Sky – Page 2 – ReportWire

World Athletics Championships: Team GB target top-eight finish in Tokyo, while new ‘sex test’ is introduced in world first

[ad_1]

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.

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.

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.

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.

[ad_2]

Source link

September 9, 2025

Skysports (Sky Sports)

[ad_1]

Make sure the URL in the address bar contains no capital letters or spaces and please check your bookmarks.

West Indies v England scorecard

[ad_1]

Latest score from Antigua as England begin their three-match ODI series against West Indies, with Liam Livingstone standing in as captain.

[ad_2]

Source link

October 31, 2024

Isles of Sea and Sky taught me it’s okay to move on

[ad_1]

Sometimes, turning a linear game into an open world just makes sense. Whether it’s Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild, plenty of franchises have found that their core gameplay loops map well to an open world iteration. With Elden Ring, you can disperse the intense FromSoft difficulty across a map that invites players to “git gud” at their own pace. With Breath of the Wild, the entire world is now a dungeon, every hill and valley a puzzle. Playing both, it almost feels as though each franchise and its mechanics were just waiting to be spread across a sprawling map. They just feel right.

By contrast, Isles of Sea and Sky, an open-world Sokoban game, isn’t quite as obvious a fit. But just because something isn’t immediately obvious doesn’t mean it won’t work.

Released in late May, Cicada Games’s Isles of Sea and Sky employs Game Boy Color-era Zelda aesthetics in pursuit of a genre mashup that produces harmony and dissonance in equal parts. The game makes a great first impression. It evokes that feeling of playing Link’s Awakening DX (pre-remake), to the point where you’d be forgiven for mistaking one of Isles’ beaches for Awakening’s. Moving from screen to screen is a nostalgic joy, with a Vocaloid-infused soundtrack that imbues the game with even more personality, which is good, because at its core, open world or no, this is a Sokoban-ass Sokoban game.

You will push blocks in Isles of Sea and Sky. You will push many, many standard-issue blocks into standard-issue holes, allowing you to cross over those holes in order to push more blocks. You will also push things that aren’t blocks, like little boulder dudes (definitely not Gorons) who roll as far as they can in the direction you push them, crushing any boxes they encounter. Or little water guys, who can extend riverways if you push them downstream. The puzzles start simply, easing you into the game’s increasing difficulty one screen at a time, until eventually you find yourself stumped. And, in being stumped, you will find yourself pushing up against the contradictions inherent to Isles’ mixture of freedom and linearity.

Image: Cicada Games

One of the pleasures of Sokoban games is the underlying conceit that, though you may feel frustrated by an individual puzzle, you always have the necessary abilities to get through the level. Each stage is then simply a matter of thinking and working through what things you have tried and not yet tried. You’re stuck, sure, but you’re not lacking anything you need to achieve the solution.

Not so in Isles of Sea and Sky. Early on, you will be presented with puzzles you are not yet able to complete until you unlock a new ability. While plenty of games include this kind of lock-and-key design, where you must first unlock an ability before you can access certain areas, this runs contrary to genre expectations for Sokoban titles. Going into Isles, the player might reasonably expect that, if they’re stuck, they just need to keep trying different solutions. Such a mentality will get you through similar games like Baba Is You or A Monster’s Expedition. The solution is there. You just need to keep at it. By contrast, in Isles, you are often meant to move on, to travel elsewhere in the game’s map and overworld. In short, you are meant to give up when you get frustrated.

At first, I found myself stymied by this dynamic. How am I meant to know when I am failing to understand a puzzle versus lacking the ability to solve it? When is my frustration an intended element of the solution and when is it futile? To its immense credit, Isles goes out of its way to reduce some of this frustration by allowing the player, at any point, to rewind their actions step-by-step, or to reset the entire puzzle, each with the press of a button. But you cannot rewind the real-life time you are putting into the game. You cannot undo the minutes spent bashing your head against the wall, stubbornly trying to solve something you are simply unable to solve. Encountering this, I found myself asking why anyone would design a game in this way, when they must know that players will get stuck like this.

