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Susan Lacke | Triathlete

It’s Kona time! Hawaii is the center of the triathlon world this weekend as the women’s 2025 Ironman World Championship gears up for a stunning showdown featuring 60 of the fastest women in long-course triathlon today (and frankly, in all of triathlon history) and 1,600 of the best women’s age-groupers from around the globe.

This weekend also marks the final chapter in Ironman’s two-day, two-location world championship era, which will end after this weekend’s race. After three years of separate race weekends for men and women In 2026, the two fields will reunite in Kona for the return of the one-day race in Hawaii.

To give the final women’s-only world championship a big sendoff, the Triathlete team is on the ground in Kona, bringing you all the triathlon news, analysis, pro bike galleries, and more in the lead-up to the big show on Saturday, October 11. Bookmark this page, which we’ll update daily with the latest insider from the women’s 2025 Ironman World Championship.

The free Ironman World Championship broadcast will stream live on Outside TV Saturday, October 11, with the pro race beginning at 6:25 a.m. HST/12:25 p.m. ET. (Outside+ members can access the broadcast on-demand after the race – become a member today.)

Wisconsin volleyball is off to the attendance races, with the No. 7 college squad averaging 8,620 fans per match this season to become this NCAA’s best-attended program — narrowly beating Big Ten rival No. 1 Nebraska’s 8,602 current average.

Other than the Badgers and Cornhuskers, no other college volleyball team has surpassed 6,000 fans per match this year, but Wisconsin is well on track to surpass even their own dominant attendance history in the sport.

If they finish the season in the top attendance spot, the Badgers will snap a six season streak logging the second-best average crowds per year.

Even more, Wisconsin is on their way to blasting through their program-best mark, set when 7,761 fans per match filled the bleachers in 2022.

The growing demand for Badger volleyball is also translating into significant revenue boosts for school.

“We’re really, really excited; we’re going to exceed $2 million in volleyball ticket sales for the first time ever,” Wisconsin deputy athletic director Mitchell Pinta told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelearlier this week. “And we’re largely sold out for the rest of our matches at the Field House for the remainder of the season.”

Should the Badgers reach that $2 million mark, they will see a massive 25% increase over the $1.6 million the team garnered just two seasons ago, and a near 18-fold growth from the $111,809 in volleyball ticket sales that Wisconsin logged in 2013.

Ultimately, the sky’s the limit for both Wisconsin volleyball — and the sport at-large.

“If there’s a saturation point on the demand for Wisconsin volleyball, we certainly have not seen it yet,” said Pinta.

How to watch Wisconsin volleyball in action

With conference play kicking off this weekend, No. 7 Wisconsin will host unranked Big Ten foe Rutgers at 8 PM ET on Friday, before paying a visit to also-unranked Iowa at 3 PM ET on Sunday.

Both Big Ten battles will stream live on B1G+.

Shelby Dermer | USA TOday

MAINEVILLE, OH − The Kroger Queen City City Championship Presented by P&G returns to TPC River’s Bend from Sept. 11-Sept. 14.

After two years at Kenwood Country Club in Madeira, the event moved in 2024 to TPC River’s Bend, which has hosted several different levels of tournaments in its history.

The LPGA has a contract in place to keep the Kroger Queen City Championship at TPC River’s Bend through next year.More: LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship returns to TPC River’s Bend in September

Last year’s tournament at TPC River’s Bend had over 50,000 fans with 700 volunteers and generated nearly $50 million of economic impact for Cincinnati, according to a press release.Looking for a free mini puzzle? Play the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.

This year’s field features 144 of the LPGA’s top golfers competing for a $2 million purse.

“It’s a really exciting time for our players heading into the tour championship at the end of the year. They are kind of jockeying for position,” LPGA Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs Casey Ceman said at media day Aug. 19. “It’s gonna be really exciting.”

Lydia Ko begins title defense at Kroger Queen City Championship

Last year, Lydia Ko entered the final round of the Kroger Queen City Championship facing a two-stroke deficit. A few hours later, she was cruising to the title after firing a course record 63 for her 22nd career victory on the LPGA Tour.

Ko, who also won an Olympic gold medal and secured a berth in the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2024, is ranked No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

“It’s crazy to think that even happened a year ago,” Ko said at her pre-tournament press conference Sept. 10. “We played Kenwood before we came to TPC River’s Bend, and the two golf courses are very different. I do think this year the course is not as dry as what it got to on the weekend of last year.”

Associated Press

SINGAPORE — Katie Ledecky has ceded a tiny bit of ground in other events, but she’s still unbeatable in the 1500-meter freestyle.

