Progressive advocate overcomes more than $60m in spending to defeat pro-Israel Congresswoman Haley Stevens.
Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive public health advocate, has won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, overcoming more than $60m in campaign spending, mostly from pro-Israel groups, NBC has projected.
The result on Tuesday represents an enormous blow to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which led the way in the effort to defeat the pro-Palestinian El-Sayed, backing his opponent, US Congresswoman Haley Stevens, with more than $30m.
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El-Sayed will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November. The race is considered one of a handful of competitive Senate contests in the November midterms and could determine which party controls the chamber for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term.
If El-Sayed – who is of Egyptian descent – wins in November, he would become the first Muslim senator in US history.
Tuesday’s result in Michigan – a swing state that voted for Trump in 2024 – will have major implications for the Democrats’ policies on conflicts in the Middle East.
El-Sayed recognises Israel’s atrocities in Gaza as a genocide and argues that money spent on conflicts that benefit Israel should be invested in local communities in the US to address healthcare, housing and infrastructure problems.
Alex Eala rallies past top seed Jessica Pegula in a two-day, rain-hit final, while Taylor Fritz beats teen Rafael Jodar.
Published On 3 Aug 20263 Aug 2026
Alexandra Eala made history as the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title, defeating top seed Jessica Pegula at the Mubadala DC Open before Taylor Fritz claimed the men’s crown.
The 21-year-old Eala rallied to beat world number three Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in a weather-disrupted women’s final that spanned two days, ending on Monday.
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Rain had suspended play on Sunday with Pegula leading by a set but trailing 2-1 in the second. Upon Monday’s resumption, Eala dominated, winning 10 of the final 13 games with aggressive baseline play and a formidable serve to seal her breakthrough victory.
“I feel so much love. My first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be the last, and already having achieved this milestone for my career,” Eala said on the court after lifting the trophy in front of a vocal contingent of supporters. “I knew whatever happened after this match would have already been a win for me.”
Pegula, who previously won the DC Open in 2019, praised the young Filipina’s remarkable campaign.
“To see how far you’ve come over the last couple of years… to see the amazing fans that follow you every place you go, it’s not fun to play against, but I think it’s amazing,” Pegula told Eala during the trophy presentation.
In the men’s final, American Taylor Fritz earned his 11th career ATP title by defeating 19-year-old Spanish rising star Rafael Jodar 7-6(2), 6-4.
Fritz, returning to peak form following a knee injury that sidelined him earlier this season, produced a steady performance behind his serve, winning 81 percent of his first-serve points.
The 28-year-old American edged a tight opening-set tiebreak before securing the decisive break in the second set to seal his first title of 2026.
The double bill concluded a rain-plagued week in the US capital as players now head into the North American hardcourt swing ahead of the US Open.
After he took his first win in Estonia, Pajari made it back-to-back WRC victories to move into second in the standings behind Evans.
Pajari was the beneficiary when nine-time champion Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the lead on Saturday’s penultimate stage on a high-speed right-hand corner on the fast gravel roads.
Both Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to hospital after the accident but the French driver posted on social media on Saturday night that the pair would remain in hospital overnight as a precaution but “we both feel okay, which is the most important”.
Oliver Solberg, who was battling back pain on the fast jumps on the stages, and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished in second place to complete a Toyota lock-out of the podium places.
The Hyundai duo of Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville were fourth and fifth, while Takamoto Katsuta and Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnston crashed into trees on the final stage but recovered to finish in sixth place.
After the issues for Katsuta and Ogier, Pajari is now second in the standings behind Evans ahead 11th round of the season in Paraguay from 27-30 August.
Motorsport Ireland driver Josh McErlean finished the rally in seventh position as the best of the M-Sport Ford drivers.
Team-mate Martins Sesks crashed heavily on Saturday to drop out of fifth place, while Jon Armstrong’s chances of a strong result came to an end on Friday after he spun and got stuck in a ditch.
“It’s been a crazy weekend in terms of all the crews,” McErlean said.
“A lot of new stages, a lot of new pace notes and whenever you come to a rally this fast it is super-difficult to get right.
“So we have to be pleased to get through cleanly”.
Rally Finland results
1. Sami Pajari FIN/Marko Salminen FIN (Toyota) 2:27.358.0
2. Oliver Solberg SWE/Elliott Edmundson GB (Toyota) +26.7 seconds
3. Elfyn Evans GB/Scott Martin GB (Toyota) +1:19.5
4. Adrien Fourmaux FRA/Alex Coria FRA (Hyundai) +1:35.4
At the time, Kerr gave his answer as the bell tolled. In a flash, he made his move, bursting to the outside in pursuit of Myers and Cheruiyot, who made theirs momentarily first.