That’s when it hit me. They know players will get stuck like this.

Full disclosure: I can be a bit stubborn. I like to think of myself as a creative problem-solver, but my general approach is to stick to something until it’s done. This can be a good trait (sticktoitiveness and all that), but it can also be a problem (see: my description above of bashing my head against the wall). Traditional Sokoban titles are designed with this kind of player in mind — someone like myself, who will spend hours trying out different things until finally they figure something out. The folks at Cicada Games clearly love this genre, as is evident by the sheer number and variety of puzzles they’ve crammed into Isles, but what they clearly don’t love is that feeling of being stuck without any recourse, of being unable to move on.

Not to quote a meme, but to quote a meme: Isles of Sea and Sky is here to say “Just Walk Out. You Can Leave!!!” What began for me as a frustration with the game turned into a bit of self-reflection when I stopped to consider why, exactly, I felt the need to stay frustrated, when, at any point, I could simply leave, or, to quote our generation’s preeminent philosopher dasharez0ne, “hit da bricks!!!” Sure, there are some areas you cannot access before completing at least a certain number of puzzles, but in general, you can well and truly leave behind most anything that’s too frustrating in Isles and find something you’d rather be doing. The challenge, at least in my case, was in allowing myself to do so.

As I’ve argued, Sokoban games are not an obvious fit for an open world iteration. Their inherent linearity rubs up against a style of game best known for its variety and, well, openness. The focus required of the player feels categorically different than the desirable distraction of asking, “What’s over that hill?” With Isles of Sea and Sky, specifically, there’s an immediate dissonance between how you expect to play a block-pushing puzzle game and how you’re meant to play this block-pushing puzzle game. But dissonance can resolve into consonance, to harmony and stability, and in Isles’ case, you’re pushed not only toward accepting limitation, but toward the inclination to free yourself.

For me, it was difficult, at first, to see moving on as a valid strategy, having become so accustomed to the habit of pushing through mental blocks, both in Sokoban titles and in life. But once I did, I found that mentality extending beyond the game. Is stubbornness helping or hurting here? Do I have to sit in this feeling? Why do I think of moving on as giving up?

In the end, I was happy to play a game that inspired this kind of self-reflection. Isles of Sea and Sky challenged me to take a step back, to reassess, and to move on. Maybe it’ll do the same for you.

Isles of Sea and Sky was released May 22 on Windows PC. The game was reviewed with code provided by Cicada Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

[ad_2]

Grayson Morley

Source link

July 28, 2024

Sky’s Zai Bennett Heading To BBC Studios To Run Production Arm

[ad_1]

Sky Content MD Zai Bennett is heading to BBC Studios.

The UK programs chief of the Comcast-owned pay-TV giant will run BBC Studios Productions, a job that has been vacant for several months and one of the most talked about in the British industry. He replaces Ralph Lee.

Bennett will oversee a production arm that spans all genres, making the likes of Planet Earth, Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who. BBC Studios Productions also owns a wealth of indies including Clerkenwell Films, Lookout Point and Voltage TV. He will join BBC Studios in November, while he will also be on the exec committee.

At Sky, Bennett has overseen the likes of Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Patrick Melrose across a 10-year career. Past employers include Channel 5, ITV and BBC Three.

BBC Studio CEO Tom Fussell said: “Zai’s risk-taking creative hit-rate speaks for itself. He has impact and gravitas and can propel BBC Studios Productions even faster forward without losing the deeply engrained BBC ethos all who work here share. His deep genre experience in scripted comedy and drama through to factual entertainment, documentaries, film and kids, coupled with the relationships he’s cultivated with the very best creative talent, will complement our production business growth plans and take us to the next level domestically and globally. I can’t wait for him to start.”

Bennett said he is “incredibly excited” to be joining the “powerhouse that is BBC Studios Productions.”

