Author: Reuters

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South African airline behind low-level flyby stunt cancels repeat display

  • Forecast of unfavourable weather cited as reason

  • Aircraft passed less than ‌50 feet above stadium

The South African airline Airlink has cancelled a planned flypast before Saturday’s Springboks-All ⁠Blacks rugby Test as the country’s aviation regulator reviews a similar display conducted by the airline last ⁠week.

Airlink said on ⁠Wednesday ​it had withdrawn its application for a formation flyby ahead of the Rugby Championship clash at Johannesburg’s ⁠FNB Stadium, citing forecasts of unfavourable weather. The South African civil aviation authority (SACAA) is conducting a compliance verification of ⁠the airline’s 29 August flypast over Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.

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‘Special for Norway’: Leknessund breaks clear to win stage seven of Vuelta

  • Norway in mourning after death of King Harald

  • ‘It’s only a small thing in the bigger picture’

The Norwegian Andreas Leknessund launched a successful solo attack on ⁠the final climb to the summit finish of Aramón Valdelinares to win stage ⁠seven of the ⁠Vuelta ​a España, ahead of his Uno-X Mobility teammate and compatriot Tobias Johannessen on a day ⁠when their country mourned the death of King Harald.

Leknessund made his move from ⁠a five-rider breakaway 7.5km from the finish at ​the end of the ‌149.8km ride from ‌Vall d’Alba, and pulled away to win his first ‌Grand Tour stage on his Vuelta debut.

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LIV Golf to lay off majority of staff amid ‘compressed timeline’ for new investors

  • Saudi Arabia’s PIF have ended financial support

  • Chief executive working on deal but needs players’ buy-in

LIV Golf informed the majority of its workforce on Wednesday that they will be laid off in the first week of September.

The news ⁠comes three days after the 2026 season concluded in Indianapolis and four months after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it was ending its financial support ⁠of the league after ⁠spending more than $5bn over the past five years.

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Vuelta a España: Tadej Pogacar punishes peloton with mighty solo win on stage four

  • Slovenian powers to victory by more than three minutes

  • Leader breaks rivals on brutal climb at halfway point

Tadej Pogacar arrived in red, lit the fuse on the climbs and turned stage four of the Vuelta a España ⁠into a private exhibition on Tuesday, powering away with almost 50 kilometres remaining to win alone in Andorra la Vella.

The Slovenian, bidding to ⁠complete his Grand ⁠Tour collection by ​claiming the Vuelta for the first time, attacked on the road to the second climb and quickly reduced a high-altitude battle into ⁠a one-man procession.

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Vuelta a España: giant hail forces stage three abandonment in Pyrenees

  • Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from end

  • Riders seen heading into hotel on route to take cover

A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the ⁠third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.

With 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km route ⁠from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the ​skies darkened as the peloton neared the top of the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began ⁠bouncing off the tarmac and pelting the riders.

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Lani Pallister pips Summer McIntosh to gold before adding silver on Pan Pacs opening night

  • Australian finishes strongly to win 200m freestyle title in California

  • Pallister comes in second behind Katie Ledecky in 1,500m freestyle

Australia’s freestyle star Lani Pallister has collected gold and silver medals in her arduous opening to the Pan Pacific championships in the United States.

Pallister triumphed in the women’s 200m freestyle and then set a personal best when finishing behind American legend Katie Ledecky in the 1,500m freestyle in Irvine, California on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

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Doubts grow over Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open defence after latest withdrawal

  • World No 2 pulls out of ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati

  • Spaniard has been sidelined since April with ongoing wrist injury

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open due to an ⁠ongoing wrist injury, casting fresh doubts over the Spaniard’s fitness ahead of his ⁠US Open title ⁠defence this ​month.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open second round in April ⁠but had been set to return at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which he won last ⁠year.

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Cam Smith wants LIV Golf to live on but ‘100%’ would return to PGA Tour

  • Former world No 2 would like golf to ‘go back to old times’ if LIV folds

  • ‘I’d hate to see it go away,’ Australian says of rebel tour

Cameron Smith wants LIV Golf to survive but if it doesn’t, he would “100%” return to the PGA Tour.

“I mean, if it was the only option, I think that’s where everyone would want to ⁠be for sure, 100%,” the Australian former world No 2 said ahead of this week’s LIV Golf New York event. “It would go back to old times.”

