Bruno Fratus, a swimmer from Brazil who won a freestyle bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, withdrew from the Paris Games due to an extensive injury battle.
When he placed third in the 50-meter freestyle event in Tokyo, which was won by American Caeleb Dressel, he became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal at the age of 32.
As an Olympic veteran having competed in a total of three games, the veteran swimmer announced that he will be withdrawing from the upcoming Olympic trials due to his inability to fully be committed in competing for Paris 2924, following four operations due to injuries in the previous 18 months.
Fratus – Three Olympics is Enough
Fratus stated: “After three Olympics, it wouldn’t make sense to go to Paris, wear the Brazilian uniform, without the full conviction that I’m in a position to fight for the race.”
“Even though it hurts me – a lot – not to be able to be there, I will be here cheering as always for everyone who will be there competing and representing our country,” he added.
Fratus then clarified that not competing in the Paris Olympics would only signify a “brief hiatus” and not the end of his swimming career.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) provided an update on the pacer’s return to the national team. Recently, supporters responded to Hasan Ali’s selection in the Pakistan T20 squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against England and Ireland.
PCB selector Wahab Riaz stated: “Hasan was already in our plans for T20I World Cup 2024. He was playing county cricket as he was under contract.”
Riaz said in the next games, the 29-year-old will serve as Haris Rauf’s backup.
“If [Haris] Rauf gets fit before the England series then he will be our first choice. If we feel Rauf is not fit for the match, then Hasan will replace him,” Riaz admitted.
Hasan Ali is back
Riaz’s comments coincided with the announcement by the board of the national team’s 18-man roster for the significant trips that will precede the T20I World Cup in 2024.
The national team will go to England for a four-match T20I series starting on May 22 after playing a three-match T20I series against Ireland from May 10 to May 14.
The Pakistan squad include Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
Australia’s selectors have decided not to add player Steve Smith and have turned down requests to include the young batsman Jake Frase-McGurk, despite his exceptional playing form in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in the T20 World Cup team.
Smith played T20s against New Zealand in February and was a member of Australia’s winning team at the 2021 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, but he was unable to pursue his claims further after missing out on an IPL agreement.
The senior player who has scored over 16,000 runs in international cricket, is among Australia’s best all-around players, so it will be disappointing that he hadn’t been selected.
T20 World Cup Misses
According to the selectors chief George Bailey, Smith had no place in a decided starting lineup that included David Warner, Travis Head, and captain-elect Mitchell Marsh.
Bailey stated: “It’s probably for Steve to answer what his goals or challenges are going forward and what he wants to achieve in the game…I know he still loves playing T20 cricket.”
Moreover, despite having no T20 international experience, 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk had made a compelling case for the team by accumulating 247 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.50 in five games for the Delhi Capitals.
Bailey declared that the youngster was one of the participants involved in “long conversations” regarding the June 1–29 showcase in the US and the Caribbean.
After the selectors deliberation, the final Australian squad will be include David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, and Nathan Ellis.
The Australian Olympic swimming team for the upcoming Paris Olympics has been confirmed. This team’s incredible talent and performance at the Games place it among the best to represent their beloved country. These athletes will definitely leave their mark on the records of Australian sports history.
According to the team’s coach, Rohan Taylor, the goal is to match or surpass Australia’s medal tally from the Tokyo Olympics. In other words, the team would need to win at least 21 medals. Moreover, there is also an unstated goal of defeating the Americans for the first time since the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne; Australia was nine medals short last Olympics and was not able to surpass the US tally.
It is said that a significant portion of the medals will need to be won by their women athletes if Team Australia is to have any hope of accomplishing such a high goal.
Meet Australia’s Olympic swimmers
Tokyo superstars Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown have only become better in the three years since the Tokyo Olympics, setting the bar high and challenging their opponents both domestically and internationally.
In the 100- and 200-metre backstroke events, McKeown continues to lead the pace. She and American Regan Smith will probably break the world record to win the gold. In the 200-metre individual medley, an event in which McKeown excels but did not place in the Tokyo Olympics, she is likewise eager to put herself to the test and finally place this year.
On the other hand, Titmus will be a formidable opponent in the 200-, 400-, and 800-metre freestyle competitions, which are predicted to be some of the most thrilling and contested of the Paris Games.
Photo: Instagram.com/Ariarne Titmus
Mollie O’Callaghan has emerged as one of Australia’s most versatile swimmers in a short amount of time, and she exudes confidence that she may still completely dominate in the Olympics. Additionally, O’Callaghan strengthens the freestyle relay teams to the extent that it becomes unfair to the others. Indeed, anything less than a gold for Australia would be shocking, especially in the 200m.
Lani Pallister will compete and fill in the void left by Cate Campbell’s failure to qualify. Emma McKeon qualified for the 100-metre butterfly in Paris.
Kyle Chalmers is still a formidable racer and a vital member of the men’s freestyle relay squads. Although the athlete’s admission that he suffers from a degenerative back problem that has persisted for a long time is concerning, his ability to bounce back from the injury and swim a qualifying time in the 100m freestyle at the Trials shows how resilient and determined he is to lead this squad.
Photo: Instagram.com/Kyle Chalmers
Elijah Winnington has a chance to win his first individual Olympic medals in the 200- and 400-metre freestyle events, while Zac Stubblety-Cook will defend his 200-metre breaststroke title in Paris, after a somewhat disappointing showing this week in Brisbane.
Three years after winning a bronze in Tokyo, Brendon Smith will compete in the 400-metre individual medley again, but he will face off against world record holder Léon Marchand in Paris.
Max Giuliani is a rising star in the freestyle world who could be a threat in the 200m event. Cameron McEvoy has been advertising his new training regimen as a means of winning an Olympic medal. Sam Short is a strong contender to follow in Australia’s long tradition of 1,500m freestyle champions, and also has a strong presence in the 400m and 800m.
With the exceptional swimming backgrounds of its competing athletes, the Australian team has a greater chance of winning and surpassing 21 medals in Paris, but nearly everything must go according to their plan. They have previously done it. Will the team be successful once again?
A professional French diver had a very uncomfortable incident at the opening ceremony for a venue that will accommodate swimming, water polo, and diving at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris when he tripped while attempting a jump.
From the 10-meter board, 33 feet in the air, the mishap forced him to tumble backwards and smash his back on the board before plunging into the water at the new Olympic Aquatic Centre. Unfortunately, French President Emmanuel Macron was in attendance and witnessed the event.
Jandard, who was understandably ashamed and mortified, was able to thank supporters and make jokes about the incident on French television and social media.
Jandard trips
Because of the incident, the 26-year-old diver had lower back bruises and welts from the fall, but he is still training and is not seriously hurt.
He admitted: “I fell in front of the president. I fell in front of the whole of France… I’ve broken boards before, but the board had never broken me before. Now it has.”
Life's ups and downs… Hilarious moment #French diver slips on diving board at #Olympic#POOL inauguration ceremony attended by Emmanuel #Macron. This unlucky athlete won silver in the Team Event alongside Jade Gillet at the #World Aquatics Championships in 2022. pic.twitter.com/hYpiqt4pbI
“I would have preferred this ceremony to have gone well from start to finish… There was that little hitch. If it made people smile a little, so much the better,” Jandard then added.
Jandard competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and earned silver and bronze medals for France at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. It is anticipated that he will compete for a gold medal in his native nation.
Thiago Braz, a pole vaulter from Brazil who won an Olympic gold medal, will miss the next Olympic Games in Paris due to a 16-month doping suspension.
After an in-competition test last year, Braz, who won gold in front of home fans at the 2016 Rio Olympics, tested positive for ostarine glucuronide, according to a report released by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent organization that fights doping. Ostarine is classified as an anabolic agent and is used to improve muscle growth and sports performance.
Braz then claimed that he took ostarine through a supplement that a sports nutritionist had given him in order to enhance his health rather than intentionally consuming it.
The suspension expires on November 27, 2024, but Braz has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the hopes of playing at the Olympics this year.
The ban having a positive outcome
The 16-month ban was seen with a very positive result by a Braz representative, particularly in regards to the AIU’s argument about the four-year suspension. The spokesperson admitted: “Based on the understanding that the 16 months are still disproportionate to the very low level of responsibility attributable to the athlete, Thiago’s defense has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland… and is confident in either overturning the sanction or further reducing the period of imposed ineligibility.”
A disciplinary tribunal noted that Braz, who was provisionally suspended on July 28 last year, had been informed of the great risks that the supplements he took would be contaminated with prohibited substances, but nevertheless he ignored it. The majority of the panel concluded that the athlete behaved “with No Significant Fault or Negligence”, and advised to be more cautious in trusting his medical team.
The AIU declared that it will consider appealing the 16-month ban.