In a note to staff, he thanked “my fantastic team and colleagues” and said: “As I look ahead to the next year on screen, we have one of the strongest lines ups ever, so now is the perfect time for me to move on.”

Cécile Frot-Coutaz, who runs Sky Studios, praised him for “never being one to shy away from big swings.” She pointed to wider initiatives he has “spearheaded” such as the Coalition for Change.

Bennett will have his work cut out at BBC Studios. The productions arm makes some of the UK’s biggest shows along with a number of global hits but revenues and profits a t B B C S t u d i o s were down last year, revealed in the BBC’s Annual Report earlier this week. He will have to quickly get to grips with the Strictly Come Dancing scandal, which has consumed the BBC of late, while the future of the Doctor Who deal with Disney appears to be hanging in the balance.

[ad_2]

Max Goldbart

Source link

July 25, 2024

A full ‘strawberry moon’ will light up the sky Friday night. Here’s when to see it

[ad_1]

Mark your calendars and turn to the sky — there will be another exciting celestial event Friday night, right after the start of summer.

The full moon, called a “strawberry moon” because of its pink or reddish hue, is expected to appear right after the summer solstice, which marks the onset of summer and the longest period of sunlight of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA.

The moon is expected at 9:08 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be opposite to the sun, according to NASA. In Los Angeles, the moon is expected to rise at about 7:24 p.m. and reach the highest point in the sky at 12:13 a.m. Local times can be found at timeanddate.com.

The full moon only occurs within a day of the summer solstice about every 19 to 20 years, according to Space.com. This time around, the moon is expected to appear full for about three days.

The name “strawberry moon” comes from the Indigenous American Algonquin tribes to describe when strawberries ripen in June and are ready to be collected, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.

“Since the 2024 June full Moon happens on the solstice, the very day the Sun is absolutely at its highest of the year, this month’s full Moon on the 21st is the very lowest full Moon, indeed, the lowest we’ve seen in years,” the Almanac reported. “Just look at it! Because the Moon is so low, it will appear bigger than ever. This is called the ‘Moon Illusion.’”

The European name for this moon is the “mead” or “honey moon,” according to NASA. Mead, known in some countries as honey wine, is created by fermenting honey with fruits or other spices. Meanwhile, the term “honeymoon” dates back to Europe in the 1500s and references getting married in June because it’s the “sweetest” moon of the year.

The moon will take on a reddish orange color due to how low it will hang in the sky and its close proximity to the horizon. Because of how low the moon will be, that also means the sky will be darker due to lower levels of moonlight.

[ad_2]

Summer Lin

Source link

June 21, 2024

A ScarJo-Sounding AI Voice Is No Longer Her(e)

[ad_1]

Just want her back.
Photo: Warner Bros./Everett Collection

ChatGPT better keep Colin Jost’s wife’s voice out of its mouth. The OpenAI voice “Sky,” which sounded eerily similar to Scarlett Johansson’s in the movie Her, was suspended on May 20. “We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” OpenAI posted on Twitter. “We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them.” In Her, Johansson played an AI named Samantha that Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore falls in love with. In a blog post further explaining the situation, the company said that “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.” Given that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted solely the word “Her” on May 13, that does not seem super-feasible, but hey, whatever you say, guys.

Later that same day, Johansson released a statement revealing that Altman reached out twice, asking her to voice the AI herself, but she declined. She explained in the statement, “He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and Al… Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there.” Maybe next time, they should make Hal 9000.

[ad_2]

Jason P. Frank

Source link

May 20, 2024

(Sky Sports)

[ad_1]

New Zealand Women 1st innings

Total

207 all out, from 48.2 overs.