She won it again Tuesday in the swimming world championships in Singapore, finishing in 15 minutes, 26.44 seconds. Simona Quadarella of Italy took silver in 15:31.79 — a European record — with bronze for Lani Pallister of Australia in 15:41.18 in a very quick-paced race.

“I was just trying to get out fast, but comfortable enough that I could go from there,” Ledecky said. “I’m happy with the time and happy with the swim.”

“I love this race,” she added. “It was the race I broke my first world record in 2013. Lots of great races over the years.”

Ledecky was ahead of her world-record pace through 1,250 meters, pushed early by Pallister. It was Ledecky’s second medal in these games after taking bronze in the 400 free behind Canadian Summer McIntosh.

The numbers speak to Ledecky’s dominance, the most decorated female swimmer in history who has been on top for more than a decade.

With Tuesday’s swim she now owns 25 the top 26 times in history in the 1,500. Her time Tuesday was the fifth fastest, not far off her world record of 15:20.48 set in 2018.

It was her 22nd gold medal in a world championships and her 28th overall. Add to that nine Olympic gold medals and 14 overall. If you’re not counting, that’s 42 Olympic and world medals — 31 gold.

Watching from the stands was new International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. She was joined by former president Thomas Bach. Coventry was an Olympic gold medal winner for Zimbabwe in 2004 and 2008 in the 200-meter backstroke.

The Americans had the top qualifying times going into four finals and won one gold and three silver medals with very close finishes in all three.

The United States team has been battling what officials called “acute gastroenteritis” picked up at a training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore.

American head coach Greg Meehan said much of team had turned the corner.

“We’re taking it a day at a time,” he said in an interview with American network NBC. “Obviously, this is not how we thought the first few days of this competition would go. But I’m really proud of our team, our medical staff working overtime. You don’t want your medical staff working overtime.”

“If you were in our team area you would never know that the overall majority of the team has gone through something over the last few days,” Meehan added, saying the team “vibe” was good.

McIntosh, who won two gold medals the first two days, did not race on Tuesday, Day 3 of the competition.

Paris Olympic champion David Popovici of Romania won the 200-meter freestyle, overtaking American Luke Hobson in the last 50 meters for the victory. Popovici swam 1:43.53 with Hobson across in 1:43.84. Tatsuya Murasa of Japan was third in 1:44.54.

“I think it was better than the Olympics to be honest,” Popovici said of the victory. “You know why? Because I trained a lot for the Olympics. But this coming for a more relaxed year, easygoing year after the Olympics. I don’t know. I feel very proud of myself.”

Kaylee McKeown of Australia took the women’s 100-meter backstroke, closing over the last 50 to beat American Regan Smith. McKeown finished in 57.16 — just .03 off the world record held by Smith. Smith finished in 57.35 with bronze for American Katharine Berkoff in 58.15.

McKeown is the two-time defending Olympic champion in this race and also in the 200 backstroke. She also beat Smith a year ago in Paris with Smith taking silver.

Pieter Coetze of South Africa represents a new wave of contenders with the 21-year-old winning the men’s 100 backstroke in 51.85 seconds. Thomas Ceccon of Italy took silver in 51.90, with bronze for Yohann Ndoye-Brouard in 51.92. Ceccon is the world-record holder in 51.60.

In the last final of the night, Anna Elendt of Germany — swimming from Lane 1 — took the women’s 100-meter breaststroke in 1:05.19. American Kate Douglass took silver in 1:05.27, with bronze for Tang Qianting of China in 1:05.64.

The young U.S. squad avenged its 2023 loss to Brazil and earns gold medal to secure a direct berth to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

SANTIAGO (Chile) – The United States prevailed against Brazil, the 2023 defending champions, to reclaim gold in this year’s Final at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos in Santiago, Chile. With a 92-84 victory, the Americans claimed their fifth continental crown and secured a direct ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. With this new championship trophy, the U.S. has now won three of the last four Women’s AmeriCup titles.

Turning point

The U.S. team applied pressure, pushed the pace, and dominated most statistical categories, but it was early in the fourth quarter when the game definitively tilted in their favor. Head coach Kara Lawson’s team opened the final period on an 11-3 run, taking a 76-69 lead with 4:16 remaining. Defense was the key to that surge, as Brazil’s offense stalled and couldn’t recover. Point guard Hannah Hidalgo sealed the win by sinking three free throws in the final 15 seconds, after a three-pointer from Damiris Dantas had brought Brazil within five points (89-84) with 40 seconds left.

