Director James Cameron walks in Purmamarca, Jujuy province, Argentina on Thursday. PHOTO: AP
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Movie director James Cameron says he feels he “walked into an ambush” this week during a visit to Argentina in which he believes there was an attempt to use his image as an environmentalist to give a positive spin to lithium mining operations despite Indigenous opposition.
Cameron, the director of “Avatar” and “Titanic,” said Friday he would now devote attention and money from his Avatar Alliance Foundation to support Indigenous communities opposing lithium operations in South America.
“Ironically, the outcome of this is that I am now aware of the problem and we will now assist through my foundation with the issue of Indigenous rights with respect to lithium extraction,” Cameron told a group of journalists gathered in his hotel room in the capital of Buenos Aires Friday evening.
Cameron came to Argentina this week to speak at a sustainability conference in Buenos Aires on Friday.
“I believed that I was coming here to make a kind of motivational speech about environmental causes,” Cameron said.
As part of the visit, Cameron travelled to northern Jujuy province Thursday to visit a large solar power plant with Governor Gerardo Morales and says he was never told lithium would be part of the discussion.
Director James Cameron walks in Purmamarca, Jujuy province, Argentina on Thursday. PHOTO: AP
After Cameron’s visit, Morales wrote a message on social media thanking Cameron for the visit, writing that the province was looking to “transform the energy matrix” through projects such as the solar power plant and “lithium extraction.”
The director received a letter that a group of 33 Indigenous communities from the area had written to him a few days earlier asking him to either cancel his trip or meet with them so they could explain their long-held opposition to lithium mining projects they say affect their land rights and negatively impact the environment.
“I feel like I walked into an ambush,” Cameron told journalists after meeting with local environmentalists, saying he was unaware of controversy involving lithium projects. “I feel like I was put into an optic that had meaning that I wasn’t aware of.”
Although Cameron says he “doesn’t know the exact architecture” of how the “ambush” happened, he feels there was an effort to use his image not just because of his support for environmental causes but also because of the overarching message of “Avatar.”
“‘Avatar’ is the highest grossing film in history. It is about the conflict between an extraction industry and the rights of Indigenous people,” Cameron said. “If you could generate an optic where I appear to be approving of lithium mining, then you have a mandate of some sort or an approval of some sort.”
In their letter to Cameron, representatives of the Indigenous communities made a direct reference to “Avatar” to appeal for the director’s support.
“Jujuy is Pandora, and it is under the threat of the greed of the mining industry, and we are the Na’vi,” reads the letter, referring to the fictional world where “Avatar” takes place and its inhabitants who battle against colonizing miners.
Before leaving Argentina, Cameron met with Verónica Chávez, the representative of one of the Indigenous communities from Jujuy.
Argentina is the fourth-largest producer of lithium and is part of what is known as the “lithium triangle,” an area that contains a large share of the world’s proven reserves of the metal and also includes neighbouring Chile and Bolivia. Demand for lithium is soaring amid the transition to renewable energy around the world and the growth in electric vehicles that are powered by lithium batteries.
A demonstrator wearing a rubber mask depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against plans by his government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday. PHOTO: AP
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israelis continued protests Saturday for the 23rd week against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government to overhaul the judiciary in the country.
The mass demonstrations started in January shortly after the government, made up of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox religious parties, was sworn in.
Gaining momentum and seeing large turnouts of demonstrators, protest organisers have said they will not give up until the government cancels the proposed legal changes rather than delaying them.
The protests have become a weekly occasion to express on current affairs in the country.
In the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, where the main protest with tens of thousands is held, protesters held a giant banner reading “Type of citizen: dead,” a reference to surging crimes among Israel’s Arab communities.
Other protesters marched behind an effigy of a chained-up Netanyahu amid a sea of Israel’s blue-and-white flags.
The plan would weaken the judiciary and limit judicial oversight on laws and government decisions, what critics say poses a direct threat to civil rights and the rights of minorities and marginalised groups. They also warn it will grant the government unrestrained power and upend the country’s system of checks and balances.
The government says the judicial plan is meant to rein in what it says is an overly interventionist Supreme Court and restore power to elected legislators.
A demonstrator wearing a rubber mask depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against plans by his government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday. PHOTO: AP
John Reyes discovered bags of one million pennies while cleaning out his father-in-laws home. PHOTO: UPI
LOS ANGELES (UPI) – A family cleaning out their home in Los Angeles stumbled upon several bags containing one million pennies.