Batting

Runs
Balls
4s
6s
SR

Bates
c Jones b Dean;
50 runs,
74 balls,
6 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 67.57
Bezuidenhout
lbw b Ecclestone;
35 runs,
62 balls,
2 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 56.45
Kerr (c)
lbw b Cross;
24 runs,
36 balls,
1 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 66.67
Plimmer
lbw b Cross;
17 runs,
24 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 70.83
Green
c & b Bell;
7 runs,
23 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 30.43
Halliday
c Jones b Dean;
6 runs,
12 balls,
1 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 50.00
Gaze (wk)
b Bell;
18 runs,
23 balls,
1 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 78.26
Rowe
c Knight b Sciver-Brunt;
16 runs,
20 balls,
2 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 80.00
Kerr
b Bell;
9 runs,
11 balls,
1 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 81.82
Tahuhu
c Wyatt b Dean;
1 runs,
2 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 50.00
Jonas
not out;
0 runs,
2 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 0.00

Fall of Wickets

Suzie Bates at 90 for 1, from 20.6 overs
Bernadine Bezuidenhout at 100 for 2, from 23.2 overs
Georgia Plimmer at 139 for 3, from 30.6 overs
Amelia Kerr at 148 for 4, from 34.1 overs
Brooke Halliday at 157 for 5, from 37.6 overs
Maddy Green at 159 for 6, from 38.6 overs
Hannah Rowe at 191 for 7, from 44.6 overs
Izzy Gaze at 204 for 8, from 46.6 overs
Lea Tahuhu at 207 for 9, from 47.4 overs
Jess Kerr at 207 for 10, from 48.2 overs

Bowling

Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Econ

Cross:
10overs,
3 maidens,
24 runs,
2 wickets,
and an economy of 2.40.
Bell:
9.2overs,
0 maidens,
41 runs,
3 wickets,
and an economy of 4.39.
Sciver-Brunt:
10overs,
0 maidens,
44 runs,
1 wickets,
and an economy of 4.40.
Ecclestone:
10overs,
0 maidens,
39 runs,
1 wickets,
and an economy of 3.90.
Dean:
9overs,
0 maidens,
57 runs,
3 wickets,
and an economy of 6.33.

[ad_2]

Source link

March 31, 2024

(Sky Sports)

[ad_1]

England 1st innings

Total

52 for 0, from 15.2 overs.

Batting

Runs
Balls
4s
6s
SR

Crawley
not out;
30 runs,
43 balls,
5 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 69.77
Duckett
not out;
21 runs,
48 balls,
3 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 43.75

Yet to bat

Pope
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Foakes
Hartley
Wood
Anderson
Bashir

Bowling

Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Econ

Bumrah:
7overs,
1 maidens,
24 runs,
0 wickets,
and an economy of 3.42.
Siraj:
7.2overs,
1 maidens,
23 runs,
0 wickets,
and an economy of 3.13.
Ashwin:
1overs,
0 maidens,
4 runs,
0 wickets,
and an economy of 4.00.

[ad_2]

Source link

March 6, 2024

Scotland 16-20 France: Late Scotland try denied by TMO as Les Blues snatch Six Nations victory

[ad_1]

Last Updated: 10/02/24 4:24pm

France fought back valiantly to steal the win

Sam Skinner’s late try was controversially ruled out by the TMO as Scotland suffered a 20-16 defeat by France at Murrayfield in the second round of the Six Nations.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s sensational individual effort after 70 minutes gave France the lead for the first time with just under 10 minutes remaining but Scotland regained territory and fought back to get Skinner over the line.

The decision was deliberated for a long time before it was ruled that there was not enough evidence to award the try, giving the visitors a narrow victory.

More to follow…

This is a breaking news story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh this page for the latest updates.

Sky Sports brings you live updates as they happen. Get breaking sports news, analysis, exclusive interviews, replays and highlights.

Sky Sports is your trusted source for breaking sports news headlines and live updates. Watch live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, F1, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, NFL, Darts, Netball and get the latest transfers news, results, scores and more.

