Category: 6. Sports

Ben Scott works with British swimming stars Adam Peaty, Duncan Scott and Tom Dean

“We take a small blood sample, and it tells us the concentration of lactate in the blood that we’re measuring,” Scott told Olympics.com in a later interview, where he explained what is revealed after he puts the sample through a machine called a Biosen C-Line Analyzer.

Okay great, but what does that reveal?

“Lactate is the end product of glycolysis,” explained Scott of the science bit, “and that’s one of the ways that your body produces energy through the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body, and it’s the fastest way for your body to produce energy.”

So, measuring the lactate after a race essentially tells Scott how much energy an athlete can access through that metabolic pathway.

“So, when you’re just resting, everyone always has lactate in their blood, but it’s at very low levels,” said Scott, who works with British Olympic gold medallists such as Adam Peaty, Richards, and Tom Dean.

“So a reading for yourself or myself, just at rest, would be something like 0.5 to 1.0 – the unit is millimoles per litre,” explained Scott.

“So if I got you onto a bike and sprinted you as hard as you can possibly sprint, you could possibly get a lactate level of 20, which might be similar to what someone like a Matt Richards could get up to at the end of 100 freestyle,” said Scott, who works predominantly with Olympic swimming, but also Para swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, and diving.

“The difference between you and him is he will actually, in the muscle, be producing a lot more (energy), but he’s also been able to utilise and clear that at a much higher rate… He’s actually able to undergo a lot more glycolysis.”

So quicker processing and recovery for an athlete, vital when it comes to a sport in which multiple competitions come day after day, with the likes of Richards competing in five events, with heats, semi-finals and finals, across nine days at Paris 2024.

Scott might use this testing process for a number of applications, such as maximising training, warm-ups, and cool downs, but in this instance, we’re focusing on the reason the data he gains during competitions, like the national championships, is particularly useful.

What are the rules for Olympic moguls?

Each skier takes an individual run through the mogul course. Judges evaluate aspects of the run, and a score is awarded based on three components (turns, air and speed). The scores determine each skier’s placement in the final results.

How does the scoring work for Olympic moguls?

Each run receives a score of up to 100 points, with the three components weighted as follows:

• Turns: 60%
• Air: 20%
• Speed: 20%

Each of the three components is described in more detail in an earlier section.

In total, there are seven judges for a moguls competition. Five of those judges evaluate turns scores, and the other two evaluate air scores. 

What is the competition format for moguls at the Olympics?

Men’s and women’s moguls are divided into two qualifying rounds and a series of final rounds.

How do the Olympic moguls qualifying rounds work?

In the first qualifying round, all 30 skiers take one run, and the top 10 advance directly to the final.

The remaining 20 skiers compete in the second qualifying round and take one run each. Afterward, 10 more skiers advance to the final. Skiers can advance based on either their first- or second-jump score, whichever is higher.

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, the two qualifying rounds will happen on separate days. None of the scores from either qualifying round carry over to the final.

How do the Olympic moguls final rounds work?

The moguls final consists of three rounds, and skiers are eliminated at the end of each round. All participating skiers take one run per round. Scores do not carry over between any of the rounds.

In Round 1, the field is trimmed from 20 skiers down to 12. In Round 2, the field is cut even further from 12 skiers down to six.

The final-six skiers participate in Round 3, and the scores from that round determine the final medal results.

How is the start order determined for the Olympic moguls final rounds?

For Round 1 of the moguls final, the start order is the inverse of the qualification results, so the skier with the lowest ranking goes first and the top-ranked skier goes last.

For Rounds 2 and 3, the start order is the inverse of the previous round’s results, so the top skier from the previous round goes last.

Since it debuted at the 2014 Winter Olympics, freeski slopestyle has delivered a historic U.S. podium sweep, an innovative run from Alex Hall, and tons of progression from the women’s field. What will come next at Milan Cortina 2026?

Read on to learn nearly everything there is to know about freeski slopestyle, including competition format, judging criteria, and what to look for in the rail sections of the Livigno Snow Park course.

