Category Archives: Sport

How England Lionesses’ coach Sarina Wiegman developed a ruthless, winning formula

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Wiegman has transformed the fortunes of the women’s football team and got them to the Euro semi-finals – with no fear of making tough calls along the way

For any of the 7.6 million BBC One viewers who tuned in to watch England’s dramatic extra-time defeat of Spain in the quarter-finals of the Euros on Wednesday night, the sight of an animated blond Dutch woman on the touchline will not have gone unnoticed.

Sarina Wiegman, England’s manager, is fast becoming a talking point. Less for her antics – although watching her being lifted aloft in a bear-hug from centre-back Millie Bright after the full-time whistle was a treat – and more for the 11-month transformation of the Lionesses from disjointed and confidence-drained to contenders on the biggest of stages.

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Peter Bol chases historic gold as first Australian to run in 800m worlds final

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  • Tokyo Olympics hero scrapes into 800m final by 0.09 seconds
  • Bol is the first Australian to reach a world championship 800m final

A model of consistency and self-belief, Peter Bol looks every chance to win Australia’s first-ever 800 metre world championships medal in Eugene. But by his own admission, Bol was lucky to get through to the title race after finishing third and outside the automatic qualifying spots in the opening semi-final.

But having dodged a bullet and advanced as the second non-automatic qualifier by just 0.09 seconds, Bol has again made history, becoming the first Australian man or woman to ever reach a world championships 800m final.

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Javelin star Kelsey-Lee Barber joins Cathy Freeman in history with world title

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  • 66.91m throw makes Barber first woman to defend javelin world title
  • Barber joins Cathy Freeman as only Australians to defend a worlds title

Javelin superstar Kelsey-Lee Barber has joined the great Cathy Freeman as the only Australians to successfully defend a world athletics title.

Barber further embellished her reputation as a supreme big-event competitor at Hayward Field on Friday evening with a huge third-round throw of 66.91 metres.

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Jock Campbell handed Wallabies call-up as Rory Arnold returns for Argentina Tests

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  • Full-back on 36-man list for next month’s two-match tour
  • Lock Arnold one of three overseas-based players in squad

Full-back Jock Campbell has earned his first call-up while lock Rory Arnold returned to the Wallabies fold for their two-Test Rugby Championship tour of Argentina. Coach Dave Rennie will reveal a 36-player squad on Thursday ahead of their first Test against the Michael Cheika-coached Pumas in Mendoza on 7 August (AEDT), with the second in nearby San Juan a week later.

The Australians are looking to rebound after losing the three-Test series against England, going down 21-17 in the decider last Saturday in Sydney.

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AC Milan player Tiémoué Bakayoko speaks out after police held him at gunpoint

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The French midfielder and a male passenger were stopped by Italian police in Milan after he was mistaken for someone else

AC Milan footballer Tiémoué Bakayoko has spoken out against Italian police who held him at gunpoint after mistaking him for someone else.

The French midfielder and a male passenger were stopped as they drove in the Porta Garibaldi area of Milan on 3 July as police searched for suspects involved in an alleged shootout the night before.

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Florida star Anthony Richardson drops ‘AR-15’ nickname after mass shootings

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  • Quarterback wants to distance himself from gun violence
  • Assault rifles have been used in number of mass killings

College football star Anthony Richardson has announced he is dropping his ‘AR-15’ nickname after the recent wave of mass shootings in the US.

The Florida quarterback was given the nickname as a reference to an assault rifle which has been used in a number of recent shootings. The 21-year-old made the announcement he was dropping the name in a statement on his website.

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Daria Kasatkina comes out as gay and speaks out against Russian attitudes

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  • Russia’s No 1 female tennis player is in relationship with woman
  • Kasatkina: ‘Living in peace with yourself is all that matters’

Daria Kasatkina, Russia’s highest-ranked female tennis player, has come out as gay in a video interview posted online on Monday.

The current world No 12 told Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko that she is in a relationship with a woman and found “living in the closet” impossible. Kasatkina, who is not currently based in Russia, also posted pictures on Instagram with her girlfriend, the figure skater Natalia Zabiiako.

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Australia’s top end ODIs will not trumped by the Hundred

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  • Stoinis, Abbott, Maxwell and Zampa to return for series
  • Six ODIs scheduled against Zimbabwe and New Zealand

Pat Cummins will be rested for Australia’s ODIs against Zimbabwe and New Zealand but the Hundred will not take precedence for four other star players.

Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa are all set to cut their Hundred campaigns in England short after been included in a 14-man squad to play six ODIs in August and September in Townsville and Cairns.

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Fan who appeared to urinate from SCG roof given life ban by Rugby Australia

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Wallabies fan who made his way to roof during third Test against England charged by police and condemned for ‘deplorable’ behaviour

Rugby Australia has condemned the “deplorable” behaviour of a Wallabies fan who climbed up the big screen during Saturday’s third Test against England and appeared to urinate from the roof of the SCG.

The intruder, who made his way to the roof of the Bill O’Reilly stand during the second half of the series decider, was charged by police after the game in Sydney and on Monday RA handed him a lifetime ban.

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Eddie Jones in furious row after Australia rugby fans call him a traitor

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  • Videos emerge of two incidents during England series decider
  • Rugby Australia condemns fans as ‘totally unacceptable”

Eddie Jones was embroiled in angry exchanges with Australian supporters, who accused the England head coach of being “a traitor”, following the series decider in Sydney on Saturday. Rugby Australia has condemned the behaviour as “totally unacceptable” after videos emerged on social media in which Jones reacted furiously to the insults.

