phelps

I thought it could have been a lot closer, but in the end it was the usual blow out... POR vs SUI, the match of the day in yesterday's program, was a Portuguese one-team show and ended up with a 7-1 final score for the red & green machine... in the remaining matches, ESP destroyed the Netherlands 14-2, GER did joke against BEL 15-0, FRA outplayed Andorra quite easily with a 6-0 final score and Italy won 9-4 against ENG despite playing so sloppy as they rarely do... today's most interesting match-up is ESP vs GER (h.20 CET), always waiting for Thursday's big clash between ITA and ESP, definitely the highlight of the group stage...

Clay Target World Cup, Stage #6 (Tucson, AZ, USA) Women's Trap Gold: Marika Salmi Silver: Fatima Galvez Bronze: Melanie Couzy

29th Haarlem Baseball Week Yesterday's Results ITA b. CUB 7-3 (I've never seen such a poor Cuban team...it's really sad watching them in this condition) JPN b. GER 6-1 Today's schedule ITA vs TPE (h.14.00) NED vs CUB (h.19.00)

well, sorry for the mistake POR vs SUI is scheduled for tonight... yesterday the Portuguese destroyed Andorra 11-0, but Italy had even a better day, humiliating Belgium 24-0... SUI-AUT 5-1 and GER-NED 5-1 were the other matches played yesterday...

it was just an euphemism/a bit of sarcasm...

29th Haarlem Baseball Week Yesterday's Results TPE b. NED 3-2 JPN b. CUB 7-1 Today's schedule ITA vs CUB (h.14.00) JPN vs GER (h.19.00)

yeah...he was not your "regular & well disciplined" athlete... we can also say he wasted his talent (which was amazing, if only he had the right mentality to manage his character)... but dying at only 35 is always something that gives you a feeling of sadness and injustice...

Ray Emery, former NHL goalie, dies at 35 https://www.nhl.com/news/ray-emery-former-nhl-goalie-dies-at-35/c-299494264 R.I.P.

Melissa Humana-Paredes & Sarah Pavan are the 2018 Gstaad tournament women's champions... women's Bronze medal match Bansley/Wilkerson, CAN b. Agatha/Duda, BRA 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) women's Gold medal match Humana-Paredes/Pavan, CAN b. Laboureur/Sude, GER 2-1 (21-17, 12-21, 17-15)

actually, it was Jamaica to win Gold in the men's Discus Throw (despite his name sounds Chinese, he's your typical Caribbean big guy)...

29th Haarlem Baseball Week Results so far JPN b. ITA 1-0 NED b. GER 6-0 JPN b. TPE 1-0 NED b. ITA 7-0 GER b. CUB 5-4 Today's schedule NED vs TPE (h.14.00) CUB vs JPN (h.19.00)

Spain destroyed England 10-1 in the Opening Match last night... let's see what Italy can do today in their easy (on paper) debut against BEL... on the other group, very interesting match-up between Portugal and Switzerland (10 p.m. CET), match that could even determine the group winners, already on day #1...

Anders Berntsen Mol & Christian Sandlie Sorum are the new Gstaad champions in the men's division, giving Norway the first success in the World Tour exactly 20 years after the last one (Kjemperud/Hojdalen, Berlin 1998)... in the Gold medal match they won 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) against Herrera & Gavira (ESP)... the Bronze medal went to Paolo Nicolai & Daniele Lupo (ITA), who defeated Crabb/Gibb (USA) with the score of 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 20-18)... in the women's division, the last 2 quarterfinals went to Bansley/Wilkerson, CAN (2-0 over Hermannova/Slukova, CZE) and Laboureur/Sude, GER (2-0 over Murakami/Ishii, JPN)... meanwhile the semifinals have been won by Humana-Paredes/Pavan, CAN (2-1 over Agatha/Duda, BRA) and Laboureur/Sude, GER (2-1 over Bansley/Wilkerson)... the Bronze medal match is scheduled for 1.30 p.m. CET (basically, in 5 minutes time); the Gold medal match to follow, but not before 2.45 p.m. CET

Olympic double Bronze medallist (400m & 1500m Free) and 800m Free reigning World Champion Gabriele Detti (ITA) is officially out of the 2018 European Championships, after his left shoulder injury is slightly improving, but not enough to allow him to be in decent shape for this event (and it's also a precautional decision of not trying to hard and making further damages to his left shoulder ahead of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which are a lot more important to him and to Italian swimming than this year's Continental Champs)...

