Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 31 July 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start with rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has stressed the importance of setting the tone for what he says will be a vastly different challenge when they face Australia in Brisbane next weekend. Under Erasmus, the Boks have only beaten the Wallabies once in Australia, where the 2027 World Cup will be held. The squad is travelling today to acclimatise as quickly as possible Down Under. Erasmus says they want to be fully prepared by the time they slot back into full Test mode:

# And now, news from the Olympic Games: Simone Biles is now the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, after leading the US women’s gymnastics team to a gold medal in Paris. The five-women squad of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, finished nearly six points clear of Italy, who earned their first artistic gymnastics medal in 96 years. Brazil took bronze, the first team medal in their country’s history. Biles now has five gold medals, one silver and two bronze.

In tennis, the British duo Andy Murray and Dan Evans are through to the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles in Paris. They fended off two match points to defeat Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7, 11-9. Murray will call time on his career at the end of the Games. Meanwhile, Spanish pair Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are also through to the quarterfinals after beating the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof, 6-4, 6-7, 10-2.

In the women’s section, Donna Vekić of Croatia is also through to the quarterfinals after upsetting world number two, Coco Gauff. The match ended in controversy after the American accused the umpire of cheating over a corrected line call. The supervisor was later called, who sided with the umpire and warned a tearful Gauff to be careful with the language she was using. Vekić, the world number 21, went on to win 7-6, 6-2.

And, the organisers of the Games aren’t too concerned after several athletes tested positive for Covid-19. They include British swimmer Adam Peaty, several Australian women’s water polo players, and Australian swimmer Lani Pallister, who withdrew from the one-thousand-500-metre freestyle to save energy for the four-by-200-meter freestyle. Spokesperson Anne Descamps says there’s a protocol that athletes who have tested positive have to wear a mask, but Covid-19 cases are quite low in France.

Stay tuned for more news………….