Picture Credit: X
India veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh announced he will retire from international hockey after the upcoming Paris Olympics. Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaland came up with a hilarious reply to a fan’s bizarre query. Read below to learn more about latest sporting events in last 24 hours.
Hockey
India's PR Sreejesh to retire from international hockey after Paris Olympics 2024
India veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh announced he will retire from international hockey after the upcoming Paris Olympics, starting on July 28. Sreejesh will participate in his fourth Olympic Games in Paris and look to add another medal to his bronze from the 2020 edition in Tokyo. The 36-year-old debuted for India in 2006 and took to social media to announce his retirement. Sreejesh shared a thread on X which was about his journey from playing for the G V Raja Sports School to making his international debut against Australia and then the crowning moment of his career, the bronze medal in Tokyo.
Football
Adidas unveil Real Madrid's glaring orange away kit for 2024-25 season
Defending La Liga and UEFA Champions League champions Real Madrid unveiled their away kit for the 2024-25 season. After unveiling one of their biggest signings - Kylian Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Los Blancos have rolled an eye-popping orange kit for away games. This kit is also a nod to Real Madrid's third kit from the 2013-14 season. That season, the club won the Copa Del Rey and Champions League under manager Carlo Ancelotti. Talking about the kit, it has an orange base complemented by an accent of the colour of a night sky with Glow Blue, Black-Blue Metallic and Night Navy hues.
Nope mate. 100% masculine male: Erling Haaland comes up with hilarious reply to fan’s bizarre query
Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaland came up with a hilarious reply to a fan’s bizarre query. On Sunday, July 21, Haaland celebrated his 24th birthday and shared a picture of him, with his open locks, contrary to how he generally keeps his hair tied in a neat bun. However, a fan posted a bizarre query on his comment box and asked him if he was a woman. The 24-year-old captioned the picture, “Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone!!! 24 years old means im no longer a talent anymore. So let’s get to work! No excuses.” On his query, a fan with the username brandonpepenazi commented and asked him if he was a woman. The fan commented, “Hey bro, Are you a female?” However, Haaland came up with a straightforward reply to the fan and wrote, “Nope mate. 100% masculine male.”
Athletics
Neeraj’s adductor is fine: Chopra’s coach Klaus Bartonietz shares big update ahead of Paris 2024
India’s ‘Golden Boy’ and one of the top medal contenders at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra has been struggling with some niggle to his adductor off late. However, he continues to prepare for the Summer Games, set to get underway on July 26 in Paris, his German coach Klaus Bartonietz has shared a big update on the Indian athlete’s fitness. Speaking in an exclusive interview with PTI, Klaus assured that Neeraj’s adductor “is fine”, putting rest to his physical condition. He also added that the 26-year-old has entered crucial high-intensity training phase. “Everything is according to plan. At the moment, no issue with that (adductor niggle), it’s fine, it looks good, hoping to remain like that till the Olympics,” he said.
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France title for third time
Tadej Pogacar secured his third Tour de France title on Sunday, July 21, after his wins in 2020 and 2021. With the win, he became the first rider to achieve the Giro d’Italia/Tour de France double since 1998. Pogacar won the final day’s time trial while defending champion Jonas Vingegaard came second by clocking a time of 1 minute and 03 seconds on the day with Remco Evenepoel coming third on the day as well as third, overall. The 25-year-old, who finished 6 minutes 17 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in the final standings, said, “It was an amazing journey. What a battle with Jonas and Remco. So much happened. We are living in the golden age of cycling.”
Formula One
Oscar Piastri wins maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix in Hungary; helps secure first McLaren 1-2 finish in three years
On Sunday, July 21, Oscar Piastri, the McLaren driver, won his maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix in Hungary at the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest. The Australian managed to stay ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, to hand McLaren their first one-two finish in F1 in three years, while Lewis Hamilton clinched third place in the Mercedes. Although Oscar Piastri managed to win his first Formula 1 race of his career, the taste of success didn’t come before a team order controversy at McLaren. In the final pit stop phase, around the 47th lap, Lando Norris got past Oscar Piastri after the latter led the Hungarian Grand Prix for most of it.
Tennis
Rafael Nadal loses Swedish Open final on return; wait for title extends beyond two years
On Sunday, July 21, Rafael Nadal, the Spanish tennis star, lost the final of the Swedish Open in Bastad in straight sets 3-6, 2-6 against Nuno Borges of Portugal. With this tough loss, the 38-year-old’s wait for his first title on the ATP tour extended further since winning the French Open over two years ago. The road to the final of the Swedish Open was quite a tough one for Rafael Nadal after he had to endure a four-hour thriller against Mariano Navone of Argentina in the quarter-final. The semi-final versus Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia was yet another three-set match, which prompted the Spaniard to withdraw his name from the doubles semi-final alongside Casper Rudd.
Swiss Open 2024: Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti beat Martin and Humber to win doubles' title
Indian tennis star Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti won the men's doubles title at the ATP Swiss Open. The Indo-French duo defeated French pair Fabrice Martin and Ugo Humber 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 at Gstaad. The Swiss Open will be Bhambri's third ATP title all of which have come in the 250 series. He won his first title on the ATP Tour in 2023 alongside Lloyd Harris at the Mallorca Championships in Spain. As a pair, Bhambri and Olivetti clinched their second title, with the first coming earlier in the year when they defeated Andreas Mies and Jen-Lennard Struff to take home the Bavarian Championships (BMW Open).
I know he's going to give me a slap: Carlos Alcaraz on playing fun shots despite being restrained by coach
Wimbledon 2024 champion Carlos Alcaraz said that he would avoid his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s gaze after defying his wishes to play risky and fun shots during matches. He remarked that Ferrero has a ‘slap’ ready for him from the player’s box in such cases. He said, “Many times I feel more restrained than I should because of him. Because of what might happen to me later. Yes, I notice it, yes. Every time I do one of those shots that are not supposed to be taken, the ones for fun, sometimes I don't even look at it because I know that he's going to give me a slap from the box.”
