Category: 6. Sports

1. Kelter out as USA ring changes for must-win Pool A clash

Even among a weekend a must-not-miss-matches, the heavyweight battle between USA and Australia stands out. And with everything on the line after their opening loss to England, USA head coach, Sione Fukofuka has made nine changes to his match-day 23. 

No doubt the headline grabber is the dropping of big-name centre Alev Kelter. Get all the details here.

Kelter’s centre partner Ilona Maher does keep her place – she and the USA will be looking for plenty more moments like this:

2. ‘If it’s not pretty, that’s OK’, says Wallaroos boss Yapp

It may only be week two, but already everywhere you look it is win or bust.

No one is more aware of that than Australia head coach Jo Yapp, whose prime message to her charges is: “If it’s not pretty, that’s okay, but it’s about getting the win this week and we know that.”

With a recent win against the Women’s Eagles under their belt, during this year’s Pacific Four Series, the Wallaroos are giving off a confident aura: 

3. Try of the tournament so far? 

Fiji face Scotland on Saturday in Manchester knowing they desperately need a win to get out of Pool B and what better way to get their spirits up than by watching replays of their team try v Canada last weekend. 

It might have been a rare bright moment in that 65-7 defeat to Canada, but wow, was it a stunner. 

4. Get last-minute tickets & plan an unforgettable weekend

There may not be many left… but there are still a few tickets for matches this weekend, waiting for you right here. 

Once you’ve got them, head here for top tips on where to go and what to eat and drink in all eight host venues, with the likes of England star Ellie Kildunne serving as your personal guide. 

5. Brazil ready for more points, more dancing and… more tears

They might be up against it, facing the mighty France on Sunday at Sandy Park, Exeter (KO 16:45 BST) but RWC debutants Brazil are pumped up for more moments like this: 

And like this: 

6. Turani typifies toughness and tenacity on show at RWC 2025

Italian prop Silvia Turani distinctly remembers being sat down by her parents, when a rugby-mad student, and urged to “stop playing” this “dangerous sport” and remember rugby is “not a career”.

Now, eight years later she cannot wait to run out in front of a packed York Community Stadium on Sunday for a critical pool-stage match v South Africa at one of the biggest women’s sports events ever. In front of her parents… bring it on! 

Loh Kean Yew is out of the 2025 BWF World Championships in a shock quarter-final defeat.

The Singaporean, the 2021 world champion and ninth seed in Paris, went out in straight sets to the unheralded Victor Lai of Canada on Friday (29 August) — with Lai securing Canada’s first ever Badminton World Championships medal by reaching the semi-finals.

However, Loh — who missed two months of the season through viral illness — told Olympics.com afterwards that despite his disappointment, he felt he had a relatively successful tournament.

“Honestly, I think I actually exceeded my own expectations in terms of performance, because I wasn’t prepared at all when I came here. I just kept fighting and I guess I played better than I thought.”

Loh’s slow starts have been a talking point so far this week and it appeared to be the case again here against a man who began the 2025 season ranked 99th in the world and entered these Championships as the world number 50.

While this time the Singaporean did score a few points in the early exchanges, he found himself trailing by three at the interval in the first game against an opponent playing in his first World Championships. Lai clearly wasn’t to be underestimated — after all, he’d already taken down 11th seed Lu Guangzu in a stunning upset in the second round.

Ninth seed Loh then rallied for seven consecutive points to finally put some distance between him and Lai, but he let Lai back into the game to level at 19–19, then again at 20–20, as their see-saw tussle continued.

After saving a game point, Lai converted on the first of his own — then went on a run in the second. Loh had taken the first four points, but Lai won the next eight and seemed to get to Loh on a point in which Lai fell under the net and Loh sent wide in response before unsuccessfully complaining that he had been hindered by the Canadian.

Visibly frustrated by the umpire calling the point, Loh later explained: “The umpire decided that I wasn’t distracted, he made the decision that I wasn’t affected by it, and anyway I think this is certainly something new. I never thought you could go over the net without getting a fault without touching the net.”

Lai, for his part, admitted to nerves later — not that you would know. He kept his focus even as Loh mounted a late comeback attempt and closed out the narrow win, 22–20, 21–18.

For the 20-year-old who returns to university next week, it’s the latest feather in his cap in a year in which he has already beaten the likes of Naraoka Kodai and Lu Guangzu.

“I think just my training this year, I had a couple of blocks of training on it like 5-6 weeks and thart helped me build up physically,” Lai told Olympics.com. “I don’t have the power, the strength of those other guys, but I think I make up for it with my mental and my skills.”

The BWF World Championships are available to stream live (territorial restrictions apply) on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the Olympics mobile apps.

