Hopefully Kinghorn’s injury ‘not too serious’ – Farrellpublished at 13:20 British Summer Time
13:20 BST
FT: Brumbies 24-36 Lions
British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell, speaking to Sky Sports: “It was the same as the other games. There was some really good stuff, especially in the first half there was some nice flowing attacking play played at a nice tempo.
“We kept them in the game. We kept them in with a sniff, especially by being held up three times over the tryline.
On Blair Kinghorn’s injury: “Hopefully it is not too serious. He said someone landed on his knee, he was walking around.”
Australia’s record-breaking teenage sprinter Gout Gout will run in his second ever European race this week when he competes at the 2025 Meeting Herculis in Monaco, the 10th stop of the 2025 Diamond League athletics campaign.
The 17-year-old, who ran a 200m Australian and Oceanian record 20.02 seconds last month in a Continental Tour event in Czechia, is due to take part in a men’s under-23 race at the Stade Louis II in Monte-Carlo.
He’s one of the most hyped young talents in the sport – and the European public gets another rare glimpse of him this week. Here’s how to follow the action.
Olympic snowboard champion Anna Gasser has undergone successful surgery after suffering a shoulder dislocation while surfing recreationally in Munich, Germany.
The 33-year-old two-time Big Air gold medallist reportedly suffered a labral tear and a biceps tendon as part of the injury and received treatment last week.
“The examinations showed that the shoulder was briefly dislocated. The labrum and biceps tendon were affected. The surgery restored the necessary stability in the shoulder,” Gasser said in a statement.
“Even though it isn’t easy for me, I will have to be patient for now. After that, I will concentrate on training and compete in selected World Cup competitions so that I can travel to the Olympic Games in Italy optimally prepared.”
As a result of the injury, the Austrian will now switch up her training program ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where she is due to defend her title.
The snow training initially planned for the summer in Australia will no longer go ahead, with Gasser’s focus instead shifting to Europe in preparation for the Games.
Earlier this year, Gasser told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview that she has plans to retire after the Olympics.
The women’s Big Air final is scheduled to take place on the evening of Monday, 9 February.
It was a thrilling weekend for Para athletics with some of the world’s best delivering standout performances in Germany and the United States.
Dutch star Fleur Jong and German sprinter Johannes Floors both set new world records at the Para Leichtathletik Heimspiel in Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Paralympic medallists Orla Comerford, Olivier Hendriks, Salum Kashafali and Tatyana McFadden claimed victories at the 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon – one of the most prestigious track and field meets in the world, also known as the Eugene Diamond League.
Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Jong improved her own world record in the women’s 100m T62, clocking 12.19 – 0.12 faster than her previous best set just a month earlier at the Paris World Para Athletics Grand Prix. She is enjoying a stellar season, having also extended her women’s long jump T62 world record to 6.86m at June’s Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria.
Bayer Leverkusen, a club renowned for its football team, is also home to one of Europe’s strongest Para athletics squads. Among its stars is Floors, who thrilled the home crowd by setting a new world record in the men’s 200m T62 with a time of 20.29 – shaving 0.04 off his previous mark set over three years ago.
Paralympic legend and local hero Markus Rehm (T64) won the men’s long jump with 8.36m. Paris 2024 silver medallist in the men’s javelin F46, India’s Ajeet Singh took home gold in his event. A world champion at Paris 2023 he will be aiming for a second world title in front of the home crowd at the upcoming World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi this September.
McFadden delights crowd
Across the Atlantic in Eugene, the Diamond League/Pre Classic featured four Para athletics as part of a packed 30-event programme that included 98 Olympic and Paralympic medallists.
Twenty-two-time Paralympic medallist Tatyana McFadden delighted the home crowd with a victory in the women’s 800m T54, finishing in 1:46.89. Belgium’s Lea Bayekula came second (1:47.66) with fellow USA wheelchair racer Hannah Dederick third (1:50.61).
Zuvor lief Fleur Jong aus den Niederlanden ebenfalls zu einem neuen Weltrekord über 100 m auf der Gegengerade des Stadions am Moosweg – mit 12,19 Sekunden. pic.twitter.com/PacekoQn8H
Ireland’s Orla Comerford and Norway’s Salum Kashafali successfully defended their titles in the women’s and men’s 100m multiclass races, respectively. Comerford clocked 12.14, finishing ahead of the USA’s Brittni Mason (12.40) and New Zealand’s Anna Grimaldi (12.41).