With 250m to go, Kerr left them behind. Wightman gamely tried to follow but how do you chase down a man this fast? His brave gamble failed and the bronze medallist from the last two Games trailed home in sixth.
By then, Kerr was already celebrating gold, with Myers coming through for silver and Cheruiyot bronze.
“I peeked up at the screen, saw I had a bit of a gap, and I felt great,” added the Edinburgh athlete, who has been racing at Scotstoun since he was a child.
“I was just trying to stay present and enjoy it. I learned how to race on that track – and I’ve had some pretty bad ones out there – so to really enjoy that last 100m was a really important moment.”
It was the moment Glasgow 2026 has been building to. The historic, reinstated, Blue Riband event of these Games got a fittingly elite winner. As a student of the sport’s history, Kerr will appreciate that.
And as a kid who was at the athletics event at Hampden in 2014, he knew how much joy every man, women and child inside this place would derive from every picture he had taken, every word he shared with them, and every scrawl of his name.
“I have to take my time out there because they’ve waited and put their hard-earned money to come out and watch me perform,” he said.
“You’ve got to stay in your lane and realise I’m lucky coming into this championship healthy, ready to go and I’m in the best shape of my life. And to do that in front of a home crowd is very special.”
Jaden Soong, a rising junior golfer at St. Francis High, charged from behind on the leaderboard to win the prestigious Junior PGA Championships in Frisco, Texas, on Friday.
He entered the final round with a two-stroke lead but was down by four strokes with nine holes to play. He regained the lead with a birdie putt at No. 17 and finished the four rounds at seven-under par.
Soong won the CIF state individual championship as a freshman. He did not compete in the CIF event this past season, focusing on traveling around the country to compete in junior tournaments.
JADEN SOONG TAKES THE LEAD HEADING INTO EIGHTEEN. 🤯
A birdie putt on hole seventeen at Fields Ranch East gives Jaden Soong the outright lead. Follow along for the exciting finish using the link below or on the PGA of America YouTube page. #JuniorPGApic.twitter.com/0ZYB6880vN
By winning the Junior PGA, he earns an exemption to compete at the 2027 Tulum Championship on the PGA Korn Ferry Tour. The same course Soong won on will be used next year for the PGA Championship.
Scotland’s Melanie Woods has won the Commonwealth Games women’s 1500m T54 for the second time in under 40 hours after streaking to victory in the restaged final – however England’s Ellis Kottas could not replicate her silver medal.
Woods set a new Games record to triumph in Glasgow on Wednesday evening, but it emerged on Thursday morning that Para-athletics authorities had decided the race should be held again following appeals surrounding a first-lap crash.
However, the Scot kept her composure in her home city to replicate her initial success, break the record again, and reclaim the gold that was already hers – in mind if not around her neck.
Kottas, though, finished fourth, having said she was “low-key traumatised” when the race result was overturned.
Woods led from the start in her home city, although Noemi Alphonse of Mauritius and Australia’s Eliza Ault-Connell kept her honest over the first couple of laps.
The latter had fallen away by the final 200m, though, and the Scot held off the Mauritian as she was roared by down the home straight by the crowd.
“It was in my mind ‘what have I got left?’ and you do question what you’ve got in your arms,” Woods said.
“But I just needed to be confident I could stay out in front and it was nice coming down the home straight and not seeing her wheel moving in front of me.”
Woods – who has used a wheelchair since being hit by a car while riding her bike in 2018 – will also compete in the 400m later on Friday morning.
The heats of that will start a little more than 90 minutes after the replayed final.
Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori has been granted permission to challenge the UK government’s decision to designate the group a terrorist organisation at the Supreme Court.
July 29 (Asia Today) — Hanwha Aerospace said Wednesday it was formally selected to supply its Arion-SMET multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle to the South Korean military.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration notified Hanwha of its selection for the 49.6 billion won ($33.6 million) program, the company said.
Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem reportedly competed for the contract.
The Arion-SMET can carry a payload of about 990 pounds and is equipped with day-and-night surveillance systems that help distinguish friendly forces from potential threats. It is also designed for extended continuous operations.
The arms procurement agency’s defense project management committee previously reviewed and approved the Arion-SMET as the vehicle for the military’s multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle program.
The vehicle is considered a key component of Army TIGER 4.0, South Korea’s program to modernize Army units through artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and networked combat capabilities.
Hanwha Aerospace is also involved in projects to develop and deploy unmanned reconnaissance vehicles, explosive ordnance detection and disposal robots and manned-unmanned chemical, biological and radiological reconnaissance vehicles.
The company plans to sign a mass-production contract with the procurement agency as early as August.