Bradley came off the bench during Monday night’s 3-2 win at Newcastle United after missing the Reds’ previous two games, but Mac Allister was absent from the matchday squad.

Slot also confirmed Virgil van Dijk is fit to face the Gunners in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Anfield after being on the receiving end of a tackle that resulted in Anthony Gordon being sent off on Tyneside.

The champions’ head coach was asked if he has any new fitness worries during Friday morning’s pre-match press conference and replied: “No, I don’t think so.

“I think the positive is that Conor Bradley only had one or two training sessions before the Newcastle game, he has trained this week the whole week – [well] not the whole week as there are still two days to go.

“Mac Allister has also started training again so I don’t think we had any injuries coming out of that game [at Newcastle], no. And Virgil is also OK.”

So close yet so far. In the past couple of months, Emma Raducanu has twice pushed the world’s leading player to the brink.

On Friday, Raducanu has another chance to test herself against one of the very best, meeting 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina for a spot in the US Open fourth round.

While the British number one ultimately fell short of beating Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, 36th-ranked Raducanu’s performances were a mark of her encouraging progress.

“When Raducanu has taken on top-10 players in previous years, it felt she was a little lightweight going up against the power players,” former world number one Lindsay Davenport told BBC Sport.

“Over the last couple of months that feeling has left my mind.

“Against Sabalenka, Raducanu was not only able to absorb the power but also able to push her around.

“Facing Rybakina will be a huge battle – but I give Raducanu a chance.”

Despite the positives of her performances against Sabalenka, 22-year-old Raducanu has still only won three of her 17 matches against top-10 players.

The 2021 US Open champion has also never beaten a fellow Grand Slam winner.

Rybakina might be seeded ninth in New York this year, but the recent bulldozing of Sabalenka in Cincinnati – winning 6-1 6-4 – was a reminder of her threat.

“It’s great to see her looking healthy and looking better on court,” added three-time major champion Davenport, whose serving was also the bedrock of her success.

“But Raducanu has made a lot of huge improvements too. Her serve is better and her legs look stronger.”

NEW YORK:

Tommy Paul survived a brutal five-set epic that finished at 1:46 am to fight his way past Nuno Borges and into the third round of the US Open early Friday.

The 14th-seeded American finally made it count after 4hr 45mins to pull through 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5 in New York.

Late-night finishes in tennis have been a recurring theme, especially at the Australian Open and the US Open, where Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner completed their 2022 quarter-final at 2:50 am.

Paul could have had a comparatively early night with two match points in the third set, but he failed to take them and a newly energised Borges threatened to make him pay.

With the time in the “city that never sleeps” ticking past 1:00 am and the Arthur Ashe Stadium mostly empty, the gruelling encounter went to a deciding fifth set.

There was again nothing between them, with Portugal’s Borges — who is ranked 41 in the world — refusing to go away as he fought back from 3-0 down in the fifth.

Paul finally sealed the deal at 1:46am with a thrilling rally on his third match point, the exhausted pair exchanging a warm embrace at the net after an attritional battle.

“A little bit tired now, I’m sure we all are,” Paul told the spectators that remained until the end.

“First I want to say thank you to you guys for staying so late and supporting me.”

The 28-year-old added: “Definitely cool to get a win.”

He will play the 23rd-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan next.

Zverev sweeps into US Open third round

Alexander Zverev cruised into the third round of the US Open on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.

Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Zverev eased past world number 60 Fearnley 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to book a date with Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Russia’s Roman Safiullin.

Only Carlos Alcaraz has more than Zverev’s 45 match wins on the men’s circuit this season.

Third seed Zverev has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of his last four trips to New York, where he finished runner-up in 2020.

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have scooped the last seven Grand Slams together but Zverev is hoping to muscle in on their territory and claim an elusive first major.

“I’m here to spoil the party. I’m going to try to do that,” said Zverev, who lost last year’s French Open final to Alcaraz and came second to Sinner in Melbourne in January.

Sinner romps into US Open third round

Jannik Sinner kept his bid to win back-to-back US Open titles firmly on track with an emphatic second round demolition of Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Thursday.

The Italian world number one needed just two hours and one minute to dispatch Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Sinner — who only dropped four games in his first round win over Vit Kopriva on Tuesday — was similarly brisk against Popyrin.

The 24-year-old broke Popyrin five times as he moved through the gears against his opponent, ranked 36th in the world.

Sinner faces Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Saturday.

“Obviously I try to play the best tennis I can, the first round match is always different compared to the further you go (in the tournament),” Sinner said.

“I’m very happy that I managed these matches as good as I could, when you are up two sets and a break you try to serve as best as you can.

“Today, it felt like neither of us served well but I was returning well and especially on the second serve. I am happy about today, I am aiming to improve on the serve but the rest (of my game) I am quite comfortable with.”