John Reyes said that he was cleaning out his father-in-law’s home when he made the discovery. The bags of pennies were in unopened, sealed bank bags.
“I’ve actually been contacted by a few coin collectors or people who specialize in this space and just based off some of the questions they asked me, for example having the lead sealed bag or having bags from banks we don’t necessarily recognize, knowing they are at least 40 years old or more. I’ve had quite a few collectors tell me that this is something that shouldn’t be sold until we know what’s going on,” Reyes told FOX 11.
According to the New York Post, the family determined that the coins are copper and not zinc, which the United States switched to in the 1980’s.
Reyes has listed the coins on OfferUp, a resale website, asking for USD25,000.
“The value is in the uniqueness,” he said.
John Reyes discovered bags of one million pennies while cleaning out his father-in-laws home. PHOTO: UPI
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the convention. PHOTO: AP
GREENSBORO, North Carolina (AP) – Former President Donald Trump blasted his historic federal indictment as “ridiculous” and “baseless” Saturday during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy.
Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump cast his indictment by the Department of Justice as an attempt to damage his chances of returning to the White House as he campaigns for a second term.
“They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,” Trump alleged in Georgia, later telling the crowd that, “In the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you.”
The strategy is a well-worn one for Trump, who remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination despite his mounting legal woes, which also include criminal charges filed against him in March in New York. Again and again, in the face of investigation, Trump has tried to delegitimize law enforcement officials and portray himself — and his supporters — as victims, even when he is accused of serious crimes.
Trump also vowed Saturday to remain in the race, even if he is convicted in the case.
“I’ll never leave,” he told Politico in an interview aboard his plane after his speech in Georgia. He further predicted that he wouldn’t be convicted and sidestepped questions about whether he would pardon himself if he wins a second term.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have to,” Trump said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention on Saturday in Greensboro, North Carolina. PHOTO: AP
The indictment unsealed Friday charges Trump with willfully defying Justice Department demands that he return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his residence.
The indictment includes allegations that he stored documents in a ballroom and bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort, among other places.
Trump is due to make his first federal court appearance Tuesday in Miami. He was charged alongside valet Walt Nauta, a personal aide whom prosecutors say moved boxes from a storage room to Trump’s residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement. Nauta traveled with Trump to Georgia, appearing by his side at a Waffle House stop where the former president signed autographs, posed for photos and told supporters, “We did absolutely nothing wrong.”
A woman records a video introducing former President Donald Trump at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention. PHOTO: AP
Earlier Saturday, Trump was given a hero’s welcome at the party convention in Georgia, where he drew loud applause as he slammed the investigation as “a political hit job” and accused his political enemies of launching “one hoax and witch hunt after another” to prevent his re-election.
“The ridiculous and baseless indictment by the Biden administration’s weaponised Department of Injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country,” he said.
He also used his remarks to rail against President Joe Biden and his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, accusing them of mishandling classified information and insisting he was treated unfairly because he is a Republican. But Trump overlooked a critical difference: Only he has been accused of intentionally trying to impede investigators by not returning the documents in question.
In the Clinton probe, for instance, FBI investigators concluded that although she was extremely careless in her handling of classified emails on a private server, there was no evidence that she intended to break the law. And though the Biden investigation is still ongoing, no evidence has emerged to suggest that he intentionally held onto the records or even knew that they were there, with his representatives turning over records after they were discovered and voluntarily consenting to FBI searches.
Trump also lingered on Georgia’s role in his 2020 defeat, repeating his lies that he had won the state and defending his efforts to overturn Biden’s victory, which is the subject of another ongoing investigation, this one by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis has suggested that any indictments would likely come in August.
At the heart of the investigation is a recorded phone conversation in which Trump urges Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” — just enough to overtake Biden and overturn Trump’s narrow loss in the state. Trump has defended the phone call as “perfect,” and on Saturday lashed out against both Willis and the special counsel in the Mar-a-Lago case.
But aside from reacting to the news, Trump’s remarks in both states largely mirrored his pre-indictment rally speeches, lending a sense of normalcy to a campaign that is well-practiced in responding to crisis.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican convention on Saturday in Columbus, Georgia. PHOTO: AP
And despite the latest criminal charges, attendees cheered him on in Georgia and in North Carolina, where he spoke at a state GOP convention dinner Saturday evening.