surprising results at the 2nd 5* tournament of the season in Gstaad (SUI)... the men's Gold medal match will be Herrera/Gavira (ESP) vs Mol/Sorum (NOR), after the Spaniards defeated Nicolai/Lupo (ITA) 2-0 and the Norwegians defeated Crabb/Gibb (USA) 2-1 in the semifinals... the Bronze medal match is scheduled at 5.15 p.m. CET, the Gold medal match follows not before 6.30 p.m. CET in the women's division, the semifinals and the finals are scheduled for tomorrow... the quarterfinals: Agatha/Duda (BRA) defeated 2-1 Larsen/Stockman (USA), Humana-Paredes/Pavan (CAN) won 2-0 against Klineman/Ross (USA), meanwhile the remaining 2 quarters are still to be completed (Hermannova/Slukova, CZE vs Bansley/Wilkerson, CAN and Laboureur/Sude, GER vs Murakami/Ishii, JPN)... so, also among the girls not your usual top 8 (in part, at least)...

naaa...speed specialists are a world on their own... no one of them is really competitive in Boulder and/or Lead (meanwhile those 2 disciplines have a lot of participants who can win in both of them)... that's why the Olympic Combined event technically doesn't make any sense...

all games streaming Live here: www.cers-rinkhockey.tv/

Rink Hockey Men's European Championships 2018 La Coruña (ESP) - 14 July 2018 - 22 July 2018 Official Website Full Schedule (and Results & Stats) here: http://www.eurohockey2018.gal/en_stats

yeah...he's very hot right now... let's see if he can make it again next week (once again in France)...

IFSC World Cup, Stage #8 (Chamonix, FRA) Women's Lead 1st, Jessica Pilz (AUT) 2nd, Janja Garnbret (SLO) 3rd, Kim Ja-In (KOR) Men's Lead 1st, Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) 2nd, Jakob Schubert (AUT) 3rd, Alexander Megos (GER) Women's Speed 1st, Aleksandra Rudzinska (POL) 2nd, Anna Tsyganova (RUS) 3rd, Mariia Krasavina (RUS) Men's Speed 1st, Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) 2nd, Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) 3rd, Bassa Mawem (FRA)

busy schedule... among others, Football World Cup + Waterpolo Europeans + Athletics Junior Worlds + a lot of Golf (both Scottish Open -European Tour- & John Deere Classic -US PGA Tour)...and maybe also a bit of MLB Baseball, if I can find some time for it...

so, hopefully next week we could finally get rid of the biggest farce at the Olympic Games in the last 30 years or so? fingers crossed, then (even if I think they would do anything to save such an instrument for political spread of medals)...

Clay Target World Cup, Stage #6 (Tucson, AZ, USA) Women's Skeet Gold: Kimberly Rhode Silver: Caitlin Connor Bronze: Lucie Anastassiou Men's Skeet Gold: Lee Jong Jun Silver: Giancarlo Tazza Bronze: Stefan Nilsson

Mixed Nacra 17 Open European Championships 2018 (Gdynia, POL) Mixed Nacra 17 Gold: Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti (ITA), 34 Pts (2nd title in a row for them) Silver: Fernando Echavarri & Tara Pacheco (ESP), 56 Pts Bronze: Lin Cenholt & Cp Lubeck (DEN), 64 Pts Regatta Overall Ranking 1st, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti (ITA), 34 Pts 2nd, Gemma Jones & Jason Saunders (NZL), 47 Pts 3rd, Fernando Echavarri & Tara Pacheco (ESP), 56 Pts Full News and Results here: http://nacra17.org/events/2018-european-championship/

49er & 49er FX Open European Championships 2018 (Gdynia, POL) Men's 49er Gold: Diego Botìn & Iago Botìn (ESP), 69 Pts Silver: Dominik Buksak & Szymon Wierzbicki (POL), 74 Pts Bronze: Dylan Fletcher-Scott & Stuart Bithell (GBR), 75 Pts Regatta Overall Ranking 1st, Diego Botìn & Iago Botìn (ESP), 69 Pts 2nd, Dominik Buksak & Szymon Wierzbicki (POL), 74 Pts 3rd, Dylan Fletcher-Scott & Stuart Bithell (GBR), 75 Pts Women's 49er Gold: Helene Naess & Marie Ronningen (NOR), 59 Pts Silver: Victoria Jurczok & Anika Lorenz (GER), 81 Pts Bronze: Sophie Weguelin & Sophie Ainsworth (GBR), 81 Pts Regatta Overall Ranking 1st, Helene Naess & Marie Ronningen (NOR), 59 Pts 2nd, Victoria Jurczok & Anika Lorenz (GER), 81 Pts 3rd, Sophie Weguelin & Sophie Ainsworth (GBR), 81 Pts Full News and Results here: http://49er.org/event/2018-european-championship/