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It’s all over if you pop your shoulder - a classic sport pearl of wisdom.

But for 17-year-old French swimming sensation Rafael Fente-Damers, it was all over AND THEN he popped his shoulder. Impressive.

Fente-Damers had just secured a spot in his national team to represent France at a home Games after coming second in the 100m freestyle final with a PB time. Pumped, he thrashed at the water. The problem? He thrashed so hard he dislocated his shoulder.

An hour later, Fente-Damers was on the podium to collect his silver medal, complete with sling. He’s now in doubt for the Olympics. Sacre bleu!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

1001
The number of ATP tennis matches Andy Murray has played . The 37-year old former world number one has played the 7th-most matches of all time. Yesterday Murray was forced to retire midway through his round-of-16 match against Australian Jordan Thompson at the Queen’s Club Championship due to a back injury. Thompson has advanced to the quarter-finals where he will face Taylor Fritz.

Quote of the day

"This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger, I will not be derailed and I will continue to love this life — I’m not defined by basketball, but it is something that I love deeply and I will work everyday to get back to it."
WNBA rookie and Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink in a post on Instagram after she tore her ACL during a game on Tuesday. Brink was the second pick in the WNBA draft this season behind first-pick Caitlin Clark. Her injury means she will not be able to play in the U.S. 3x3 basketball team at the Paris Olympics. 

Random fact of the day

Yellow tennis balls were not used until 1972. Previously, tennis balls were either black or white depending on the surface the match was being played on. The change arose because black and white balls were too difficult to follow when colour tv was introduced.

I’ve got 1 minute

Australia’s paddling and rowing teams both showed their strength in international competition earlier this week at their last events before the Paris Olympics.

Paddling (canoe/kayak)

In Kraków, Poland, Jess Fox set a paddling record and became the first person to win gold at a World Cup in the kayak, canoe, and kayak cross events all in one weekend.

Fox already has four Olympic medals and will compete in her fourth Olympics in Paris. Fox’s sister Noemie, who competes in the kayak cross, also improved her chances of qualifying for her first Olympics over the weekend.

Rowing

450 kilometres away in Poznań, Poland, Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic rowing teams were competing at the World Rowing Cup III. Australia topped the medal tally winning eleven medals across the regatta with athletes competing in a variety of boat classes.

The men’s team won two medals: gold in the eight and silver in the four. The women’s team won seven medals, including gold in the eight, pair, double and single.

In the para-rowing classes, Australia won gold in the PR3 mixed double and bronze in the PR1 men’s single.

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The 2024 Copa América begins tomorrow with Canada and Argentina set to play the opening match in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is the Copa América?

The Copa América is a football tournament contested between the countries of South America plus the U.S. and Canada. It’s the oldest continental football tournament in the world. This year it is being hosted by the U.S. and there are 16 teams competing. The tournament will run until the final in Miami, Florida, on 14 July.

Favourites

The last edition of the tournament was played in 2021 and won by Argentina, who beat Brazil in the final. Argentina are also reigning world champions having won the 2022 World Cup. This year presents a rare opportunity for Argentina to win back-to-back Copa América tournaments for the first time since 1991 and 1993. It may be star Argentinian player Lionel Messi’s last appearance at any tournament for his country.

Brazil are the second highest ranked team in the tournament, standing at number five in the world, and will be expected to go deep into the tournament. They have a total of nine Copa titles and last won in 2019.

Despite not winning the tournament in 13 years, Uruguay are tied with Argentina for the most Copa titles (15) and will look to make it a record 16 this year. They are currently ranked 15th in the world.

Outside chances

No team outside of South America has ever won the Copa. This year, there will be six teams from across Central America, North America and the Caribbean who will be competing to write a new chapter in the Copa’s 108-year history. 

Mexico, who are ranked 14th in the world, are the most likely of this group to win. However, when the Copa was last played in North America in 2016, the U.S. made an unlikely run to the semi-finals.

Format

The Group Stage will consist of four groups of four teams. The teams will play all teams in their group and the top two from each will advance to the knockout stages where there will be quarter finals, semi finals and a final.

How to watch

The Copa América will be streamed live and exclusive on Optus Sport. 

Argentina v Canada kicks off at 10:00am tomorrow (AEST).

A message from our sponsor

Deakin Research: Addressing Online Harm in Australian Women’s Sport

Did you know? 9 in 10 elite sports women have experienced some form of gendered online harm.

A Deakin University study has exposed how common cyberbullying directed at Australia’s top female athletes is, with 85% of those surveyed sharing that the abuse has negatively impacted their wellbeing.

‘These results should sound alarm bells at all Australian sport organisations,’ said Research Lead, Dr Caitlin McGrane of Deakin’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

‘We found 87% of elite sportswomen experienced gendered online harm within the past year, with many the subject of personal insults, hate speech and purposeful attempts to embarrass them. Half experienced harassment and almost 40% were sexually harassed.’

A total of 138 elite, professional and semi-professional sports women from 32 sports were surveyed, exploring the patterns of athlete social media use, the prevalence and type of online harm they experienced, the impact of that harm and their experiences reporting and dealing with abuse.

Read more here.

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