About 100 supporters, some waving “Witch Hunt” signs, showed up to the Columbus, Georgia, airfield to greet Trump as he arrived. Jan Plemmons, 66, wearing an oversize foam “Make America Great Again” hat, called the federal charges “absolutely ridiculous” and said she was ready to campaign with Trump. To Michael Sellers, 67, it was “criminal what they’re doing to him.”
The indictment arrives as Trump is continuing to dominate the primary race. Among the various investigations Trump has faced, the documents case has long been considered the most perilous legal threat and the one most ripe for prosecution. But Trump’s continued popularity among Republican voters is evident in how gingerly his primary rivals have treated the federal indictment.
Mike Pence, whose appearance in North Carolina marked the first shared venue with his former boss since the ex-Vice President announced his own campaign this past week, condemned the “politicization” of the Justice Department and urged Attorney General Merrick Garland “to stop hiding behind the special counsel and stand before the American people” to explain the basis for the federal investigation into Trump.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the convention. PHOTO: AP
In an interview with The Associated Press after his speech, Pence said he had read the indictment but repeatedly declined to share his personal reaction to its contents — including the photographs of boxes with classified information stacked in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom and on a ballroom stage — or to criticize Trump.
“The very nature of a grand jury is that there is no defence presented,” Pence said. “That’s why I said today I’m going to urge patience, encourage people to be prayerful for the former president, but also for all those in authority and for the country going forward.”
At the North Carolina GOP gathering Friday night, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s leading GOP rival, didn’t mention Trump by name but compared his situation to that of Clinton.
“Is there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state versus a former Republican president?” DeSantis asked. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country….At the end of the day, we will once and for all end the weaponization of government under my administration.”
Among the declared Republican contenders, only Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has explicitly called for Trump to end his candidacy. Hutchinson told reporters in Georgia that the Republican Party “should not lose its soul” in defending Trump and said the evidence so far suggested that the former president treated national secrets “like entertainment tools.”
Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan holds up the trophy after winning the Champions League final soccer match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday. PHOTO: AP
ISTANBUL (AP) – Billions of dollars have been spent and many tears shed on Manchester City’s journey to the summit of European soccer.
The mission was completed in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday as the Abu Dhabi-backed club won the Champions League title for the first time and perhaps heralded the start of a new era of dominance in the competition.
“It was written in the stars. It belongs to us,” said Pep Guardiola after the 1-0 win against Inter Milan, as tears flowed again from the manager, his players and a sea of blue-shirted fans.
On this occasion, the emotion was pure ecstasy.
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan holds up the trophy after winning the Champions League final soccer match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday. PHOTO: AP
The victory, courtesy of Rodri’s 68th minute goal, has been 15 years in the making since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan transformed City into one of the richest teams in the world overnight.
This was the final frontier for Pep Guardiola’s team, which also completed a rare treble of trophies after winning the Premier League title and FA Cup this season.
The Champions League had always been a step that seemed out of reach even for a team that has spent more than USD1.5 billion on the world’s best players and hired probably the greatest coach of his generation in Guardiola.
With that psychological barrier broken and the spending power to further improve a team that has already proved too good for the rest, the potential is there to win European club soccer’s biggest prize on multiple occasions.
Guardiola joked about being “just 13 Champions Leagues away” from Real Madrid.
“If you sleep a little bit we will catch you,” he said. “But I don’t want after one Champions League to disappear, so work harder next season and be in there. There are teams that win the Champions League and after one or two seasons disappear. This is what you have to avoid. Knowing me this is not going to happen. But at the same time I have to admit it, it is a big relief for the club, for the institution, for everyone to have this trophy. Because now, finally, they don’t have to ask me if we are going to win the Champions League or not.”
This trophy will also strengthen the case to declare Guardiola the greatest coach ever as he collected his third Champions League title and 30th major piece of silverware.
It was his second treble of trophies, having emulated that feat with Barcelona in 2009. City became just the second English club to complete a sweep of the three biggest trophies after Manchester United did it in 1999.
There were questions about whether Guardiola could ever win the Champions League again without the aid of Lionel Messi, who was the inspiration of his Barcelona team that was twice crowned champions of Europe.
