Laura Smulders won her 31st BMX World Cup race

◆1 source

Laura Smulders reportedly won the BMX World Cup final in Zhangjiakou, China, taking her 31st career World Cup victory. The 32-year-old Dutch rider led before the first turn and held off world champion Bethany Shriever of Britain by 0.09 seconds. Australian Teya Rufus finished third. Smulders, who had placed fourth on Saturday, is now reported to lead the World Cup standings. Renske van Santvoort also reached the final and finished eighth. In the men's event, Swiss rider Cédric Butti won, while the second-, third- and fourth-place riders were also Swiss, including Mark Lüthi and Filib Steiner in second and third.

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Marianne Vos wins second gravel world title

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Marianne Vos won the gravel world championship in Nannup, Australia, for the second time. The 39-year-old Dutch rider finished the 126-kilometre race, largely held on unpaved roads, alone after German rider Rosa Klöser crashed a few kilometres from the finish while riding with Vos in the final phase.

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Netherlands finishes World Judo Championships without a medal

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The Netherlands finished the World Judo Championships in Baku without a medal after heavyweight Jur Spijkers, the final Dutch competitor, lost by ippon to Czech judoka Lukáš Krpálek in the repechage. It was the first time since 2017 that the Dutch team left a World Championships without a medal. Joanne van Lieshout reached the semi-finals in the under-63kg class but lost by ippon to Japan's Haruka Kaju and then lost her bronze-medal contest to Mongolia's Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo. World Championship debutant Yael van Heemst also lost her under-78kg bronze contest, to Germany's Anna-Maria Olek by ippon within two minutes. Earlier, Amber Gersjes, Naomi van Krevel and Shannon van de Meeberg were eliminated in their opening rounds or second bouts.

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Joanne van Lieshout prepares for World Judo Championships

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Judoka Joanne van Lieshout, 23, is preparing for the World Judo Championships in Baku after training in Japan. She enters the tournament as the 2024 world champion and the reigning European champion. Van Lieshout said she feels physically and mentally ready. She previously struggled with expectations after winning the world title in 2024, but has returned after what was described as a necessary break and says she is now able to handle the pressure surrounding the championships.