Visit skysports.com or the Sky Sports App for all the breaking sports news headlines. You can receive push notifications from the Sky Sports app for the latest news from your favourite sports and you can also follow @SkySportsNews on Twitter to get the latest updates.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 10, 2024

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: Jamaican sprinter and Olympic champion to retire after Paris games this summer

[ad_1]

Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was the first 100m sprinter to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympic Games; Fraser-Pryce is the oldest woman to win the 100m world title after taking gold in Eugene in 2022 at the age of 35

Last Updated: 09/02/24 11:19am

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has revealed her plans to retire after the Olympics

Three-time Olympic champion sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying she owes it to her family.

Fraser-Pryce was the first 100m sprinter to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. The Jamaican began her journey in Beijing 2008, which saw her become the first Caribbean woman to win gold in the women’s 100m.

She held on to her 100m title in London 2012, joining a select few to have done so. Despite battling a toe injury, she won bronze in 2016 Rio Olympics and a silver in relay.

After giving birth in 2017, she won another Olympic silver and a relay gold in Tokyo 2020.

“My son needs me, my husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me,” 37-year-old Fraser-Pryce told Essence.com.

“We’re a partnership, a team, and it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years,” she added. “I think I now owe it to them to do something else.”

Currently, she is focused on preparing for Paris, which takes place from July 26 to August 11 and something she views as an opportunity to push boundaries.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will feature in the Paris Olympics this summer

It is about “showing people that you stop when you decide. I want to finish on my own terms,” she said.

In 2019, she became the oldest woman to claim the 100m World Championship title in Doha. She further solidified this achievement by winning the title again at the age of 35 in Eugene in 2022, 14 years after her initial Olympic gold triumph.

“It’s not enough that we step on a track and we win medals. You have to think about the next generation that’s coming after you, and give them the opportunity to also dream – and dream big,” Fraser-Pryce added.

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel. Find out more here…

[ad_2]

Source link

February 9, 2024

(Sky Sports)

[ad_1]

India 1st innings

Total

396 all out, from 112 overs.

Batting

Runs
Balls
4s
6s
SR

Jaiswal
c Bairstow b Anderson;
209 runs,
290 balls,
19 fours,
7 sixes,
and a strike rate of 72.07
Sharma (c)
c Pope b Bashir;
14 runs,
41 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 34.15
Gill
c Foakes b Anderson;
34 runs,
46 balls,
5 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 73.91
Iyer
c Foakes b Hartley;
27 runs,
59 balls,
3 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 45.76
Patidar
b Ahmed;
32 runs,
72 balls,
3 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 44.44
Patel
c Ahmed b Bashir;
27 runs,
51 balls,
4 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 52.94
Bharat (wk)
c Bashir b Ahmed;
17 runs,
23 balls,
2 fours,
1 sixes,
and a strike rate of 73.91
Ashwin
c Foakes b Anderson;
20 runs,
37 balls,
4 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 54.05
Yadav
not out;
8 runs,
42 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 19.05
Bumrah
c Root b Ahmed;
6 runs,
9 balls,
1 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 66.67
Mukesh Kumar
c Root b Bashir;
0 runs,
3 balls,
0 fours,
0 sixes,
and a strike rate of 0.00

Fall of Wickets

Rohit Sharma at 40 for 1, from 17.3 overs
Shubman Gill at 89 for 2, from 28.5 overs
Shreyas Iyer at 179 for 3, from 50.4 overs
Rajat Patidar at 249 for 4, from 71.1 overs
Axar Patel at 301 for 5, from 85.3 overs
Srikar Bharat at 330 for 6, from 90.6 overs
Ravichandran Ashwin at 364 for 7, from 100.3 overs
Yashasvi Jaiswal at 383 for 8, from 106.5 overs
Jasprit Bumrah at 395 for 9, from 110.5 overs
Mukesh Kumar at 396 for 10, from 111.6 overs