Sinner has reached the final of all three Grand Slams this season, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon either side of a defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open.

He is bidding to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open since Roger Federer won the last of five consecutive titles in 2008.

• Amorim faces unhappy Man Utd camp

• Winless run sparks doubts over tactics

• Burnley clash seen as do-or-die

WHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Guardian, there is a growing unease after United’s shambolic exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Grimsby Town. For the first time in club history, United were dumped out of the competition by a fourth-tier side, losing on penalties. The humiliation has left Amorim staring down the barrel, his methods openly questioned behind closed doors.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Central to the unrest is Amorim’s ironclad loyalty to his 3-4-3 formation, the same shape he deployed with success at Sporting CP. At United, however, it has been nothing short of catastrophic. Despite the disaster, United’s hierarchy insist they are not planning a managerial change. Director of football Jason Wilcox is said to be keeping a close eye on the storm brewing around the manager. Club officials still see Amorim as the man for the long haul, yet acknowledge his stubborn tactical stance may ultimately push him towards resigning. Whispers from Carrington suggest that if results don’t flip quickly, the coach’s refusal to abandon his system could trigger his own exit.

TELL ME MORE

Amorim has shown no sign of backing away from the fight. Just hours after returning from the Grimsby debacle, he was spotted at Carrington by 7am Thursday morning, preparing training drills and focusing on Burnley, as revealed by the Daily Mail. A number of players currently out on loan, or those on the fringes ahead of Monday’s deadline day, are privately questioning whether Amorim will even last long enough to influence their fates. Some believe they may simply “outlast” him at Old Trafford, an attitude that underlines the instability surrounding the club.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Amorim did not hide his frustrations after the Grimsby defeat and insisted, “Something has to change, and you’re not going to change 22 players again.” He also suggested that there is indeed a lack of confidence in his methods among the players. However, the club officials believe the Grimsby collapse triggered an emotional response from Amorim, and expect him to clarify his position at his Friday press conference.

WHAT NEXT FOR AMORIM?

Saturday’s match against Burnley is shaping up to be more than just another Premier League fixture. Failure could push the situation to breaking point. After only seven wins in 29 league games under his tenure, Amorim is running out of rope.

KATOWICE (Poland) – It only took one game with Poland for Jordan Loyd to enter the history books.

His 32 points, on 7-of-8 shooting from deep, in Poland’s win in the opener against Slovenia is the fourth-highest scoring tally ever by a player in their FIBA EuroBasket debut. And he wasn’t even aware of it.

“I didn’t know that. I guess that’s kind of crazy, a lot of greats have come through and played in this tournament, ” he admitted in the post-game press conference.

It is crazy, indeed.

If we take into consideration only EuroBasket debuts since 2000, Poland’s #8 definitely takes the scoring crown for newcomers at the competition.

If that wasn’t enough, his 7 made three-pointers are the most for any player in his EuroBasket debut since 1995, when relevant records started being kept.

“Anytime as a player you get into one of those modes you feel good, and you feel like you can do anything, that’s awesome,” he said.

“I’d say this was one of my top games. But it’s only because we won. It doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win.”

He did all of that against Luka Doncic, who finished with 34 points, 9 assists, and 5 steals in a losing effort.

“It was pretty awesome to be on the floor with him. He’s one of the best players in the world. As a player on the other side, you use it as energy. Everybody’s focused on him, and as a team, we used that as motivation.”

Jordan Loyd couldn’t dream of a better debut, also thanks to the red-and-white wave of fans in Spodek Arena.

“The fans gave us a boost in energy, it was amazing. It was probably one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in,” Loyd credited the home crowd in Katowice.

Top 10 highest scoring debuts in EuroBasket history

Most three-pointers made in a single game in EuroBasket history (*since 1995)

FIBA

Australian long jumper Vanessa Low was relaxed and confident as she stepped onto the runway at the Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Just two year after giving birth to her son, she returned to the biggest stage knowing that she would have a big jump in the women’s long jump T63.

In front of thousands of spectators that included her family, she soared 5.45 metres, breaking her own world record in the T61 category. She won her third Paralympic gold medal.

One year on, she feels like so much has happened since the golden moment, but not much at the same time.

“It’s crazy to think we’re one year down from Paris already. It feels like yesterday, but at the same time it feels like a lifetime ago,” Low said.

“I remember lining up for my first jump, and all the pressure just fell off because I felt like (I had achieved) everything that I wanted to achieve, knowing that I had given everything to be there at my best possible shape, and also making my son proud and doing it alongside my family.”

 

To the top of the podium

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games took place from 28 August-8 September 2024, featuring 4,400 athletes from a record 169 delegations. Athletes from around the world competed in 549 medal events across 22 sports.

