Beach Volleyball - Clancy and Artacho del Solar take out Cancun title 

Rio Olympians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar claimed gold at the third and final FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 4-star event this morning, held in the Cancun, Mexico Hub. 

The Australian duo narrowly defeated Brazilians Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa in a nail-biting three-set (19-21, 22-20, 16-14) battle. 

The victory marks an impressive progression for the Clancy and Artacho del Solar throughout the three tournament event, where a gold medal this morning follows from fifth and ninth-place finishes in the opening two competitions.

The event places the pairing in strong form prior to the Tokyo Olympics, where competition against beach volleyball’s best in Mexico will be mirrored in the Japanese capital.

Shooting - Kowplos achieves personal best ahead of Tokyo debut 

Teenage shooting ace Katarina Kowplos recorded a personal best on Sunday to earn top honours in the Target Rifle South Australia Championship’s 10m Air Rifle Final competition. 

In Adelaide, the 19-year-old scored 251 points to better Queensland’s Dane Sampson (250.6) and Victoria’s Elise Collier (228.2) to secure gold in the competition. 

Kowplos’ winning score would have earned the South Australian the silver medal at the 2018 World Championships, the figure only being surpassed by South Korea’s Im Ha-na by 0.1 points.

Kowplos’ will compete in the Mixed 10 Air Rifle Teams and the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Position Event in her maiden Olympics this year, and her performance this weekend will provide yet another layer of confidence before her Tokyo campaign.

Tennis - Barty advances to intriguing Madrid Open clash 

Tokyo hopeful Ash Barty progressed to the fourth round of the Madrid Open with a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory against 23-year-old Slovenian Tamara Zidanšek on the weekend. 

Barty’s first-serve struggles and unforced errors initially allowed Zidanšek back into the fixture after taking a one-set advantage, however, the Queensland native restored her advantage in the third set, where she raced to a 3-0 lead to eventually run out victorious. 

The top-ranked Barty has booked a fourth-round meeting with reigning French Open winner Iga Świątek, the first clash the pair will encounter.

The 19-year-old Polish phenom will face Barty after a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win against Germany’s Laura Siegemund.

Snowsports - Peel, Brockhoff and Hughes take out Athlete of the Year Award

Laura Peel, Belle Brockhoff and Jarryd Hughes were crowned Snow Australia’s 2021 Athletes of the Year Friday night. 

Peel captured the Aerials World Title in Kazakhstan this year, with the 31-year-old taking top honours after a spectacular performance. With her victory, Peel became Australia’s first-ever dual Aerial Skier World Champion, marking her best season yet and earning a third overall Snow Australia Athlete of the Year award. 

Brockhoff and Hughes won the first-ever Snowboard Cross team event at the Snowboard World Championships this year. The pair are continuing to progress for next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, where the discipline will make its debut.