Bowling

Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Econ

Anderson:
25overs,
4 maidens,
47 runs,
3 wickets,
and an economy of 1.88.
Root:
14overs,
0 maidens,
71 runs,
0 wickets,
and an economy of 5.07.
Hartley:
18overs,
2 maidens,
74 runs,
1 wickets,
and an economy of 4.11.
Bashir:
38overs,
1 maidens,
138 runs,
3 wickets,
and an economy of 3.63.
Ahmed:
17overs,
2 maidens,
65 runs,
3 wickets,
and an economy of 3.82.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 2, 2024

France 17-38 Ireland: Superb visitors claim bonus-point Six Nations victory in Marseille as Paul Willemse shown red

[ad_1]

Ireland produced a magnificent display in Marseille as they registered a first Six Nations win in France since 2018

Ireland began life in the post-Johnny Sexton era in ideal fashion, as a terrific Six Nations performance saw them to a bonus-point 38-17 victory over France in Marseille.

Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, lock Tadhg Beirne, wing Calvin Nash, hooker Dan Sheehan and replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher scored tries at the Stade Velodrome against a French side who saw lock Paul Willemse shown a red card during the first half for two yellows – both high tackles.

Ireland fly-half Jack Crowley, 24, started nervously but grew in confidence and into the contest, kicking one penalty and five exquisite conversions, while also producing a gorgeous try assist for Beirne in a record points total and winning margin for Ireland in France.

Ireland – Tries: Gibson-Park (16), Beirne (30), Nash (46), Sheehan (62), Kelleher (78). Cons: Crowley (18, 31, 47, 63, 79). Pens: Crowley (7).

France – Tries: Penaud (40), Gabrillagues (53). Cons: Ramos (42, 53). Pens: Ramos (27).

Damian Penaud and lock Paul Gabrillagues scored France’s tries, who continued to fight hard and never appeared truly out of it – Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony was sin-binned in the second half with the gap seven points – but they ultimately had to swallow a home defeat.

Jack Crowley, Johnny Sexton's Ireland replacement in the No 10 jersey, pulled the strings to victory in the Stade Velodrome

For many in the sport, France vs Ireland was the Rugby World Cup final that never was back in October’s Paris showpiece, and although the hosts carved out the first threatening attack, Ireland were far the quicker to settle into their groove.

Crowley edged Ireland into an early lead with a close-range penalty, and after Willemse collected his first yellow for a high hit to the head of Andrew Porter, the visitors notched the opening try.

Centre Bundee Aki did magnificently for it, charging forward and freeing his hands to offload for Gibson-Park to sprint in.

Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park scored the first try after great work from Bundee Aki

A huge try chance was spurned by Ireland after Beirne charged down Antoine Dupont’s replacement Maxime Lucu to win a turnover just after a France maul – Crowley and Aki playing narrow when a wide ball would have resulted in a certain try down the left.

Within moments, Crowley missed poorly off the tee for the chance to go 13-0, with Thomas Ramos then striking at the other end after a scrum penalty.

Perhaps illustrating a measure of his mentality, Crowley brushed off a tough few minutes to play Beirne in for Ireland’s second try via an exquisitely disguised short-ball.

Tadhg Beirne scored Ireland's second try after being brilliantly played in by Crowley

Crowley then converted for 17-3, with Willemse – only recently back on – then shown his second yellow, which was upgraded to a straight red following a bunker review, after connecting with the head of Caelan Doris in Ireland’s first carry following the restart.

France lock forward Paul Willemse was red carded for committing two yellow card offences - a very rare occurrence

Back-to-back penalties at the ruck against Ireland invited France forward, however, and though Beirne stole a lineout, a costly scrum penalty against the head eventually resulted in Penaud diving over as French persistence in kicking to the corner was rewarded seconds before the break.

Damian Penaud hit back for France with a try seconds before half-time

After Ramos uncharacteristically dragged a penalty wide, Ireland scored through Nash after they sprung the play wide and Robbie Henshaw had stepped, accelerated and offloaded brilliantly for Doris to find the championship debutant.

