Great Britain have claimed a second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics after Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes won the mixed team snowboard cross event.
Javier Zanetti lived out his dreams as a player, lifting 16 trophies in an Inter Milan career that spanned a record 858 appearances, winning 145 caps for Argentina, and earning a reputation as one of the best defensive players of his generation.
Claudio Braga and Stephen Kingsley were on target as resurgent Hearts won 2-0 away to misfiring Falkirk to move six points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. was equal parts playmaker and ringmaster on Thanksgiving Day, whipping the Spartans fans who traveled to Fort Myers, Florida, over the holiday into a frenzy with every blow-by drive, pass and dunk.
The Michigan State faithful weren’t just treated to a show, but invited to be a part of the No. 11 Spartans’ 74-58 victory over No. 16 North Carolina (6-1) at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
At one point in the second half, when UNC guard Luka Bogavac was fouled on a 3-pointer and went to the line, Fears and Bogavac bumped into each other. Incidental contact, it appeared. The Spartan point guard turned to Bogavac, telling him, “Don’t do that!”
A teammate stepped in to pull Fears back. He smiled and locked eyes with a fan in the crowd, nodding his head. He may as well have offered the spectator a playful wink.
So it’s no wonder that, when Fears was fouled on a late 3-pointer — a dagger cutting through a late push for the Tar Heels — the crowd erupted in glee. He kept them cheering, following that up with an assist on a fastbreak layup. That stretched Michigan State’s lead to double digits. UNC never recovered, suffering its first loss on the season.
The Tar Heels made a late push, cutting the deficit to three points midway through the second half, but that’s as close as they’d get as the Spartans, led by Fears’ 19 points, soon pulled away.
“He controls the game,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “He’s big, strong, plays under control… I felt like his presence out there on both ends of the floor really settled them. And he played a really good game tonight. I was very impressed.”
UNC started the season by stacking six wins for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. The Tar Heels will have to wait for a bit longer for the seventh.
Here’s what we learned from North Carolina’s loss to Michigan State (7-0):
Spartans dominate on the boards
North Carolina entered Thanksgiving having outrebounded all of its opponents by a margin of seven or more.
It was evident pretty early on against the Spartans that continuing this trend would be a struggle for the Tar Heels. At one point midway through the first half, Michigan State had outrebounded UNC 11-4.
Veesaar missed a chance for a defensive rebound, instead batting the ball out of bounds. He clapped his hands in frustration, shaking his head. Senior guard Elijah Davis yelled from the bench to box out. His father, coach Davis, yelled “everyone has to come back!” to the team, bunching his hands together to emphasize the importance of everyone crashing the boards.
The team listened, and pretty soon, multiple stops and defensive rebounds helped fuel a brief 8-0 run for the Tar Heels.
But that didn’t last very long. The Spartans ended the game with 37 boards to UNC’s 30. Michigan State particularly excelled in defensive rebounding, pulling down 25 to North Carolina’s 18.
“We knew that it was going to be a physical game, and I do feel like we met that challenge at the beginning of the game,” coach Davis said. “It just goes back to being able to sustain it, and that’s something that this group has to do.”
UNC’s Kyan Evans (0) grabs the ball against Michigan State’s Carson Cooper (15) and Jeremy Fears Jr. (1). Intersport
Tar Heels struggle to contain Fears
The Spartans stormed back into the game with a 13-0 run late in the first half, powered in large part by Fears. The stellar point guard had four assists during that three minute stretch and backed up his playmaking with plenty of trash talk.
Fears entered Thursday averaging a nation-high 10.4 assists per game and assist rate of over 50%. He showed exactly why on Tuesday evening, finishing with seven dimes to power his team and rile up the large legion of Spartans fans in the process. Fears also added his 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. drives against UNC’s Kyan Evans. Intersport
His dribble drives routinely forced UNC to collapse. That exposed openings for his teammates to exploit when North Carolina failed to rotate or help on defense.
The highlight, of course, was his alley-oop to Carson Cooper, who finished with a nasty left-handed slam.
It would’ve been hard for any team, or any player, to stop Fears — especially with that kind of performance. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called it Fears’ best all-around game.
But it still begs the question: what would UNC guard Seth Trimble have been able to do on Fears, if he was healthy?
Fouls hamstring UNC frontcourt
After he was whistled for a loose ball foul with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half, Veesaar was sent to the bench. He stayed there until halftime, watching as UNC relinquished a seven-point lead.