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Breakout star Alexandra Eala continues rise with first WTA title at DC Open

  • Filipino sensation beats Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 6-0

  • Fritz beats Jodar in men’s final for first title of season

Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title and Taylor Fritz ⁠claimed his first trophy of the season after both rain-delayed DC Open finals were completed on Monday.

Eala stunned top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 ⁠6-0 after the weather-hit ⁠women’s final resumed ​with the 21-year-old trailing by a set but leading 2-1 in the second, while third-seeded Fritz beat Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6 (2) 6-4 ⁠in a tight men’s decider.

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Serena and Venus Williams set to play doubles in Cincinnati as US Open nears

  • Pair last played doubles at the 2022 US Open

  • Serena returned to action at Wimbledon before injury

  • US Open begins 31 August in New York

Serena Williams and Venus Williams are ⁠set to make their Cincinnati Open doubles debut this ⁠month after being ⁠awarded ​a wild card on Monday, marking their return ⁠to doubles action for the first time since 2022.

The Williams sisters ⁠have won 14 major doubles ​titles, including six ‌at Wimbledon, ‌plus three Olympic gold medals.

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Robert Lewandowski strikes twice for Chicago Fire in MLS win over Charlotte

  • Poland striker scores double on his home MLS debut

  • Messi returns as Inter Miami draw 2-2 with Columbus

Robert Lewandowski scored two goals on his home debut as the Chicago Fire eked out a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on ⁠Saturday. The win is Chicago’s first in Major League Soccer since the end of the international break.

Lewandowski, signed in late June as a free agent, produced a vintage performance to help the Fire (9-6-2, 29 points) close an ever-narrowing gap with the Eastern Conference’s top three clubs. Charlotte (7-7-4, 25pts) has now lost four of its last five road matches.

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Will Jordan grabs try-scoring record as All Blacks hammer Italy in Nations Championship

  • Fullback scores hat-trick as New Zealand win 47-17 in Wellington

  • New coach Dave ‌Rennie has ‌back-to-back wins in his first matches

Will Jordan grabbed a hat-trick of tries including a ⁠record 50th for New Zealand as the All Blacks thrashed Italy ⁠47-17 in the ⁠Nations ​Championship Test.

Jordan touched down once in the first half ⁠and twice in three minutes after half-time at Wellington Regional Stadium to eclipse ⁠Doug Howlett’s record against the outclassed Italians.

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Jock Campbell returns to Wallabies side to face Ireland after 1,316-day exile

  • Fullback has been in good form ahead of Nations Championship

  • James Slipper out of retirement as replacement loosehead prop

Jock Campbell will start at fullback in his first Test since late ⁠2022 when Australia take on Ireland in their first Nations Championship Test on Saturday.

Campbell ⁠played the last ⁠of his ​four Tests in Australia’s first ever loss to Italy in Florence in 2022, but had an ⁠impressive season in Super Rugby.

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Robert Lewandowski makes MLS move to Chicago Fire on deal till 2028

  • Former Barcelona striker joins for two and a half seasons

  • 37-year-old’s 697 goals is third best total for current players

The Chicago Fire on Monday officially announced their acquisition of Robert Lewandowski ⁠through to the 2027-28 season. Poland’s record goalscorer will occupy a designated player slot pending the approval of his visa ⁠as well ⁠as the ​completion of an international transfer certificate.

The club described Lewandowski, 37, as “a global soccer icon” in social media posts. He was a free agent after spending the ⁠last four seasons with Barcelona, scoring 83 goals with 19 assists in 134 league matches (114 starts) while ⁠contributing to three La Liga titles.

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‘Strikeout’: Cricket World Cup winner Plunkett makes instant impact in baseball

  • Veteran of 2019 champions in first game for Oakland Ballers

  • ‘The hitter ​didn’t know what ‌was coming’

The former England cricketer Liam Plunkett swapped his cricket colours for a ⁠baseball glove, playing his first game for the Oakland Ballers and ⁠even claiming a ⁠strikeout.

The 41-year-old was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning side – his final international appearance – taking three ⁠wickets in the tied final against New Zealand as England emerged victorious by the narrowest of ⁠margins on boundary count. He moved to the United ​States, where his wife ‌is from, and has played Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns.

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