TCL player of the game

Mikayla Blakes delivered a performance to remember, scoring 27 points, the most by a U.S. player in the tournament since 2003. She also had 6 rebounds and 2 steals. The 19-year-old wing, who scored in double figures in six of her team’s seven games, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Hidalgo also made a major contribution with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. She joined Blakes on the All-Star Five, alongside Brazil’s Damiris Dantas and Kamilla Cardoso, and Canada’s Syla Swords. Dantas poured in 35 points in the Final for Brazil, setting a single-game scoring record for the Women’s AmeriCup (since 2003). She also grabbed 8 rebounds, handed out 4 assists, and had 2 steals. Cardoso added 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, though her playing time was limited due to foul trouble. Point guard Bella Nascimento was Brazil’s breakout star of the tournament. She finished with 24 points, hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Stats don’t lie

Depth was the defining factor for USA. While the Americans stayed fresh thanks to a wide rotation, Brazil ran out of gas down the stretch. The U.S. bench outscored Brazil’s reserves 35–1. The Stars and Stripes were efficient across the board. They outrebounded Brazil 46–35 (including 19 offensive boards), and dominated points in the paint (46–26), fast break points (21–3), and points off turnovers (22–9). Olivia Miles, with her nine assists in the Final, set a new record for most assists in a single Women’s AmeriCup edition with 50. The previous mark of 46 was held by Cuba’s Ineidis Casanova.

Bottom line

With this fifth title, the United States surpassed Cuba (4) and now stands alone as the second-most successful country in Women’s AmeriCup history— just one gold medal shy of Brazil (6), the tournament’s current leader. The U.S. also now holds seven total medals in the event (two silvers). Brazil, meanwhile, earned its 15th overall medal which is the most of any country and its fifth silver. It also owns four bronze medals.

Hidalgo, who previously won gold with the U.S. at the U17 (2022) and U19 (2023) World Cups, couldn’t hide her emotion after claiming her first senior-level title and being named to the All-Star Five. “I think it’s a blessing. This is the second time I’ve been named to the All-Star Five (after the U19 World Cup), and I truly feel fortunate to be in this position, to play for the United States, to represent my country. It’s an honor to be here. I really appreciate this moment,” she told FIBA Americas. Regarding her team’s performance, the point guard added: “We overcame a lot of challenges. We played seven games in about nine days, something like that. So it was tough physically, but our depth was key. We took over in the fourth quarter, and that’s exactly what we needed.” Her backcourt mate Olivia Miles also spoke to FIBA Americas about what it meant for a team made up entirely of college players to face off against a WNBA veteran like Damiris Dantas. “She was incredible. She had like 20 points at halftime. She showed all her experience, her maturity, but, you know, one player can’t do it all for her team,” Miles said. “We stayed steady throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter. At one point, we had 19-year-olds guarding her. So it was a great learning experience for them. I’m very proud of how they battled. Our bigs were phenomenal in this game. I’m just really proud of this team.”

By Lukas Knöfler  | Cycling News

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia Women, outsprinting Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL) in Trento after being led out by her teammate Lotte Kopecky.

The final was interrupted by a mass crash in a roundabout with 2.5km to go that happened near the front of the peloton, leaving only ten riders at the front.

Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) made the most of the chaos and got a small gap on the streets of Trento. But Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-Protime) reeled in the Austrian and then handed off to Kopecky for the lead-out that Wiebes had no trouble finishing off.

Due to the 3km rule, all riders involved in the crash received the same time as Wiebes, meaning that Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) keeps the pink jersey.

“We were very lucky that we were in front when the crash happened and that we were still with three of us. Barbara did a great job to bring us to the corner. Lotte also did also amazing; I was a bit scared for the last corner, I felt my wheel slipping a bit, but I was able to save it,” said Wiebes after the stage.

“I would have liked more to go to the finish with a complete peloton, but that’s also part of racing, and you can expect it with the rain. Everyone in the team did really well the whole day, and it’s nice to finish it off, also for them,” Wiebes finished.

The stage started in Vezza d’Oglia, immediately heading uphill towards the Passo del Tonale. Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) attacked just before the mountain sprint after 17.5km to win the Cima Alfonsina Strada, the highest point of the eight-day race, and take the blue mountain jersey.

The rest of the 122km stage was almost entirely downhill or flat. Nora Jenčušová (BePink-Imatra-Bongioanni) attacked with 85km to go, and Petra Zsankó (Ceratizit) went on the chase six kilometres later.

Jenčušová was 53 seconds ahead of Zsankó at the intermediate sprint in Cles. 1:14 minutes behind the leader, Marlen Reusser (Movistar) won the peloton’s sprint for the remaining two bonus seconds.