Reserve forward James Brown took Veesaar’s place, with fellow backup Zayden High also seeing some minutes late in the first half when Wilson picked up a second foul.
That bench-heavy rotation, which also included Jonathan Powell, struggled to contain the Spartans. High added a putback layup late in the first half that cut UNC’s deficit to three, but North Carolina didn’t get much bench production outside of that.
With a 3-pointer from Powell, the Tar Heels only mustered five bench points.
“I wouldn’t specifically single out the bench,” Davis said. “North Carolina’s North Carolina. We’re all a team.”
Veesaar and Wilson returned in the second half to combine for 19 points after halftime. Veesaar, at one point, went on a personal 7-0 run.
But it wasn’t enough to get the job done, especially with the Spartans’ 28 paint points in the second half alone.
“I talked about points in the paint going into the game… they shot 51%. That’s just not going to work,” Davis said. “And then our struggles being able to shoot the ball from the perimeter. So there’s a number of things that we’ve got to get better at, clean up and continue to become more consistent. And that comes from everybody on the team.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM.
Middle Creek’s Derrick Morton (5) attempts the interception against Cary’s Jaylin Spivey (7) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025
Steven Worthy
Something happened to previously unbeaten Cary High School football on its way to a final-week showdown with Cardinal Gibbons for a shot at a conference title.
That “something”? Middle Creek.
The Mustangs’ rushing attack was too strong for the Imps’ defense as visiting Middle Creek dominated the line of scrimmage in a 42-0 road win over Cary Friday night.
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) rushes for the first down against Cary’s Michael McDonald (15) and James Melvin (22) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek will go on the road to winless Holly Springs next week with an outside chance at a Triangle Six 6A/7A conference crown. Cary will look to regroup against Cardinal Gibbons, though the Imps would much rather have been squaring off with the Crusaders as fellow conference unbeatens.
Cardinal Gibbons has one loss on the season, to Charlotte-area power Mallard Creek. Its average margin of victory over conference teams this fall has been 46.7 points, including a 26-point win over Middle Creek on Oct. 17.
If Cary can rebound and win that matchup, though, and Middle Creek can topple Holly Springs, Middle Creek, Cary and Cardinal Gibbons would have identical 3-1 conference records.
Friday in Cary, it was all Middle Creek. Already leading by 35 at the half, the Mustangs’ defense remained staunch to the end, stuffing the Imps’ opening drive inside the 10-yard line. Middle Creek tacked on another score in the fourth quarter to close the scoring.
Middle Creek wide receiver Tracy Harrington Jr (8) rushes for yards against Cary during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Mustangs roll in first half
Middle Creek got on the board early and often, staking itself to a two-touchdown lead with a heavy dose of the run game, first about four minutes into the game on a short TD run, and then again about four minutes later, also from inside the 5-yard line.
Despite starting at midfield, Cary’s ensuing drive stalled and the Imps had to punt. On its next possession spanning into the second quarter, Middle Creek again marched into Cary territory, Lex Sevilla cross the line from a yard out to push the Mustangs’ advantage to three scores.
Cary thought it had scored and climbed back into the game after a bizarre sequence in the second. After its third touchdown, Middle Creek tried for an onside kick, which it recovered.
The Mustangs then fumbled the ball, and Cary returned it to the end zone for what the Imps thought was their first touchdown of the game. But an illegal block in the back penalty negated the Cary score, and the Imps punted the ball back to Middle Creek four plays later.
The Mustangs inserted the dagger moments later when Tracy Harrington plunged into the end zone from 2 yards out, and they added another TD before halftime to push the margin to 35-0.