What to know about other disciplines: Halfpipe | Big Air | Moguls/Dual Moguls | Aerials | Ski Cross

What is the schedule for freeski slopestyle at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Freeski slopestyle competition will take place on the following days at the Milan Cortina Games:

• Saturday, Feb. 7 (Day 1): Women’s and men’s qualifying
• Monday, Feb. 9 (Day 3): Women’s final
• Tuesday, Feb. 10 (Day 4): Men’s final

What are the quota limits for men’s and women’s freeski slopestyle at the Olympics?

There are 30 quota spots each for men and women. Slopestyle and big air are treated as one event for qualification purposes, and athletes who qualify for Milan Cortina 2026 are eligible to compete in both disciplines.

What are the rules for freeski slopestyle at the Olympics?

Each competitor takes a full run through the slopestyle course, executing tricks in each section of the course. A panel of judges assess the tricks that are performed during the run and then score the run.

What are the features of an Olympic slopestyle course?

Every slopestyle course is unique, but there are certain requirements they all must abide by. The course must have at least six sections, at least three of which must be jump sections. The course also must have at least two different lines that skiers can choose between.

What is the competition format for freeski slopestyle at the Olympics?

There will be two rounds of competition at the Milan Cortina Games: the qualifying round and the final.

How many runs does each skier get in the qualifying round, and how many advance to the final?

The qualifying round consists of two runs, with each competitor’s best single run counting. The top 12 skiers advance to the final.

If the organizers choose to divide the qualification field into separate heats, then a certain number of skiers from each heat advance to the final, but the total number of skiers advancing to the final still would be 12.

Scores from the qualifying round do not carry over to the final.

How many runs does each skier get in the freeski slopestyle final?

The final consists of three runs. Once again, only each competitor’s best score counts toward the final results.

How is the start order determined for the freeski slopestyle final?

The start order for all three runs is the inverse of the results from the qualification round, so the athlete with the lowest score in qualifying goes first and the athlete with the best score goes last.

How many judges score each slopestyle run at the Olympics?

Each slopestyle run is scored by a team of nine judges. Three of those judges are responsible for evaluating each run based on overall impression. The remaining judges are split into groups — typically three groups of two — with each group responsible for evaluating tricks done on specific sections of the course.

How does Olympic freeski slopestyle scoring and judging work?

There are two different types of judging that slopestyle contests can use:

• Overall impression: Each judge scores the run as a whole on a scale from 0-100
• Section-by-section: Some judges score the run based on overall impression, while other judges assign scores to individual tricks

For the Winter Olympics, freeski slopestyle events use section-by-section judging. Final scores are out of 100 and are made up of the following components:

• 60% trick scores
• 40% overall impression

Although FIS rules allow different sections to be weighted disproportionately, it is common for contests using this method to value all sections equally. So the maximum number of points that can be awarded would be the same for a rail section at the top of the course as it would be for a giant booter at the bottom, placing emphasis on a well-rounded run rather than one or two big jump tricks.

Because many slopestyle courses have six sections, usually three jumps and three rail sections, that would make each section worth 10% of the overall score. In this scenario, judges would enter their trick scores on a scale of 0-100, but each trick would be recalculated into a score of up to 10.0 points.

In giving their marks, judges consider several different criteria, including:

• Amplitude: In slopestyle, amplitude is not just gaining the most height or distance possible, but landing at the decided “sweet spot.” To have too much or too little amplitude on kickers can be dangerous and will be taken into account by the judges.
• Difficulty: The technical difficulty of tricks is assessed. Generally speaking, tricks with more rotations and/or more inverts are considered more technically difficult and are rewarded as such. But there are other ways skiers can increase the difficulty of a particular trick. For example, an athlete may decide to take off switch (backward) when executing a trick, or they may decide to do a more challenging grab to differentiate themselves from other skiers in the field.
• Variety: Skiers are expected to showcase a diverse mix of tricks. One of the most important ways a skier can show variety is in the way they spin when executing tricks. There are four possible directions in which a skier can spin: left, right, switch left and switch right. (In other words, athletes can either spin to their left or to their right, and they can do this while skiing either forward or switch.) Most slopestyle courses feature three or four jumps, so athletes often will map out their runs in a way that allows them to perform a different spin on each jump. Another way skiers can show variety is in their grabs. Rather than doing the same grab on every single trick, athletes frequently will mix it up.
• Execution: This refers to the stability, fluidity and control of the tricks performed. Were the grabs held properly and for a long enough period of time? How smooth were the landings? Did the skier drag their hand across the ground at any point? How much “style” was evident in the run? These all are among the considerations of the judges.
• Progression: Skiers are rewarded for introducing new tricks or for linking together tricks in a way that never gas been done before. Creativity and innovation also can be factored in.