Those questions have been now been answered, yet for all the talk of City’s superiority leading up to the game, it was won by the finest of margins through Rodri’s strike.
Even after that goal, Inter had great chances to force extra time.
The best one fell to substitute Romelu Lukaku in the 89th minute but he headed straight at Ederson from about four meters (yards) out.
Federico Dimarco hit the bar from close range almost immediately after Rodri’s goal and then turned the rebound against the legs of Lukaku.
“We didn’t deserve to lose,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. “We played against a top team, but even Inter played a great final.
“Manchester City has deserved the Champions League considering what it has done in the past years. But tonight it played against a great Inter which cornered them.”
City found a way through on a night when it was far from its best and showed few examples of the flowing play that saw it blow away Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on the way to the final.
“Today we made history,” City captain Ilkay Gundogan said. “We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there but this team is built to handle the pressure in the best possible way.”
Gundogan lifted the trophy as an explosion of gold ticker tape was set off and Queen’s “We are the Champions” rang out around the stadium.
Sheikh Mansour was in attendance to see the crowning moment, watching his team in person for only the second time since buying the club in 2008.
“One of the main reasons why this club became what we are is because people from Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour, take over the club,” Guardiola said. “Without that we would not be here. They are the most important people. … They support me unconditionally in the defeats in this competition. At many clubs when that happens you are sacked.”
The victory ended Guardiola’s wait to win the trophy for the first time since 2011 and came despite losing inspirational midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to an injury in the first half.
The club’s fans likely feared the worst when he went down holding his right leg in the first half. It was as if history was repeating itself after injury had also forced the Belgium international off when City lost to Chelsea in its only other Champions League final in 2021.
But the decisive moment came when Rodri collected Bernardo Silva’s cutback and fired through a crowded penalty box.
The relief was unmistakeable as he raced towards City’s fans and slid on his knees in celebration.
Inter almost evened the score within minutes of that goal when Dimarco hit the bar from close range.
He then looked like turning in the rebound, only to see his header come back off teammate Lukaku.
Then Lukuku was guilty of missing himself as the Italians forced City back in the final moments.
City held on. Europe had been conquered. A mission that began 15 years ago, completed.
Anak Krakatau volcano releases volcanic materials into the air as it erupts on Sunda Strait, Indonesia. PHOTO: AP
JAKARTA, INDONESIA (AP) – Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano has erupted, spewing ash as high as three kilometres (km) into the air, officials said yesterday.
The volcano island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands has erupted at least seven times since late Friday, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said.
It was the longest eruption since the explosive collapse of the mountain caused a deadly tsunami in 2018 along the coasts of Java and Sumatra, the centre said.
There were no casualties reported in the latest eruption and no evacuation order was issued.
The nearest settlement is 16.5km away.
The centre’s closed-circuit camera showed lava flares and the volcano continuously erupting until yesterday morning.
Anak Krakatau volcano releases volcanic materials into the air as it erupts on Sunda Strait, Indonesia. PHOTO: AP
The second-highest alert on a scale of four has remained in place since 2018. Authorities in May warned residents and tourists to stay five km from the crater.
Up till then, people used to trek to the top to observe the nature’s spectacle.
Scientists at the centre said that since the 2018 eruption and collapse, Anak Krakatau island is now only about a quarter of its original size.
A 2019 study by the centre shed light on the power of the tsunami that crashed into more than 300km of coastline in Sumatra and Java.
More than 430 people died in the waves that were two metres (m) or higher and 40,000 were displaced.
The centre said that the peak of the crater was 159m high, compared to 338m before the December 2018 eruption.
Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Kratakau”, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.
Miami Heat forward Kevin Love defends Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the second half of Game 4 of NBA Finals yesterday. PHOTO: AP
MIAMI (AP) – The mission for the Denver Nuggets was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins and head back home with a chance to finally become NBA champions.
It’s officially there for the taking.
The 47-year wait for Denver might be over as soon as Tuesday, with Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets now just one win away from getting the title that he’s wanted for so long. Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Jokic added 23 and the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 yesterday to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
“We haven’t done a thing yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We have to win another game to be world champions.”
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who won their fifth straight road game to grab complete command. They’ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists – his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game – for Denver. “Today was a team effort.” Murray said. “I can’t even name one person.
Everybody locked in. We’ve got one more to go.”
