Max Verstappen has secured the Formula One title for the third year in a row in a season of near-total domination for the Red Bull driver. Verstappen finished second in the sprint race in Qatar on Saturday and his teammate Sergio Perez, the only driver who could catch him in the standings, crashed out after being struck by Esteban Ocon's Alpine. Rookie Oscar Piastri won the sprint for McLaren. The title race was all but over long before Verstappen made sure of it Saturday. His run of 10 straight wins, an all-time F1 record, from May to September left him far ahead in the standings.
Simone Biles has won the individual all-around title at the world championships for the sixth time to become the most decorated gymnast in history. Ten years after she won her first in the same Belgian city as a 16-year-old, Biles scored 58.399 points across the balance beam, floor, vault and uneven bars to beat Rebeca Andrade of Brazil by 1.633 points. Biles' U.S. teammate Shilese Jones took the bronze medal, with 56.332 points. Biles now has 34 medals across the world championships and Olympics, making her the most decorated gymnast ever � male or female � at the sport's two signature events ahead of the retired Vitaly Scherbo.
Japan is back on top in men’s gymnastics. The five-man group led by reigning world and Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto edged rival China in the team finals at the 2023 world championships to earn Japan’s first major international gold medal since 2015. The Japanese posted a team total of 255.594 points, nearly two points clear of China at 253.794.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon pushed the pace early and pulled away down the stretch to defend her 1,500-meter title at the world championships. The 29-year-old Kipyegon only grew stronger as the race went along, finishing in a time of 3 minutes, 54.87 seconds to beat Diribe Welteji by almost a second. Sifan Hassan surged into third place.
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is not getting ahead of herself in her return from a two-year break. Biles dominated at the U.S. Classic, winning by a full five points in her first competition since the Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old says her focus is trying to enjoy the moments as they come and not get ahead of herself. Biles added she's in a good place both mentally and physically but stressed she isn't ready to talk about the 2024 Paris Games. Up next for Biles is the U.S. Championships in San Jose in late August.
Jennifer Valente gave the U.S. its second gold medal in as many days at the cycling world championships Friday with her victory in the scratch race. The 40-lap race is an endurance event on the track, and Valente pulled ahead in the first and second turns of the final lap before holding on for a sprint finish. Her victory followed Chloe Dygert's win on Thursday in the individual pursuit.
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship. It's a record 28th world title for Canada and its second title in three years. Lawson Crouse, Tylor Toffoli and Scott Laughton also scored for Canada. Latvia down the United States 4-3 in overtime in a bronze medal game. It’s the first top-three finish for Latvia at the tournament.
It'll be United States and Canada meeting in the women's world hockey gold medal game for the 21st time in 22 tournaments. Captain Hilary Knight, Amanda Kessel and Tessa Janecke each scored twice, and the United States secured its berth with a 9-1 rout of the Czech Republic. The two-time defending champion Canadians advanced with Sarah Fillier scoring three times in a 5-1 win over Switzerland in the other semifinal.
Swiss skier Marco Odermatt won the men’s giant slalom for his second gold medal at the world championships. Odermatt was second after the opening run but beat Swiss teammate Loic Meillard by 0.32 seconds.Â