There is no true universal consensus on “deductions” or how to determine an exact score. More than anything, scores are a means to an end — a way for judges to accurately position athletes on the leaderboard. Scoring is based on how athletes stack up against each other on that particular day, rather than being based on a strict mathematical formula or even past history.

For example, the very first athlete to compete sometimes might receive what’s deemed to be a “low” score, relatively speaking. This simply is because judges, who have to evaluate the run they just witnessed against theoretical runs they think might occur later on, need to leave themselves cushioning to account for other competitors — in other words, a skier never will score a perfect 100 unless they are the final athlete to take a run. Because of this, scores from two different contests, whether it’s between two different rounds or two different Olympics, truly never will be comparable.

How are individual sections of the freeski slopestyle course scored?

For each section, the judges will evaluate the trick(s) executed in that section and assign a score of up to 100 points. Each section is evaluated independently of one another, so it’s up to the judges to decide which tricks belong at the higher end of the scale for that particular section.

Based on how many features the slopestyle course has, each trick score is recalculated so that all the trick scores account for 60% of the overall score when combined together.

What deductions can occur during a freeski slopestyle run?

Where a skier often will lose points is in the execution of their tricks. A run could be packed with a variety of difficult tricks, but if any single one of those tricks isn’t executed well, then the overall score will suffer.

So, what are some of the reasons that a skier might be docked for poor execution?

• Athletes are expected to grab their skis during every jump trick. Missing the grab or letting go of the grab early is penalized.
• Skiers are expected to maintain control throughout each trick. Flailing the arms while in the air is penalized.
• At the end of each trick, judges are looking for clean landings. Hand drags are penalized even if the skier lands the trick without falling.
• Skiers are required to plan out their runs so they can flow from one section to the next without changing direction. If a skier’s direction changes between features (from forward to switch, or vice versa), that’s called a “revert” and is penalized.
• Skiers are expected to maximize the rail features. Coming off the rail early, rather than sliding to the end of it, likely is penalized unless it was done intentionally to link multiple tricks together.

As mentioned previously, there’s no standard decreeing that certain errors result in a specific number of points being deducted. That’s because the scores in freeskiing are used as a means to an end for ranking the athletes.

What are the most difficult rail tricks in freeski slopestyle?

When it comes to the rail sections, there isn’t any particular trick to expect. It’s more useful to understand some of the nuances that make certain tricks more technical than others:

• When jumping on or off a rail, higher degrees of rotation can add difficulty
• A “pretzel” — spinning onto the rail in one direction, then spinning off the rail in the opposite direction — can add difficulty
• Doing a trick switch (backward) can add difficulty
• Rails with longer sliding distances, narrower widths or characteristics such as kinks and curves can be more difficult to utilize
• Linking together multiple tricks in one section can add difficulty
• Transferring between two separate rail features can add difficulty

While the above guidelines are considered by the judges, there is a myriad of possible tricks that could be done in each section, and ultimately it’s up to the judges to decide how to weigh the difficulty of two different rail tricks against each other.

How is an Olympic slopestyle course designed?

The last two Olympic slopestyle courses (in 2018 and 2022) were developed and built by Schneestern, a German company that specializes in building action sports parks.

A slopestyle course must conform to certain standards — namely, it must have at least six features, and at least three of those features must be jumps. Beyond that, there’s a lot of room for creativity.

The rail sections — which must have multiple lines and must be designed with both snowboarders and freeskiers in mind — vary greatly from course to course, but even the jumps can be unique. Previous Olympic slopestyle courses have included angled kickers and side hits.

Even the perimeter of the course can have interesting elements. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, a structure paying homage to the Great Wall of China ran alongside the course. It wasn’t just decorative though — it also was designed to help shield the skiers from wind.

That slopestyle course’s lead designer, Dirk Scheumann, discussed the process of building the course in an NBC Olympics podcast.

What are the differences between slopestyle and big air skiing?

A typical slopestyle course features three rail sections and three jump sections. Take one of those jump sections, make it larger, and you basically have big air.

