the U.S. women and men are both currently ranked second.

The sport made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. The American women took gold over Russia; the U.S. men failed to qualify in 2021.

This year, USA Basketballs womens three-on-three team of Cameron Brink, Hailey Van Lith, Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper won the World Cup in Vienna in June; the mens team of Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis finished second.

That same foursome on the mens side won its second FIBA 33 World Tour Masters event of the season last weekend in Abu Dhabi, as well as the Pan-Am Games in Chile earlier this month, which helped the U.S. secure an Olympic bid. The American womens program also won the Pan-Am Games, with a team of Burdick, Azur Stevens, Blake Dietrick and Lexie Hull.

The rankings are based not on team finishes per se, but on how individual players from all the participating countries fare at FIBA-sanctioned three-on-three events all over the world which explains how the U.S. teams could have so many wins at high-profile tournaments but still be ranked second.

On the womens side, China is ahead of the U.S., which is ahead of host France; on the mens side, the Americans are behind Serbia and ahead of the Chinese. The Olympic 33 tournament will take place from July 30 to Aug. 5 on a court constructed at Place de la Concorde in Paris.

The next order of business for USA Basketball is to identify its pools of potential three-on-three players for the Olympics, select coaches and set timelines for picking teams. Two of the four players on each team must be ranked in the top 10 among the countrys three-on-three players, per FIBAs rankings, and two must have played in at least one FIBA-sanctioned three-on-three event in the last year.

Fredette (a college superstar and former NBA player), Barry (son of NBA legend Rick Barry), Maddox and Travis figure to get a strong look to represent the U.S., given their on-court success and sheer number of tournaments together; the womens selection process could be more expansive, as only one player (Burdick) was on the American womens World Cup and Pan-Am teams.

Under new Olympic rules for 33 eligibility, the U.S. team from Tokyo of WNBA stars Kelsey Plum, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, and Jackie Young would not be able to defend their gold medals as a team, as none of them are ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. Latvia won gold in the mens 33 tournament at the Tokyo games.

USA Basketball is the first federation to qualify four teams for Paris, as the mens and womens national teams for traditional basketball have also already qualified.

The 33 game is played entirely in the half court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. The winner is the first team to 21 points, or, of course, the team with more points at the final buzzer, if neither team gets to 21.

(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty)

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USA Basketball womens and mens 33 programs qualify for 2024 Olympics - The Athletic