2015 in sports
Calendar by month -- May
Table:
Date

Sport

Venue/Event

Status

Winner/s

1

Athletics

2015 IAAF Race Walking Challenge

International

Men: Chen Ding
Women: DUAN Dandan

1–17

Ice hockey

2015 IIHF World Championship

International

Canada

2

Horse racing

2015 2000 Guineas Stakes

Domestic

Horse: Gleneagles
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

2

Horse racing

2015 Kentucky Derby

Domestic

Horse: American Pharoah
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Trainer: Bob Baffert

2

Rugby union

2015 European Rugby Champions Cup Final

Continental

Toulon

2–3

Athletics

2015 IAAF World Relays

International

United States

3

Motorcycle racing

Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix

International

MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo ( Movistar Yamaha MotoGP)
Moto2: Jonas Folger ( AGR Team)
Moto3: Danny Kent ( Leopard Racing)

3

Road running

Wings for Life World Run 2015

International

Lemawork Ketema
Yuuko Watanabe

3–10

Tennis

2015 Mutua Madrid Open

International

Men: Andy Murray
Women: Petra Kvitová

6–10

Volleyball

2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship

International

Eczacıbaşı VitrA

6–10

Amateur wrestling

2015 Asian Wrestling Championships

Continental

Men's Freestyle: Iran
Men's Greco-Roman: Iran
Women's Freestyle: Japan
Overall winners: Iran

6–22

Association football

2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship

Continental

France

7–10

Golf

2015 Players Championship

International

Rickie Fowler

8–18

Multi-sport

2015 IBSA World Championships and Games

International

Russia

9–10

Triathlon

Triathlon World Cup #3

International

Men: Ryan Fisher
Women: Renee Tomlin

9–31

Road Cycling

2015 Giro d'Italia

International

Alberto Contador ( Tinkoff-Saxo)

11–17

Tennis

2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia

International

Men: Novak Djokovic
Women: Maria Sharapova

10

Formula One

2015 Spanish Grand Prix

International

Nico Rosberg ( Mercedes)

14

Association football

2015 UEFA Women's Champions League Final

Continental

Frankfurt

12–18

Taekwondo

2015 World Taekwondo Championships

International

Men: Iran
Women: South Korea

Using the accompanying table along with the passages listed at the end.

