25th to 26th March
Japan's Reign at Saitama 2023
We reported on the weekday review (https://bit.ly/3JPacas) of the two gold medals Japan claimed in the Pairs Free Skating and Women's Free Skating, the nation then continued their incredible form at the ISU Figure Skating World Championships. Shoma Uno (JPN) took his second World title in the Men's Free Skating to cap off a very successful tournament for the hosts. Earlier USA's Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the Ice Dance gold after entering their 10th World Championship as a team.
The Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perth, Western Australia, hosted the Flying 15 World Championship 2023. First place went Graham Vials and Chris Turner (GBR) on their boat Floaty McFloat Face. Sandra Mairhofer (ITA) and Hans Christian Tungesvik (NOR) are the 2023 Winter Triathlon World Champions held in Skeikampen, Norway. In a much warmer climate, New Plymouth in New Zealand hosted the opening race of the 2023 World Triathlon Cup. It was a clean sweep for the home nation as Nicole van der Kaay completed her maiden victory, while the men's gold belongs to Hayden Wilde.
The world's best women's boxers gathered in New Delhi, India, for the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships. Six finals concluded on Saturday in front of a packed K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall. Full results including daily sessions and results can be found here:
Double world champion Kimberly García León (PER) broke the 35km race walk world record with 2:37:44 at the Dudinska 50, the first World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting of the year. Mongolia began a new era after taking victory in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV held in the capital city Ulaanbaatar.
Switzerland have been crowned the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2023 hosted by Sandviken, Sweden, after beating Norway in the final. Canada have won the bronze medal. Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann is the only member of the Swiss quartet for which this is her first world title. Karim Abdel Gawad has won an all-Egyptian final in London to claim the Professional Squash Association Optasia Championships 2023.
With only a few more ski and snowboard events remaining in the season, we begin by looking at the FIS Telemark World Championships in Mürren, Germany. The final gold event on Saturday went to France in the Mixed Team Parallel Sprint. Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, concluded the FIS Moguls Junior Ski World Championships. Alii Macuga (USA) and Filip Gravenfors (SWE) won the Dual Moguls. Moving over to FIS World Cup competitions, Silvaplana in Switzerland was the home for Freestyle. Starting with Freeski Slopestyle, Tess Ledeux (FRA) and Jesper Tjader (SWE) claimed victory. Julia Marino (USA) and Taiga Hasegawa (JPN) are the Snowboard Slopestyle champions.
Lahti in Finland was the location for Nordic Ski. The FIS Nordic Combined World Cup was dominated by Jarl Magnus Riiber (NOR) claiming gold on both days in the Gundersen Large Hill HS130/10.0 km. Norway's Kristine Stavaas Skistad and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the Sprint Final Classic in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup. It was Norway again in the 20km Mass Start Classic as Anne Kjersti Kalvaa and Klaebo became the champions. In the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) won the HS130 and his 30th World Cup victory, with the Team gold going to Austria. Snowboard Cross was the event in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, the second FIM Snowboard World Cup over the weekend. Charlotte Bankes (GBR) and Josie Baff (AUS) won the women's titles, while Eliot Grondin (CAN) and Martin Noerl (GER) were victorious for the men. Austria dominated the medals table at the Federation Internationale de Skibob in Grächen, Switzerland. Full results can be found here:
Over to Motor Sport, defending champion Toni Bou (ESP) continues his incredible form in the next round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship held in Pamplona, Spain. Bou now leads the standings on 58 points. São Paulo was the setting for the next FIA Formula E World Championship with Mitch Evans (NZL) claiming victory. Pascal Wehrlein (GER) is still in front on the standings. Jared Mees won in Senoia, Georgia, in the Progressive American Flat Track on Saturday. Staying with motorcycling news, Eli Tomac reclaimed the lead in the 450SX of the AMA Supercross Championship, while Jett Lawrence claimed victory in the 250SX. Marvin Vanluchene (BEL) and Nicolas Musset (FRA) completed a double at the opening round of the FIM Sidecar Cross World Championship in Talavera de la Reina, Spain. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) opened up his FIM MotoGP World Championship campaign in style claiming the chequered flag at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal. Tyler Reddick has won at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, the next round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series.
Matthew Beers (RSA) and Kimberley Le Court de Billot (MRI) are the Elite winners of the ABSA Cape Epic - XCMS, part of the UCI Stage Hors Class. Primož Roglič (SLO) has won the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, a multi-stage UCI WorldTour road race in Spain. The Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields is an important UCI WorldTour and Women's WorldTour day-race that featured on Sunday. Christophe Laporte (FRA) and Marlen Reusser (SUI) claimed victory. Isabeau Courdurier (FRA) and Luke Meier-Smith (AUS) are the elite winners of the UCI World Cup - Enduro that took place in Maydena, Australia.
The Swiss Open 2023 in Basel was the next round of the Badminton World Federation tour. India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the Men's Doubles, while the Women's Doubles champions are Japan's Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto. The Mixed Doubles title belong to China's Zhen Bang Jiang and Ya Xin Wei. Koki Watanabe (JPN) and Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA) are the Men's and Women's Singles champions. Two titles for Sweden as both Anna-Klara Ahlmer and René Lindberg won the elite singles at the Federation of International Racketlon IWT Polish Open.
Arturo Coello and Augustin Tapia have claimed the Paraguay Padel Open and their fourth title in a row. Alejandra Salazar and Gemma Triay have also continued an incredible run by winning their third in a row in Asunción. The tournament forms part of the World Padel Tour. Sweden's David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig and USA's Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes have won the Tepic Elite16 in Mexico, part of the Volleyball Beach Pro Tour. Sam Burns (USA) has won the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies March Play at the Austin Country Club in Texas.
Finally, South Africa made cricket headlines again. Earlier in the week they became the team to reach 250 runs the fastest in one-day cricket. On Sunday they set a new record in T20 cricket by chasing the highest score making 259 runs in Centurion, South Africa. In the same match Johnson Charles became the fastest West Indies player to reach 100 runs in only 39 balls.
Until next time, have a great week in sport.