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) runs for the first down against Cary’s Ben Hines (28) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) reacts after getting the first down against Cary during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek’s Jabron Wilson (31) face masks Cary Quarterback Nick Grena (3) during the first half and resulting in a first down. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Faraz Chohan (50) reacts to the touchdown by Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary football head coach Coleman Tyrance watches the setup on the field against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary tight end Donald Haley Jr. (45) reflect on the bench after the plays by Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Erich Grena (5) runs for open field position against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek quarterback Lex Sevilla (6) looks to pass downfield against Cary during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) runs for the first down against Middle Creek’s Davis Prichard (7) during the second half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) runs for yardage against Cary’s James Melvin (22) during the second half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Erich Grena (5) kneels on the sidelines in the second half in the final minutes of their game with Middle Creek. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Skylan Joyner (25) looks for running room against Middle Creek’s Jayden Spencer (0) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) runs for the first down ahead of Middle Creek’s Cullen Hunt (9) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) runs for yardage against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary football head coach Coleman Tyrance watches the setup on the field against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) stiff-arms Middle Creek’s Quinn Newman (21) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Steven Worthy
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) gets the first down against the tackle from Cary’s Jaylin Spivey (7) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Skylan Joyner (25) rushes for yards against Middle Creek’s Mark Smith (40) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek running back Jayden Spencer (0) rushes for the first down against Cary’s Michael McDonald (15) and James Melvin (22) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek’s EJ Alvardo (38) celebrates his team’s touchdown against Cary with Kevin Moody during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Middle Creek’s Derrick Morton (5) makes the interception against Cary’s Jaylin Spivey (7) during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) prepares to set the ball for the kicker during pregame drills before taking on Middle Creek. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary quarterback Nick Grena (3) runs for yards against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Erich Grena (5) moves into position to block the defense from Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Cary’s Nick Grena (3) and Erich Grena (5) look to the sidelines for direction against Middle Creek during the first half. The Cary Imps and the Middle Creek Mustangs met in a conference football game in Cary, N.C. on October 24, 2025 Steven Worthy
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry speaks exclusively to Sky Sports to discuss 2027 free agency
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has opened up on his plans for free agency in 2027 after admitting situations change “really fast” in the NBA.
The prospect of Curry, a two-time league MVP and 11-time All-Star, playing for any franchise other than The Dubs is a strange one.
After being drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2009, Curry has gone on to revolutionise the game of basketball, helping himself to four championships, one finals MVP and the NBA record for most three-pointers made with 4,058 to add to his overall tally of 25,386 points.
All while wearing No 30 for the Warriors.
4 x NBA champion
2 x NBA MVP
2022 NBA Finals MVP
11 x NBA All-Star
2 x NBA All-Star MVP
11 x All-NBA Team selection
2024 NBA Clutch Player of the Year
2 x NBA Three-Point Content champion
Most three-pointers made in NBA history
Curry signed a one-year extension with the team in 2024, worth a reported £47.5m ($62.6m) and ending growing speculation around his future in the process, keeping him in San Francisco until 2027.
Two years from now, when that deal expires, the greatest shooter of all time will be 39.
After averaging just under 25 points, six assists, and over four rebounds in his 16th season, as well as longevity being more prominent than ever in the league, it is clear to see that his time in the NBA is far from over.
But could the next chapter in his illustrious career lie away from Chase Center? Do not rule it out.
“What I have learned about this league is that things change really fast,” Curry told Sky Sports while discussing Underrated Golf, a programme set up by the point guard to break down barriers to entry and increase diversity in the game of golf.
Underrated Golf is an initiative led by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to create a pathway into the sport for young athletes from underrepresented communities.
The programme aims to break down barriers in the game of golf to give prospects a level playing field, in a bid to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for young golfers.
“What you might feel like in two years from now could be totally different. I try to stay in the moment as much as possible; it’s not the glitziest answer but it allows me to enjoy what is happening now.
“I do want to play for only one team, let’s keep that pretty clear. Being at the Warriors has been unbelievable and I feel blessed to have only played for one franchise and to have accomplished what we have.
“So if I could have the best of both worlds and continue to be championship relevant over the next couple of years, that would be great but this league is wild. You kind of just stay in the moment.”
Despite a decision on his future looming as we approach 2027, Curry’s full focus remains on securing more success with the team he holds so dear to his heart in the upcoming 2025/26 season.
The arrival of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in February has shown early signs of promise after the Warriors reached the Western Conference semi-finals last time out, only to be denied the opportunity to show their title-winning credentials following a Grade 1 hamstring strain for Curry in game one against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A 4-1 defeat in the series would follow but heading into 2025/26, the roster has been bolstered by a new two-year deal for Jonathan Kuminga, as well as the arrival of 2024 NBA champion Al Horford,to run alongside long-term teammate Draymond Green in the frontcourt.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (left) Stephen Curry (centre) and forward Draymond Green (right)
With Curry now back to full fitness and fresh depth surrounding him, the intentions from the Warriors have been clear from pre-season.
The Dubs are 3-1 in games Curry has featured in, beating the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers twice, with attention now turning to the season opener against the Lakers on October 21, live on Sky Sports.
