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Stat of the day

25,782
The record number of rugby league fans at Women’s State of Origin Game Two in Newcastle last night. The Queensland Maroons defeated the NSW Sky Blues 11-10. With just two minutes remaining, Lauren Brown kicked a field goal to take the lead and seal victory for the Queenslanders. Game three will be played in Townsville to decide the series on 27 June.

Quote of the day

"I learned a bit later than other players maybe but to dream is the most important thing in sport and life. I'm happy I could dream this moment,"
Italian tennis player Jasmine Paolini following her semi-final victory against Mirra Andreeva (6-3, 6-1). Paolini had previously never played past the fourth round in a grand slam. She will now play world number one Iga Świątek, who is chasing her third consecutive French Open title, in the final on Saturday night. Paolini’s compatriot Jannik Sinner will play Carlos Alcaraz in a highly anticipated semi-final tonight.

Random fact of the day

Sweden and Denmark played each other in football this week. If you saw it, you may have noticed that when the score shows up, it reads SWE-DEN. The remaining letters, not used, read DEN-MARK. 

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In a major upset, the U.S. cricket team defeated 2022 finalists Pakistan in the T20 World Cup overnight. It is the second win in two matches for the U.S. after they beat Canada in their first pool match. The U.S. now move to the top of their pool and will have a genuine shot of making the quarter-finals in their first ever appearance at the T20 World Cup.

How it went:

The U.S. won the toss and elected to bowl first. Pakistan scored 159 runs which America’s batsmen were successfully able to chase, scoring a boundary on the final ball of the innings to tie the match. The draw forced the match to a Super Over, which gives each team an opportunity to score as many runs in one over as possible. The team that scores the most runs in the Super Over wins. The U.S. scored 18 runs to better Pakistan’s score of 13.

Saurabh Netravalkar, who bowled for the U.S. during their Super Over, works full-time as a principal engineer at Oracle when he isn’t playing cricket for his country.

What they said:

U.S. Captain Monank Patel said, “Beating Pakistan in the World Cup is going to open many doors for us and people in the US cricket community. Obviously hosting the World Cup in the USA and performing here as a team helps us to grow cricket in the country."

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Australian Jack Doohan, who is currently the reserve for formula one team Alpine, will be given an important opportunity to drive Alpine’s car during an official practice session this weekend.

Who is Jack Doohan?

Before 21-year-old Doohan became the full-time reserve for Alpine in 2024, he rose through the lower tiers of racing, F3 and F2. He was recruited as an F1 reserve last year while still racing in the F2.

His role as the reserve mainly consists of driving in the team’s simulator so that they can develop a more thorough understanding of the car.

Notably, Jack is the son of motorsports royalty Mick Doohan. Mick won five consecutive MotoGP World Championships during his career (Moto GP is like the F1 but on a motorbike).

Significance

The practice session represents a significant opportunity for Doohan to impress following a recent announcement from Alpine that one of their current drivers, Esteban Ocon, will be leaving the team in 2025. 

Doohan will be competing to replace Ocon and gain a coveted place among F1’s 20 starting drivers. 

Ocon’s departure comes after he crashed with teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco GP. 

What they said:

Jack Doohan said: "Really excited to get out on track in Montréal for [Formula Practice 1]. It will be my first time driving at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which I am looking forward to. I am grateful to the team for the opportunity to get more track time, and also familiarise myself with 2024 machinery early in the season."

Canada GP

The Canada GP is a 70-lap race of the 4.4km Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. It features as the ninth race of the 2024 Formula One season. Currently, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) leads this season’s Driver Standings ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in second and Lando Norris (McLaren) in third. Red Bull is also leading the Constructors’ Championship (team prize). With three different winners in the past three races, all eyes will be on Montreal to see who comes out on top.

How to watch

You can watch F1 on Kayo.

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In Conversation with Deakin University Elite Athlete: Jo Weston

Jo Weston is a professional netballer with Melbourne Vixens and the Australian Diamonds, with two premierships and two gold medals (from both the Commonwealth Games and Netball World Cup) under her belt. She is the President of the Australian Netball Players Association and is currently studying a Master of Communication at Deakin.

What’s your sporting schedule like?

We currently train about four times a week and play either in Melbourne or interstate on weekends. In preseason we train more, with 7/8 sessions a week.

What is one of the hardest aspects of studying and being an elite athlete?

Time management is very challenging especially with travel and some commitments being added last minute. I also find the physical nature of training draining which means concentrating in class can be more difficult.

What appealed to you most about the Deakin Elite Athlete program and how has it helped you?

The understanding and flexibility offered to me is what was most appealing… I have received help finishing assignments to the best of my ability with the flexibility offered through the program.

Looking back…

Looking forward…

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