Aside from that, the biggest difference is in the competition format. Slopestyle forces skiers to put together one well-rounded run. Big air only requires skiers to land one trick at a time but still emphasizes consistency and variety due to its best-two-of-three format.

The skills used for slopestyle and big air largely are transferrable, so athletes who qualify will compete in both at the Winter Olympics. However, there are many athletes who specialize in one more so than the other.

How do weather conditions affect slopestyle contests?

Slopestyle contests can heavily be influenced by weather conditions:

• As the day progresses and the course moves from sun to shade, the course will get faster
• At certain hours of the day, when the sun is low in the sky, visibility can become an issue, as skiers will have a harder time spotting the landings on the jumps
• Snowy conditions cause the course to slow down, which makes it harder for skiers to gain the speed needed to do bigger tricks on the jumps
• Heavy wind can create safety issues for the skiers and is one of the major reasons that an event might be postponed or altered

An event featuring high-flying acrobatics on skis, aerials is a traditional freestyle skiing discipline that officially has been part of the Winter Olympics since 1994. The addition of a mixed team event at Beijing 2022 brought an exciting new twist, and the United States will be motivated to defend its gold medal in that event at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

Read on to learn nearly everything there is to know about aerials, including the scoring breakdown, judging criteria and competition format for Milan Cortina 2026.

What to know about other disciplines: Halfpipe | Slopestyle | Big Air | Moguls/Dual Moguls | Ski Cross

What aerials events will take place at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

There will be a total of three aerial skiing events at Milan Cortina 2026. In addition to the individual men’s and women’s competitions, the mixed team event returns for a second straight Olympics.

What is the schedule for aerials at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Aerial skiing competitions will take place on the following days at the Milan Cortina Games:

• Tuesday, Feb. 17 (Day 11): Women’s and men’s qualifying
• Wednesday, Feb. 18 (Day 12): Women final
• Thursday, Feb. 19 (Day 13): Men’s final
• Saturday, Feb. 21 (Day 15): Mixed team aerials

What are the quota limits for men’s and women’s aerials at the Olympics?

There are 25 quota spots each for men and women in aerials. Athletes who receive a quota spot are eligible to compete in the mixed team event if their country is participating. 

What are the rules for Olympic aerials?

Athletes ski down a hill and launch themselves up into the air using a steep vertical kicker. While in the air, they execute a series of flips and twists.

Each maneuver has a degree of difficulty assigned to it, but skiers also are judged on three pieces of criteria: air, form and landing. The judged components are multiplied by the degree of difficulty to get the athlete’s score for each jump.

What is the competition format for individual aerials at the Olympics?

Men’s and women’s aerials are divided into a qualifying round and a series of final rounds.

How does the Olympic aerials qualifying round work?

The qualifying round consists of two jumps. At the end of the first jump, the top six skiers advance directly to the final. All remaining skiers take a second jump but are not allowed to repeat the same maneuver they did in the first jump.

At the end of the second jump, six more skiers advance to the final. Skiers can advance based on either their first- or second-jump score, whichever is higher.

Scores do not carry over to the final rounds. 

How do the Olympic aerials final rounds work?

In Round 1 of the aerials final, all 12 skiers take two jumps each. Skiers cannot repeat the same maneuver. Results will be determined by each skier’s single best jump score, and the top six skiers move on to Round 2. Scores do not carry over.

In Round 2, each remaining skier takes one jump, and the scores from those jumps determine the final event results. Women are allowed to repeat a maneuver from Round 1, but men are not.

How is the start order determined for the Olympic aerials final rounds?

For Round 1 of the aerials final, the start order is the inverse of the qualification results, so the skier with the lowest ranking goes first and the top-ranked skier goes last. The start order is the same for both jumps in Round 1.

For Round 2, the start order is the inverse of the Round 1 results, so the top skier from Round 1 goes last.

How does the Olympic aerials mixed team event work?

At least eight countries are expected to compete in mixed team aerials. Each team consists of three athletes from the same nation. There must be at least one athlete of each gender on the team, but countries typically select two men and one woman.

There’s no qualifying round for mixed team aerials, but the final is broken into two rounds.

During Round 1, all three skiers take one jump, and the scores from those three jumps are added together to get each team’s cumulative score. The teams with the top four scores advance to Round 2. Scores do not carry over.

