Maya Becerra gives Mexico gold and silver medals at the World Games

▲ The Mexican goalkeeping duo played a spectacular title duel against the Danish pair, which was decided by just one point. Photo: Xinhua

▲ Meanwhile, Laura Burgos will be vying for her spot in the final against the Belgian representative in Muay Thai today. Photo @lauraburgos

▲ In the freestyle wakeboarding category, the tricolor flag-bearer Pablo Monroy advanced to the semifinals. Above, the participation of Filipino Raph Trinidad. Photo by AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. 9

A memorable day for Andrea Maya Becerra, an archer who never wavered and, as world number one, maintained her supremacy to give Mexico two medals: individual gold and silver in the mixed team with Sebastián García at the 2025 Chengdu World Games.

The 25-year-old from Jalisco stood firm, defending her privileged position at the Asian event and winning the world medal in the compound bow with mental strength and precision.

In the final, accompanied by cheers from Mexican fans, Becerra defeated Estonia's Lisell Jaatma 147-146.

The bronze medal went to Merie Marita, another Estonian representative, who defeated Colombian Alejandra Usquiano 148-143.

Previously, Becerra and Sebastián García gave the tricolor delegation its first medal at the Chinese competition, after winning the silver medal yesterday in the mixed team event in the compound event.

In the final of the competition, the tricolors starred in an exciting duel with the Danes Sofie Dam and Mathias Fullerton – who in 2023 was crowned champion in the World Cup final held in Hermosillo, Sonora – which was decided by just one point, which went in favor of the Europeans who took the gold with a 156-155 victory.

The Mexican duo made it to the gold medal fight after defeating Turks Begum Yuva and Batuhan Akcaoglu in the quarterfinals 156-155, and beating Americans Alexis Ruiz and Curtis Lee in the semifinals 158-157, who completed the podium (bronze) by defeating South Korea 157-155.

With this silver medal, Mexico's performance in this World Games event was improved, given that in the 2022 Birmingham edition, Maya herself, along with Miguel Becerra, took fourth place.

Likewise, the tricolor athlete, with more than 13 years of experience, managed to maintain second place in the women's world ranking in compound archery, and Mexico emerged as one of the top candidates to reach the podium at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where this same team event will make its debut.

Meanwhile, fellow Mexican Laura Burgos advanced to the muaythai semifinals. The reigning two-time world champion and silver medalist in the previous edition of the competition defeated Petra Depypere of Belgium by unanimous decision (30-27) in the 54-kilogram quarterfinals. In the next round, which will take place this Saturday, she will face Slovakia's Monika Chochlikova.

In the men's division, Mexican Juan Antonio Hernández Totomol, bronze medalist at the last World Championship, lost in the -86 kilogram quarterfinals to China's Zhang Chengcheng by 30-27.

In the freestyle wakeboard qualifying round, the tricolor flag bearer Pablo Monroy finished in second place in his heat with 72.22 points, only surpassed by the Frenchman Maxime Cadoux, thus advancing in fifth place overall to the semifinals that will be held this Saturday.

In other notable results, Chilean karateka Valentina Toro won bronze, earning her country its first medal in the sport worldwide.

Toro, the 2019 world junior champion and gold medalist at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, defeated host Yuchun Wei 1-0, giving the Chilean Olympic Committee its first medal at this edition of the competition and completing six consecutive World Games medals.

▲ Mexico will participate with a delegation of 380 athletes. Photo @COM_Mexico

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a10

Mexican Ángela Ruiz, Olympic bronze medalist in archery at Paris 2024, heads the tricolor delegation that will participate starting today in the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, in Paraguay, where she will seek to revalidate the fourth place achieved in the previous event, Cali 2021, where she won 172 medals, 46 gold, 78 silver and 48 bronze.

The competition kicked off yesterday with the flag-raising ceremony at the Flag Plaza of the Olympic Park in the Paraguayan capital, where the 41 participating delegations and more than 4,000 athletes who will compete in the competition, which concludes on August 23, were welcomed.

After a colorful display of the host country's traditions and artistic riches, gifts were exchanged. Neven Ilic, president of Panam Sports, and Camilo Pérez, president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, received gifts from the heads of mission and, in reciprocal gesture, presented a porcelain figurine bearing the faces of Tito and Tika, the official mascots.

The opening ceremony will take place today at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium, and then competitions will begin in the 42 participating disciplines. In addition to medals, the young athletes will seek tickets to the Lima 2027 Pan American Games.