Calvin Nash scored Ireland's third try on the occasion of his Six Nations debut

Crowley produced a sensational conversion off the touchline for 24-10, but France were back within a score seven minutes later, after a long TMO review saw Gabrillagues awarded a try and O’Mahony sin-binned for a cynical act in attempting to deny him.

Ireland composed themselves to get back up the other end, though, and after the brave decision to kick to the corner instead of for points, Sheehan flew over the try-line from a maul for their fourth.

Dan Sheehan's try wrapped up the bonus-point and put Ireland on firm course for victory

There remained time for one last try, and it was almost identical to Sheehan’s as Kelleher controlled possession at the back of a maul which romped over.

Fittingly, the boot of Crowley was the final scoring act via the extras.

Farrell: A special Irish victory | O’Mahony: I’m proud – the young players a big part

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell to ITV Sport…

“Any victory here, on a Friday night to start the Six Nations off is always going to be a hard task but I think coming away with a bonus-point win is special.

“I was proud of the performance because we kept on playing for the full 80 minutes and we got what we deserved in the end.

“When you play against 14 men, the tendency is sometimes to shut up shop but we kept on playing.

“These are guys that have been in around the squad for the past couple of years so we had no doubt they are ready to play.

“Some of them, their form guarantees they are going to be in. But it is a 23-man game.”

Ireland captain O’Mahony to ITV Sport…

“It is hard to sum up. It was a serious Test match.

“I am very proud of the lads for the control of the game. We were cool, composed, might have been a bit frantic in the last 10 minutes down to 14, but we stayed to the plan the whole time.

“We didn’t get carried away with positive and negative moments and I thought it was a good start.

“I think a big chunk of the performance was the young fellas, Calvin Nash, Jack Crowley, big Joe [McCarthy]. Some big, big performances from guys getting an opportunity.”

What’s next?

Ireland are in action next Sunday, February 11 for the second round of the championship, hosting Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (3pm kick-off GMT).

Ireland’s Six Nations 2024 fixtures

Friday, February 2	France 17-38 Ireland	8pm
Sunday, February 11	Ireland vs Italy	3pm
Saturday, February 24	Ireland vs Wales	2.15pm
Saturday, March 9	England vs Ireland	4.45pm
Saturday, March 16	Ireland vs Scotland	4.45pm

France travel to face Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh next Saturday, February 10 (2.15pm kick-off GMT), in Round 2 of the Six Nations.

France’s Six Nations 2024 fixtures

Friday, February 2	France 17-38 Ireland	8pm
Saturday, February 10	Scotland vs France	2.15pm
Sunday, February 25	France vs Italy	3pm
Sunday, March 10	Wales vs France	3pm
Saturday, March 16	France vs England	8pm

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!

You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!

Find out more here…

[ad_2]

Source link

February 2, 2024

West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus scored with a sublime strike for Ghana to give the Black Stars the lead against Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

[ad_2]

Source link

January 18, 2024

Back Pages Tonight: Jordan Henderson hasn’t been paid a penny in Saudi Arabia

[ad_1]

On Back Pages Tonight, The Times’ chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler discusses Jordan Henderson’s pay during his time in Saudi Arabia.

[ad_2]

Source link

January 17, 2024

Tag: Sky

All athletes in female category take new ‘sex test’

How important are championships for Coe?

Tokyo heat, humidity and typhoons

Where could GB medals come from?

Popular Links

New Zealand Women 1st innings

Total

Batting

Fall of Wickets

Bowling

England 1st innings

Total

Batting

Yet to bat

Bowling

Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was the first 100m sprinter to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympic Games; Fraser-Pryce is the oldest woman to win the 100m world title after taking gold in Eugene in 2022 at the age of 35

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

India 1st innings

Total

Batting

Fall of Wickets

Bowling

Farrell: A special Irish victory | O’Mahony: I’m proud – the young players a big part

What’s next?

Ireland’s Six Nations 2024 fixtures

France’s Six Nations 2024 fixtures

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!