Alas Pilipinas has found a strong core to build on. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Xyz Rayco believes that Alas Pilipinas’ historic campaign in the FIVB Girls U17 World Championship is the start of something good for the country’s volleyball program.

“We’ve shown that even at a young age, we can compete at the international level,” Rayco said on the heels of a 25-13, 25-19, 25-16 loss to Japan in the classification round in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday (Manila time).

“Hopefully, when we move up to the senior level, our progress will continue and won’t stop here. We want to carry the experience and lessons we’ve learned from this tournament so we’re better prepared for the future.”

The Philippines already secured its best finish by a national volleyball team in a World Championship after becoming the first Filipino volleyball squad to reach the round of 16, where they fell to Asian champion South Korea in straight sets.

For Rayco, the experience of competing against the world’s best at a young age could provide a major boost to the country’s volleyball program.

“I think this is really good for the future of Philippine volleyball,” the 16-year-old opposite hitter told the Inquirer in Filipino.

Rayco, who led the country to the World Championship after a fifth-place finish in the AVC U16 Championship in Amman, Jordan, last year, relished the opportunity to go up against some of the world’s top youth programs.

“The level of play is really high,” she said. “Every game has been very challenging, and we’ve become more aware of how important discipline, communication and composure are, especially during close games and crucial points.”

Beyond the results, Rayco hopes this historic campaign becomes a foundation for the next generation of Philippine volleyball.

“This experience has been very meaningful for us because we’ve learned so much from playing in the World Championship, especially how to handle pressure, stay calm and trust each other as a team,” she said. “Being able to play in a World Championship and make history at such a young age means a lot to us. We’re very grateful for this opportunity because it will help our careers and motivate us to keep improving.”

Alas Girls, who were led by Caera Celis’ game-high 16 points against Japan, will see more action in the classification round when they face Venezuela anew on Sunday.

The Philippines fell short of a comeback the first time both countries faced off, losing in in five sets, 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 19-25, 15-11. However, the team’s fightback from two sets down allowed it to clinch a spot in the round of 16. INQ

Major championships are won under intense pressure inside the ropes, but their foundation is built on the range. Wyndham Clark’s victory at the 2026 U.S. Open showcased four days of exceptional ball-striking and composure — and was the result of a key swing change that began long before he arrived at Shinnecock Hills.

A key part of that success came from his work with swing coach and GOLF Top 100 Teacher Pat Coyner. Together, they focused on making Clark’s motion more repeatable, starting with his wrist angles, which improved his ability to control the clubface. According to Coyner, one training aid became integral to their work: the ProSENDR.

“Priority No. 1 has been establishing better wrist angles for Wyndham,” Coyner says. “The ProSENDR has been a huge part of this.”

Why do wrist angles matter? Because the position of the lead wrist significantly influences the clubface, affecting where the ball starts and how the club is delivered at impact.

“The ProSENDR is a great reminder because it limits how much radial deviation he can get at the top,” Coyner says. “It really helped combat any tendency to get his lead wrist extended at the top.”

In simple terms, the goal is to help Clark reach the top of his backswing with less extension in his lead wrist. From there, Clark’s improved wrist position helps him deliver a more consistent clubface angle, which makes it easier to shallow the club in transition and avoid compensations that lead to inconsistent contact. 

“Better wrist angles create a better clubface position, and then the width on the downswing shallows his attack and allows him to pivot properly through impact,” Coyner says.

What makes the ProSENDR so valuable, Coyner explains, is not that it forces a golfer into a perfect position. It’s that it provides feedback while still requiring the player to make the change.

“The best thing about it is Wyndham still has to do the work,” he says, “Some training aids lock you into place, but it doesn’t really translate because the player doesn’t have to do the work. With the ProSENDR, the player has to get themself into the correct position.”

That distinction is important. The best training aids don’t create better swings for golfers. Rather, they help golfers understand what a better swing feels like.

For Clark, that feedback became part of his daily routine — and helped build a swing that held up under major championship pressure.

Marcus Rashford’s first moment back in a Manchester United team for 20 months saw him commit a foul, but the intent with which he tried to win possession felt telling on the day when he made his unexpected comeback for his boyhood club

Rashford was introduced for the final half an hour of United’s pre-season friendly with AC Milan in Wroclaw. When Rashford came on, at the same time as five of his United teammates, Ruben Amorim was sat in the dugout for pretty much the only time of the afternoon.

The irony of Rashford returning against Amorim’s new side was heavy, given it was the Portuguese who froze the academy graduate out and appeared to have ended his Old Trafford career. Now Michael Carrick is trying to build bridges and both sides are talking a good game.

The decision to hand Rashford the No.9 shirt here felt telling. It’s a significant number reserved for significant players. While United wanted to make clear it was only a provisional number, it would feel strange to now change it this week. Rashford’s status as a United player might be more provisional with just over two weeks of the window to go.