Respond to the question below: Which Motorcycle racing winner is the youngest ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running , jumping , throwing , and walking . The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field , road running , cross country running , and race walking . The results of racing events are decided by finishing position ( or time , where measured ) , while the jumps and throws are won by the athlete that achieves the highest or furthest measurement from a series of attempts . The simplicity of the competitions , and the lack of a need for expensive equipment , makes athletics one of the most common types of sports in the world . Athletics is mostly an individual sport , with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes ' performances for a team score , such as cross country . Organized athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC . The rules and format of the modern events in athletics were defined in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century , and were then spread to other parts of the world . Most modern top level meetings are held under the auspices of World Athletics , the global governing body for the sport of athletics , or its member continental and national federations . The athletics meeting forms the backbone of the Summer Olympics . The foremost international athletics meeting is the World Athletics Championships , which incorporates track and field , marathon running and race walking . Other top level competitions in athletics include the World Athletics Cross Country Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships . Athletes with a physical disability compete at the Summer Paralympics and the World Para Athletics Championships .
Chen Ding ( Chinese : 陈定 ; born August 5 , 1992 in Baoshan , Yunnan , China ) is a Chinese racewalker who won a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London , United Kingdom . He finished the race in 1:18:46 , a new Olympic record .
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice , usually in a rink , in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent 's net to score goals . The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical , with teams usually fielding six players at a time : one goaltender , and five players who skate the span of the ice trying to control the puck and score goals against the opposing team . Ice hockey is most popular in Canada , central and eastern Europe , the Nordic countries , Russia , and the United States . Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada . In addition , ice hockey is the most popular winter sport in Belarus , Croatia , the Czech Republic , Finland , Latvia , Russia , Slovakia , Sweden , and Switzerland . North America 's National Hockey League ( NHL ) is the highest level for men 's ice hockey and the strongest professional ice hockey league in the world . The Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe . The International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) is the formal governing body for international ice hockey , with the IIHF managing international tournaments and maintaining the IIHF World Ranking . Worldwide , there are ice hockey federations in 76 countries . In Canada , the United States , Nordic countries , and some other European countries the sport is known simply as hockey ; the name ice hockey is used in places where hockey more often refers to the more popular field hockey , such as countries in South America , Asia , Africa , Australasia , and some European countries including the United Kingdom , Ireland and the Netherlands . Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom and elsewhere . These games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed , such as shinny and ice polo .
The 2015 IIHF World Championship was the 79th event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) , held in Prague and Ostrava , Czech Republic , between 1-17 May 2015 . It broke the historical attendance record of IIHF World Championships . Canada won their 25th title by defeating Russia 6-1 in the championship final game . Canada went undefeated at the tournament to win its first IIHF championship since 2007 . With the win , Canadian captain Sidney Crosby became a member of the Triple Gold Club and the first to be the team captain for all three events . After the final game , most Russian players walked out from the medal ceremony before the Canadian anthem was played . For winning all of its tournament games in regulation , the Canadian team earned the new Infront Team Jackpot award of one million Swiss francs . The Russians on the other hand were fined 80,000 CHF for leaving the ice early , and chose not to appeal the penalty . The United States won the bronze medal , defeating Czech Republic 3-0 in the bronze medal final game . Czech player Jaromír Jágr ( at 43 years of age ) was the MVP of the tournament , and announced his retirement from international competition afterwards .
The Canadian national men 's ice hockey team ( popularly known as Team Canada ; French : Équipe Canada ) is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally . The team is overseen by Hockey Canada , a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation . From 1920 until 1963 , Canada 's international representation was by senior amateur club teams . Canada 's national men 's team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association , playing out of the University of British Columbia . The nickname Team Canada was first used for the 1972 Summit Series and has been frequently used to refer to the Canadian national team ever since . Canada is the leading national ice hockey team in international play , winners of the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union , four of five Canada Cups dating back to 1976 , nine Olympic gold medals ( the most in the world ) , including three of the last five : Salt Lake City 2002 , Vancouver 2010 , and Sochi 2014 . They are 26-time IIHF World Champions and winner of the 2004 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey . Canada is a member of the so-called Big Six , the unofficial group of the six strongest men 's ice hockey nations , along with the Czech Republic , Finland , Russia , Sweden and the United States .
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport , typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys ( or sometimes driven without riders ) over a set distance for competition . It is one of the most ancient of all sports , as its basic premise - to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance - has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity . Horse races vary widely in format and many countries have developed their own particular traditions around the sport . Variations include restricting races to particular breeds , running over obstacles , running over different distances , running on different track surfaces and running in different gaits . While horses are sometimes raced purely for sport , a major part of horse racing 's interest and economic importance is in the gambling associated with it , an activity that in 2008 generated a worldwide market worth around US $ 115 billion .
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies . It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ( 1,609 metres ) , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May . It is one of Britain 's five Classic races , and at present it is the first to be run in the year . It also serves as the opening leg of the Triple Crown , followed by the Derby and the St Leger , although the feat of winning all three has been rarely attempted in recent decades .
Gleneagles ( foaled 12 January 2012 ) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse . After finishing fourth on his debut , he finished first in his remaining five races as a two-year-old in 2014 and was named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt . He won the Tyros Stakes , Futurity Stakes and National Stakes in Ireland before being disqualified after crossing the line in first place in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in France . On his three-year-old debut he won the 2000 Guineas and followed up in the Irish 2000 Guineas three weeks later . In June he added a win in the St James 's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot .
Ryan Lee Moore ( born 18 September 1983 ) is an English flat racing jockey , who was Champion Jockey in 2006 , 2008 and 2009 . He is currently the first choice jockey for Aidan O'Brien 's Ballydoyle operation , a role in which he mainly rides horses owned by Coolmore Stud . He also sometimes rides horses for Juddmonte and The Queen .
Aidan Patrick O'Brien ( born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford , Ireland ) is an Irish horse racing trainer . Since 1996 , he has been the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables near Cashel in County Tipperary for John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates .
The 2015 Kentucky Derby was the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby . The race was run at 6:44 pm Eastern Daylight Time ( EDT ) on May 2 , 2015 , at Churchill Downs . It was broadcast in the United States on the NBC television network . Kentucky native Ashley Judd voiced the opening for the telecast of the race , and was the first woman to do so . The weather was warm , and a record 170,513 people attended . The 2015 race also set a wagering record with parimutuel betting of $ 137.9 million . Jockey Victor Espinoza rode American Pharoah to victory after taking the lead in the homestretch . The race marked the fourth Kentucky Derby win for horse trainer Bob Baffert and the third win for Espinoza .
American Pharoah ( foaled February 2 , 2012 ) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders ' Cup Classic in 2015 . He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history , and in winning all four races , became the first horse to win the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing . [ a ] He won the 2015 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year and 2015 Champion three-year-old . He was bred and owned throughout his racing career by Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables , trained by Bob Baffert , and ridden in most of his races by Victor Espinoza . He now stands at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky . After finishing fifth in his track debut as a two-year-old , American Pharoah won his next two races , the Grade I Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes , each by several lengths . An injury kept him out of the Breeders ' Cup Juvenile , but the strength of his two wins nonetheless resulted in his being voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse at the 2014 Eclipse Awards . Before the 2015 season began , Zayat had sold breeding rights to the colt to the Ashford Stud , a division of Ireland 's Coolmore Stud . He retained control over the colt and his racing career , as well as an undisclosed dividend on stud fees . American Pharoah began his 2015 campaign with wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby and went on to win the 2015 Kentucky Derby and 2015 Preakness Stakes . He won the Triple Crown in a wire-to-wire victory at the 2015 Belmont Stakes , becoming the first American Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 and the 12th in history . His winning time was the second-fastest for a Triple Crown winner , and his closing quarter-mile time of 24.32 was faster than Secretariat 's .
Victor Espinoza ( born May 23 , 1972 ) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah . He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California . He has won the Kentucky Derby three times , riding War Emblem in 2002 , California Chrome in 2014 , and American Pharoah in 2015 . He also won the Preakness Stakes three times , in those same years and with the same horses . He was the first jockey in history to enter the Belmont Stakes with a third opportunity to win the Triple Crown ; his 2015 victory made him the oldest jockey and first Hispanic jockey to win the award .
Robert A. Baffert ( born January 13 , 1953 ) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify . Baffert 's horses have won five Kentucky Derbies , seven Preakness Stakes , three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks .
Rugby union , widely known simply as rugby , is a contact team sport that originated in England in the first half of the 19th century . One of the two codes of rugby football , it is based on running with the ball in hand . In its most common form , a game is played between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts at either end . Rugby union is a popular sport around the world , played by male and female players of all ages . In 2014 , there were more than 6 million people playing worldwide , of whom 2.36 million were registered players . World Rugby , previously called the International Rugby Football Board ( IRFB ) and the International Rugby Board ( IRB ) , has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886 , and currently has 101 countries as full members and 18 associate members . In 1845 , the first football laws were written by pupils at Rugby School ; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the decision by Blackheath F.C . to leave the Football Association in 1863 and , in 1895 , the acrimonious split between the then amateur rugby union and the professional rugby league . Historically rugby union was an amateur sport , but in 1995 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed , making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time . Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of Great Britain and Ireland and was embraced by many of the countries associated with the British Empire . Early exponents of the sport included Australia , New Zealand , South Africa and France . Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji , Georgia , Madagascar , New Zealand , Samoa , and Tonga .
The 2015 European Rugby Champions Cup Final was the final match in the first European Rugby Champions Cup , and the twentieth European club rugby final in general , as the competition replaces the Heineken Cup . The final was played between the French clubs Clermont and Toulon at Twickenham Stadium on 2 May 2015 . Toulon won the final , beating Clermont by 24 points to 18 . This was the third successive win by Toulon of the top European club rugby competition .
Rugby Club Toulonnais ( French pronunciation : ​ [ ʁyɡbi klœb tulɔnɛ ] ) , also known as RCT but usually Toulon ; Occitan : Rugbi Club Tolonenc ) is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur . A current participant in the first-tier Top 14 competition , they have won the national competition on four occasions . Established in 1908 , Toulon currently play their home games at the Stade Mayol , although they have begun to take high-profile matches to the 60,000-seat Stade Vélodrome in Marseille , playing one match there in 2008-09 and two in both 2009-10 and 2010-11 . The club colours are red and black . Toulon were Pro D2 champions in 2005 , but after finishing 14th in the 2005-06 Top 14 season , they were relegated back down . After signing a number of high-profile players , the club made a strong run at promotion in the 2006-07 season , and succeeded in their promotion quest in 2007-08 , winning that season 's Pro D2 crown with two rounds to spare . They struggled to avoid relegation for much of the 2008-09 Top 14 season , but a late-season surge brought them to ninth place and safety . Their 2009-10 Top 14 season was more successful , with a second-place regular-season finish and a semi-final place domestically and a runner-up finish in the 2009-10 European Challenge Cup . In 2012 , they again advanced to the Challenge Cup final , losing to Biarritz , and advanced to the Top 14 final , losing to Toulouse . In May 2013 Toulon won the 2013 Heineken Cup Final by 16-15 against Clermont Auvergne , and lost the Top 14 Final against Castres in June . They retained the Heineken Cup with a 23-6 win over Saracens in May 2014 . They added a historic 3rd win in a row with a 24-18 win over Clermont in the 2015 final .