As the race reached the Adige Valley, the peloton brought back Zsankó with 31km to go, and Jenčušová was reeled in 23km from the finish. The sprinters’ teams controlled the race, and there were no further attacks as everybody got ready for a mass sprint.

However, it started to rain in the final, and on the wet roads, a Fenix-Deceuninck rider slid out in a roundabout with 2.5km to go. This started a chain reaction that brought down many more riders, only leaving eight riders at the front.

Schweinberger got a gap because of the crash, but Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ) and Guarischi chased her down, closing the gap on the final kilometre. Wiebes won the sprint by a bike length ahead of Nelson, with Kopecky rolling to third place after leading out her teammate.

Riders who were held up by the crash finished in smaller or larger groups, but all received the winner’s time as the crash happened in the last three kilometres.

Cameron Jourdan | Golfweek

It’s time for the national championship.

The 2025 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship gets underway Friday at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, California. Thirty of the best women’s golf teams in the country will descend upon Southern California to battle it out for the national title.

And making up those teams are some of the best players in the amateur game. There are numerous stars who will play for the individual title over the coming days at Omni La Costa, including plenty who are finalists for the 2025 Annika Award.

10 players to watch at NCAA Women’s Golf Championship

Carla Bernat, Kansas State

Bernat, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion, beat the two top-ranked players in college golf to win the NCAA Lexington Regional last week, her third victory of the year.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle

Carolina Chacarra, Wake Forest

Chacarra has been a stalwart in Wake Forest’s lineup since the Demon Deacons won the national title two years ago, and after winning the NCAA Lubbock Regional, she’s in form heading to Omni La Costa.

Hannah Darling, South Carolina

Darling hasn’t won since the season opening Annika Intercollegiate, but she also hasn’t finished outside of the top 14 and is always in contention in the biggest events.

Kary Hollenbaugh, Ohio State

Hollenbaugh has had a dominant spring, winning four times. A T-10 at the NCAA Columbus Regional is a “bad” finish for her, but no one has won more than her in 2025.

Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas

A constant presence in the Razorbacks’ lineup for two years, Marin knows how to content in big events, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to see her near the top of the leaderboard.

Farah O’Keefe, Texas

O’Keefe is the best player in college golf without a win this season, but she has seven top-10 finishes, including a solo second at the NCAA Lubbock Regional.

Andrea Revuelta, Stanford

It’s hard to pick just one player from Stanford, but Revuelta has been the hottest coming into the NCAA Championship, winning both the ACC individual title and NCAA Norman Regional.

Kiara Romero, Oregon

Romero was one of the most consistent players in the country heading into the postseason, and she finally broke through at the Big 10 Championship and added another win at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional.

Mirabel Ting, Florida State

Ting is part of a dominant Florida State 1-2 punch (more on No. 2 later), winning five times this season and losing to only nine golfers in eight stroke-play events all year.

Lottie Woad, Florida State

The other half of the Seminoles’ dynamic duo, Woad led after the opening round at NCAAs last year and has remained the No. 1 amateur in the world for coming up on a year.

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone maintained her 400-meter crown this weekend, completing her second straight 400-meter events sweep at the Grand Slam Track series’ Miami meet on Sunday.

One month after completing the sweep at the first Grand Slam meet in Kingston, Jamaica, the 25-year-old US track star won Saturday’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.07 seconds before also taking Sunday’s 400-meter flat event in 49.69 seconds — a race that earned McLaughlin-Levrone a $100,000 winner’s check.

McLaughlin-Levrone has a veritable stranglehold on the 400-meter hurdles, dominating that race since her last loss at the 2019 World Championships.

In that span, she blasted through six world records across 12 straight victories — lowering the women’s 400-meter hurdles world standard from 52.16 seconds to a blistering 50.37-second pace.

With two more Grand Slam meets in Philadelphia and LA in the coming weeks, McLaughlin-Levrone is considering a literal change of pace, temporarily switching to run the 100-meter events — a distance she hasn’t competed in since 2018.

Should she take on the shorter sprints, McLaughlin-Levrone could find herself racing against the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles, Masai Russell — who notably posted the second-fastest time in the event’s history, not to mention a new US record, by winning in 12.17 seconds on Friday.

How to watch the final two Grand Slam Track meets

McLaughlin-Levrone, Russell, and other track stars will next compete in the third Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia from May 30th through June 1st, before closing out the series in LA between June 27th and June 29th.

All 2025 Grand Slam Track meets stream live on Peacock.