Videos of two incidents came to light after England’s 21-17 win in Sydney to clinch the series. In one of the incidents, a supporter, who is seen holding a beer, can be heard being urged to “spray” Australia-born Jones before pointing at the former Wallabies head coach and saying: “You’re a traitor.”

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Lleyton Hewitt, ultimate ‘competitor’, inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

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  • Hewitt, 41, is the 34th Australian to be inducted into Hall of Fame
  • Two-time grand slam champion spent 80 weeks as ATP world No 1

When asked for one word to describe how he wanted to be remembered in tennis, Lleyton Hewitt paused for a moment: “Competitor,” the 41-year-old replied.

Speaking ahead of yesterday’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Adelaide boy, and youngest ever ATP world No 1 (at 20 years, eight months and 26 days) said his famously counter-punching, never-say-die style was his greatest legacy.

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Michael Matthews brings the heat with epic win at Tour de France

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  • Australian rider claims first Tour de France victory in five years
  • Matthews braved 40 degree heat to fight back and win late duel

Australian cycling star Michael Matthews believes he’s reprised the story of his distinguished career with one epic triumph of rare courage and heart at the Tour de France.

The man from Canberra, known throughout cycling as “Bling” for his love of shiny baubles, produced his most glittering victory on Saturday on an exhausting, undulating 192.5km slog from Saint Etienne to Mende.

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‘I could have been a Mo Farah’: trafficked boxer denied his shot at Olympic glory by Home Office

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Kelvin Bilal Fawaz reveals how Farah’s TV interview was a reminder of how his own boxing career was lost to life in immigration limbo

A prodigious talent with the drive and ambition to make it all the way to the top, when Kelvin Bilal Fawaz got the chance to represent Team GB as a boxer at the 2012 Olympics in London it was a dream come true.

Trafficked as a child from Nigeria to the UK and forced into domestic servitude, Fawaz had the opportunity for Olympic glory in the place he now called home.

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Australia 17-21 England: third rugby union Test – as it happened

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Michael Hooper has won the toss (for the first time this series I think) and Australia will kick-off.

Gerard Meagher has more on England’s injury situation.

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Brad Fittler hits out at ‘ridiculous’ Matt Burton sin-bin after State of Origin brawl

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  • Burton and Dane Gagai trade punches in series decider
  • Both players binned at Suncorp Stadium but escape suspension

Coach Brad Fittler thinks Matt Burton’s sin-binning in the State of Origin decider was a “tad ridiculous” as NSW lick their wounds after the Maroons’ comeback win. Blues centre Burton and Queensland opposite Dane Gagai were both sin-binned as the Origin series decider descended into a throwback, fists flying in a second-half brawl.

The pair were given a spell by referee Ashley Klein in the 42nd minute after the Maroons made a snap break at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night. As Queensland burst upfield, Burton collided with Maroons fullback Kalyn Ponga after he had passed and was trying to catch up with the play.

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CMA investigates sport broadcasters over ‘cartel-like behaviour’

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Watchdog says it suspects possible breaches of competition law around purchase of freelance services

The competition watchdog is investigating possible cartel-like behaviour by sport broadcasters including BT Group, ITV, Sky and IMG Media, which includes Premier League Productions, around the purchase of freelance services.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it believes there are “reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches of competition law”.

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Paralympian Jonnie Peacock asks to be removed from Penny Mordaunt campaign video

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English sprinter Jonnie Peacock edited out of promotional content, along with footage of Oscar Pistorius, after complaint

The Paralympic athlete Jonnie Peacock is among several public figures who have asked to be removed from the promotional video released by the Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt as she launched her party leadership bid.

On Sunday morning, Mordaunt, the MP for Portsmouth North, posted the video on her Twitter account with the caption “Our leadership has to change. It needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship.”

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Kyrgios and Djokovic set dinner date side bet ahead of Wimbledon clash

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During an Instagram chat, the two tennis stars agreed to go for a meal after the grand slam final with the winner footing the bill

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic have agreed to a tasty side bet alongside the £2m ($A3.5m) they’ll be playing for in the Wimbledon final.

The unlikely but evidently blossoming “bromance” between the pair, which has come to light as they prepare to do battle in Sunday’s final, took a new tongue-in-cheek twist on the eve of the match when the pair indulged in an Instagram chat, doubtless to the delight of their millions of followers.

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Protesters at Wimbledon urge end to all-white dress code due to period concerns

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Campaign wants rule change to allow female players to put on coloured underwear when needed

Campaigners are urging Wimbledon organisers to drop the tournament’s strict all-white dress code over concerns for female players who are menstruating.

A group of protesters wearing white skirts with red undershorts arrived at Wimbledon’s main gate on Saturday, before the ladies’ singles final between Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina.

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Sri Lanka offer resistance with bat against Australia amid protests in Galle

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  • Australia 364; Sri Lanka 184-2 (63 overs) at stumps on day two
  • Thousands march in protest during second and final Test

Sri Lanka rediscovered their fight amid the chaos of loud protests and firecrackers in Galle to go to stumps on day two at 184-2 in response to Australia’s 364.

Bolstered by their efforts to run through Australia’s tail and leave Steve Smith stranded on 145 not out, the hosts enjoyed their best day of the series in the second and final Test.

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