Mexico will participate with a delegation of 380 athletes. Its greatest chances of winning medals are in diving, archery, taekwondo, and athletics.

In the previous edition, the tricolor representative escorted Brazil (59-49-55), Colombia (48-43-63) and the United States (47-29-38) in the medal table.

In addition to Ruiz, the Mexican team also includes twins Mía and Lía Cueva, who at 14 years old won the bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard synchronized diving event at the recent World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, as well as wrestler Melanie Jiménez, winner of two medals in the U-20 competitions.

"I see a determined, strong, resolute, and focused youth. They are not interested in seeing whether someone is a champion or not. They know they can do it too, and that is what we also celebrate. They are not afraid of winning. They are determined to do their best, and I hope they do well ," said María José Alcalá, president of the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM), about this competition.

Mexican participation in the sport shooting competitions begins today with the qualifying rounds for men's and women's skeet , which will feature Daniela Nava.

There will also be rowing activity, where Mexicans Ximena Castillo, José Navarro, and Roberto Ahumada will compete.

Several of the tricolor exponents at this multi-sport youth event appear among the leading candidates to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

With information from Prensa Latina

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a10

Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) had a modest performance yesterday at the 2025 Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, finishing the fourth stage in 19th place; however, he managed to maintain his third place in the overall standings.

The 21-year-old native of Ensenada, Baja California, is 26 seconds behind the competition leader, Frenchman Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon AG2R), who has a cumulative time of 16 hours, 23 minutes, and two seconds.

While Italian Giulio Pellizzari remains second-placed, 22 seconds off the top spot.

On yesterday's 162-kilometer route between the towns of Burpellet (Doña Santos) and Regumiel de la Sierra, the winner was Italian Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), who, at 37 years and 300 days old, became the oldest rider to win a stage in this competition, and added his eighth podium finish at the professional level.

Caruso managed to reach the finish line alone after a breakaway in the final 17 kilometers, and crossed the line with a 3-minute, 15-second lead over the peloton of favorites, which included Del Toro, who is still recovering from a terrible crash he suffered last Tuesday, 300 meters from the finish line, in the first stage.

On yesterday's route, the Mexican decided to save his energy for a spectacular charge this Saturday in the final stage that will take him to the top spot on the podium for the second consecutive time.

Just last Sunday, Del Toro took first place at the Getxo Circuit, where he became the only Latin American to have achieved a victory.

This latest triumph confirmed his strong momentum, as in just over a year as a professional, he has established himself among the international cycling elite thanks to his outstanding performances this season, which, as of last Monday, have placed him among the top 10 in the world.

Second place in one of cycling's three major events, the Giro d'Italia, and recent victories in the Tour of Austria and the Getxo Circuit, allowed him to earn 3,401 points, placing him seventh in the individual standings.

The fifth and final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos will be a 138.3-kilometer mountainous route between Quintana del Pidio and the Neila Lagoons.

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a10

Billy Howton, considered the NFL's oldest player and a former Green Bay Packers star, has died at the age of 95. According to an obituary, Howton, who was born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930, died in Houston on Monday. The cause of death was not specified until yesterday, when the Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed his death.

He was one of the most productive receivers of the pre-Super Bowl era and the founder and first president of the NFL Players Association. Howton scored the Packers' first receiving touchdown at Lambeau Field in 1957.

He also became the first NFL rookie with a 1,000-yard receiving season, recording 1,231 that year. His outstanding performance earned him four Pro Bowl nominations and two All-Pro nominations.

He holds the Cheeseheads ' franchise record for a single game with 257 receiving yards in 1956 against the Los Angeles Rams. By the time he retired in 1963, he was the NFL's all-time leading receiver with 503 yards and 8,459 receiving yards. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.

"To me, Howton is the toughest pass catcher in the National League to cover ," Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell said before the 1958 season, which was Howton's last with Green Bay.

After seven years with the Packers, Howton was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1959 and then to Dallas as a member of the Cowboys' inaugural team in 1960. He spent the rest of his career there, playing for coach Tom Landry alongside quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith.

Howton was an All-American and Hall of Famer at Rice University.

▲ According to reports, Rayados Stadium will host that playoff match and four World Cup matches. Photo @MikelArriolaP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a11

BBVA Stadium, home of Monterrey in the Liga MX, will host five official matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico—from June 11 to July 29—including one in the playoff round, state governor Samuel García announced on social media. This information has not been confirmed by FIFA.

We woke up to good news: Nuevo León will host another World Cup playoff game. Five official matches in the best venue. "Get new, get World Cup ," he wrote on the social network X, in a message that has already reached more than 160,000 views.

According to the president, the state of Nuevo León will hold three group stage matches (June 14, 20, and 24), one knockout match (round of 32, June 29), and one reclassification round match, which will involve six teams from different confederations (CONMEBOL, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, as well as two CONCACAF members).

The World Cup playoff will see the four lowest-ranked nations in the FIFA rankings compete in a semifinal round, while the top two teams will face the winners for the final two spots to complete the 48-member field.

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo confirmed last month that the World Cup opening ceremony will be held at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the venue for the 1970 and 1986 editions and the first in the world to host a FIFA Cup three times. The opening match will be played on June 11 of that year.

In February 2024, FIFA announced that Mexico will host 13 matches: 10 of these will be in the group stage, four of which will be played at the Guadalajara stadium, three in the country's capital, and the same number in Monterrey, in addition to the two round of 32 matches and one round of 16 match.

▲ The red and white striker (24) scored the goal that tied the 1-1 with Cruz Azul. Photo @ChivasFemenil

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a11

Alicia Cervantes, a leading scorer and role model for the youngest players in women's soccer, is the soul of Guadalajara. Whenever the Rebaño faces any difficulty, the 31-year-old from Jalisco comes to their rescue. At the start of the fifth round of the Liga MX in this category, the forward, who in 2022 was considered the world's best scorer by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, scored the equalizer in the final minutes of the 1-1 draw against Cruz Azul.

With the pressure of the final play of the match under pressure, Cervantes found herself caught in the middle of a series of rebounds off a free kick from outside the box. When she realized La Máquina's defenders hadn't followed her lead, the Rojiblanco striker executed a maneuver almost on the goal line and tapped the ball in for the equalizer (90). If not for her, the Celestes' dominance for much of the match would have been ratified with a victory.

A defensive error, dubbed by experts as a locker room goal , damaged the spirits of the Guadalajara team at the very beginning. The sky-blue forward Aerial Chavarin escaped between two defenders and defined with her left foot, powerful and close to the post, to beat goalkeeper Blanca Félix (2). It was not that the Flock had too many scoring opportunities in search of the tie, but rather that Cruz Azul, superior in almost all lines, wasted every opportunity they had to increase their lead.

For a professional with Cervantes's experience, such a setting was an incentive. Accustomed to carrying the weight of an entire squad, Licha , as her teammates at the Perla Tapatía often call her, appeared when the fans needed her most. A free kick from more than 30 meters away from the goal enabled the former national team player to break through La Máquina's defensive line and salvage a tie before the final whistle.

The Celestes went three games without a win, following two straight losses, while Rebaño earned their tenth point, keeping them among the top five in the Liga MX Femenil standings.

San Luis surprises Querétaro

Almost at the same time, but at Corregidora Stadium, Atlético San Luis surprised Querétaro by winning 2-0 with goals from Venezuelan Enyerliannys Higuera (9), who established herself as a star by getting a double. The Queretaro team fell to third-to-last place in the competition with just one point, in exchange for one draw and four losses. Meanwhile, the Potosí team reached six points and remains in the fight for the playoff spots.

The Independent and AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a11

Former Palestinian football star Suleiman Al-Obeid was killed after being shot several times in the latest Israeli attack in the southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) reported.

Former Palestinian national team player Suleiman Al-Obaid was killed in an Israeli attack on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip , the PFA said in a statement on social media Wednesday. The player, originally from Gaza City, was 41 years old, married, and the father of five children.

He began his career at the local club Khadamat Al-Shati and with his outstanding performance he remained active for almost a decade and a half.

Due to his speed and technique, he was nicknamed the Palestinian Pelé and considered one of the most talented midfielders to play in the Gaza Strip League, earning him the nickname in honor of the Brazilian.

His name resonated throughout the region, scoring more than 100 goals throughout his career and playing 24 international matches for the national team, where he scored two goals.

According to the association, his death brings to 321 the number of members of the football association—including players, coaches, referees, administrators, and board members—who have been killed since the Israeli offensive, which began on October 7, 2023.

Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than 1,300 Palestinians at aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial group created by Israel and the United States at the expense of international agencies.

Both the UN and established charities have criticized the GHF's aid plan for not adhering to humanitarian principles.

In a damning report released Thursday, titled “This Is Not Aid, It’s Orchestrated Slaughter ,” Doctors Without Borders denounced Israel’s food distribution program as “institutionalized starvation and dehumanization.”

GHF distribution sites are dangerously short of any recognized standards for safe and dignified humanitarian distributions , he said.