He certainly sharpened up after that early foul. His direct running from the left caused Milan’s defenders a problem and he found the space between wing-back Samuel Chukwueze, who was excellent going forward but could be exposed defensively.

At one point, Rashford used his shoulder to force Mario Gila over the ball and then linked up well with Luke Shaw, a left-sided partnership that was once so successful. This cameo certainly offered enough evidence that if he remains at the club he will have a role to play.

He replaced the lively Patrick Dorgu but offered something different and that running did unsettle Milan. You wondered what Amorim made of it as he paced his technical area, regularly taking up that crouched position we saw so often at Old Trafford.

The Amorim soap opera had begun well before the game kicked off in temperatures in the mid-30s in Wroclaw. The end for him at United came swiftly and after a bust-up with Jason Wilcox, but the two men were seen chatting in the tunnel before kick-off and the conversation seemed amicable.

The presence of the Amazon cameras also added a different dynamic. They were embedded with the United squad and would have been picking up insider footage, with United keen to avoid any flashpoints or awkward moments on camera.

Amorim actually entered this game under a bit of pressure already. His familiar use of the word “suffering” had put Milan supporters on edge and his three pre-season friendlies had been disappointing, including a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last week.

So he will have taken great delight in this 4-2 victory. It felt strange to see United struggle to contain Milan in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 shape, when so many of the players had played it under him.

It had started well, too. When Harry Maguire headed in a Bruno Fernandes corner inside two minutes, it looked like it was going to be a chastening day for Amorim. Fernandes hadn’t taken any corners at Croke Park on Wednesday, but he was back on set-pieces here and made a quick impact.

It may be too soon to take him off penalties, but two misses in four days this week isn’t a great start to the season. After rolling a penalty wide in the shootout against Leeds, he saw his first-half effort saved by Lorenzo Torriani in Poland.

By that point, Milan had equalised for the first time. Harry Maguire and Andrey Santos fell into each other and both ended up on the floor. Goncalo Ramos used the space to square for Chukwueze to score.

Both teams were making sloppy errors in possession and eventually that caught up with Milan. Filippo Terracciano’s pass was perfect for Dorgu and found him in space in front of goal. Unfortunately for Terracciano, they were on opposite teams and Dorgu couldn’t pass up this gift, scoring from close range.

United again failed to hold an advantage, with Chukwueze’s shot going wide until Alphadjo Cisse turned in at the back post. Chukwueze then got his second assist when his delicate cross was headed in by Ramos. The irony of a wing-back having such a big impact on the game wouldn’t have been lost on United.

By now, Rashford was on, as were Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo, and the game quickly got away from United. Again Milan’s system pulled United players out of position and Ruben Loftus-Cheek raced clear to add a fourth goal.

It wasn’t the end to pre-season that Carrick or United wanted. But this could be just the start if Rashford remains at United.

According to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, unified light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is likely to pivot away from a mooted rubber match with Artur Beterbiev.

The two Russians first collided in October 2024, back when Beterbiev emerged with a majority decision victory and became the undisputed king at 175lbs.

An eagerly-anticipated rematch then materialised just over four months later, with Bivol exacting his revenge and winning by the same margins of 116-112 and 115-113.

A trilogy showdown was therefore expected to be in play, only for Bivol to undergo back surgery and remain out of action until last May.

This successful ring return saw him defend his IBF, WBO and WBA titles with a shutout points victory over Michael Eifert, while Beterbiev has not climbed through the ropes since losing their rematch.

Still, it seemed their trilogy match was explored for later this year or in early 2027, only for Hearn to suggest that Bivol is more likely to face mandatory challenger Callum Smith.

The Matchroom boss revealed this update via his Instagram story, just over a month after Bivol was ordered to defend his WBO belt against Smith.

💥 Eddie Hearn provides Matchroom updates on IG:

1️⃣ 👀 Callum Smith-Dmitry Bivol likely to be next
2️⃣ 🥊 Catterall has received two other big fight offers since talk of Haney fight
3️⃣ 🔜 Bam to unify in Nov./Dec.
4️⃣ ✅ Vuong recently released
5️⃣ ✍️ New signing TBA this week pic.twitter.com/kDHhPBIIBs

— All Out Boxing (@OutBoxing_) August 9, 2026

Like Beterbiev, Smith has not fought since February 2025, back when he unanimously outpointed Joshua Buatsi in a Fight of the Year candidate.

He was, of course, supposed to face David Morrell last April, only for the 36-year-old to pull out with an injury and leave his Cuban opponent to suffer a shock defeat against Zak Chelli.

But it now seems that Smith, who currently holds the WBO ‘interim’ belt, is set to secure his stab at becoming a two-weight world champion against Bivol. The pair, both represented by Hearn’s Matchroom, have until August 20 to strike a deal before purse bids are called.