When asked what aspects of the game still motivate a player who has already achieved so much in the sport as we approach a new 82-game season, Curry added: “I talk about championships, and that drive – it allows every part of the journey to matter.
“Even in the off-season, how you prepare for the year, come in and try and build chemistry with your teammates and how you get through the emotional rollercoaster of an 82-game season.
“All of that is built into being at your peak come playoff time in April.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during the pre-season game against the Los Angeles Clippers
“Individual accolades take care of themselves. When you win, everybody is rewarded. As long as I’m taking care of championship motivation, everything else takes care of itself. Whether you win or not, you just lay it all out there.
“We have a brand new team again. We’ll all try and stay healthy and try and get to the finish line. That’s our goal.”
The Warriors have won seven championships in total across their 78-year history, with Curry leading them to more than half of that total.
If the franchise is to add an eighth banner to the rafters in 2026, their point guard will be the man to lead them there.
His powers at the highest level are showing no signs are waning, with the 37-year-old looking to replicate the successes of the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant by “redefining” what it is to be playing at a high level towards the latter stages of their respective careers.
“I feel like I’ve got some good basketball ahead of me. I’m trying to redefine what it is to be playing at a high level at this age,” said Curry when the question of his timeline leading the roster was posed.
“I still love the work that goes into it and playing the game; hopefully, that will carry me. I don’t want to put any limits on it.”
Watch the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports + on October 21, tip-off 3am UK time.
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is in good form going into the World Athletics Championships
The world’s best athletes will take to the track and field this weekend when the World Athletics Championships get under way in Tokyo from September 13-21.
Many of the stars who shone at Paris 2024 will be there, including Britain’s 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and USA’s 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles.
One of the major talking points away from the sport has been the introduction of a mandatory SRY or sex test for athletes who intend to compete in female categories.
All athletes in female category take new ‘sex test’
World Athletics, led by their President Seb Coe, have taken an unambiguous stance for several years when it comes to talking about and defining new rules around the sensitive issues of the protection of female categories, transgender and DSD (Difference of Sexual Development).
They became the first global sporting federation to announce they would introduce a mandatory, once-in-a-lifetime gene test, known as an SRY Test earlier this year.
The test identifies the Y chromosome which causes male characteristics to develop. If an athlete returns a negative result, they are eligible to compete in female categories at world ranking events, including these World Championships.
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World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female
World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female
Coe told Sky Sports he expected every athlete required to take an SRY Test will have done so by the time track and field events get under way in Tokyo, including all French athletes.
In France, the process has been complicated by French law where the SRY gene test is illegal in France due to a 1994 law banning DNA testing for non-medical, non-judicial purposes to protect family integrity, so French athletes have had to undertake the SRY test by travelling outside of France.
Coe confirmed that while it is World Athletics’ stated aim to have all athletes tested by the start of the World Championships next month, the results do not have to be known due to the tight time frame.
For athletes whose national federation hasn’t been able to offer an SRY test yet, World Athletics will step in and offer the test at holding camps in Japan used by athletes prior to competing in Tokyo.
“By and large, the process has gone pretty smoothly, but it’s not been without its challenges,” Coe said. “The vast majority have been pretty straightforward and we’ve (World Athletics) made a contribution of about US$100 per test.”
How important are championships for Coe?
Very.
He has transformed the athletics governing body since his election in Beijing in 2015 from the tarnished old IAAF to the new World Athletics.
He’s serving his third and final term as president and while no doubt still pondering his defeat in March’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency election to Kirsty Coventry, his first love has always been track and field, and during his term as president he has tackled controversial issues like banning Russia and bringing in updated rules on gender eligibility.
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Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role
Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role
While those issues can be divisive, the progress of time has shown that many, if not most, sporting federations have followed athletics’ lead by watching and then following.
It’s interesting to note that the new IOC President, whom he lost out to, is preparing the IOC to greater understand and perhaps even lead on gender eligibility and protections for female sports stars.
He also wants athletics firmly in the position of the world’s second most popular sport behind football by showing off packed out stadia in Tokyo.
The World Championships take place in the 70,000 capacity Olympic Stadium where during the 2020 Olympics not one fan was able to watch the sport on offer due to a strict Covid-19 lockdown in Japan.
Many of the sessions during the nine days of competition are sell-outs and, according to Coe, no session will have fewer than 50,000 people in attendance.
