Top Stories in Sports News Today Transcript at 4:30 PM on 18 July 2024

The latest national and international sports news today brings a mix of exciting updates from various sporting events around the world.

Starting with the Paris Olympics news, Indian athlete Jyothi Yarraji has made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to qualify for the Olympics in the 100m hurdles. Her coach, James Hillier, is now aiming to help her shave off milliseconds from her personal best time in order to secure a spot in the final. The competition is fierce, with less than three-tenths of a second separating Jyothi from being India’s fastest hurdler.

In other news from Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River to demonstrate that it is clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics. The city has invested heavily in cleaning up the river in preparation for the games, with over $1.5 billion spent on improvements.

The upcoming Women’s Asia Cup in cricket is set to begin in Sri Lanka, serving as a preparatory tournament for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup later this year. The tournament will feature eight teams competing in the T20I format, with the final scheduled to take place on July 28.

In football news, Real Madrid announced that a person has received a suspended prison sentence for racially abusing players Vinícius Júnior and Antonio Rudiger. The offender will participate in an anti-discrimination awareness program as part of their sentence.

Lastly, in chess news, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand expressed his belief that two Indians could soon be competing against each other for the world champion’s crown. Anand highlighted the impressive progress of Indian chess players in recent years, with three Indians currently ranked in the top 10.

Overall, the sports world is buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming events and competitions. Stay tuned for more updates on the latest national and international sports news.