Category Archives: Australia sport

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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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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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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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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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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Australia 17-25 England: second rugby union Test – as it happened

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Pretty much what you’d expect from Australia’s players and staff in front of the press.

England did the media rounds during the week, and I am full of admiration for Ellis Genge’s straightforward contribution. “We’ve got to be better everywhere,” he said. “We’ve got to be better because we lost.” Brilliant. More of this please media officers.

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Nick Kyrgios says Australian tennis greats have ‘sick obsession’ with tearing him down

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Remarks come after Pat Cash accused Kyrgios of ‘cheating, manipulation and abuse’ at this year’s championships

The Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has said that Australia’s tennis legends have a “sick obsession with tearing [him] down”.

The 27-year-old claimed he was “the outcast” of his compatriots before describing himself as an inspiration to others who have been surrounded by “negative headlines and clouds”.

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‘A bit of pub talk’: Scott Morrison denies push for job in rugby league

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Former PM says he didn’t tell powerbrokers he would like to join the Australian Rugby League Commission

The former prime minister Scott Morrison has denied making a bid to join the Australian Rugby League Commission, describing the reports as “a bit of pub talk”.

The Nine Network reported on Thursday that Morrison had spoken to “powerbrokers” in rugby league and made it “quite clear to them that he would like to be a part” of the commission, which runs the code, despite there not being a vacancy.

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‘Till next time’: Nick Kyrgios wishes Nadal well as focus turns to Wimbledon final

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  • Nadal recovering from abdominal strain that ended title hopes
  • Australian will contest maiden grand slam final on Sunday

Nick Kyrgios has wished Rafa Nadal well in his recovery from the injury that forced the Spaniard out of the Wimbledon semi-final and gifted the Australian a place in his first grand slam final.

Kyrgios was handed a walkover into Sunday’s final against either Novak Djokovic or Cam Norrie when Nadal, who played through an abdominal tear sustained during his quarter-final win against Taylor Fritz, admitted defeat and pulled out on Thursday.

Reuters and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report

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Australian veteran Simon Clarke triumphs at the death in drama-strewn Tour de France stage

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  • Clarke left in tears after edging final sprint
  • Terrible day for other Australians Haig, O’Connor and Ewan

Australian cycling veteran Simon Clarke has earned a magnificent, last-ditch Tour de France triumph to crown 20 years of slog on Europe’s roads after a brutal, crash-strewn cobbled stage.

But while the 35-year-old Israel-Premier Tech rider was left in floods of joyous tears after edging a lung-bursting sprint to win the fifth stage in a photo-finish on Wednesday, it proved a calamitous day for Australia’s biggest hitters on the Tour.

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Ajla Tomljanović survives epic final set to reach Wimbledon quarter-final again

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  • Australian defeats France’s Alize Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
  • Final game includes a 26-stroke rally on deuce

Ajla Tomljanović has continued to fly the Australian standard handed over by Ash Barty at Wimbledon, surviving a nervy final set to reach the quarter-finals.

Watched from the stands by Margaret Court, the new national No 1 battled back from losing the first set to defeat French giant-killer Alizé Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday.

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Out of luck, out of time. David Noble’s prize is a North heading south

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One win all year and 11 straight losses by 40+, the latest an 18 goal flogging. North Melbourne’s David Noble is coaching a club under siege

In November last year, the greats of the North Melbourne Football Club gathered at Arden Street. Legends of the club mingled with former captains, coaches, presidents, and sponsors. The mood was buoyant. The club’s debt had been wiped. Dani Laidley had been welcomed back. The number one draft pick looked ready made. “You can feel the energy, and feel the excitement in the air,” the outgoing chairman said.

But little has gone right since. The signs were there in the first practice match. North have since regressed in every area worth measuring. Their only win came against the Covid-ravaged Eagles. They’re the first team in VFL/AFL history to lose 11 straight games by more than 40 points. On Saturday night, they lost by 18 goals.

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Australian spinners rip through Sri Lanka to wrap up first Test inside three days

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  • Sri Lanka 212 & 113; Australia 321 & 10-0 (0.4 overs)
  • Australia win by 10 wickets in Galle to take 1-0 series lead

Australia have thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in Galle, bowling the hosts out in a session and claiming their fastest Test victory in 20 years. In a comprehensive display, Australia took only 22.5 overs to roll through Sri Lanka for 113 in their second innings on Friday, with Nathan Lyon and Travis Head taking four wickets each.

That left Australia needing five runs to win, with David Warner (10 not out) finishing the job inside an over with a four and a six. The win came in 153.2 overs for the Test match, Australia’s fastest since they demolished Pakistan in Sharjah in 2002.

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