Tokyo heat, humidity and typhoons
World Athletics deliberately scheduled the start of their marquee championships later than they would normally. Two years ago in Budapest, for example, the schedule ran during August.
High temperatures and humidity can be exceedingly high in Japan during the months of July and August, as many athletes who competed at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago will testify to.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will be held at the National Stadium in Tokyo from September 13-21
However, heat mitigation measures will again be in place as Japan has experienced temperatures 2.36 Degrees Celsius above average between June and August, with local temperatures in Tokyo this week reaching 33 Degrees Celsius.
World Athletics president Seb Coe is of the belief that climate change is not temporary and is here to stay; at these championships, decisions on whether competition will go ahead will not be in the hands of local organisers, but World Athletics.
Information on drinks, ice baths and cooling techniques has been shared widely with athletes and their federations, while plenty of provision will be in place for spectators.
Tokyo and Japan, in general, is prone to typhoons at this time of year, indeed many British and Northern Irish athletes were confined to their hotel at their training camp for a few days due to a typhoon. If such a weather system hits Tokyo during the championships, it will again be a decision for World Athletics to make as to whether to postpone or cancel events.
Where could GB medals come from?
Great Britain and Northern Ireland haven’t been set a medal target, but a top-eight finish in the medal table is the challenge, with an expectation of several of their world-leading track stars to medal and all relay squads to medal.
So who are the stars? The women’s 800m final has been scheduled for the last session of the last day of the championships, as it’s been viewed as being a hot ticket in town. Two Brits could well end up on the podium, both friends and training partners coached by husband and wife duo Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter – Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter-Bell.
Hodgkinson was one of the stars of Paris last year, streaking home to become Olympic champion and, although she has suffered hamstring injuries this year, she has come back to racing in time and is running ferociously quickly.
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Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
While perhaps not quite the right time for a tilt at the 800m world record, if Hodgkinson feels it, she’ll go for it.
Elsewhere, medals could come in men’s middle distance, with 1500m runner Josh Kerr defending his world title he won in 2023.
His battles with Norway’s Jacob Ingebrigtsen have already become legendary, with the two not the best of pals. At the Paris Olympics, one of the two should have taken the gold medal, but their attention on one another allowed the USA’s Cole Hocker to shock them both and cross the line first.
George Mills, son of Danny – the former Leeds, Manchester City and England defender – is a serious contender for medals in the men’s 5000m. This season he’s beaten Sir Mo Farah’s long-standing British 5000m record and ran the second fastest 1500m by a Brit, so the 26-year-old is well warmed up.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is always a threat at major championships, and at Tokyo she will defend the heptathlon world title she won two years ago. She was also crowned world champion in 2019, and took Olympic silver in Paris.
Dina Asher-Smith will make her seventh appearance at a World Championship and, while the competition is fierce in both the 100m and 200m, she is running quickly this season.
“I’m just really happy,” she told Sky Sports. “I think the other week in Zurich is testament to what kind of shape I’m in because, honestly, I knew that I’ve been in good shape for a very long time and I know that I’ve been putting together some great races in the past few months, but to run a 10.90!
!I was picking it out because I know I could have had faster in me that day, but still obviously I’m very happy.”
Could Dina Asher-Smith medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Also very quick is Daryll Neita, who finished fourth in the women’s Olympic 100m final in Paris, narrowly missing out on a medal. She did, however, take home an Olympic Silver medal from the 4x100m women’s relay and in Tokyo it is expected that Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal in all five relay disciplines.
Individually, in the men’s sprint events (100m and 200m), Zharnel Hughes should at the very least make finals, as the qualified pilot has run sub-10 seconds in the 100m and sub-20 seconds in the 200m. With age, Hughes seems to get faster, as he broke both British 100m and 200m records in 2023, the same year he took his first ever global medal, a bronze at the last World Athletics Championships.
“Obviously the experience has been taking me into finals and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve always been one to be reckoned with when it comes to the championships. I’ve always been able to position myself into the finals at every major championship.
“Unfortunately, last year it didn’t get to happen due to injury, but I’m feeling confident and I’m looking forward to getting myself on that podium for sure. I’ll be giving it my very best, I’m filled with determination and I’m quite confident in my ability that I can always catch you at the very end.
“I’m trusting myself and trusting my speed. The work that I’ve put in leading up to this championship has been tremendous. It’s going to be great.”