Round 2 uses the same format — all three skiers take one jump, and the scores from those three jumps are added together to get each team’s cumulative score. Unlike in the individual event, skiers are allowed to repeat the same jump they did in Round 1. The results from Round 2 determine the final event results.

How does the scoring work in Olympic aerials?

The scoring for aerials can be summed up in this formula: Component Scores x Degree of Difficulty = Total Score 

There are three different components that are scored, each with its own weighting:

• Air (20%): Judges analyze the execution of the takeoff, as well as the height and distance of the skier’s jump
• Form (50%): Judges analyze the position of the body, skis, arms, hands, and/or poles while the skier is in the air. Points will be deducted for form breaks and for missing parts of their planned maneuver.
• Landing (30%): Judges look for a stable, balanced landing at the end of the maneuver. Points will be deducted for hand drags and other errors.

These components are evaluated individually by a panel of five judges, and the highest and lowest scores for each component are dropped.

The remaining scores from those three components are added together — 30.0 points is the maximum a skier can receive — and then multiplied by the maneuver’s degree of difficulty to get the total score for that jump.

A degree of difficulty is assigned to every possible maneuver in aerials. Skiers can only perform maneuvers that are included on the allowed list, and they must declare what maneuver(s) they’re attempting before they compete.

What deductions can occur during an aerials jump?

Ways that an aerial skier can lose points for a jump include:

• The skier pops off the ramp either too early or too late
• The skier’s form starts too early (for example, they begin a twist while still on the kicker)
• The skier’s trajectory through the air is too high or too low
• The skier misses parts of a planned maneuver
• The skier has a form break during their maneuver (for example, their legs or skis are apart)
• The skier drags their hand during the landing
• The skier is imbalanced during the landing
• The skier lands with a slap back (their back bounces off the snow during the landing)

If a skier does not correctly execute the planned number of twists or flips, they will receive a DNF (did not finish) for that jump.

What are the most difficult maneuvers in aerials?

Quintuple-twisting triple flips are among the most difficult maneuvers currently performed in men’s aerials. There are several different types of quintuple-twisting triple flips, but the one with the highest degree of difficulty attempted at the 2025 World Championships was a “full, triple full, full.” In other words, the skier performs three flips, with one twist on the first flip, three twists on the second flip, and one twist on the third flip.

In women’s aerials, a “full, full, full” — three flips with one twist in each flip — was the highest-degree-of-difficulty trick attempted at the 2025 World Championships. In 2017, Ashley Caldwell became the first woman to land a quadruple-twisting triple flip known as “The Daddy.”

What are the differences between big air skiing and aerials?

Aerials is considered a more traditional freestyle skiing event, while big air is a new-school discipline that falls under freeskiing. There is no crossover between the two disciplines.

Aerials is more regimented, as skiers must choose from a list of allowed maneuvers, each of which has a degree of difficulty assigned to it, ahead of time. Within each flip, the skier does a pre-determined number of twists, and the number of twists done during each flip can vary throughout the course of one jump.

Big air, on the other hand, gives skiers the freedom to do whatever they want. In fact, athletes are encouraged to try tricks that never have been done before or to put their own unique spin on existing tricks. The trick freedom in big air skiing includes the ability to take off or land backward (known as switch), something that is not allowed in aerials.

Big air skiers are expected to grab their skis during a trick, and making their tricks look as stylish as possible can improve their scores. Aerial skiers, however, try to remain straight at all times and use their arms to help control their rotation and maintain form.

Furthermore, the ramps in aerials launch the skier straight up into the air, while the jumps in big air allow skiers to cover longer, horizontal distances.

As a result of all this, the tricks executed in aerials and big air are nothing alike. The events also have different competition formats and different rules for judging and scoring.

Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo have been named in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Team of the Tournament.

Our Lionesses became two-time champions with Sunday’s penalty shootout win over Spain.

Russo caught the eye with goals against Wales and Spain, while Kelly was a super substitute in the knockout stages, coming on to help England to quarter-final success against Sweden, score the late winner in the semi-final against Italy, and score the decisive penalty in the final.

Russo led all England players for goal involvements, with only Alexia Putellas registering more among all players. That’s because, although Russo only netted twice herself, including the all-important equaliser in the final against Spain, she also provided three assists for her teammates.

