🥇 Who are Australia's Paralympic flag bearers?

It's Wednesday evening. Here's the sport news you need to know.

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Good evening!

After Queensland clinched the women’s State of Origin in Townsville a few weeks ago, NSW will have a chance at redemption in the series decider of the men’s State of Origin tonight.

The game kicks off at 8:05pm tonight and is being played at Suncorp Stadium. If you’re feeling behind the eight ball, read our preview here.

Also, please keep the community sports stories coming - we are loving them! (Link at bottom of 2-minute).

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Stat of the day

28
The number of points Paddy Mills scored in the Boomers’ 84-73 victory over Serbia last night. After scoring just 5 points against Team USA on Monday night, Mills bounced back against a strong Serbian team which includes 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić. The Boomers will now direct their attention to the opening game of their Olympic campaign against Spain on 27 July.

Quote of the day

"As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.” 
England football manager Gareth Southgate in a statement announcing his retirement yesterday. The announcement followed England’s loss to Spain in the Euros final (2-1) on Sunday in Berlin. Southgate started as manager in 2016 and oversaw the English team for a period of 102 international games during which they made two Euros finals and a World Cup quarter-final.

Southgate (EPA)

Random fact of the day

At the 1908 London and 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Australia and New Zealand competed as one nation, called Australasia. The two countries also competed together as Australasia in the Davis Cup (tennis) from 1905 to 1915.  

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In case you missed it…

🚴‍♂️ Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen won his third stage at this year’s Tour de France on Stage 16. The 26-year-old won the stage in a sprint finish. Current green jersey holder Biniam Girmay was caught in a crash within the last kilometre and could not contest the finish. His lead over Philipsen in the battle for the green jersey has been reduced to 32 points. 

Philipsen crosses the line on Stage 16 (Sipa USA)

⚽ The Lionesses, England’s women’s football team, have secured a place in the 2025 Euros following a 0-0 draw with Sweden. The defending Euros champions will be one of the favourites to win the tournament in Switzerland next year. 

Sweden's Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (left) and England's Jessica Carter (EPA)

🏉Three AFL players had three-match bans upheld at the AFL tribunal last night. Brisbane Lions star Charlie Cameron and GWS’s Toby Bedford both received bans for tackles ruled as rough conduct while Gold Coast’s Alex Davies was banned for forceful front-on contact. 

🏀Lindsey Harding has been named as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers under new head coach JJ Redick. In April, Harding became the first woman to be named NBA G League (America’s second-tier basketball league) coach of the year. The 40-year-old was the No.1 pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft. 

Lindsey Harding (AP)

🏉St Kilda AFL prospect Lance Collard has received a six-match ban for using homophobic slurs during a VFL match between Sandringham (St Kilda’s affiliate) and Williamstown. Collard, who has since apologised to Williamstown Football Club and the players involved, is also required to attend Pride in Sport training. 

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Brian Harman, last year’s winner (AP)

The Open, one of golf’s four major tournaments, begins tomorrow at Royal Troon in South Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast.

Significance

The Open (often referred to as the British Open) was first held in 1860. It is played on a rotation of links courses across England and Scotland. Links courses are mostly treeless courses built along the coast. Due to links courses’ coastal position, wind can have a significant impact on play. 

This year marks the 10th time The Open has been played at Royal Troon. The last time was in 2016. In the 2016 edition, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson bested American Phil Mickelson. 

Storylines

The defending champion at The Open is American Brian Harman who won at Royal Liverpool in Merseyside, England. No player has gone back-to-back at The Open since Padraig Harrington won in 2007 and 2008.

This year’s favourites include current world number one Scottie Scheffler, who has won six PGA events already this year, and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who finished runner-up at the U.S. Open last month to Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy is looking to break a decade-long major drought.

Do you want to see McIlroy break his major drought? (PA/Alamy)

How to watch

You can stream the first round of The Open from 3:30pm tomorrow on Foxtel or Kayo.

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Hall and De Rozario at the announcement (AAP)

Last Friday, the Flag Bearers for the Australian Paralympic team were announced. Wheelchair athlete Madison de Rozario and swimmer Brenden Hall will carry the Australian flag at the Paralympics Opening ceremony in Paris on the 28th of August. 

Madison De Rozario

De Rozario made her Paralympics debut in Beijing in 2008 and has competed in every Games since. Paris will be de Rozario’s fifth Paralympics. The 30-year-old has won six Paralympic medals (two gold, three silver and one bronze). Her two gold medals were won in Tokyo in 2021 in the 800m T53 and the marathon T54. 

De Rozario has a neurological condition called transverse myelitis which damaged her spinal cord. 

De Rozario said: “I love our Paralympic team because of who we are as athletes. But, also, the personalities that we see come out of it, they are some of the best. Those post-race interviews, the interviews leading in, the integrity with which our Paralympians approach sport, it’s unlike anything else.”

De Rozario on her way to gold in the women’s marathon T54 (AAP)

Brenden Hall

Hall also debuted in Beijing in 2008 and this will also be his fifth appearance at the Games. The swimmer has won six Paralympic medals (including two gold) and is the current world record holder for the 400m freestyle S9, 800m freestyle S9, and 1500m freestyle S9.

Hall had his right leg amputated at the age of six due to chickenpox. 

Hall said: "There's an immense amount of pride being able to represent Australia, so being asked to carry the flag, I'm over the bloody moon."

Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said:

“The Australian Paralympic team is blessed with many leaders, incredible role models and brilliant sportspeople, which certainly made it hard to settle on two athletes to be our flag bearers. But that’s just an indication of how highly regarded Brenden and Madi are within and beyond the Australian Paralympic Team.”

Olympic Flag Bearers

The flag bearers for the Australian Olympic Team will be announced in Paris on Wednesday 24 July.

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A message from our sponsor

Is it too late to become an Olympian?

Watching young sportspeople on TV can make you wonder if your Olympic dreams are fading. That voice in your head saying you might represent Australia one day is getting quieter. If you’d stuck with it in high school, you could be in Paris now!

Dr. Lyndell Bruce from Deakin's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences has analysed the age limits for Olympians. Endurance athletes peak in their early-to-mid 30s, while gymnasts and divers peak in their teens or early 20s.

Research shows many Olympic athletes try several sports before specialising, and ‘talent transfers’—switching sports—can be successful. For some Paralympians, the path to elite sport can be swift.

Talent scouts know there's no single path to becoming an elite athlete. Even you could still make the Australian team, though perhaps not for Paris.

Read more of Dr. Bruce’s research on the age of elite athletes and talent identification here.

Looking back…

WNBA

Who: Washington Mystics v Phoenix Mercury
Result: Mercury won 96-87

Who: Los Angeles Sparks v Seattle Storm
Result: Storm won 89-83

Who: New York Liberty v Connecticut Sun
Result: Liberty won 82-74

Who: Las Vegas Aces v Chicago Sky
Result: Sky won 93-85

Looking forward…(All times are AEST)

Le Tour de France

Who: The world’s best cyclists

Time: 8:30pm tonight

Talking points: Stage 17 of the Tour will be 177.8km from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Superdévoluy and includes 3000m of elevation, most of which the riders will take on in the last 40km of the stage. Tadej Pogačar starts the stage in the yellow jersey with a 3:09 lead over Jonas Vingegaard.

Where to watch: SBS On Demand

WNBA

Who: Minnesota Lynx v Atlanta Dream
Time: 3:00am tomorrow

Who: Dallas Wings v Indiana Fever
Time: 9:30am tomorrow 

Where to watch: WNBA League Pass

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