Paris 2024 marked Low’s fourth Paralympic appearance. Low, who lost both of her legs in a train accident at the age of 15, competed for Germany at London 2012 and Rio 2016, before donning Australia’s iconic green and gold track suit following her marriage with Scott Reardon, a gold medallist at Rio 2016.

Low won her first Paralympic gold at Rio 2016 and has won three gold medals in the long jump. 

“Paris was my first Games as a mom and I didn’t realise how different the Games were going to feel for me,” Low said. “I always try not to compare Games too much because they are so very different.

“(Paris) didn’t just bring the Games to the city, they brought the city to the Games and we felt it. You felt the culture, and you felt the people being excited about it because it wasn’t just a sporting event. It was showing the sport to the population and making it a part of their story.”

 

Returning to the Paralympics meant balancing elite sport with motherhood. Low gave birth to her son Matteo in June 2022, and together with Reardon, she navigated the journey both on and off the track.

“I tried to give myself a lot of grace and I always had the expectation I do the best I can with what I have and what I know,” she said. “It was really enjoyable and rewarding, and also really challenging. I think being a mom was probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. And I’ve lost my legs, so that says a lot.”

 

One year on 

After the Paralympics, Low says she took time to reflect on her journey and embrace the time away from the gym and the sand pit.

“It’s just really hard for a lot of athletes to return home and processing everything that had happened,” she said. “It almost feels like it’s not your life you’re returning home to because you lived in a bubble and for the last four years, every action of your day was driven by this big goal of going to the Games and all of a sudden, that is done.

“Especially when winning a gold medal, everyone things you are just over the moon and so excited about it and everything worked out perfectly. That is the case, but at the same time, there’s still a lot of mixed feelings.”

Low said she spoke with Reardon and also took time to write down her thoughts after the Games, which she posted on Instagram.

In the post addressing fellow athletes, she said that it is “okay to feel this way” and that “it is natural” to feel lonely. She wanted to remind athletes that the Games being over does not mean that their journey is and to encourage them to be proud of their accomplishments and reach out to each other to talk.

The message resonated with many athletes. It was shared thousands of times, and she received many comments and private messages.

“That was my way of processing it, of getting it out to the world and feeling like it resonated with so many other athletes, both Olympics and Paralympics,” Low said. “They were probably feeling, ‘I’m not the only one.’”

 

New target: six metres

After returning to the sport, Low is chasing big goals in 2025. She wants to jump six metres and break her current record of 5.71 metres that she set in April this year.

“It might not be this year, maybe closer to LA28. That’s what we’re working on, and I hope I can keep pushing the distance out at every competition,” she said.

Then she is looking forward to the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, which will take place from 27 September-5 October, in India. The World Championships will feature over 1,000 athletes from around the world competing in 186 medal events at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

“I’m really excited for the World Champs. We’ve been working on a lot of things, gone through injury, we’ve gone through it all this year. It’s always part of the journey,” she said. “It’s also really exciting to see the impact of the World Championships happening in India, because I think there is a great opportunity for them to grow and support their sporting team going to LA.”

After the LA28 Paralympic Games, there will be Brisbane 2032. The Paralympics will return to Australia for the first time since Sydney 2000.

“I always say, ‘never say never’, but I don’t think I’ll be there as an athlete. Even if I make it to LA, that’s five Games and as a long jumper, that’s a really great accomplishment,” she said. “But I’m really excited to see what the sport will do in our country.”

 

Do you want to relive all the excitement of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games? Click here to read the day-by-day recap and experience the magic all over again

 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Thursday announced a 16-member squad for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28 in T20I format.

Left-handed batter Charith Asalanka will lead Sri Lanka, who lifted the trophy in 2022 and finished as runners-up in 2023.

The major talking point is the return of star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga. The leg-spinner had been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury during the T20I series against Bangladesh in July and was left out of the squads for the ongoing ODI and upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. However, selectors are hopeful he will regain full fitness ahead of the Asia Cup.

Hasaranga replaces all-rounder Dushan Hemantha in the squad for the continental tournament, while uncapped batter Vishen Halambage also misses out. 

Compared to the team that recently lost to Bangladesh at home, there are four notable changes, with Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeffrey Vandersay, and Eshan Malinga left out. In their place, batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Kamil Mishara, along with fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, have been included.

The squad features good balance, with three frontline spinners in Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dunith Wellalage. Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne strengthen the seam-bowling all-rounder department, while pace options include Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, and Matheesha Pathirana.

Sri Lanka are placed in Group B and will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on September 13 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. They will then face Hong Kong on September 15 and Afghanistan on September 18 in their remaining group matches.

Sri Lanka squad for Asia Cup 2025: Charith Asalanka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana.