Monday, 17th October
A Month of World Cups
Postponements from last year has meant October is turning out to be very congested for major sports. The 2021 Rugby League World Cup and the women's 2021 Rugby Union World Cup have both been rescheduled to feature in England and New Zealand respectively this month. We then also have the planned men's ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. The women's event has already started with England tipped as the favourites, but they will come up against a strong home support for holders New Zealand, who have lifted the trophy five times before. Australia, 11-time holders of the Rugby League World Cup, are the defending champions and the team to beat. The T20 World Cup is less easy to predict, but home advantage and defense of their title would make Australia the favourites to lift the trophy again on the 13th November.
The final day of the IOF Orienteering World Cup completed on Monday with Sweden taking gold in the overall team event. Norway's Kasper Harlem Fosser and Sweden's Tove Alexandersson won the overall individual titles. The Sylt World Cup in Germany is one of windsurfing's biggest and longest events within the sport covering three main disciplines. Germany's Philip Köster and Aruba's Sarah-Quita Offringa won the Men's and Women's Wave. The Netherland's Amado Vrieswijk claimed Slalom, while Freestyle went to France's Adrien Bosson.
Vilnius in Lithuania hosted the IFBB World Fit-Model Championships with Spain, Ukraine, and Lithuania dominating the awards. The hosts also won the team event. South Africa's Kenny Rice is the world surfski champion at the ICF Ocean Racing World Championships hosted by Portugal. It was a stellar day for his nation as they claimed a 10-medal haul on the final day. The hosts pipped South Africa on the overall medals table.
Ireland's Caitriona Jennings and Spain's Houssame Eddine Benabbou Azizi are the champions of the inaugural International Association of Ultra Runners European Championships. Gochang in South Korea hosted the final event of the Paragliding World Cup Association 2022 season with individual honours going to Martin Jovanoski and Violeta Jimenez. Erlend Fagerli of Norway and Caitlyn Schrepfer of the USA are the men's and women's winners of the 2022 Red Bull Street Style World Final in Pula, Croatia. The competition is one of the biggest in freestyle football.
The next leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series spent the weekend in Cagliari with Great Britain reigning through Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee. In boxing news unbeaten Fernando Martinez successfully defended his IBF Super-Flyweight World Title by beating Jerwin Ancajas on points. China completed a double at the International Table Tennis Federation World Team Championships Finals.
Correspondence Chess is a form of the famous mind sport where a championship can take several years to determine a winner. It has so happened that earlier last week Jon Edwards (USA) was crowned the World Championship Final 32 winner, after over two years of play. In another popular mind sport, the XXI Draughts European Championship was hosted by Kortrijk in Belgium. The Netherland's Jan Groenendijk and Poland's Marta Bankowska are the new champions.
It was a big weekend in motorsport where several champions were crowned. Dutch star Max Verstappen has successfully defended his FIA Formula One World Championship title after winning at Suzuka on Sunday. South Africa's Sheldon van der Linde has claimed the 2022 DTM, becoming the first from his nation to do so. Andrea Caldarelli is the GT World Challenge America Pro Driver champion. Germany's Manuel Lettenbichler has been crowned the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Champion. In other news Sweden's Johan Kristoffersson is pulling clear of the pack in the FIA Rallycross World Championship, while the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series is now down to the Round of 8 from next weekend.
In cycling news Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar has won Il Lombardia on the UCI WorldTour. In the UCI Women's WorldTour, the Tour de Romandie was won by South Africa's Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio. Belgium's Gianni Vermeersch and France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot are the UCI Gravel World Champions. There was also a UCI ProSeries race where France's Arnaud Demare claimed the Paris - Tours Elite. Finally in cycling, the 2022/2023 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup series started over the weekend in Waterloo, USA. The Netherland's Fem van Empel and Belgium's Eli Iserbyt started off the new season in style.
Rebecca Castaudi of France and Mihaly Koleszar of Hungary are the new U22 world champions at the UIPM 2022 Pentathlon Junior World Championships. We have the final standings of the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup 2022. Short uphill goes to Austria's Andrea Mayer and Kenya's Patrik Kipngeno, Long uphill to Kenya's Lucy Murigi Wambui and Eritrea's Petro Mamu Shaku, while Classic and the Overall titles are claimed by Kenya's Joyce Muthoni Njeru and Patrik Kipngeno.
The Netherland's Michael van Gerwen won his sixth double-start title at the PDC Darts World Grand Prix beating Nathan Aspinall 5-3 in the final. The most coveted prize in the IRONMAN Triathlon Series is the World Championship that took place in Kona, Hawaii. The honours went to USA's Chelsea Sodard and Norway's Gustav Iden. Spain's Julio A. Ossorio is the new 5th World Champion Shore Angling for Masters, with Italy claiming the team gold.
Italy's Filippo Ganna has smashed cycling's hour world record by registering 56.792km in 60 minutes on a track in Switzerland. Finally, it is a sport and it does take place annually. Congratulations to Randy Topolnitsky, Fee Aylemore and the Britcans as the new men's, women's, and team 2022 Conker World Champions. The championship takes place in the village of Southwick, Northamptonshire, in England.
Until next time, have a great week in sport.