While the British team is medal heavy on expectation from the track, also keep an eye on pole-vaulter Molly Caudery. She won the 2024 World Indoor title and won the Diamond League meeting in Doha in May.
The Cornishwoman is a huge talent was expected to challenge for the gold at the Olympics last year, but had a shocker and failed to even qualify for the final. The 25-year-old is determined to learn the mental lesson from a year ago.
No. 11 Duke’s NCAA Tournament opener proved far from easy, but the Blue Devils made enough shots late to turn back stubborn Vermont.
With senior guard Jeremy Roach scoring 10 of his 14 points in the game’s final 10 minutes, No 4 seed Duke finally extended its lead into double digits to defeat No. 13 seed Vermont, 64-47, in a South Region first-round game at Barclays Center.
The Blue Devils (25-8) advance to Sunday’s second round to play No. 12 seed James Madison (32-3), which eliminated No. 5 seed Wisconsin, 72-61, Friday night.
“We stayed poised down the stretch,” Duke freshman guard Jared McCain said. “They hit tough shots and we stayed poised. And we worked on it all week, get defensive stops, defense is going to win these games. We have the talent for offense. It’s going to be defense.”
Vermont (28-7), the America East champion, saw its season end after it shot just 28% in the second half to finish at 38.5% for the game. Shamir Bogues scored a game-high 18 points for the Catamounts, whose 47 points were 25 points below their season scoring average of 72.3.
Duke’s Ryan Young (15) and Tyrese Proctor (5) dive after a loose ball with Vermont’s Sam Alamutu (2) during the second half of Duke’s 64-47 victory over Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Friday, March 22, 2024. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
McCain and Mark Mitchell each scored 15 points for Duke while Tyrese Proctor added 13.
“I just thought it was a terrific job by these guys and showing a lot of toughness, a lot of heart and really proud of this win,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
After Duke took a 34-29 halftime lead, neither team could find its shooting range over the first eight minutes of the second half. The Blue Devils scored on just one of their first five possessions. Vermont cut the Blue Devils’ lead to 36-34 and had possession only to see Nick Fiorillo miss a 3-pointer that would have put his team in front.
McCain answered with a 3-pointer for Duke and when Proctor added a 3-pointer with 14:46 to play, Duke led 42-35.
The Blue Devils continued to slowly expand their lead as, on back-to-back possessions, McCain scored on a driving bank shot and Mitchell added a basket in the lane for a 46-37 advantage.
Duke’s Jeremy Roach (3) heads to the basket during Duke’s 64-47 victory over Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Friday, March 22, 2024. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Roach scored after a drive through the lane at 9:25 and added two free throws with 8:51 remaining giving Duke its largest lead, to that point, at 50-39.
Bogues scored five Vermont points in a row to put pressure on the Blue Devils by slicing their lead to 50-44.
But Proctor drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the key and, with 4:53 remaining, Roach drove the lane to score while drawing a foul. His free throw gave Duke its largest lead, at that point, at 56-44. Vermont never drew closer than nine points again.
“I just wanted to keep trying to be aggressive,” Roach said. “The last 10 minutes, I knew it was big time.”
Duke led by as many as 10 points twice in the first half, making six of its first seven shots and eight of the first 12 overall. But after building a 28-18 lead on a Jaylen Blakes steal and layup, Duke’s offense fell silent. The Blue Devils went four minutes, 23 seconds between made field goals, scoring only on a Kyle Filipowski free throw while turning the ball over three times during that stretch.
The Blue Devil reacts to a foul by Duke’s Jeremy Roach during the first half of Duke’s game against Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Friday, March 22, 2024. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
That allowed the Catamounts get back into the game and energize the upset-wishing crowd. Bogues’ basket with two minutes left in the half trimmed Duke’s lead to 29-27.
But McCain halted Duke’s shooting drought with a 3-pointer before adding two free throws after he recorded a steal as Duke took a 34-29 halftime lead.
Duke’s win allowed it to avoid the program’s first three-game losing streak since the 2020-21 season — the pandemic-altered campaign when the Blue Devils endured three three-game losing streaks while going 13-11 and missing the NCAA Tournament.
The last time Duke lost its final three games of a season was in 2006-07, when it ended on a four-game skid that included a 79-77 NCAA Tournament loss to Virginia Commonwealth.
This story was originally published March 22, 2024, 9:21 PM.
Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics since 2010 for the Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News & Observer. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he’s placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019 and explanatory writing in 2018. Previously, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.
