Good evening!

I hope you’ve had a great week.

If you’ve been watching La Vuelta, Spain’s answer to Le Tour de France, you may have seen the starting line for Stage 6 was inside a Spanish supermarket.

You read that correctly, a bike race inside the equivalent of your local Coles or Woollies. How’s that for creative marketing!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

3
The number of yellow cards the Manly Sea Eagles received last night during their match against the Wests Tigers. Manly raced to a 16-0 lead in the first 20 minutes but were ultimately beaten 34-26 by the Tigers, who took advantage of the 30 minutes where the Sea Eagles were missing a player. 

Quote of the day

"It was beautiful racing, I think, all around. I was looking at the triple Grand Tour winners, and a list of guys that have done it before this race started and now my name is on that list."
Aussie cyclist Ben O’Connor after winning stage six of La Vuelta, Spain’s answer to Le Tour de France. The 28-year-old joins an elite group of cyclists who have won a stage on all three Grand Tours (Le Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta). O’Connor is now the overall race leader with a four-minute and 51-second advantage over three-time La Vuelta champion Primož Roglič.

Random fact of the day

In 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first player to dunk a basketball in a WNBA game. Leslie retired in 2009 as a three-time winner of the WNBA Most Valuable Player award and four-time Olympic gold medallist.

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In case you missed it…

⚽ The Central Coast Mariners have appointed Alyssar Narey as their new Chief Executive Officer. Narey will serve as the first female CEO in the club’s history. Her previous role was at the Australian Professional Leagues. 

🏄‍♂️ Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing have both surfed their way to the quarter-finals of the men’s Fiji Pro. Robinson’s round of 16 victory over Connor O’Leary also secured him a place in the World Surf League’s Finals in California next month, where the top five ranked male and female surfers compete to decide the World Champion.

🏄‍♀️ Meanwhile, in the women’s Fiji Pro, Molly Picklum and Tyler Wright have both advanced to the semi-final. In making the semi-final, Picklum has also earned the opportunity to compete for the world championship at the WSL Finals next month.

⛳ British golfer Charley Hull leads the Women’s Open at St Andrews, Scotland after round one. The best-placed Australian is Steph Kyriacou, who is tied for 79th place, nine shots behind Hull. 

I’ve got 1 minute

Six Australians have made it through the qualifying week of the U.S. Open and secured a coveted place in the main draw. They will join the 14 Australians who automatically earned a Round 1 match at New York’s Flushing Meadows.

Qualifiers

The U.S. Open qualifiers take place in the week before the beginning of the main draw. Typically, any player coming through qualifying must win three matches to make it to the opening week of the grand slam. 

On the women’s side, Arina Rodionova, Maya Joint, Kimberly Birrell, Priscilla Hon, and Destanee Aiava all qualified. Li Tu was Australia’s only man to come through the qualifiers. It’s the first time in 11 years that Australia has had both men and women make it through qualifying. 

Australians at the U.S. Open

2024 looks to be a particularly strong year for Australia at the U.S. Open. 20 Australians are playing in the main draw. The 12 playing in the men’s singles represent Australia’s largest contingent for 45 years, while the eight in the women’s singles is the largest in 35 years.

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It’s been almost a month since Mercedes’ George Russell was stripped of victory at the Belgian GP for an underweight car and watched his teammate Lewis Hamilton stand on top of the podium. The F1 returns for two consecutive weekends beginning with the Dutch GP at the coastal town of Zandvoort.

Zandvoort

Zandvoort’s course is surrounded by dunes, which will be covered with spectators hoping to get a glimpse of the world’s best drivers as they whiz by. 

The race will be contested over 72 laps of the 4.2km course (307km total). Zandvoort is one of the only courses on the F1 circuit with banked corners, forcing drivers into higher-speed turns which can wear down their tyres faster.

Favourites

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the favourite to win at his home course. Verstappen has won all three races here since the Dutch GP was reintroduced to the F1 circuit in 2021. That being said, the last four races this season have been won by other drivers. The most likely teams to challenge Verstappen will be Mercedes (Russell and Hamilton) and McLaren (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri)

Driver Standings

Verstappen still leads the Driver Standings with 277 points. Norris sits in second with 199 points, just 22 points clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on 177 points. 

How to watch

You can watch Formula One on Kayo or Foxtel. The race starts at 11:00pm on Sunday.

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From plate to podium: Nutrition for young athletes

Peak performance isn't just about rigorous training, physical skills and genetics – it’s also about nutrition.

Whether you’re chasing gold or just looking to optimise your health, Dr Dominique Condo, a researcher and lecturer from Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, says that “proper nutrition is key.”

Nutrition has the power to make or break your athletic performance, and according to Dr. Condo, there are three key ingredients for a winning plate:

1. A balanced diet

Young athletes need a well-balanced diet that is rich in carbohydrates for slow-burning energy, proteins for muscle repair and growth, and fats for overall health. Picture a colourful plate full of fruits and veggies!

2. Hydrate

Unfortunately, the ‘eight glasses of water a day’ trick might not cut it! “It’s important to understand the demands of the sport and individual factors, including thirst, that may impact hydration needs,” Dr Condo said. Proper hydration depends on factors like body size, climate, activity level and overall health.

3. Meal timings

“Meal timing is just as important as what the meal is made of,” Dr Condo advises. “Eating a nutritious meal 2-3 hours pre-exercise or competition will allow for the food to be digested and able to be used as energy.”

Think beyond the field. Study sport at Deakin.

Looking forward…(All times are AEST)

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