“As South Korea’s leading UGV platform company, we will continue building a comprehensive manned-unmanned teaming portfolio that combines unmanned systems with existing platforms such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and infantry fighting vehicles,” a Hanwha Aerospace official said.
The official said the company would rapidly begin mass-production procedures to minimize any gap in military capabilities.
Kate O’Connor has won Northern Ireland’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the heptathlon at Scotstoun Stadium.
O’Connor, a World indoor and outdoor silver medal, finished top of the standings with 6569points and is the first new heptathlon champion at the Games in eight years.
England’s Jade O’Dowda claimed silver while Australia’s Tori West won the battle for bronze.
It is O’Connor’s first senior outdoor gold and her first gold at her third Games after she finished eighth in 2018 and claimed silver in 2022.
The 25-year-old becomes NI’s 12th medal winner in Glasgow, claiming the country’s first gold at the Games in athletics since 1986.
O’Connor was favourite heading into the event after the late withdrawal of England’s Katrina Johnson-Thompson, who beat her to gold in 2022 and she certainly lived up to the billing.
The Newry-born athlete led after the first two events on Tuesday. She ran the 100m hurdles in 13.54 seconds and produced a season’s best 1.82m in the high jump.
In a rain-soaked evening session, she dipped in the shot put, throwing just 12.85 in difficult conditions.
While she said she was “gutted” with that performance, she rallied and she bounced back well to run the 200m in a season’s best time of 24.14, which was just 0.07 off her personal best as she strolled to victory in her heat.
She earned 3731 points across the four events to top the standings heading into Wednesday’s second day of the competition and, with a 49-point advantage over O’Dowda, looked to be in pole position for gold.
O’Connor further increased that lead on Wednesday morning as she recorded a leap of 1.82m in the long jump and a season’s best 52.85m in the javelin to move 258 points ahead.
In the 800m, she finished first as she ran 2:10.45 to take home NI’s first multi-class gold medal since Dame Mary Peters won the pentathlon in 1974.
NI team-mate Anna McCauley finished eighth in the standings despite being second-fastest in the 800m behind O’Connor.
O’Connor will receive her gold medal on Thursday evening at 18:30 BST.
Brock Whiston was already Paralympic champion, world champion and world record holder before these Commonwealth Games.
There were two things missing, however.
First, a Commonwealth gold medal. Second, it had been 17 years since her father Gel was poolside to watch her race.
“He doesn’t like swimming,” England’s Whiston, 29, told the BBC.
“He finds it too hot – doesn’t like the smell of chlorine.”
The last time Gel came to watch was when Whiston’s mother had cancer. She has since recovered.
Since then he has been a big “sideline supporter” from home – Whiston says he worked “so hard to get me to where I am today” – but has recently received a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
This time he was keen to make the trip.
“I just wanted to make him proud,” Whiston told TNT Sports.
“I just wanted to win this race for him. I didn’t care about the time.”
And win the race Whiston did – in a new Games record for the women’s 100m breaststroke SB8.
This month Whiston, who works in a primary school, spoke about wanting to keep her emotions in check, having missed out on gold in the same event at the Paris Paralympics after being overawed by the crowd.
“I didn’t spot him until I was doing my lap with my medal,” Whiston said.
“He gave me a kiss on the head and said ‘love you’. I think he was shellshocked.”
So will he be back? Whiston’s Games in Glasgow are finished but there are more meets to come.
“He said he’s done it now. He’s not coming back,” she said.
“He is very happy to support from home.
“Just to have him there that once was a special moment.”
Estuardo Mazariegos and Jose Ugarte, running against each other for a city council seat representing part of South Los Angeles, are immigrants from Latin America who arrived undocumented as children.
Both 40 years old, they grew up in the area and established themselves as community organizers.
And no matter which of them wins election on Nov. 3, it will be a historic change for Council District 9, which has been represented by a Black council member since 1963, even as its demographics shifted to a Latino majority.
Mazariegos and Ugarte both said they are committed to representing all their constituents equally, including Black residents who have expressed concerns about the change.
Jose Ugarte is the front-runner for City Council District 9 after getting 39% of the vote in the June primary.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Ugarte, who was until recently a deputy chief of staff to the current council member, Curren Price, got about 39% of the vote in the June primary to 26% for Mazariegos, in a six-candidate field.
Ugarte was born in Oaxaca and is Mazateco — an Indigenous group native to the Mexican state. He has spent most of his life in South L.A., where he was embraced by his Black neighbors and schoolmates. He wants to model himself after Price, who he said is known in the community as the most “pro-Latino Black councilman.”
“I want to be a voice for Black residents in my district,” Ugarte said at his campaign headquarters on Avalon Boulevard. “I want to be called the most pro-Black Latino council member that the city really has.”