Read more

How our Lionesses led England to Euros glory

Kelly’s impact off the bench can’t be underestimated. She created 10 chances at the tournament – the most of any substitute, with Beth Mead also creating four when she was brought on.

Chosen by the UEFA Technical Observer Group, the others players in the team are Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Irene Paredes, Elena Linari, Franziska Kett, Patricia Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Jule Brand.

Morecambe have been suspended from the National League with immediate effect due to financial issues.

In a statement released on Monday, the National League’s compliance and licensing committee said it had met to “debate the on-going concerns surrounding Morecambe Football Club and its compliance with National League rules” and discussed “the club’s ability to meet its financial obligations” for the 2025-26 season.

“It was decided further sanctions must be imposed, with the club’s membership to be suspended with immediate effect,” the statement added. “The club will also remain under embargo ahead of the new season. The committee will meet again on Wednesday, Aug. 20 to determine if outstanding items have been satisfied.”

The committee’s next meeting date is after the club’s scheduled opening National League fixtures against Boston United (Aug. 9), Brackley Town (Aug. 16) and Scunthorpe United (Aug. 19).

Morecambe have also been removed from the National League Cup.

The club, who were preparing for their first season back in the fourth tier after relegation from the Football League last season, have been the subject of long-running takeover sagas involving owner Jason Whittingham and Bond Group.

“I didn’t actually want to do the 100. I just wanted to come in and do the relays and 200m backstroke, so putting myself out there for a little bit and yeah, I think it’s good to get the monkey off my back.

“Off the back of Paris, I just found I was getting a bit too consumed with the pressure and the nerves, not only that the media kind of circulates but the ones that I put on myself.

“So I’m really just taking this year to get back into it, find my love for the sport again because I don’t ever want to lose that.”

Asked about what changes she has made to help, McKeown added: “I’ve moved back to the Sunshine Coast now and it’s been the best move that I could have done for myself.

“I’m the happiest I’ve been outside of the sport for a really, really long time and hopefully, maybe not this year but next year, it’ll start showing it in my swimming too.”

Smith won bronze in the 100m backstroke at last year’s Olympics, and ahead of the next chapter of this rivalry in Tuesday’s final – which will also feature Paris silver medallist Kylie Masse – McKeown said: “It would be boring if there wasn’t a rivalry, you know, it’s the reason that swimming becomes competitive.

“I’m just here to have a good time and have fun, and like I said, if that’s coming first or last, I’m here for a good time.”

Aryna Sabalenka is making the most of her brief time away from the court.

The World No. 1, who withdrew from this week’s Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers in Montreal to get some much-needed R&R, let loose and rocked out at the Coldplay concert at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this past weekend. She appeared to have a blast taking in the show with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, and some pals. 

Sabalenka has professed her love for the British rock band before, and you could tell she was all in while dancing to the 2014 hit A Sky Full of Stars. 

The 27-year-old, whose 56 matches played in 2025 are the most of any player in the Top 50 — she’s won 49 of them — seems to have thoroughly enjoyed her much-needed and much-deserved vacation and recovery time this month. Following her semifinal defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon, she jetted to Greece to catch some rays and relax by the pool.

Though the three-time Grand Slam champion has fallen painfully short at the three majors in 2025, she’s opened up a sizable lead atop the PIF WTA Rankings. She currently has 12,420 points — becoming the first player on tour to amass 12,000-plus points since Serena Williams a decade ago — and holds a comfortable 4,751-point lead over World No. 2 Coco Gauff, who has 7,669 points entering play at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal. She’s won three titles thus far in 2025 (Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid) and is the only player who has qualified for the 2025 WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

Sabalenka is set to return to action early next month at the Cincinnati Open, which she won last year without dropping a set. She’ll also be one of the overwhelming favorites — if not the favorite — to capture her second consecutive US Open title in Flushing Meadows at the end of the summer.

 

A successful two-year spell in Germany followed, where Xhaka helped Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga title in 2024.

The deal will take Sunderland’s summer spending to a £114m this summer, albeit having recouped around £37m through the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson.

Only the traditional big six clubs in the Premier League have spent more than the Black Cats after they gained promotion from the Championship through a play-off final win against Sheffield United in May.

Xhaka is set to be the club’s eighth summer signing, following the arrivals of Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra.