šŸ… One week until the Paris Olympics

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Happy Friday!

The countdown to the Olympics continues and we are now only seven days away. We canā€™t wait to keep you in the loop as 10,000 of the worldā€™s finest athletes meet to compete in Paris.

If you have friends or family you think would enjoy the daily update - send them this link!

Todayā€™s newsletter also includes our first community sports feature, check out the 1-minute section - and please send us a story if you have one.

Have a great weekend.

Iā€™ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

Ā£52.2 million ($AU101m)
The reported value of the contract 18-year-old footballer Leny Yoro has signed with English Premier League club Manchester United. The French teenager has signed a five-year deal with an option to extend for a sixth year. Yoro is no stranger to professional football, having already appeared 60 times for French club Lille. 

Yoro in action for Lille (Getty)

Quote of the day

ā€œI made an informed decision with the plastic surgeon at the time not only for the opportunity to play in Paris but for life after as well. The best option was for me to take the top of my finger off. Itā€™s a bit of a change at the moment and an exciting challenge, I guess.ā€
Australian hockey player Matthew Dawson speaking to 7News. Dawson broke his right ring finger and was given the unenviable task of choosing between putting the finger in a cast (and missing the Olympics) or amputating part of the finger to recover for Paris. He chose the latter. The Kookaburras' first match will be against 2016 Olympic champions Argentina on July 27.

Dawson in Tokyo (Getty Images)

Random fact of the day

The medals at the Paris Olympics will include a piece of iron originally a part of Parisā€™ iconic Eiffel Tower. Renovations on the tower during the 20th century meant that iron from the structure was removed and preserved. The tower is made of a special type of iron called ā€˜puddle ironā€™.

Iā€™ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed itā€¦

šŸš“ā€ā™‚ļø Victor Campenaerts won Stage 18 of the Tour de France. The Belgian bested Michał Kwiatkowski and MattĆ©o Vercher in a three-way sprint to the finish. It was Campenaertsā€™ first Tour de France stage win. Tadej Pogačar will start Stage 19 in the yellow jersey with a 3-minute and 11-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard. 

Campenaerts (right) outsprinting Vercher (centre) and Kwiatkowski (left) (Getty)

šŸ¤øCaptain of the Japanese gymnastics team Shoko Miyata will be unable to compete in the Paris Olympics after the 19-year-old was caught smoking. Miyata was sent home from the teamā€™s training base in Monaco yesterday, according to Japanā€™s Kyodo News. Japanese law dictates that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 20 to smoke.

Shoko Miyata (Getty)

ā›³ Australian golfers Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee have made strong starts at The Open, at Royal Troon in Scotland. Scott ended up five shots off the leader, world no. 272 Daniel Brown (England), and Lee one shot further back after the first round. Scott, who won the Masters in 2013, has found some form after finishing runner-up in the Scottish Open last weekend. The Open continues tonight and through until the Final Round on Monday morning (AEST).

Scott wedging his way out of a Royal Troon bunker on Day 1 at The Open (Getty Images)

šŸEnglish cricketer Ollie Pope made his sixth Test century, scoring 121 runs from 167 balls on the first day of Englandā€™s second Test against the West Indies. England scored 416 runs in the first innings at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. England lead the three-Test series 1-0.

Iā€™ve got 1 minute

(Getty Images)

As promised, this weekā€™s Friday newsletter features our first community sports story. The story comes from Swinburne and includes a great photo of young and old rejoicing in ā€˜the beautiful gameā€™ (soccer or football - you choose).

Swinburne Soccer Legends Cup

ā€œOver the weekend, the Swinburne Soccer Team proudly hosted its inaugural Legends Cup! The event brought together 50 former players, including some from the 1960s and even the club's founder, to face off against the current team in an exhilarating match. 

The atmosphere was electric as the legends emerged victorious with a thrilling 2-1 win. The day was made even more memorable with a fun half-time activity for the kids. This historic event was a resounding success, celebrating the rich legacy and vibrant future of Swinburne Soccer!ā€

Day for it! (Swinburne Soccer Club)

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The Thunderbirds after their win last weekend (Getty)

Following the conclusion of the Super Netball regular season last weekend, four teams remain in the competition. 