Last year, Ugarte agreed to pay a $17,500 fine to the city’s Ethics Commission, later increased to $25,000, for repeatedly failing to disclose outside income he made from his lobbying and consulting firm while also working as a council staffer. He said the issue stemmed from “an unintentional clerical reporting error on my part.”
Mazariegos is the L.A. co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a statewide nonprofit that organizes lower-income Black and brown communities for progressive change. Born in Guatemala and brought to the U.S. by his parents, he also was shaped by growing up in racially diverse parts of South L.A. He said he’s reaching out to different sectors of the community, including Black organizations and churches.
Organizing is about “always having open ears to the community,” Mazariegos said while sitting outside Mercado La Paloma, a food hall in the district. “It’s fighting for, honoring the Black legacy and fighting for a Black future, and you do that by building together.”
In his early 20s, Mazariegos pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle. He said he was holding on to the gun for a friend and that the conviction makes him a better candidate because he can relate to people in the district who have had run-ins with law enforcement.
Council District 9 encompasses the Convention Center, USC and neighborhoods along the Harbor Freeway, including Vermont Square, South Park and Florence-Graham. In a district with the highest poverty rate in the city, residents are concerned about issues including illegal dumping, public safety, a dearth of grocery stores and a sense of being neglected by City Hall.
Price, who has represented the district since 2013, is terming out. He has been fighting corruption charges, with a judge deciding in January that there was enough evidence to move to trial on four counts of voting on matters in which Price had a conflict of interest, five counts of embezzlement and three counts of perjury.
Price said he never intended to do anything wrong and questioned the fairness of a prosecution over what he said was essentially a paperwork error.
The growth of the Latino population in a district that is now nearly 80% Latino has created political tensions for decades, said Manuel Pastor, a USC professor and author of “South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A.”
Four years ago, those tensions resurfaced after a recording emerged of a conversation among three Latino city council members and a labor leader that featured racist and disparaging remarks about Black people, Oaxacans and others. The revelations tested a fragile alliance of Black and Latino coalitions that organizers have sought to maintain.
More recently, some Black community leaders expressed concern that a proposal to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections would diminish Black political power. The City Council ended up sending the proposal to a committee for more study.
Pastor noted that Price made an effort to focus on Latino residents, who have grown up alongside Black residents and suffered the same disinvestment in their neighborhoods.
This election, Pastor said, will pit the strength of L.A.’s political establishment against the rising power of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Ugarte’s endorsements include Price and the L.A. County Democratic Party, while Mazariegos has been endorsed by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, City Controller Kenneth Mejia and the Democratic Socialists of America’s L.A. chapter, among others.
Through May 27, Ugarte had raised $510,000 in campaign contributions and Mazariegos had raised $254,000.
Ugarte has benefited from nearly $1 million in independent expenditures, which differ from campaign contributions, with Airbnb contributing $302,000 to support his candidacy and the California Apartment Assn. Housing Solutions Committee spending $230,000.
Mazariegos has received support from the political arms of United Teachers Los Angeles as well as his employer, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, which together spent about $118,000.
Jose Ugarte says, “I want to be called the most pro-Black Latino council member that the city really has.”
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
On a recent Sunday morning, Ugarte stopped by services at two predominantly Black churches. At McCoy Memorial Baptist Church in South Park, he accepted a warm hug from longtime Pastor R.A. Williams Jr., who endorsed his candidacy. Ugarte then traveled a few blocks to Experience Christian Ministries, where Pastor Shep Crawford also has endorsed him.
“I met him years ago, boots on the ground, in the streets making changes,” Crawford told the congregation.
That same day, about three miles north at Audio Graph Beer Co., Mazariegos was cheering at a World Cup final watch party that doubled as a fundraiser. He posed for photos with supporters, who wore buttons declaring him “the people’s candidate.” He credited making the runoff election to his years in the community advocating for anti-displacement measures for tenants and lowering the rent cap.
Angie Gonzalez, 22, said Mazariegos earned her support because of his work advocating for tenant rights.
“I like how Estuardo is trying to empower us,” she said.
Odilia Romero, a resident of District 9 and executive director of CIELO, an advocacy group for Indigenous people, said she is not endorsing in the race. But she acknowledged the importance of an Indigenous candidate, four years after the audio leak scandal.
After The Times broke that story, Ugarte said, he secured permits for a march from L.A. Trade Tech to City Hall, where Oaxacans and others rallied.
Ugarte said if he is elected, he’d become the first Indigenous Oaxacan council member. He wants to show anyone critical of immigration — including the Trump administration — that “immigrants are here to build things to make the country better.”