“It’s a real honour and I hope it’s not my last time here. It’s a great, great crowd and a great audience. Everyone at Pre just puts on a real spectacular show and it’s a privilege to be a part of it,” said Comerford, the Paris 2024 bronze medallist in the women’s 100m T13.
In the men’s 100m mixed class event, five of the eight athletes ran under 11 seconds. Kashafali took the win in 10.61, followed by USA sprinters and Paris 2024 champions Noah Malone (10.70) and Jaydin Blackwell (10.74).
“It’s a big win, especially when I race against Noah Malone, he’s one of the hardest competitors in the sport. So it’s a big win, I’m happy for it,” said the Norwegian.
In the men’s 200m T62/T64, Olivier Hendriks of the Netherlands took home the win, followed by home favourite Hunter Woodhall (21.51) and Costa Rica’s Sherman Guity (21.63).
Click here for complete results from the Pre Classic and here for all results from the Para Leichtathletik Heimspiel.
Nigeria and Botswana will meet for the second time at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) when they clash in their second Group B match at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday.
Their previous WAFCON encounter was also in the second group match of the 2022 edition. Nigeria won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ifeoma Onumonu (21’) and Christy Ucheibe (48’).
In that 2022 fixture, Nigeria came into the match having lost their opener to South Africa, while Botswana had started with a 4-2 win over Burundi. Nigeria went on to beat both Botswana and Burundi to finish second in the group behind South Africa. Botswana lost their final two group matches but progressed as one of the best third-placed teams.
In the 2022 meeting, Botswana had just 26.3% possession against Nigeria — their lowest share in any WAFCON match to date.
Past WAFCON Meeting: Group C – 7 July, 2022: Botswana 0 Nigeria 2 (Onumonu 21’, Ucheibe 48’)
Nigeria – Key Facts
Began the 2024 tournament with a 3-0 win over Tunisia — their first opening-match win since 2016 (having lost in 2018 and 2022).
Nigeria have now won their last three WAFCON group games, scoring nine goals without conceding.
A win would mark Nigeria’s first back-to-back victories to start a tournament since 2014, when they beat Côte d’Ivoire 4-2 and Zambia 6-0.
If they keep a clean sheet, it will be the first time Nigeria go unbreached in their opening two matches since 1998 (8-0 vs Morocco and 6-0 vs DR Congo).
Nigeria’s record in second group matches at WAFCON: P12 W8 D3 L1. Their only defeat came in 2002 (0-1 vs Ghana).
They have failed to win their second group game just three other times: 2-2 vs Cameroon (2004), 0-0 vs Tunisia (2008), 1-1 vs Ghana (2016).
Nigeria have only twice failed to score in their second group match: the 2002 loss to Ghana and the 2008 draw with Cameroon.
A win would be Nigeria’s 30th group stage victory in WAFCON history (P38 W29 D5 L3).
Asisat Oshoala, who scored Nigeria’s opener against Tunisia, netted her 14th career WAFCON goal. She has now scored in four editions: 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2024.
Nigeria had 24 goal attempts and 9 shots on target vs Tunisia — they faced no shots on target themselves.
They completed 386 out of 465 attempted passes against Tunisia.
Ashleigh Plumptre had a game-high 100 touches.
Botswana – Key Facts
Lost their opening game 1-0 against Algeria.
Are currently on a four-match losing streak at the finals.
Their last three defeats at the finals have all been by a one-goal margin (excluding repechage/play-off matches in 2022).
Their last WAFCON win came against Burundi in their 2024 opener.
They have never kept a clean sheet at the finals, conceding in every match played.
This is only their second-ever second group match at WAFCON — the first was the 2-0 loss to Nigeria in 2022.
Botswana have scored just one goal in their last four WAFCON matches – that came in their 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Morocco in 2022.
Of Botswana’s five all-time WAFCON goals, four came in their 4-2 win over Burundi in 2022. The other came against Morocco in the quarterfinals.
Goalkeeper Sedilame Boseja made six saves in the 1-0 defeat to Algeria – matching her tally from the 2022 loss to Nigeria.
All three of Botswana’s shots on target against Algeria came in the second half.
Jofra Archer exploded onto the international cricket scene in the summer of 2019, starring for England in its memorable title triumph at the 50-over World Cup and then the Ashes series weeks later.
Since then, the Barbados-born quick has been blighted by a run of injuries that has derailed the career of one of cricket’s most talented pace bowlers and meant he hasn’t played a test for England since 2021.
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Following his selection for the third test against India starting Thursday, here’s a look at his injury problems over the past five years:
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2020
Archer misses three of England’s four test matches against South Africa and then a tour of Sri Lanka because of a bone stress injury in his right elbow.
2021
Archer requires an injection in his right elbow and misses two of England’s four tests against India, as well as the subsequent ODI series. The problem gets worse when he plays in the tour-ending T20 series.
Because of that issue and after a tendon injury in his right hand sustained when he broke a fish tank while trying to clean it, he misses the Indian Premier League.
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On the verge of a test return, Archer complains of pain in his right elbow and misses the home series against New Zealand. Scans later reveals a stress fracture, ruling him out of the test series against India, the Ashes Down Under and the T20 World Cup in between.
In December, Archer undergoes a second operation on his elbow, ruling him out of the upcoming West Indies tour.
2022
In May, Archer is diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back and is sidelined for the rest of the season. He also misses the T20 World Cup won by England at the end of the year.
2023
Archer plays white-ball cricket for England against South Africa and Bangladesh from January to March but complains of pain in his right elbow while at the IPL and later withdraws from the competition.
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He returns to England for rehab but misses the entire international summer because of a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.
Archer returns to close-to-full fitness but isn’t available for England’s feeble 50-over World Cup title defense in India.
2024
With his injury situation starting to clear up, Archer and England agree to him only playing white-ball cricket for the country that year. He plays at the T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean and the United States.
2025
In May, Archer misses the ODI series against the West Indies because of a right thumb injury but is included in the test squad against India, though misses the first two matches.
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He gets called up for the third test starting Thursday at Lord’s, with England captain Ben Stokes saying: “If we didn’t think he’s in a position to get through a test match as a bowler, then we wouldn’t be considering him for selection.”
Clyde the mascot of Glasgow 2014 will not be returning for next year’s Commonwealth Games
Clyde, the Glasgow 2014 mascot has announced he won’t be returning for next year’s Commonwealth Games hosted by the city.
The animated thistle, which is Scotland’s national flower, was the face of the international sporting event and statues of him remain in place across Glasgow.
Organisers said Clyde will still play a role in next year’s event, but for now he is stepping aside in favour of a new mascot ‘bursting with personality and sparkle’.
The Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow in 2026 between 23 July and 2 August, and will involve 10 sports across four venues.
In a statement, Clyde the ‘talking thistle’ didn’t seem too prickly about his departure but confirmed he was passing the baton to a new games ambassador.
He said: “Back in 2014, I was honoured to play a part in one of the greatest sporting summers Glasgow and Scotland have ever seen.
“To know that after all these years, I still hold such a place in the heart of this city and in the heart of Scotland, is a far greater honour than a simple thistle could ever ask for.
“So for this very reason – and with a heart full of excitement for what’s about to come – that I officially rule myself out of the running to be the mascot for Glasgow 2026.”
Clyde became synonymous with the Glasgow 2014 event and was immortalised when 25 life-size Clyde statues were erected across the city including the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and at George Square.
Some have had to be taken down due to vandalism.
He was a popular character and by the final day of the Games, over 50,000 Clyde mascot cuddly toys had been sold.
Other games have had their own mascots including, Borobi the blue koala from the Gold Coast 2018, and Perry the bull from Birmingham 2022.
Glasgow stepped into host a “scaled-back” version of the games last year, after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host due to rising costs.
Clyde’s memorable moments from Glasgow 2014
Clyde became the face of Glasgow 2014 and rubbed shoulders with stars including Usain Bolt
He impressed world leaders and Royals, including Prince William and Princess Kate with his athletic prowess
Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, said: “Clyde is loved by everybody in the Commonwealth Games community, from the team, fans and athletes to the wider public for his friendly face, his energy and his pride in Scotland.
“He’s given many years of tireless service and will be a tough act to follow, but we know our brilliant new mascot will add magic and sparkle to the Games and win a new generation of hearts across Glasgow, Scotland and around the world.
“Imagined by the young people of Glasgow to shine on the world stage, this character captures everything Glasgow 2026 is about – fun, inclusion, pride and progress.
“We can’t wait to unveil them to the world later this month.”
The new mascot has been created by the Glasgow 2026 Mascot Makers, a team of 76 schoolchildren from 24 Glasgow schools.
Organisers have confirmed the new Glasgow 2026 mascot will be revealed on 23 July to mark one year to go until the Games officially begin.
Could Glasgow 2026’s mascot be a unicorn, a haggis or even a new embodiment of the city’s iconic Duke of Wellington statue with a traffic cone on his head?
Until then, sporting fans will be left to speculate.
The heartbreak of missing a second Olympic medal continues to haunt Team Mirabai Chanu. A silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, Mirabai finished fourth in the 49kg at the Paris 2024 Olympics weightlifting competition on August 7, 2024. She was edged out by a Thai opponent Surodchana Khambao by the barest of margins.
Almost a year after that setback, Mirabai told Olympics.com that her failure in the first lift of the clean and jerk section was a damper. Mirabai’s coach of more than a decade, Vijay Sharma, said “losing the medal by a kilogram still hurts and will never be erased.”
After the shooters had given India a never-seen-before dream start with a troika of bronze at Chateauroux, weightlifting promised a sure-shot medal. The question was what the colour would be!
There was a lot of expectation around Mirabai because she was physically fit, trained hard at the national camp in Patiala and before entering the Games Village in Paris, had acclimatised well at La Ferte-Milon in France with her two main trainers – coach Sharma and physio Dr Aaron Horschig, the man behind Mirabai’s splendid recovery from a debilitating hip injury sustained at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022.
Almost everyone in the Indian media contingent covering the Summer Games turned up at the South Paris Arena on the evening of August 7. There was a sizeable Indian audience and Mirabai, doing a traditional ‘Namaste’, received a thunderous ovation when the line-up was introduced.
Even if she targeted 90kgs in snatch, Mirabai equalled her personal best of 88kgs in her second and final attempt. Just like a false start in athletics, no balls in cricket, bad lifts are part of weightlifting. Remember defending champion Neeraj Chopra had a series of foul throws before winning the Paris Olympics silver in javelin.
Bad lifts can be a result of awry technique, incorrect form, excessive weight or simply because of a lack of warm-up. It was hard to imagine that an experienced weightlifter like Mirabai would not have prepared her body before her lifts in Paris. At the end of the snatch round, Mirabai and Surodchana were joint third, both having lifted 88kgs each.
The clean and jerk section would be decisive. Mirabai failed in her first attempt at 111kgs. She was successful in her second attempt immediately after but Surodchana put the pressure back on Mirabai by lifting 112kgs in her second attempt.
“That bad lift disturbed my rhythm. I was having painful cramps due to my periods and that failed attempt not only dazed me but probably affected my preparation. For me, lifting 111 was not a challenge but the unsuccessful lift probably made the difference in our planning,” said Mirabai on the sidelines of the launch of the ASMITA women’s weightlifting league in Modinagar on Tuesday.
Surodchana lifted 112kgs in clean and jerk for a total of 200kgs. Mirabai (total 199kgs) could not improve beyond 111 – she missed her final attempt at 114kgs — and was relegated to the fourth position. There have been questions on her team’s selection of weights in the clean and jerk category but Mirabai reiterated that it was “just bad luck and the decision on weight selection was unanimous between her and the coach.”
“Me and my coach knew that even if we did 112 and 113, a medal was guaranteed. We came to Paris regularly doing up to 115 and 117, but kismat (luck) was not with us that evening,” said Mirabai.
While Mirabai put it down to a medal-denying bad lift, coach Sharma was more emotional about missing out on a podium finish. Uttering the lyrics of a famous Jagjit Singh ghazal — Jo beet gya hai, woh gujar kyo nahi jata (Why doesn’t what has passed, just pass away?” – Sharma said: “It’s not easy to forget this. We had really prepared hard and wanted to make history again and set a benchmark. It was not to be.”
Sharma and Mirabai are working hard at the former’s Weightlifting Warriorz Academy in Modinagar. Going forward, she will be in a new weight category – 48kgs – and both refuse to put the cart before the horse as Mirabai still wants to achieve 90kgs in snatch. She will be 30 on August 8.
“I have been working on slight tweaks in my technique, particularly in snatch. Snatch is all technique while clean and jerk is more power based. How to lift and progress, how to control the back, execution of the second pull, all those aspects need technical refinement. These are little changes but over the years, the body develops muscle memory which is hard to let go,” Mirabai told a group of selected media personnel.