The 2015 IAAF World Relays was the second edition of the biennial , global track and field relay competition between nations . As in the previous year , it was held in May in Nassau , Bahamas . Apart from contesting for the Golden Baton for the best team overall , the competition also served as a qualifying stage for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 100 and 4 × 400 metres relay . One major change compared to the inaugural edition was the replacement of the 4 × 1500 metres relay with the distance medley relay .
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
Motorcycle racing ( also called moto racing and motorbike racing ) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles . Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing , both either on circuits or open courses , and track racing . Other categories include hill climbs , drag racing and land speed record trials .
The Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season that takes place at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto outside Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia . In addition to this event , three other World Championship motorcycling events take place in Spain as of the 2010 season : the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix , the Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix and the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix , in the autonomous communities of Catalonia , Aragon and Valencia respectively .
Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero ( Spanish pronunciation : [ ˈxoɾxe loˈɾenθo ɣeˈreɾo ] ; born 4 May 1987 ) is a retired Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer . In January 2020 , he was confirmed to be contracted as number 1 test rider to the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team headed by Silvano Galbusera , former racing crew chief to Valentino Rossi . He won the 2006 and 2007 250 cc World Championship , and the 2010 , 2012 and 2015 MotoGP World Championship . He rode for Yamaha from 2008 to 2016 and Ducati from 2017 to 2018 . On 6 June 2018 it was announced Lorenzo would join Repsol Honda for the 2019 and 2020 MotoGP seasons . During 2019 he announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2019 season after only one year at Repsol Honda . In 2012 , Lorenzo became the first Spanish rider to win multiple premier class titles , and with 68 career wins , he is sixth on the all-time wins list . After graduating from the 250cc class with two world titles , Lorenzo signed for Yamaha 's factory team , with whom he spent nine seasons , starting in 2008 . As a rookie , he won on his third start in Portugal . Injuries and inconsistency meant he was some way off team mate Valentino Rossi who won the championship that year , although Lorenzo ran him closer in 2009 , winning four races . In 2010 , Lorenzo won his first premier class title after a season that saw him not finish lower than fourth in a single race all year . He added nine race wins to his tally and beat compatriot Dani Pedrosa to be the first Spanish champion in the four-stroke era .
Yamaha Motor Racing or Yamaha Factory Racing is the official Italian-Japanese factory team of Yamaha in MotoGP . The team was founded in 1999 following the retirement of Wayne Rainey , who had run a factory-supported team in the 500 cc class for the previous two years , with Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini having run their own works supported teams before him . The team was originally based in the Netherlands but was relocated in Italy in 2002 .
Jonas Folger ( born 13 August 1993 ) is a professional motorcycle racer contracted as a test-rider in the MotoGP World Championship with the Yamaha factory team for the 2019 season . He withdrew from the 2018 season with the Tech3 Yamaha satellite team due to illness , having been diagnosed with Gilbert 's syndrome . Yamaha Europe Racing team boss Lin Jarvis confirmed Folger would not enter any races as a wildcard during 2019 .
Danny Kent ( born 25 November 1993 ) is a British motorcycle racer , best known for winning the 2015 Moto3 World Championship . In doing so he became Great Britain 's first Grand Prix solo motorcycle world champion since Barry Sheene in 1977 , as well as the first British lightweight class champion since Dave Simmonds in 1969 .
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road ( as opposed to track and field and cross country running ) . These events are usually classified as long-distance according to athletics terminology , with races typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon . They may involve large numbers of runners or wheelchair entrants . The four most common IAAF recognized distances for road running events are 5K runs , 10K runs , half marathons and marathons . Running on the road is an alternative surface to running on a trail , track , or treadmill . For many people looking to participate in running as an activity or sport , there are multiple opportunities that can be found on the road . Road running is one of several forms of road racing , which also includes road bicycle racing and motor vehicle road racing .
The Wings for Life World Run is a running competition held on the first weekend of May since 2014 to collect funds for the not-for-profit foundation Wings for Life . The entry fee goes completely to the foundation . The Wings for Life World Run is peculiar in that participants do n't have to run a specific distance like in comparable competitions . A car rides on the track half an hour after the start . Overtaken participants are eliminated until just one , the winner , remains . The run also takes place in 34 or 35 locations around the world at the same time and is broadcast live on Red Bull TV .
Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent ( singles ) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles ) . Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent 's court . The object of the game is to maneuver the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return . The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point , while the opposite player will . Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society and at all ages . The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket , including wheelchair users . The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham , England , in the late 19th century as lawn tennis . It had close connections both to various field ( lawn ) games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport today called real tennis . During most of the 19th century , in fact , the term tennis referred to real tennis , not lawn tennis . The rules of modern tennis have changed little since the 1890s . Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times , and the adoption of the tiebreak in the 1970s . A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point-challenge system , which allows a player to contest the line call of a point , a system known as Hawk-Eye .
The 2015 Mutua Madrid Open was a professional tennis tournament that was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid , Spain from 2-10 May . It was the 14th edition of the event on the ATP World Tour and 7th on the WTA Tour . It was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2015 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2015 WTA Tour . Ion Țiriac the former Romanian ATP player and now billionaire businessman is the current owner of the tournament .
Sir Andrew Barron Murray OBE ( born 15 May 1987 ) is a British professional tennis player from Scotland . Murray represents Great Britain in his sporting activities and is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner , two-time Olympic champion , Davis Cup champion , winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals , and former world No . 1 . Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2012 US Open final , becoming the first British player since 1977 , and the first British man since 1936 , to win a Grand Slam singles tournament . Murray is also the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1936 , winning the tournament in 2013 and 2016 . Murray is the men 's singles 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist , making him the only tennis player , male or female , to have won two Olympic singles titles . He featured in Great Britain 's Davis Cup-winning team in 2015 , going 11-0 in his matches ( 8 singles and 3 doubles ) as they secured their first Davis Cup title since 1936 .
