Oleksiak advances to 100m free final
Penny Oleksiak of Toronto advanced to Friday’s women’s 100-metre freestyle final at the world swimming championships after finishing sixth in Thursday’s semifinals.
The 17-year-old from Toronto, who is the current Olympic co-champion in the event, swam to a time of 53.05 at Duna Arena.
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who swam a world record 51.71 in Sunday’s 4x100-metre freestyle relay, was fastest in 52.44 to earn Lane 4.
Kierra Smith of Kelowna, B.C., also advanced to a final.
Her semifinal time of two minutes 23.18 seconds was good for fifth seed in the women’s 200 breaststroke.
SOCCER Big 12 honour for Buchanan
Canadian international Kadeisha Buchanan has been named the 2016-17 Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year.
The 21-year-old centre back from Brampton, Ont., is the first West Virginia University student-athlete to earn the conference honour since the school joined the Big 12 in 2012.
Mountaineer women’s soccer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said of the Canadian: “She took our standard of excellence to a whole new level, and I am so proud of everything she did for our program, the university and this athletic department during her four-year career.”
ATHLETICS Ethiopian attacks coach
An Ethiopian athlete has been banned for two years for attacking his coach after learning he didn’t make the team for next month’s world championships in London.
Ethiopian Athletics Federation spokesman Sileshi Bisrat says 21-year-old steeplechase runner Chala Beyo, who competed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, punched coach Yohannes Mohammed when the team was announced.
The coach needed medical treatment for an injured left eye, and Bisrat says police are searching for the runner.
INVICTUS GAMES First lady headed to Toronto
U.S. first lady Melania Trump will lead the American delegation to the Invictus Games in Toronto this fall.
The games, founded by Prince Harry, will be held Sept. 23-30 and will mark the first time Canada plays host to the event.
The competition for wounded, injured and sick troops, including current and veteran members of the forces, aims to use sport to inspire recovery and draw awareness to the physical and psychological injuries suffered by service members.
There will be 550 competitors from 17 countries coming to Toronto to take part in 12 sports, including, in a first for the Invictus Games, golf.