Star Diamond League Final fields chase track worlds spots, cap season; TV, live stream info

By OlympicTalkSep 6, 2022, 12:53 PM EDT

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The Diamond League Final, the last top-level track and field meet of 2022, boasts the busiest single day of competition this year, world records and undefeated seasons on the line as well as spots at next year’s world championships at stake.

Competition in Zurich, Switzerland airs live on Peacock on Wednesday (11:30 a.m. ET) and Thursday (1 p.m.). CNBC airs a five-hour broadcast of highlights Saturday at noon.

The headliners: world champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (100m), Faith Kipyegon (1500m) and Noah Lyles (200m) are either the second- or third-fastest performers in history in their events, are each arguably having the best season of their careers and could inch closer to a world record.

Mondo Duplantis (pole vault), Ryan Crouser (shot put), Yulimar Rojas (triple jump) and Tobi Amusan (100m hurdles) could improve their own world records. Shericka Jackson, who won 100m silver and 200m gold at July’s world championships, is entered to race both events over a 90-minute span on Thursday.

All of the aforementioned athletes have byes into next summer’s world championships in Budapest as reigning world champions. Diamond League Final winners also earn byes into worlds, provided they are not from the same country as the reigning world champions.

Here are the Zurich entry lists. Here’s the schedule of events (all times Eastern):

Wednesday
10:55 a.m. — Women’s, Men’s Shot Puts
11:30 — Women’s Pole Vault
11:35 — Women’s 5000m
12 p.m. — Men’s High Jump
1:10 — Men’s 5000m

Thursday
11:35 a.m. — Women’s, Men’s Triple Jumps
11:55 — Women’s High Jump
12:15 p.m. — Women’s, Men’s Discuses
1:04 — Women’s 400m
1:15 — Men’s 400m
1:25 — Women’s 100m Hurdles
1:33 — Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
1:40 — Men’s Pole Vault
1:52 — Men’s 110m Hurdles
1:59 — Women’s 1500m
2 — Women’s, Men’s Long Jumps
2:10 – Men’s 1500m
2:20 — Women’s, Men’s Javelins
2:23 — Women’s 100m
2:31 — Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
2:49 — Men’s 100m
2:59 — Women’s 400m Hurdles
3:09 — Men’s 400m Hurdles
3:19 — Women’s 800m
3:31 — Men’s 800m
3:42 — Women’s 200m
3:52 — Men’s 200m

Here are five events to watch on Thursday (statistics via Tilastopaja.org and World Athletics):

Women’s 100m Hurdles — 1:25 p.m. ET
This has arguably been the best year in the event’s history, though it has been overshadowed at times by the dominance of Sydney McLaughlin in the 400m hurdles and Fraser-Pryce and Jackson in the 100m and 200m. Nigerian Tobi Amusan broke the world record at the world championships (12.12 seconds). Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico then beat Amusan two weeks ago. American Keni Harrison, an Olympic and world silver medalist and the former world record holder, is the third woman to break 12.30 this year. All three are in the Zurich field, along with world silver medalist Britany Anderson of Jamaica and 2019 World champion Nia Ali.

Men’s Pole Vault — 1:40 p.m. ET
Duplantis improved the world record by one centimeter on five occasions since the start of 2020, but his first defeat of 2022 came in Brussels last week. Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines was the man to end Duplantis’ bid for the the second undefeated championship season for a male pole vaulter in the last 50 years. Obiena isn’t in the Zurich field, but there is still intrigue. Duplantis will be on world record watch, and American Chris Nilsen can earn a world championships berth if he can upset the Swede.

Women’s 1500m — 1:59 p.m. ET
Kipyegon ran the second-fastest women’s 1500m in history in her last outing in Monaco on Aug. 10. American Allie Wilson, the lead pacer in Monaco who took Kipyegon to 800 meters in 2:01.64 (nearly three seconds ahead of world record pace), is in the Zurich field. As are world silver and bronze medalists Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia and Laura Muir of Great Britain, who were not in Monaco.

Women’s 100m — 2:23 p.m. ET
Fraser-Pryce’s bid for her first full, undefeated 100m season was denied by Jackson in Brussels last week (by one hundredth). Fraser-Pryce’s unprecedented streak of four consecutive sub-10.70 performances also snapped. She gets Jackson again here, assuming Jackson sticks to racing both the 100m and 200m in Zurich. Sha’Carri Richardson, Aleia Hobbs and TeeTee Terry, the three fastest Americans over the last six years, will clinch a world championships spot with an upset win over the Jamaicans.

Men’s 200m — 3:52 p.m. ET
The meet finale features all three world championships medalists — Americans Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton — and the Olympic champion — Canadian Andre De Grasse. Lyles, after breaking Michael Johnson‘s American record at the world championships (19.31), has spoken about chasing Usain Bolt‘s world record of 19.19. Lyles has been consistently spectacular this summer, clocking 19.67, 19.62, 19.31, 19.46 and 19.56. Not even Bolt broke 19.50 multiple times in one year. This could be Lyles’ most important 200m until next summer’s worlds.

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 6:46 PM EDT

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The French Open men’s singles draw is missing injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, leaving the Coupe des Mousquetaires ripe for the taking.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Novak Djokovic is not only bidding for a third crown at Roland Garros, but also to lift a 23rd Grand Slam singles trophy to break his tie with Nadal for the most in men’s history.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

But the No. 1 seed is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s U.S. Open to become, at 19, the youngest man to win a major since Nadal’s first French Open title in 2005.

Now Alcaraz looks to become the second-youngest man to win at Roland Garros since 1989, after Nadal of course.

Alcaraz missed the Australian Open in January due to a right leg injury, but since went 30-3 with four titles. Notably, he has not faced Djokovic this year. They could meet in the semifinals.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed, was upset in the first round by 172nd-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild. It marked the first time a men’s top-two seed lost in the first round of any major since 2003 Wimbledon (Ivo Karlovic d. Lleyton Hewitt).

No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe and No. 16 Tommy Paul are the highest-seeded Americans, all looking to become the first U.S. man to make the French Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. Since then, five different American men combined to make the fourth round on eight occasions.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

At the French Open, a Ukrainian mom makes her comeback

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, once the world’s third-ranked tennis player, is into the French Open third round in her first major tournament since childbirth.

Svitolina, 28, swept 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan of Italy, then beat Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 32 at Roland Garros. She next plays 56th-ranked Russian Anna Blinkova, who took out the top French player, fifth seed Caroline Garcia, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on her ninth match point.

Svitolina’s husband, French player Gael Monfils, finished his first-round five-set win after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. She watched that match on a computer before going to sleep ahead of her 11 a.m. start Wednesday.

“This morning, he told me, ‘I’m coming to your match, so make it worth it,'” she joked on Tennis Channel. “I was like, OK, no pressure.

“I don’t know what he’s doing here now. He should be resting.”

Also Wednesday, 108th-ranked Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis ousted three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in four and a half hours. Wawrinka’s exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the lone man in the draw who has won the French Open and Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the lone men left who have won any major.

The top seed Alcaraz beat 112th-ranked Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Spaniard gets 26th seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the third round. Djokovic, the No. 3 seed, swept 83rd-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3 to reach a third-round date with 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Svitolina made at least one major quarterfinal every year from 2017 through 2021, including the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2019. She married Monfils one week before the Tokyo Olympics, then won a singles bronze medal.

Svitolina played her last match before maternity leave on March 24, 2022, one month after Russia invaded her country. She gave birth to daughter Skai on Oct. 15.

Svitolina returned to competition in April. Last week, she won the tournament preceding the French Open, sweeping Blinkova to improve to 17-3 in her career in finals. She’s playing on a protected ranking of 27th after her year absence and, now, on a seven-match win streak.

“It was always in my head the plan to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” she said. “I’m as strong as I was before, maybe even stronger, because I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court, and match by match I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental can influence your physicality, as well.”

Svitolina said she’s motivated by goals to attain before she retires from the sport and to help Ukraine, such as donating her prize money from last week’s title in Strasbourg.

“These moments bring joy to people of Ukraine, to the kids as well, the kids who loved to play tennis before the war, and now maybe they don’t have the opportunity,” she said. “But these moments that can motivate them to look on the bright side and see these good moments and enjoy themselves as much as they can in this horrible situation.”

Svitolina was born in Odesa and has lived in Kharkiv, two cities that have been attacked by Russia.

“I talk a lot with my friends, with my family back in Ukraine, and it’s a horrible thing, but they are used to it now,” she said. “They are used to the alarms that are on. As soon as they hear something, they go to the bomb shelters. Sleepless nights. You know, it’s a terrible thing, but they tell me that now it’s a part of their life, which is very, very sad.”

Svitolina noted that she plays with a flag next to her name — unlike the Russians and Belarusians, who are allowed to play as neutral athletes.

“When I step on the court, I just try to think about the fighting spirit that all of us Ukrainians have and how Ukrainians are fighting for their values, for their freedom in Ukraine,” she said, “and me, I’m fighting here on my own front line.”

Svitolina said that she’s noticed “a lot of rubbish” concerning how tennis is reacting to the war.

“We have to focus on what the main point of what is going on,” she said. “Ukrainian people need help and need support. We are focusing on so many things like empty words, empty things that are not helping the situation, not helping anything.

“I want to invite everyone to focus on helping Ukrainians. That’s the main point of this, to help kids, to help women who lost their husbands because they are at the war, and they are fighting for Ukraine.

“You can donate. Couple of dollars might help and save lives. Or donate your time to something to help people.”

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

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