Olympic24: New diving partnership impress at Worlds

Chris Froome dominated the headlines with his Tour de France victory while there was encouraging news for the future from the diving World Championships and the European Youth Olympic Festival got under way in Tbilisi. Here's our review of the last 24 hours:

World Championship newcomers James Denny and Matty Lee underlined their potential with a ninth place finish in the 10m synchro event in Kazan. The pair only started competing together this season and admitted the result came as a shock. "The pressure was off a little for us in the final," admitted Lee, who will also be competing in the individual 10m Platform in Russia, having won gold at the European Games in Baku last month. "We wanted to enjoy ourselves because we'd earned our spot there and it was our first ever World Championships so there were no expectations on us. We had fun and it obviously improved our performance.”

Chris Froome admitted his keen sense of cycling history as he crossed the line on the Champs Elysees to secure his second Tour de France title in Paris.

Froome's second win in three years means British cyclists have now won three of the last four editions of cycling's most storied race. And this win was achieved in what was billed the hardest Tour of all-time, with five Grand Tour champions in the starting line-up. Froome is also the first rider in seven years - and only the seventh in race history - to win both the yellow and polka dot jersey, joining legends of the sport including Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.

He said: ”The maillot jaune is special. I understand its history - good and bad - and I will always respect it and never dishonour it."

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British Cycling president Bob Howden believes Chris Froome’s second Tour de France win underlines why the sport is living through a golden age.

“It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement by Chris Froome and everyone at Team Sky to win the Tour de France,” he told British Cycling.

“They’ve come under a lot of pressure both on and off the road in the last couple of weeks and they’ve handled it with maturity and class and deserve all their success.

“It was also fantastic to see the other British riders taking part in the race.

“Geraint Thomas performed like a lion for Chris Froome while the performances of the Yates brothers and Luke Rowe suggest that the future is in very safe hands.

“Their success, and that of the other British riders in the Tour, is a credit to the army of volunteers without whom the sport in this country could not function.”

The waiting is over for the athletes at the Tbilisi 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival with last night’s Opening Ceremony officially kicking off the action in Georgia.

The spectacular show at Tbilisi’s Mikheil Meshki Stadium showcased the best of traditional Georgian dance and saw judoka Wesley Greenidge star for Team GB as Flagbearer on the eve of the first day of competition.

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John Whitaker will not be making his ride ride Argento available for selection for next month’s show jumping European Championships.

Whitaker revealed the decision after narrowly missing out on securing Britain a third consecutive Global Champions Tour win in London.

Whitaker finished 0.08 seconds off the target time set by Sweden’s Rolf Göran-Bengtsson.

World number one Scott Brash, the defending champion, knocked down a rail at the final fence to finish sixth but still leads the rankings with four events to come.

He also already revealed he won’t be taking star charge Hello Sanctos to the Europeans - with completing the Rolex Grand Slam in Calgary, where there is the potential of a $1 million bonus, the focus.

Sir Ben Ainslie believes he has thrown down a challenge to rivals after claiming the opening America's Cup World Series regatta in Portsmouth.

Winds in excess of 30 mph forced organisers to cancel racing on Sunday, meaning Ainslie's BAR team took the opening regatta of their campaign thanks to first and second places 24 hours earlier.

America's Cup officials take no risks when it comes to the safety of these flying boats, which raise themselves off the water on hi-tech foils and soar through the air at speeds of up to 40mph.

And Ainslie certainly had no complaints about the decision to call off racing.

"If we had raced then boats would have probably capsized and people would have got hurt and injured - you can't mess around with these boats. They are very powerful and if they get out of control then it's absolute carnage," he said.

(c) Sportsbeat 2015