Petra Kvitová ( Czech pronunciation : [ ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː ] ; born 8 March 1990 ) is a Czech professional tennis player . Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety , Kvitová turned professional in 2006 and has won 27 career singles titles , two of which are Grand Slam titles , the Wimbledon Championships in 2011 and in 2014 . She also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics . Her career-high ranking of world No . 2 was reached on 31 October 2011 and as of 3 February 2020 , she is ranked world No . 11 by the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) . As such , Kvitová is currently the highest-ranked left-handed player in the world and the second highest-ranked Czech , behind Karolína Plíšková . Kvitová first gained notice upon defeating then-world No . 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open . This was followed by her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships where she came up short to eventual champion Serena Williams . Then , during her breakthrough season in 2011 , Kvitová won her first Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships , defeating Maria Sharapova in the final , thus becoming the first player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam tournament title . She remained the only player of either gender born in the 1990s to have won a Grand Slam singles title until the 2016 French Open where Garbiñe Muguruza triumphed .
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net . Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team 's court under organized rules . It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964 . The complete set of rules are extensive , but play essentially proceeds as follows : a player on one of the teams begins a 'rally ' by serving the ball ( tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm ) , from behind the back boundary line of the court , over the net , and into the receiving team 's court . The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court . The team may touch the ball up to 3 times , but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively . Typically , the first two touches are used to set up for an attack , an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving team is unable to prevent it from being grounded in their court . The rally continues , with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches , until either ( 1 ) : a team makes a kill , grounding the ball on the opponent 's court and winning the rally ; or ( 2 ) : a team commits a fault and loses the rally . The team that wins the rally is awarded a point and serves the ball to start the next rally . A few of the most common faults include :
The 2015 FIVB Women 's Club World Championship was the 9th edition of the event . It was held in Zurich , Switzerland , from 6 to 10 May 2015 . The Turkish club Eczacıbaşı VitrA won the championship .
Eczacıbaşı VitrA is the women 's volleyball department of Eczacıbaşı S.K. , a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul , Turkey . The team plays its home matches at the Eczacıbaşı Spor Salonu hall in Istanbul . Eczacıbaşı has won a record 17 Turkish League titles and a record eight Turkish Cups , amongst others . In the 2014-15 season they won the CEV Champions League and that gave them the ticket to capture the 2015 FIVB World Club Championship in Zürich , a year later the club became the first club in the world to win the FIVB World Club Championship back-to-back by defending their crown in the Philippines during the 2016 FIVB World Club Championship in Manila .
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling . [ citation needed ] There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games : freestyle and Greco-Roman . Both styles are under the supervision of United World Wrestling ( UWW ; formerly known as FILA , from the French acronym for International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles ) . A similar style , commonly called collegiate ( also known as scholastic or folkstyle ) , is practiced in colleges and universities , secondary schools , middle schools , and among younger age groups in the United States . Where the style is not specified , this article refers to the international styles of competition on a mat . In February 2013 , the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) voted to remove the sport from the 2020 Summer Olympics onwards . On 8 September 2013 , the IOC announced that wrestling would return to the Summer Olympics in 2020 . The rapid rise in the popularity of the combat sport mixed martial arts ( MMA ) has increased interest in amateur wrestling due to its effectiveness in the sport and it is considered a core discipline .
The 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships was held at the Aspire Dome Volleyball Hall in Doha , Qatar . The event took place from May 6 to May 10 , 2015 .
Iran ( Persian : ایران Irān [ ʔiːˈɾɒːn ] ( listen ) ) , also called Persia , and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran ( Persian : جمهوری اسلامی ایران Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān ( listen ) [ dʒomhuːˌɾije eslɒːˌmije ʔiːˈɾɒn ] ) , is a country in Western Asia . With 82 million inhabitants , Iran is the world 's 18th most populous country . Its territory spans 1,648,195 km2 ( 636,372 sq mi ) , making it the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world . Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan , [ a ] to the north by the Caspian Sea , to the northeast by Turkmenistan , to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan , to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman , and to the west by Turkey and Iraq . Its central location in Eurasia and Western Asia , and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz , give it geostrategic importance . Tehran is the political and economic center of Iran , and the largest and most populous city in Western Asia with more than 8.8 million residents in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area . Iran is home to one of the world 's oldest civilizations , beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BCE . It was first unified by the Iranian Medes in the seventh century BCE , and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BCE under Cyrus the Great , whose Achaemenid Empire stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley , one of the largest empires in history . The empire fell to Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE and was divided into several Hellenistic states . An Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in the third century BCE , which was succeeded in the third century CE by the Sasanian Empire , a leading world power for the next four centuries . Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century CE , and the subsequent Islamization of Iran led to the decline of the once dominant Zoroastrian religion . Iran 's major contributions to art , philosophy , and science spread throughout the Muslim world and beyond during the Islamic Golden Age .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , [ a ] is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players . It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies , making it the world 's most popular sport . The game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end . The object of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal . Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The ball is 68-70 cm ( 27-28 in ) in circumference and known as the football . The two teams each compete to get the ball into the other team 's goal ( between the posts and under the bar ) , thereby scoring a goal . The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner ; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw . Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by the Laws of the Game : to represent their team in the coin toss prior to kick-off or penalty kicks . Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play , except for the goalkeepers within the penalty area . Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball , but may also use any other part of their body except the hands and the arms . The team that scores most goals by the end of the match wins .
