Answer:
defeated
Explanation:
The sentence is talking about competition between two teams hence only two words can suitably answer the question, victory and defeat.
Since the sentence says about last year winner and speaker tries to express some accomplishment by laying emphasis on winner adjective for opponent. It clearly suggest that they got better of a competitive team.
Hence defeated is the most suitable answer to this question.
Answer:
The deaths occur at a rate that makes opioid abuse a public health issue.
Explanation:
The semicolon can be placed after swimmer, that way the sentence is not fully finished but rather gives it a break