Miami Heat forward Kevin Love defends Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the second half of Game 4 of NBA Finals yesterday. PHOTO: AP
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances – this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry added 13 points.
The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they’re in now.
“Now we’re in a must-win situation, every single game – which we’re capable of,” Butler said.
“It’s not impossible.” The Nuggets were overwhelming favourites to start the series, for obvious reasons.
Denver was the Western Conference’s number one seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference’s number eight seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.
“Our guys are locked in, man,” Malone said. “We’re focussed.”
Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left – and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets – who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series – didn’t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a three-pointer to stop Miami’s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner three from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.
“We have guys that can step up, night in and night out,” Gordon said. Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine. Miami didn’t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history. A team that had to scramble just to make the playoffs now needs to pull off the ultimate scramble to win a championship.
“This is what this year’s been all about for this group, so definitely not going to hang our heads or quit,” Heat guard Duncan Robinson said. “That’s not an option. It’s not going to happen. So we’ll band together and get on this flight tomorrow and find a way to figure it out.”
Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.
“We have an incredibly competitive group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve done everything the hard way and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now – again. And all we’re going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly.”
PARIS (AFP) – Novak Djokovic admits “history is hovering” over him as he takes on Casper Ruud in the French Open final today with a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam title tantalisingly close.
The 36-year-old Serb can set numerous landmarks in what will be his seventh championship match at Roland Garros.
As well as breaking the 22-Slam tie he shares with Rafael Nadal, he can become both the tournament’s oldest champion and the only man to win all four majors on at least three occasions.
“The only thing I can say is that I’m very focussed. History is always something that’s hovering over me,” said Djokovic, the 2016 and 2021 winner in Paris and now the oldest finalist in 93 years.
Djokovic, playing his 34th Grand Slam final, can also return to the world number one ranking with victory over Ruud, replacing Carlos Alcaraz, the man he defeated in the semi-finals.
Victory today would place him once again halfway to an historic calendar Grand Slam, a sweep of all four majors in the same year which has only ever been achieved by two men.
Rod Laver accomplished it twice, the last coming in 1969.
Casper Ruud and Novak Djokovic. PHOTOS: AFP
Djokovic, however, refuses to contemplate such dominance, wary of how the pressure doomed his last bid to pocket all four Slams in the same year when he lost the 2021 US Open final to Daniil Medvedev.
“I’m not thinking about a calendar slam. I’m thinking really just to win another Grand Slam title today, and I’m so close. I know it. I know the feeling,” said Djokovic.
“Experience is on my side, but does it win matches? I don’t think so. I have to be prepared for another long battle, and after the final, if I win, let’s talk about history.”
Ruud was runner-up to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 final before also losing the championship match at the US Open to Alcaraz.
The 24-year-old Norwegian has never defeated Djokovic in four meetings and has yet to win a set.
If that wasn’t intimidating enough, just the presence of Djokovic on the other side of the net presents another challenge.
Alcaraz admitted that the tension he felt in facing the Serb for the first time in a Grand Slam match caused the body cramps which torpedoed his hopes in the semi-final.
“Novak is a legend of our sport,” said Alcaraz. “If someone says that he goes onto the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies. “Of course playing a semi-final of a Grand Slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more facing Novak. That’s the truth.”
Faith Kipyegon after breaking the world record. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS (AFP) – Kenyan Faith Kipyegon made it two world records in a week after delivering a masterclass in the women’s 5,000 metres (m) at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday while Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma smashed the 19-year-old record in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase.
Kipyegon headlined a stellar night of track and field at the Stade Charlety that also saw Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a new world record in the rarely-run two-mile event.
Kipyegon showed her trademark kick to the line in the 5,000m to win in 14 minutes 05.20 seconds, slicing a full second and a half off the previous best of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, the world 10,000m champion.
There were further outstanding performances from Keely Hodgkinson, the world and Olympic silver medallist from Britain who set the 10th fastest time ever in dominating the women’s 800m in one minute 55.77 seconds, while American Grant Holloway showed promising early-season form in winning the 110m hurdles in 12.98 seconds.
But there was disappointment in the long-awaited season opener for Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, who could only finish seventh in a race won by world 200m champion Noah Lyles.
It was, however, Kipyegon who stole the show just seven days after shattering the women’s world record in the 1,500m in Florence.