The 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the 14th edition of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship ( 33rd edition if the Under-16 era was also included ) , the annual European youth football competition contested by the men 's under-17 national teams of the member associations of UEFA . Bulgaria hosted the tournament . The finals featured 16 teams for the first time since 2002 , as the number of teams was increased from eight in the previous tournament . Players born on or after 1 January 1998 were eligible to participate in this competition . The final tournament also acted as the UEFA qualifier for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile , with six teams qualifying ( the four semi-finalists and the two winners of play-off matches between the losing quarter-finalists ) . Each match lasted 80 minutes , consisting of two halves of 40 minutes , with an interval of 15 minutes .
The France national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of France who will be playing in the UEFA European Championship this year or next year and is controlled by the French Football Federation . The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup , which is held every two years . The under-17 team also participates in local and international friendly tournaments , such as the Montaigu Tournament . France have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup once in 2001 and also won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship twice in 2004 and 2015 .
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible . Golf , unlike most ball games , can not and does not utilize a standardized playing area , and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game . The game at the usual level is played on a course with an arranged progression of 18 holes , though recreational courses can be smaller , often having nine holes . Each hole on the course must contain a tee box to start from , and a putting green containing the actual hole or cup 4 1⁄4 inches ( 11 cm ) in diameter . There are other standard forms of terrain in between , such as the fairway , rough ( long grass ) , bunkers ( or sand traps ) , and various hazards ( water , rocks ) but each hole on a course is unique in its specific layout and arrangement . Golf is played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual , known as stroke play , or the lowest score on the most individual holes in a complete round by an individual or team , known as match play . Stroke play is the most commonly seen format at all levels , but most especially at the elite level . The modern game of golf originated in 15th century Scotland . The 18-hole round was created at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1764 . Golf 's first major , and the world 's oldest tournament in existence , is The Open Championship , also known as the British Open , which was first played in 1860 in Ayrshire , Scotland . This is one of the four major championships in men 's professional golf , the other three being played in the United States : The Masters , the U.S. Open , and the PGA Championship .
The 2015 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour , held May 7-10 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach , southeast of Jacksonville . It was the 42nd Players Championship . Rickie Fowler won the tournament , beating Kevin Kisner and Sergio García in a playoff . Trailing by five shots with six holes to play , Fowler played them at six-under-par , going birdie-par-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to force a playoff . After the three-hole aggregate playoff ( holes 16-18 ) ended with Kisner and Fowler still tied , they returned to the 17th for sudden-death . Fowler put his tee shot to five feet ( 1.5 m ) on the island green 17th , and made birdie to win . Defending champion Martin Kaymer finished twelve strokes back at even par , tied for 56th place .
Rick Yutaka Fowler ( born December 13 , 1988 ) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour . He was the number one ranked amateur golfer in the world for 36 weeks in 2007 and 2008 . On January 24 , 2016 he reached a career high fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking following his victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship .
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event , often held over multiple days , featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from ( mostly ) nation-states . The first major , modern , multi-sport event of interna . Most have the same basic structure . Games are held over the course of several days in and around a host city , which changes for each competition . Countries send national teams to each competition , consisting of individual athletes and teams that compete in a wide variety of sports . Athletes or teams are awarded gold , silver or bronze medals for first , second and third place respectively . The games are generally held every four years , though some are annual competitions .
The IBSA World Games ( formerly IBSA World Championships and Games ) or World Blind Games are an international multi-sport event , occurring every four years , organized by the International Blind Sports Federation ( IBSA ) . The events enable blind and partially sighted athletes to compete in a number of sports . The first event took place at Madrid , Spain in 1998 . The competitions in athletics , swimming , goalball and judo are part of the qualification process for the Paralympic Games .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
A triathlon is a multisport race with three continuous and sequential endurance races . The word is of Greek origin , from τρεῖς or treis ( three ) and ἆθλος or athlos ( competition ) . While variations of the sport exist , the most common form includes swimming , cycling , and running over various distances . Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion , including timed transitions between the three races . A transition area is set up where the athletes change gear for different segments of the race . This is where the switches from swimming to cycling and cycling to running occur . These areas are used to store bicycles , performance apparel , and any other accessories needed for the next stage of the race . The transition from swim to bike is referred to as T1 and that between the bike and run is referred to as T2 . The athlete 's overall time for the race includes time spent in T1 and T2 . Transition areas vary in size depending on the number of participants expected . In addition , these areas provide a social headquarters before the race . The nature of the sport focuses on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines , as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning .
Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling . It includes recreational , racing , and utility cycling . Road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same rules and laws as other vehicle drivers or riders and may also be vehicular cyclists .
The 2015 Giro d'Italia ( English : Tour of Italy ) was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in May 2015 . It was the 98th running of the Giro d'Italia and took place principally in Italy , although some stages visited France and Switzerland . The 3,481.8-kilometre ( 2,163.5 mi ) race included 21 stages , beginning in San Lorenzo al Mare on 9 May and concluding in Milan on 31 May . It was the fifteenth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour . The Giro was won by Alberto Contador ( Tinkoff-Saxo ) , with Fabio Aru ( Astana ) second and Aru 's teammate Mikel Landa third . Contador first took the lead after stage 5 , the race 's first uphill finish . His defence of the pink jersey ( given to the leader in the General classification in the Giro d'Italia ) was put in doubt when he injured his left shoulder in a crash in the sixth stage . He held his lead through several stages stage but was caught up in another crash in stage 13 , which caused him to lose the lead . He took the lead back the following day in the 59.4-kilometre ( 36.9 mi ) Individual time trial , where he gained a lead of several minutes over all his rivals . Despite aggressive riding from Aru and Landa in the final week , Contador was able to defend his lead to the finish of the race . This was his third Giro d'Italia title , after the 2008 race . As well as finishing second overall , Aru won the white jersey as the best young rider in the week .