Adelaide Thunderbirds v Melbourne Vixens (Major Semi-final)

After the regular season, the top two teams on the Super Netball ladder face off in the Major Semi-final. The winner of this match secures an automatic spot in the Grand Final. The loser will head to the Preliminary Final to play the winner of the Minor Semi-Final.

The Thunderbirds and Vixens played each other twice this season with both teams winning their respective home-game. The Thunderbirds are the favourite for this semi-final because they finished the season as Minor Premiers and have an undefeated record in Adelaide, 36ers the location for this weekendā€™s clash.

West Coast Fever v Sunshine Coast Lightning (Minor Semi-final)

The Minor Semi-final will be do-or-die for the teams that finished third and fourth. The winner of this game will play the loser of the Major Semi-final for a place in the Grand Final while the losing teamā€™s season will end.

The Fever and Lightning have played each other twice this season and the Fever have come out on top in both games. The Fever will head into this match as favourites with a home-court advantage at RAC Arena in Perth where they have only lost one game this season (to the Vixens). The Fever also has a lethal attacking weapon in Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, the sportā€™s most successful goal-shooter.

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (Getty Images)

Preliminary and Grand Final

The Preliminary Final will be hosted by the Major Semi-Final loser (Adelaide or Melbourne) on Saturday, 27 July.

The Grand Final will be played at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday, 3 August.

How to watch

Both matches will be streamed on Foxtel and Kayo.

Adelaide Thunderbirds v Melbourne Vixens on Saturday 20 July at 5:00pm (AEST).

West Coast Fever v Sunshine Coast Lightning on Sunday 21 July at 2:00pm (AEST)

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 youā€™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 ā€˜talent transfersā€™ā€”switching sportsā€”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. Bruceā€™s research on the age of elite athletes and talent identification here.

Looking forwardā€¦(All times are AEST)

Le Tour de France

Who: The worldā€™s best cyclists

Time: 8:05pm tonight

Talking points: The Tour heads into the Alps with a 145km long stage from Embrun to Isola 2000. The stage includes two Hors Categories climbs (the most difficult categorisation of climbs on the Tour) as well as one Category 1 climb adding up to 4406m of elevation. The battle for the yellow jersey between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard will almost certainly intensify on this stage. 

Where to watch: SBS On Demand

F1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Who: The worldā€™s best drivers

Time: 11:00pm Sunday

Talking points: Round 13 of the 2024 F1 season takes place in Budapest. Red Bullā€™s Max Verstappen remains the race favourite despite Mercedesā€™ Lewis Hamiltonā€™s win at the British GP two weeks ago. 

Where to watch: Foxtel, Kayo Sports

AFL

Friday:

Essendon FC v Adelaide Crows at 7:40pm

Saturday:

St Kilda v West Coast at 1:45pm

GWS Giants v Gold Coast at 1:45pm

Hawthorn v Collingwood at 4:35pm 

Geelong v Bulldogs at 7:30pm

Port Adelaide v Richmond at 7:30pm

Sunday:

Brisbane v Sydney at 1:10pm

Fremantle v Melbourne at 3:20pm

Carlton v North Melbourne at 4:40pm

Where to watch: Seven, Foxtel, Kayo

NRL

Friday:

Raiders v Warriors at 8:00pm

Saturday:

Rabbitohs v West Tigers at 3:00pm 

Knights v Broncos at 5:30pm

Storm v Roosters at 7:35pm

Sunday:

Panthers v Dolphins at 2:00pm

Sea Eagles v Titans at 4:05pm

Cowboys v Bulldogs at 6:15pm

Where to watch: Nine, Kayo, Foxtel

International Rugby (menā€™s)

Who: Wallabies v Georgia
Time: Saturday 2:45pm

Who: Australia U-20ā€™s v Argentina U-20ā€™s
Time: Saturday 1:00am
Talking point: This game is a 5th-place playoff at the World Rugby
U-20 Championship

Where to watch: Stan Sport

WNBA All-Star game

Who: The WNBAā€™s best players

Time: 10:30am Sunday

Where to watch: WNBA League Pass

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