“No, I did not think about the world record, I do not know how I made it,” said Kipyegon, who burst into tears after crossing the line.
Faith Kipyegon after breaking the world record. PHOTO: AFPABOVE & BELOW: Lamecha Girma; and Jakob Ingebrigsten. PHOTOS: AFP
“I just focussed on the green light and tried to stay relaxed and enjoy the race. I just did the race and wanted to see what happens. When I saw that it was a world record I was so surprised. It was all about giving my best. I just wanted to improve on my personal best, the world record was not my plan.”
Not to be outdone, Girma, twice a silver medallist at the world championships and once at the Olympics, clocked 7:52.11, shattering the previous best of 7:53.63 set by Kenyan-born Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen in Brussels in 2004.
“I’m happy and very proud. I felt so fast during the race, so confident,” said Girma, 22.
“The world record is not a suprise, I planned to beat it tonight in Paris. It’s a result of a full determination.”
Ingebrigtsen’s efforts over the two-mile event was equally as impressive, with the trio of record breakers aided not only by on-the-mark pace-setting but also by the Wavelight trackside lighting system that indicated world record pace – and a raucous crowd.
The 22-year-old Norwegian, already the world record holder for 1500m indoors, clocked 7 minutes 54.10 seconds in an incredible display in the seldom-run event, which is not an acknowledged Olympic or world distance. The time smashed the previous best performance of 7:58.61 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in July 1997 in Hechtel, Belgium.
“Being able to make this record feels amazing. It is my first world best outdoors,” Ingebrigtsen said.
World 200m champion Lyles won the 100m in 9.97, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Kenya’s African champion Ferdinand Omanyala.
Jacobs, who skipped the two opening Diamond League meets of the season with a back problem, was never in contention coming out of his blocks and the Italian finished well off the pace in 10.21.
Many eyes in the build-up had been on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who destroyed the 400m hurdles world record when she claimed world championships gold on home soil last year, but now has her sights set on the long-standing best in the 400m flat.
But the 23-year-old American ran out of gas in the 400m, finishing second to world silver medallist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic who overhauled her in the home straight.
Paulino ended strongly in a meeting record of 49.12, with McLaughlin-Levrone, making her first Diamond League appearance in Europe since 2019, second in a personal best of 49.71.
American Gabby Thomas won the women’s 200m in 22.05, with 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith of Britain a disappointing fourth in 22.57.
TORONTO (AP) – Carl Yuan moved into position to turn around a forgettable rookie year on the PGA Tour, shooting a 5-under 67 in cool, rainy conditions on Friday to take a one-shot lead at the midway point of the RBC Canadian Open.
Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy gave himself a chance heading into the weekend at Oakdale. He shot 67 and was three shots back of Yuan’s two-day total of 9-under 135.
“I felt like I putted pretty well. But iron play was better, wedges were definitely better, got it in play a little more off the tee,” said McIlroy, who had never seen the course before the opening round. “So yeah, it was a better, more solid round.”
Corey Conners, seeking to become the first Canadian to win his national open since 1954, shot 69 and was one shot back. Joining him were Tyrrell Hatton – who shot 64 to set the course record for Oakdale’s composite routing – CT Pan (66) and Aaron Rai (69).
“Really happy with the start,” Conners said. “Fun playing in front of the Canadian fans. Just enjoying the walk out there.”
Carl Yuan after finishing his round. PHOTO: AFP
Conners is coming off a tie for 12th in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
“I would say this week I’ve been a lot more relaxed than even I was there and I felt like I was quite relaxed at the PGA Championship,” he said. “So I’m feeling good about my game and able to play with freedom and confidence. I’m just having a lot of fun.”
Yuan, a 26-year-old from China who played college golf at Washington, has made seven of 20 cuts this season, with his best finish a tie for 21st at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
With his playing status very much in jeopardy, Yuan is trying to block out the stress and have fun on the course.
“That’s my goal coming into the week. That’s my number one goal,” Yuan said. “Not a result goal, just like being in the present, hitting shot by shot and, yeah, being out here trying to have the most fun. All of it.” Yuan said the weather reminded him of his college days in the Pacific Northwest.
“I think this is right up my alley,” said Yuan, who was born in Dalian, China. “I went to school in Seattle…. That’s exactly what we deal with in the wintertime.”