Alberto Contador Velasco ( Spanish pronunciation : [ alˈβeɾto kontaˈðoɾ βeˈlasko ] ; born 6 December 1982 ) is a Spanish former professional cyclist . He is one of the most successful riders of his era , winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007 , 2009 ) , the Giro d'Italia twice ( 2008 , 2015 ) , and the Vuelta a España three times ( 2008 , 2012 , 2014 ) . He is one of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours of cycling . He has also won the Vélo d'Or a record 4 times . He was regarded as the natural successor of Lance Armstrong and won the 2007 Tour de France with the Discovery Channel team . During his time at the Astana team , he won the 2008 Giro d'Italia , the 2008 Vuelta a España and the 2009 Tour de France . Between 2007 and 2011 he won six consecutive Grand Tours that he entered . This included winning the 2010 Tour de France with Astana , although it later emerged that he had tested positive for clenbuterol during the race . After a long battle in court , he was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and stripped of his 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro wins . Contador was known as an attacking rider who excelled as a climber , and on his best days was also an excellent time-trialist . He was also known for being able to turn races around to his favour , most notably during the Fuente Dé stage at the 2012 Vuelta a España . Following his return from suspension , he won the Vuelta twice and the Giro once more .
Tinkoff ( UCI team code : TNK ) was a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia . It competed in the UCI World Tour . The team was owned by Russian Oleg Tinkov and , from 1999 until March 2015 , was managed by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis . The team was sponsored by the Russian Tinkoff Bank , a credit systems company . Founded in 1998 as home-Jack & Jones , the team started in cycling 's second division . In 2000 it moved into the top division , now known as the UCI World Tour . Since 2000 , under differing sponsor names ( Memory Card-Jack & Jones and CSC-Tiscali ) , the team rode the Tour de France . It has won the overall classification in all three of the Grand Tours . In the 2008 Tour de France , Carlos Sastre won the general classification , Andy Schleck won the young rider classification , and the team won the overall team classification , and Ivan Basso won the 2006 Giro d'Italia , as well as finishing third and second in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France . In addition , the team has won many major classics , including 6 Monuments . The team won the UCI ProTour 's team classification each year from 2005 through 2007 , and the team classification in the 2010 UCI World Ranking . In March 2015 the team confirmed that Riis had been removed from active duty due to differences between Riis and Tinkov .
The 2015 Italian Open ( also known as the 2015 Rome Masters [ citation needed ] or the sponsored title 2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia ) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome , Italy . It was the 72nd edition of the Italian Open and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2015 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2015 WTA Tour . It took place from 10-17 May 2015 .
Novak Djokovic ( Serbian : Новак Ђоковић , romanized : Novak Đoković , pronounced [ nôʋaːk dʑôːkoʋitɕ ] ( listen ) ; born 22 May 1987 ) is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No . 1 in men 's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) . Djokovic has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles , the third-most in history for a male player , five ATP Finals titles , 34 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles , 13 ATP Tour 500 titles , and has held the No . 1 spot in the ATP rankings for over 275 weeks . In majors , he has won a record eight Australian Open titles , five Wimbledon titles , three US Open titles , and one French Open title . By winning the 2016 French Open , he became the eighth player in history to achieve the Career Grand Slam and the third man to hold all four major titles at once , the first since Rod Laver in 1969 and the first ever to do so on three different surfaces . He is the only male player to have won all nine of the Masters 1000 tournaments . Djokovic was also a member of Serbia 's winning Davis Cup team in 2010 and in the 2020 ATP Cup . Djokovic is the first Serbian player to be ranked No . 1 by the ATP and the first male player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title . He is a six-time ITF World Champion and a five-time ATP year-end No . 1 ranked player .
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( Russian : Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова , IPA : [ mɐˈrʲijə ˈjʉrʲjɪvnə ʂɐˈrapəvə ] ( listen ) ; born April 19 , 1987 ) is a Russian professional tennis player . Although she plays under the banner of Russia with the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) , she has lived in and been a United States permanent resident since 1994 . Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001 . She has been ranked world No . 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions , for a total of 21 weeks . She is one of ten women , and the only Russian , to hold the career Grand Slam . She is also an Olympic medalist , having won a silver medal in women 's singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London . Sharapova has achieved a rare level of longevity in tennis . Several tennis pundits and former players have called Sharapova one of tennis 's best competitors . Sharapova became the world No . 1 for the first time on August 22 , 2005 , at the age of 18 , becoming the first Russian female tennis player to top the singles rankings , and last held the ranking for the fifth time for four weeks from June 11 , 2012 , to July 8 , 2012 . Her five Grand Slam titles - two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open , Wimbledon , and the US Open , and 36 singles titles rank Sharapova third among active players , behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams .
Formula One ( also known as Formula 1 or F1 ) is the highest class of single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA ) and owned by the Formula One Group . The World Drivers ' Championship , which became the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1981 , has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950 . The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants ' cars must conform . A Formula One season consists of a series of races , known as Grands Prix ( French for 'grand prizes ' or 'great prizes ' ) , which take place worldwide on purpose-built circuits and on public roads . The results of each race are evaluated using a points system to determine two annual World Championships : one for drivers , the other for constructors . Drivers must hold valid Super Licences , the highest class of racing licence issued by the FIA . The races must run on tracks graded 1 ( formerly A ) , the highest grade-rating issued by the FIA . Most events occur in rural locations on purpose-built tracks , but several events take place on city streets . Formula One cars are the fastest regulated road-course racing cars in the world , owing to very high cornering speeds achieved through the generation of large amounts of aerodynamic downforce . The cars underwent major changes in 2017 , allowing wider front and rear wings , and wider tyres , resulting in peak cornering forces near 6.5 lateral g and top speeds of up to approximately 350 km/h ( 215 mph ) . As of 2019 [ update ] the hybrid engines are limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 rpm , the cars are very dependent on electronics and aerodynamics , suspension and tyres . Traction control and other driving aids have been banned since 2008 .