Keeping fit and peaking in the big tournaments will be key to Mirabai’s progress. Her immediate calendar includes the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad from August 24-30. Then her biggest test will come in the IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway from October 2-11.
The goal will then shift to the 2026 Asian Games which will be held in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4. Mirabai’s cupboard doesn’t have an Asian Games gold medal yet. The LA 2028 Olympics are not in Team Mirabai’s mind yet!
As part of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) efforts to further develop Para athletes, coaches, classifiers and technical officials to the highest level, it held a three-day training camp in Windhoek, Namibia, from 30 June to 2 July, bringing together 86 participants from 16 African countries.
Organised as part of the IPC’s Sport for Mobility Programme, the camp offered a comprehensive range of training opportunities in Para athletics and Para powerlifting and was organised with the support of the respective international federations World Para Athletics and World Para Powerlifting.
The Para athletics elements of the training camp focused on athlete development, while the coaching course and technical officials’ course aimed to enhance the skills of coaches and classifiers. The Para powerlifting courses for classifiers and technical officials aimed to build technical expertise and strengthen the support network essential for the growth of the sport across the region.
Kristina Molloy, the IPC’s Chief Membership and Impact Officer said: “As part of our commitment to advance the work and capabilities of our 200+ member organisations around the world, the IPC is proud to deliver a wide range of transformational sport development initiatives under the umbrella of Sport for Mobility.
“Our focus is on the key components that contribute to a Para athletes’ path to success, like training, coaching and classification. Annual events, such as this three-day training camp in Namibia, are targeted to a specific region and designed to develop the fundamental building blocks for long-term success.
“The feedback from athletes, coaches and technical officials in Namibia has been really positive and we look forward to organising similar three-day training camps in the Americas, Asia and Oceania.”
The training camp focused on further developing Para athletes, coaches, classifiers and technical officials. @H. N. Kapanga / IPC
Developing Para athletics
Para athletes attending the three-day training camp took part in track and field training sessions with coaches and were given a chance to explore the history and values of the Paralympic Movement, and explore what it means to be an athlete leader.
Manfred Kpapa, a Para athlete from Namibia, said: “My favourite part of the training was learning about what it means to compete at the Paralympic Games and what is the value of the athlete. I enjoyed the training at the stadium.
“It is important for me to do this training to have more motivation, to get more experience and how I should do my training and how to work better on the track.”
Coaching course participants were provided hands-on and theoretical training, covering planning and training strategies, running mechanics, throwing basics, and long jump techniques. Additional sessions focused on communication, anti-doping, and the role of the coach. Coaches also participated in group presentations and peer feedback sessions, enhancing their ability to support athlete development effectively.
The World Para Athletics (WPA) technical officials course educated participants on the sport’s rules, ethics, and risk management. Participants received training on equipment use, venue set-up, and regulations for track and field events. The course concluded with a practical workshop and final examination, ensuring that officials were well-prepared to support future competitions.
Catherine Louise Sellers, an instructor of the WPA coaching course highlighted the positive engagement of participants: “Our students have been wonderful. They have been engaged, they want to learn, and they have been sharing with us and with each other.
“My hope for the students is that they continue to learn. A coach is constantly learning. They have to learn new things, new techniques come out, new prosthetics come out, new equipment comes out, so they have to learn to adapt to that. As long as they keep learning, they keep growing, and the Movement will continue to grow. We want more representation around the world, and by coming here, that’s what we are doing.”
Strengthening Para powerlifting
With Africa boasting two of the top five medal winning nations in Para powerlifting at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the continent has proven there is a strong pool of talented athletes.
To support the development of the sport in the region further, a classifier course covered athlete evaluation, classification criteria, safety assessments, and practical evaluations. Meanwhile, the technical officials course included weigh-in procedures, judging, marshalling, and lift challenges. These sessions are key to expanding the pool of qualified personnel to support Para powerlifting events across the region.
Alieu Mansaray of Sierra Leone, who participated in the Technical Official World Para Powerlifting course, was motivated to put his newly acquired knowledge into practice. “I want to go to my country, serve as an ambassador to develop the sport of Para powerlifting and to help those who are less privileged to improve.”
Previous training camps as the one held in Namibia were held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2024 targeting National Paralympic Committees and Para athletes from Asia, and Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2023 focussed on participants from the Americas.