“I want to be a council member that came from another country, that came as an immigrant, that came from an Indigenous state, and that made a name for himself, that [improved] his community,” he said.
Organizing is about “always having open ears to the community,” Estuardo Mazariegos says. “It’s fighting for, honoring the Black legacy and fighting for a Black future, and you do that by building together.”
(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)
Mazariegos said that while he may not be a political insider, he makes up for it as a “community insider.”
“There’s a lot of mistrust for the status quo right now,” he said. His goal is “making sure that the 9th district has representation that actually fights for it.”
These days, he said, campaigning has turned into an all-day affair, meeting people as he walks with his family around the district.
Mazariegos has in recent months appeared at City Hall to advocate for charter reform, including increasing police accountability, expanding the size of the City Council and advocating for noncitizen voting. None of those measures made the November ballot.
Organizers in the district said that no matter who wins, they intend to hold the new council member accountable.
“We hope that whoever wins this race keeps working-class people and their issues on the forefront,” said Ron Gochez, a longtime district resident and organizer with Union del Barrio, which advocates for immigrants. “We will pressure whoever wins to do the right thing.”
British number two Cameron Norrie ended a six-match losing streak with a 6-4-6-1 win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the Mifel Open in Mexico.
Norrie had not won since the Madrid Open in April, a run which included a first-round exit to qualifier Michael Zheng at Wimbledon.
Playing at the tournament in Los Cabos where he won his first ATP title in 2021, Norrie recovered from having his serve broken twice in the first set, including in the opening game.
The fifth seed dropped only five points on serve in the second set and broke American Kovacevic twice to set up a meeting with Australian James Duckworth or American Aidan Mayo in the last 16.
“I’m so happy,” said Norrie, who retired from his French Open first-round match in May because of a rib injury.
“I hadn’t had a win in a while. I’ve been battling some injuries and a bit of confidence, so I was a bit nervous.
“But I played well in the big moments and managed to stay calm.”
British number two Katie Boulter was knocked out of the Citi Open in the first round, extending her losing run to four matches.
American Ashlyn Krueger triumphed 3-6 6-2 6-2 in Washington DC as Boulter won only four points from 2-0 up in the deciding set.
The Tour triumph marks the Slovenian’s third win in a row and draws him level with four others on the all-time list
Published On 27 Jul 202627 Jul 2026
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar secured a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title on Sunday after safely navigating the final stage, won by Mathieu van der Poel, to seal a third consecutive crown in cycling’s greatest race.
The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates XRGcyclist, affectionately known as “Pogi”, only needed to avoid a race-ending mishap on the run into Paris to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as a five-time Tour champion.
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Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel finished second overall, while Mexico’s Isaac del Toro rounded out the overall podium in third.
“Thank you to all the fans and to all of France for hosting this great race,” Pogacar said.
“Thank you to my competitors for putting on a great show. We fought hard over the last three weeks.”
Van der Poel takes final stage
Pogacar and Van der Poel broke away on the final ascent of Montmartre with about 10km (6 miles) remaining and took a slender advantage into the run to the Champs-Elysees as the chasing group closed relentlessly.
The Slovenian’s challenge faded inside the final kilometre, but Van der Poel pressed on to secure victory in a photo finish ahead of Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen, with Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek in third.
“When I was sick last year, and I had to watch the stage on television, I was already thinking about this moment,” Van der Poel, 31, said.
“The way it went, it’s a dream. It’s incredible. It was super hard, and to be up there with the best rider in the world, all my respect for Tadej.
“I thought we were going to get caught back, then I was just thinking about this moment. I put my head down in the last 500 metres. I just went as hard as I could.
“I’m super happy. I have a few races I still wanted to win in my career, and this was one of them.”
Premier Tech’s Mathieu Van Der Poel holds a bouquet on the podium after winning stage 21 [Papon Bernard/Reuters]
Supreme Pogacar
Pogacar underlined his supremacy throughout the Tour by claiming five stage victories.
His path to a third straight yellow jersey became less complicated when two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, widely regarded as his principal challenger, withdrew after a crash on Stage 15.
The Tour’s traditional finale in Paris was shortened after security forces were redeployed to help tackle wildfires near Bordeaux. As a result, Stage 21, which customarily takes the peloton into Paris before several laps of the Champs-Elysees, was reduced to 89km from the 133km originally scheduled.
This year’s race also produced a remarkable first: no rider from France, Italy or Spain won a stage, making it the first Tour de France without a stage victory from any of the three nations that created and host cycling’s Grand Tours.
Pogacar’s latest triumph caps three weeks of racing since the Grand Depart in Barcelona and further cements his status as the dominant rider of his generation.
UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the yellow jersey, and UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Isaac Del Toro, wearing the white jersey, celebrate with their teammates after stage 21 [Garnier Etienne/Reuters]
PARIS — Tadej Pogacar confirmed his status as one of cycling’s all-time greats after winning a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title in emphatic style.
Daring mountain attacks from deep, multiple stage wins and an ice-cool temperament all helped the 27-year-old Slovenian seal his victory on Sunday. He joined Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to win five Tours.
“I’m speechless. It’s an incredible day, there was an incredible atmosphere,” Pogacar said. “I’ve ridden seven Tours already and I’ve always finished on the podium. You might think this is a fairy tale, it’s incredible for me too.”
After competing strongly in Sunday’s 21st and exciting final stage in Paris, Pogacar finished 6 minutes, 26 seconds ahead of Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings.
Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard was Pogacar’s main rival heading into the race but the Dane crashed out on the 15th stage.
“Shame that Jonas and others crashed out of this Tour,” Pogacar said. “I hope we can all fight again next year.”
Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro, a 22-year-old Mexican making his Tour debut, was third at 9:42 back from Pogacar, who smiled and held up his hand to signify his wins. His teammates then joined him as they stood proudly on the Champs-Élysées.
“I don’t know how I do it,” Pogacar said. “I now have to find a new goal to chase. Which goal? Let’s just not jump ahead of ourselves, and enjoy this moment.”
Pogacar won the Giro d’Italia in 2024 but has not won the Spanish Vuelta, which starts on Aug. 22.
“Will I be at La Vuelta in a few weeks?” he said. “Let’s see.”
Peerless Pogacar
Pogacar won five stages at this year’s race to take his impressive tally to 26 overall.
He tried to win on Sunday, too, but victory ultimately went to Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who just held off the chasing pack on the home straight for his second stage win at this year’s race and fourth overall.
Sunday’s 55-mile stage looped around Paris and was mostly processional, although less so than in previous years, which were usually entirely flat stages for sprinters and not for the rest of the peloton.
The stage was shortened and its starting point in Thoiry, west of the capital, was changed to Paris so as to reduce pressure on emergency services combating wildfires in the southwest. Some security forces initially mobilized for Paris were redeployed to help response efforts.
For the second straight year the stage featured the hugely popular uphill climb through the Montmartre district, a sharp 0.62-mile dash which riders tackled three times before finishing on the Champs-Élysées.
It proved even too much for Pogacar, who could not match Van der Poel’s raw power in the closing stages.
Shortly before 6 p.m. local time, Pogacar shook hands at the start line with Evenepoel and Ecuadorian veteran Richard Carapaz, wearing the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.
“I battled hard to win this jersey, it was a great fight,” the 33-year-old Carapaz said. “It’s the best feeling to win it.”
Exciting finale
Van der Poel and Dane Mads Pedersen, the green jersey winner as best sprinter, were among the expected contenders for the stage win.
Crowds roared as the riders began the first climb up Rue Lepic in Montmartre, with the famed Sacré-Coeur basilica looming over them.
Pogacar moved ahead after the second ascension of Montmartre, with Van der Poel, Evenepoel and Pedersen alongside him.
Van der Poel attacked on the third and final climb with Pogacar responding well, and the one-day classics rivals surged ahead.
But they were caught with 700 meters left and, after Pogacar faded, the 31-year-old Van der Poel still had work to do.
He got his bike just over the line ahead of Belgian Jasper Philipsen, his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate, and Pedersen. Pogacar eased up and finished 30th.
“I thought the sprinters would catch us up so I launched [my attack] from very far away,” Van der Poel said. “I gave everything I had left in my legs and it was just enough.”
Cycling pedigree
Van der Poel is widely considered one of the best cyclists in the world. He has multiple victories in one-day classics and Cyclo-cross world championship titles, and is also a former world road race champion.
His father Adri van der Poel won two stages on the Tour in the late 1980s.
His maternal grandfather was French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, who raced in the 1960s and ’70s, finishing second on the Tour three times and third five times. Nicknamed “Poupou” and “The Eternal Runner-up,” he was adored by French fans.
Women’s Tour
The nine-stage women’s Tour starts in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Aug. 1 and finishes in Nice on Aug 9.
Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt won on debut last year.
One of the most entertaining riders in the race was Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost. He toiled earlier in the race before coming into great form to claim the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey.
He won stage 18 and Saturday’s stage 20 after topping the race’s highest point first and after 5,450km of climbing.
The green points jersey was awarded to Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, after tenacious riding on climbs he is not typically strong on to hoover up mid-stage points, alongside winning stage four.
He beat a number of sprinters to the jersey, including Japser Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech. Philipsen won stage 17 and fellow Belgian Tim Merlier of Soudal-Quick Step won three bunch sprint stages.
Tour de France stage 21 results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Premier Tech) 1hr 58mins 49secs
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Premier Tech) same time
3. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek)
4. Max Kanter (Ger/XDS-Astana)
5. Olav Kooij (Ned/Decathlon-CMA CGM)
6. Matej Mohoric (Slo/Bahrain-Victorious)
7. Rick Pluimers (Ned/Tudor Pro-cycling)
8. Anthony Turgis (Fra/Total Energies)
9. Milan Fretin (Bel/Cofidis)
10. Clement Russo (Fra/Groupama-FDJ United)
Tour de France general classification after stage 21
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 73hrs 56mins 26secs
Verstappen was unhappy with his car for much of the race, but Red Bull pulled a masterstroke when they fitted soft tyres to his car at his second pit stop.
The aim was to challenge Hamilton in the later laps after the seven-time champion made an early second stop with 40 laps still to go.
It was heading towards a tense climax when Piastri’s retirement brought out the VSC.
That prompted a late round of pit stops, Ferrari bringing in both their drivers and putting them behind Verstappen.
Hamilton came out of the pits and passed Antonelli into the first corner, after the Italian stayed out under the VSC, but had to give the place back after the restart because the Mercedes driver had just passed the key line on the track in front.
Antonelli and Hamilton started chasing back towards Verstappen, but they were delayed while lapping Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
That looked as if it might be decisive, but in the end Verstappen was comfortably able to keep Antonelli at bay, crossing the line 3.6 seconds ahead.
Another key point in Verstappen’s race had been his re-passing of Hamilton after the Ferrari had got briefly ahead following the first pit stops.
That gave him clear air and enabled the Dutchman to consolidate his race position in third place behind the McLarens, laying the foundations for Red Bull’s late strategy call.
Hamilton will leave Hungary ruing another penalty – the one for speeding in the pit lane was his second in two days after behind penalised for blocking Piastri in qualifying, and follows two other penalties at the previous two races in Belgium and Britain.
Behind him, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was sixth, ahead of Russell, who dropped to 21st place on the first lap after his anti-stall kicked in at the start, and fought back strongly.
At Aston Martin, Lance Stroll finished in 13th, ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, their positions dictated to a degree by luck under the VSC and their divergent strategies.
But the key point was that Alonso, in particular, was able to fight with other cars for the first time, and he ran a long first stint on the soft tyres, before switching to the mediums, which was a bold strategy.
The long-awaited upgrade to their car, which was new apart from the front suspension, engine and gearbox, has reduced their lap times by about two seconds.
A Honda engine upgrade is due for the Dutch Grand Prix, the next race in four weeks’ time after the summer break, which the team hope will elevate them further and potentially bring the possibility of the occasional points finish into the picture.
Defending champion Norris wins his first race of the year as Verstappen finishes second and leader Antonelli is third.
Published On 26 Jul 202626 Jul 2026
Lando Norris has ended an eight-month wait for a Formula One victory with strong pace and a dose of good fortune to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
McLaren’s defending champion finished ahead of Max Verstappen in Red Bull and teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli at the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest on Sunday.
Norris was on pole but lost the lead to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri when he ran wide at the second corner, before reclaiming the lead after Piastri was delayed by a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr during a lap.
This allowed Norris to come out of the pits ahead of his teammate and cruise to a win.
“The car was unbelievable today, well done guys, incredible. We were flying,” Norris said. “Nice to finally be able to do it all for you. Feels like it’s been a while.”
Piastri then stopped with a broken gearbox, paving the way for Verstappen to take second, with Antonelli third.
Antonelli increased his standings lead, with title rival Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth after a penalty for speeding in the pits and George Russell seventh after a near-stall at the start.
Norris hadn’t won a full Grand Prix race since Sao Paulo in November, though he did win a sprint in Miami in May.
Hungary was the last race before the mid-season break. The next race is the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in action during the race [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]
Anthony Joshua suffered two knockdowns – the first happening after just 20 seconds – before recovering to dramatically stop Kristian Prenga in the second round of his comeback fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The British heavyweight was fighting for the first time since surviving the December car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
He was sensationally rocked by a huge uppercut from underdog Prenga in the opening round, and then hit the canvas again later in the round.
At that point he looked on the verge of one of the biggest shock defeats in heavyweight history, with the long-awaited Tyson Fury fight hanging by a thread.
But Joshua produced one of the greatest escapes of his career, and now that fight is on.
He unleashed his right hand in the second round, with the final shot sending Albanian Prenga crashing down and forcing the referee to halt the contest.
“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” Joshua, 36, said.
He choked up and stepped away from the microphone, before adding: “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
There had been speculation fellow Briton Fury might make a appearance despite insisting he would not attend.
But the master of mind games stayed true to his word, with Fury nowhere to be seen barely 24 hours on from his own warm-up win over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua said about the prospect of fighting Fury.
Contracts have been signed, but the venue and date for a fight more than a decade in the making are still unknown.
This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory forged through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.
Having grown up on an island with about 100,000 inhabitants, Nowacki is rapidly become one of the best breaststrokers in the world.
He left Jersey to train at Millfield School and will move to Loughborough after the Games to continue his swimming as part of Team GB’s elite squad preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Nathan Jegou, who coached Nowacki as a youngster and is managing the Jersey swimming team in Glasgow, says he is excited at what the islander can do.
“It’s just the start of his journey, and the last two years for him has been phenomenal,” he told BBC Jersey.
“I’m excited to see what he does and we’re proud that he’s one of us.
“We’re such a small island, to come here and get a silver medal, it means everything to him, means everything to us, and we hope he can maybe do it again later in the week.”
Industrial stocks grabbed the spotlight this week as Wall Street digested earnings reports from companies including Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT), 3M Company (MMM), RTX (RTX), and Honeywell Technologies (HON).
The industrial sector (XLI) has gained over 17.8% so far this
CHICAGO — Azzi Fudd had no idea she was the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star three-point contest. She put forth a stellar effort in the championship round to do it.
Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by Dallas, scored 30 points in the finals to top Portland’s Bridget Carleton.
“I was shocked, that’s crazy to be the first is definitely an honor,” Fudd said of being the first rookie to win.
Fudd’s 30-point effort was tied for the second-most ever, equaling Sabrina Ionescu and Allie Quigley’s total. Ionescu holds the record, scoring 37 points in 2023.
Fudd hit her first six shots in the finals to get into rhythm. Carleton, from the expansion Fire, had 29 points in the opening round, but struggled in the finals, scoring 19 points.
Fresh off her victory, Fudd issued a playful request for a rematch with Golden State Warriors guard StephenCurry. The two had a 3-point competition when Fudd went to his camp when she was in high school.
“I mean Steph if you’re listening, I’m asking for a rematch,” Fudd said.
The three-point competition capped off the Friday night festivities. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks led team Washington to the Shooting Stars championship to tip off the action. The trio scored 31 points to edge Seattle’s three in the finals, with Banks hitting two of the 4-point shots from just inside halfcourt to put the team over the top.
“She carried. She carried,” Austin said of Banks. “You could just tell in her energy, like as soon as we started, like it was confidence and I think that showed in how she hit those tough shots.”
In the three-point competition, Carleton had a stellar first-round, scoring 29 points. She hit 13 of her first 16 shots. Fudd also had a great opening round, scoring 24 points. She made four of her final five shots. That carried over to the finals.
Carleton’s hot shooting in the opening round brought the crowd, which included Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Dwyane Wade and Sheryl Swoopes, to its feet.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd competes in the WNBA All-Star three-point shooting contest Friday.
(Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
Other players in the three-point contest were Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, who scored 20 points, Golden State’s Janelle Salaun, who had 19 points; Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, who had 18 and Minnesota’s Natisha Heideman, who had 17.
In the Shooting Stars competition, Seattle had 24 points to finish as runner-up after missing all of the team’s four-point shots.
This was the first year that the contest was conducted. A skills competition was done in previous All-Star weekends. The format was a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams had 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition featured shots ranging from a layup to the 4-pointer.
Washington had the highest score in the preliminary round, posting 35 points. Once again, Banks hit four-point shots to help her team reach the championship round.
Seattle’s squad needed to beat the 20 points that the Detroit/Dallas team put up to advance to the finals. High schooler Tatianna Griffin hit two of the 4-point shots to help Seattle reach the finals. Minnesota finished in fourth with 19 points with a team of Courtney Williams, Rebbekah Brunson and Ryan Carter.
Detroit/Dallas had former Shock great Deanna Nolan, Wings All-Star Jessica Shepard and high schooler Morghan Reckley.
The new CBA gave Fudd $20,000 for winning the 3-point contest and each participant received $10,000. That’s about eight-times last season’s prize money.
Each shooting stars winner received $15,000. Each competitor, not including the high school players, will receive $7,500. Last year, the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.
In addition Aflac, like it has the past two years, gave extra money to the winners. Fudd took home $40,000 for winning the three-point contest. Carleton received $30,000 for finishing second and Howard got $15,000 for placing third.
Team Washington got $40,000 from Aflac with Seattle receiving $32,500 and Dallas $12,500.