The 2015 Spanish Grand Prix , formally titled the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2015 , was a Formula One motor race held on 10 May 2015 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló , Spain . The race was the fifth round of the 2015 season and marked the forty-fifth running of the Spanish Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship and the twenty-fifth running at Catalunya . Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took his first win of the season , his first in Spain and the ninth of his career . His team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished second after a bad start , followed by Sebastian Vettel in third .
Nico Erik Rosberg ( born 27 June 1985 ) is a German-Finnish former racing driver who won the 2016 Formula One World Championship driving for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport . The only child of Keke Rosberg ( the 1982 Formula One World Champion ) and his German wife Sina Rosberg , he was raised primarily in the principality of Monaco . Rosberg began competitive go-kart racing at the age of six and began aiming for a career in Formula One four years later . He achieved early success , winning regional and national French championships , before moving to European-based series and world championships . At the age of sixteen , he progressed to car racing , winning the Formula BMW ADAC Championship with VIVA Racing in 2002 and claiming nine victories . He subsequently moved to the higher-tier Formula 3 Euro Series with Team Rosberg in 2003 and 2004 before winning the inaugural GP2 Series championship with ART Grand Prix in 2005 . Rosberg first drove in Formula One with Williams from 2006 to 2009 and achieved two podium finishes for the team in 2008 . For 2010 , he moved to Mercedes , partnering fellow German and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher . Rosberg took his first career win at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix . He was the teammate of former karting friend and eventual six-time World Drivers ' Champion , Lewis Hamilton , from 2013 to 2016 , twice finishing as runner-up to his teammate before winning the title in 2016 . Rosberg announced his retirement from motor racing five days after clinching his maiden title , citing wanting to spend more time with his family and not wanting his driving ability to atrophy as the main factors behind his surprise decision . Overall he competed in 206 Grands Prix , winning 23 , securing 57 podium finishes , 30 pole positions , and amassing 1594.5 championship points .
Mercedes-Benz , through its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited , is currently involved in Formula One as a constructor under the name of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team . The team is based in Brackley , Northamptonshire , United Kingdom , using a German licence . Mercedes-Benz competed in the pre-war European Championship winning three titles and debuted in Formula One in 1954 , running a team for two years . The team is also known by their nickname , the Silver Arrows . After winning their first race at the 1954 French Grand Prix , driver Juan Manuel Fangio won another three Grands Prix to win the 1954 Drivers ' Championship and repeated this success in 1955 . Despite winning two Drivers ' Championships , Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor racing in response to the 1955 Le Mans disaster and did not return to Formula One until rejoining as an engine supplier in association with Ilmor , a British independent high-performance autosport engineering company later acquired by Mercedes , in 1994 . In addition to its factory team , Mercedes currently supplies engines to Racing Point and Williams . The manufacturer has collected more than 180 wins as an engine supplier and is ranked second in Formula One history . Seven Constructors ' and 11 Drivers ' Championships have been won with Mercedes-Benz engines . Mercedes has become one of the most successful teams in recent Formula One history , having achieved consecutive Drivers ' and Constructors ' Championships from 2014 to 2019 . In 2014 , Mercedes managed 11 one-two finishes beating McLaren 's 1988 record of 10 . The record was extended the following year with 12 one-two finishes .
1 . FFC Frankfurt is a German women 's association football club based in Frankfurt , Hesse and has a membership of about 430 . The team currently plays in the German first division women 's Bundesliga . FFC Frankfurt have won seven German women 's football championships , a record nine Frauen DFB-Pokals , and four UEFA Women 's Champions Leagues , only trailing Lyon . FFC Frankfurt play at the Stadion am Brentanobad . FFC Frankfurt has a rivalry with 1 . FFC Turbine Potsdam .
Taekwondo , Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do ( Korean 태권도/跆拳道 [ tʰɛ.k͈wʌn.do ] ( listen ) , English pronunciation /ˌtaɪkwɒnˈdoʊ/ , or /ˌtaɪˈkwɒndoʊ/ ) is a Korean martial art , characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks , jumping and spinning kicks , and fast kicking techniques . Taekwondo is a combative sport and was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate , Chinese martial arts , and indigenous Korean martial arts traditions such as Taekkyon , Subak , and Gwonbeop . The oldest governing body for Taekwondo is the Korea Taekwondo Association ( KTA ) , formed in 1959 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the nine original kwans , or martial arts schools , in Korea . The main international organisational bodies for Taekwondo today are the International Taekwon-Do Federation ( ITF ) , founded by Choi Hong Hi in 1966 , and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo ( WT , formerly WTF ) , founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the Korea Taekwondo Association . Gyeorugi ( [ kjʌɾuɡi ] ) , a type of full-contact sparring , has been an Olympic event since 2000 . The governing body for Taekwondo in the Olympics and Paralympics is World Taekwondo .
The 2015 World Taekwondo Championships were the 22nd edition of the World Taekwondo Championships , and were held in Chelyabinsk , Russia from May 12 to May 18 , 2015 . The decision to award the games to Russia was made in 2013 as they out-voted both Vietnam and Brazil .
South Korea ( Korean : 한국/韓國 ; RR : Hanguk or literally 남한/南韓 ; RR : Namhan ) , officially the Republic of Korea ( Korean : 대한민국/大韓民國 ; RR : Daehan Minguk ) is a country in East Asia , constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea . The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo , which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time , ruling most of the Korean Peninsula , Manchuria , parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia under Gwanggaeto the Great . Its capital , Seoul , is a major global city and half of South Korea 's over 51 million people live in the Seoul Capital Area , the fourth largest metropolitan economy in the world . The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period . Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BC . Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century , Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty ( 918-1392 ) and the Joseon dynasty ( 1392-1897 ) . The succeeding Korean Empire was annexed into the Empire of Japan in 1910 . After World War II , Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S.-administered zones , with the latter becoming the Republic of Korea in August 1948 . In 1950 , a North Korean invasion began the Korean War and after its end in 1953 , the country 's economy began to soar , recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990 . Authoritarian rule ended in 1987 and the country is now the most advanced democracy with the highest level of press freedom in Asia . South Korea is a member of the OECD 's Development Assistance Committee , the G20 and the Paris Club . South Korea is a highly developed country and the world 's 12th-largest economy by nominal GDP .