Ireland won two more medals at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Saturday evening.

Kate O’Connor won GOLD in heptathlon, while Andrew Coscoran won BRONZE in the Men’s 1500m Final.

A silver medallist at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in 2025, O’Connor came into this evening’s final event, the 800m, in the gold medal position, and needed to finish the race within three second of her main rival, Emma Oosterwegel from The Netherlands, to take the gold.

KATE O’CONNOR IS A EUROPEAN GOLD MEDALLIST!

Not only that, she’s beaten the Irish national record.

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She has well and truly written herself into the history books.

Watch all the action on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. pic.twitter.com/ydRy8ILcRL

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

The Dutch athlete did her best to take the time out of O’Connor as she led into the final straight and moved on to claim victory in the heptathlon 800m in 2:10.87.

O’Connor, however, was within a minute of Oosterwegel, crossing the line in 2:11.11, ensuring she claimed the heptathlon gold medal. Sveva Gerevini from Italy, who injected pace into the race down the far side of the track, took second in the race in a time of 2:11.11.

“When I heard cheers like that for me going around those two laps, there was no way I was going to let that gold medal slip through my fingers.”

Kate O’Connor talks to David Gillick after securing European gold in the heptathlon.

Watch live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. pic.twitter.com/6ye47GKmh6

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

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The overall result of the women’s heptathlon was gold for O’Connor with 6,751 points, a new National Record. Silver and Bronze went to The Netherlands, with Emma Oosterwegel second with a personal best score of 6,713 points, and Sofie Dokter also claiming a personal best with 6,664 points.

Coscoran Bronze in Men’s 1500m Final

Andrew Coscoran won a surprise bronze medal in the Men’s 1500 Final this evening.

The Balbriggan native and two-time Olympian finished behind Stefan Nillessen of The Netherlands and Samuel Pihlstrom from Sweden.

The gold medallist clocked 3:35.70, with the runner-up 3:36.16, while the Irish record holder at both 1500m and 3000m, Coscoran, stopped the clock at 3:36.24.

🥇 Stefan Nillessen 🇳🇱 wins GOLD in the men’s 1500m at the European Championships in 3:35.70s.

He made a huge sprint over the final 100m to take the title.

🥈 Samuel Pihlström 🇸🇪 in 3:36.16s.
🥉 Andrew Coscoran 🇮🇪 in 3:36.24s. pic.twitter.com/SeHvehrUAt

— SprintForge (@Tweeterfinger1) August 15, 2026

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Ayyoub Bouaddi’s future has been the subject of transfer speculation in recent weeks, with Manchester City reportedly interested in signing the Lille midfielder

Manchester City have been sent a clear message about the future of Ayyoub Bouaddi by Lille manager Davide Ancelotti. City have been heavily linked with a move for the Morocco international this summer as they look to strengthen their midfield options.

City have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, but there continues to be speculation around Rodri’s future at the Etihad Stadium.

Rumours also continue to link City with Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, with the west London club reportedly setting a deadline for any clubs wishing to bid for the Argentine star – which has now passed.

There have also been reports over the last few weeks that City will face competition from Arsenal for the signing of Bouaddi, who is said to be valued by Lille at around €100million (£85.6million).

Lille and Everton went head-to-head in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, where Bouaddi featured for the second 45 minutes at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Ancelotti – son of footballing legend Carlo – acknowledged that Bouaddi is attracting attention from numerous clubs, but stressed his determination to keep the Morocco international at the Ligue 1 side.

“Bouaddi is a very good player. He is available [in terms of his fitness], and he played 45 minutes. But that is only because I have to manage his minutes,” Ancelotti said after Lille’s draw with Everton on Saturday.

“Next week we start the season, and I consider him as an available player for me.

“Of course, there are negotiations. There is interest from so many clubs. He is a really, really good player, and I hope that he is going to stay with us!

“What makes him so special? He has a huge personality.

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“He is incredibly intelligent on and off the pitch, he is really mature. He is 18-years-old, but he looks like he is 32 when he is on the pitch.

“Technically, he is really complete. He is also physical, really strong in duels. He’s going to be one of the best midfielders in Europe for the next 10 years.”

“Technically, he is really complete. He is also physical, really strong in duels. He’s going to be one of the best midfielders in Europe for the next 10 years.”

What lies ahead for Bouaddi remains uncertain, though recent speculation points towards City as the frontrunners, with the youngster seen as a potential successor to Rodri.

Earlier this month, Lille chairman Oliver Letang dropped hints about the fee the club would demand for Bouaddi this summer.

“When I see [Elliot] Anderson move to Manchester City for £116million and [Sandro] Tonali to Tottenham for £100million, and they don’t have the potential for development that Ayyoub has because he possesses unique qualities,” he said.

“I have a price in mind, and we’ll see what happens.”