JULY
Tour de France
Via letour.fr
A 3360 km race, the 102nd Tour de France kicked off on July 4 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. A total of 198 riders made their way to the final stage at the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This race marked a special moment for British riders as the winner, Chris Froome, was the first Brit to win the Tour twice, after a previous 2013 victory.
Pan American Games
Canada proudly hosted the 2015 Pan-Am games in the city of Toronto from July 10-26. With over six thousand athletes, this year marked the largest sports event hosted in the country, and with 45 percent of athletes being women, the most ever of any multi-sport event in the country. This year marked the debut of canoe slalom, golf, women’s baseball, C-1 canoe, and rugby sevens. The medals, produced and designed by the Royal Canadian Mint, included braille, a first in the international able-bodied sports event scene.
US Women’s Open
July 9 marked the 70th US Women’s Open Golf Championship in Pennsylvania, one of the oldest in its kind. South Korean Chun In-gee claimed her victory at just 21 years old on July 12 with the winning score of 272 (-8). The runner up was also from South Korea. This year broke attendance records, with showings of 135 thousand spectators during the tournament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p29xmS_o0-4
AUGUST
Special Olympics World Summer Games
Officially opened by First Lady Michelle Obama herself in Los Angeles on July 25, the Special Olympics had over six thousand participating athletes with intellectual disabilities in 25 different sports. 2015 marked the first hosting of the event in the US since 1972. With over 177 countries participating in the nine day event, some sports included badminton, golf, judo, powerlifting, sailing, as well as tennis.
IAAF World Championship in Athletics
Hosted in Beijing, China, the August 22 event made some international news. While filming Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, a cameraman crashed into him on a Segway moments after Bolt’s 200 m win. Luckily, no one was hurt and Bolt later joked that his opponent must have bribed the cameraman to take him out. Kenya gained the most medals with seven gold, six silver, and three bronze; followed by the US with six gold, six silver, and six bronze. Host nation China finished in 11th place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlbUMaiKUDs
US Open
The 135th US Open was held on August 31. The last of four events of the year, it is currently being held in New York City, where athletes will compete on hard surfaced outdoor courts. In 2014, this event boasted the presence of such athletes like Serena Williams and Marin Cilic, both still defending champions in their respective events.
