Teen sensations are meant to be one in a million so why does it feel as if prodigies are taking over? | Emma John

From Max Dowman to Kimi Antonelli, Sky Brown and Luke Littler, peak performance can be attained ever earlier thanks to support and scienceDes Ryan lives on the west coast of Ireland and gets over to watch Arsenal only about three times a season. It was pure fluke that the director of sports and physical wellbeing at the University of Galway was at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, when Max Dowman became the youngest ever scorer in the Premier League. He admits to getting “quite emotional” – just a few years ago he was looking after Dowman in the under-12s.“If you’re an academy specialist, then seeing the young people get their debuts, that’s your trophy,” says Ryan, who headed the Arsenal academy’s athletic development for nine years. He knows well that while Dowman’s abilities are uniquely precocious, his situation isn’t

Australia dig themselves out of a hole in women’s T20 win over West Indies

Australia got the Sophie Molineux era under way in sloppy style as a new-look side overcame six spilled chances before turning the screw late for a 43-run victory over West Indies in the first women’s T20 international in St Vincent. But as the dress rehearsals continue for the T20 World Cup starting in June, the role in the XI of Australia’s new captain remains unclear after the allrounder did not bat or bowl on her return from injury.An unusually messy performance in the field threatened to cost Australia dear as West Indies made a promising start to their 165-run chase. Alana King was the main offender as she dropped three catches early in the innings, including a pair while standing on the deep backward square rope, before striking back with the ball.The leg-spinner sent Hayley Matthews (11) packing with an exquisite delivery that drifted across the West Indies captain before sliding under her bat on the way to crashing into the stumps

Liam Marshall double edges Super League leaders Wigan past York Knights

These were the nights that critics of Super League’s decision to expand to 14 teams feared but as the new season settles into a rhythm, they are fast becoming some of the most enjoyable.Yes, the result was what almost everyone – even the most optimistic York Knights supporter – would have predicted at kick-off. But goodness, what a rollercoaster ride this was as Super League’s newest team pushed arguably its biggest and most recognisable heavyweight every step of the way on a thrilling evening in Wigan.Next weekend, Super League celebrates the 30th anniversary of its inaugural game. That night, Paris Saint-Germain announced their arrival as rugby league’s big hope for expansion with victory over Sheffield

Francesca Jones defeats Venus Williams in Miami for WTA 1000 breakthrough

In her first training session at the ATX Open in Austin last month, weeks after injury put an end to her Australian Open, Francesca Jones found herself in an unusual, delightful situation. Her training partner across the net was none other than Venus Williams, the most successful active female tennis player.Being able to train with such a legendary player was a dream itself, but Jones can now say that she has also defeated her, as she closed out a 7-5, 7-5 win over the 45-year-old seven-time grand slam champion in the first round of the Miami Open. The victory marks Jones’s first WTA 1000 match win in her career, breaking a four-match losing streak.This was an intense battle that Williams, a three-time Miami Open champion between 1998 and 2001, could have won

March Madness: VCU fight back from 19 down to oust UNC in first-round stunner

Terrence Hill Jr made a stepback three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime and 11th-seeded VCU erased from a 19-point second-half deficit to stun sixth-seeded North Carolina 82-78 on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Hill finished 7 for 10 from three-point range and scored 20 of 34 points after halftime as VCU (28-7) won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2016.Nyk Lewis added 16 points, including two clutch free throws, to seal the game for the Rams, who’ll face the winner of No 14 Penn and No 3 Illinois in the second round on Saturday.Henri Veesaar had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-8), who went 0-3 after star Caleb Wilson was ruled out for the season with an injury.In overtime, Seth Trimble made 1 of 2 free throws with 35 seconds left to put the Tar Heels up 78-77

Keely Hodgkinson leads British medal hopes at world indoor championships

Due to a fault in their plane’s GPS, the British team for the world indoor championships arrived at their hotel in Torun late on Wednesday night. Perhaps they should have asked Keely Hodgkinson to guide them. After all, she knows this place better than most, and she is absolutely locked on reaching her target – a first world gold medal – in Poland this weekend.“I’m looking forward to it and this last month has been great,” she says on the eve of the championships, which begin on Friday morning. “I couldn’t ask to be in a better position to be honest