‘My life changes on one shot’: Joe Johnson on snooker glory, Princess Diana and his seven heart attacks

After starting the 1986 world championships as a 150-1 outsider victory against Steve Davis led to watching tennis with royalty and being mobbed in Tesco“It was like a strange dream,” Joe Johnson says as he remembers becoming the world snooker champion 40 years ago as a 150-1 outsider and former gas board and factory worker who was the father of six children. Johnson had never previously won a game at the Crucible and he had struggled for years to make a living as a pro.It was a time when Britain was “snooker loopy” and Johnson played characters such as Bill Werbeniuk who, in 1985, beat him in the first round while drinking a staggering amount of beer.The following year, Johnson outplayed the great Steve Davis in the world championship final. He was suddenly outrageously famous and became the lead singer for an obscure band, Made In Japan, who then had a hit record

Sabastian Sawe’s sub-two marathon feat is the Roger Bannister moment of our time | Sean Ingle

A few years ago at the London Marathon, organisers wheeled out an industrial-sized treadmill called the Tumbleator. Then they tempted curious onlookers with a simple question: can you keep up with Eliud Kipchoge? The answer was obvious. But that didn’t stop people trying. Most lasted a few seconds before comically flying off the back into crash mats.The Tumbleator has a fresh poster-boy now: Sabastian Sawe, who on Sunday claimed track and field’s last holy grail by running a sub two-hour marathon

Indigenous players back St Kilda coach Ross Lyon after comment deemed ‘casual racism’

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has received the backing of his club’s chief executive after a group of Indigenous players – including star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – took offence following a comment made at training earlier this month.Lyon made the comment when three Indigenous players lined up together for a drill, saying, “I love the brother-boy connection, but we all have to remember, we are part of the bigger team here”.The players raised their concerns with the coach the following day and the matter was dealt with internally, but became public when journalist Caroline Wilson raised it on Channel Seven on Monday night.Lyon said he had misjudged the moment. “Was I being flippant? Could it be described as casual racism? I learned a lot out of what happened,” he told Wilson

Guardian Sport and Jonathan Liew win top prizes at SJA Awards

Guardian Sport won two top prizes at the prestigious Sports Journalists’ Association’s awards evening on Monday.The Guardian won sports publisher of the year at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards night while Jonathan Liew was named columnist of the year for the fifth time in eight years, as well as winning bronze in the football journalist of the year category. Suzanne Wrack won bronze in the women’s football journalist of the year and Andy Bull won bronze in the sports feature writer of the year (long form) category.When explaining their reasons for giving the Guardian the top award, the SJA judges described the Guardian’s coverage as “a selection box of delights, consistently catering for many tastes”.The Guardian’s head of sport, Will Woodward, said: “It’s an exciting time to be working at the Guardian,” while a delighted Liew said: “I wasn’t expecting to win this one, I respect the people on the shortlist so this one means a lot

Paige Bueckers says relationship with Azzi Fudd ‘nobody’s business but our own’

Paige Bueckers has said her relationship with her new Dallas Wings teammate Azzi Fudd “is nobody’s business but our own”.Bueckers and Fudd were college teammates at UConn and were reunited when the Wings chose Fudd with the No 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft. The pair confirmed they were dating last year, but have offered few details of their relationship since and it is uncertain if they are still even together.At a press conference on Monday, Bueckers made an opening statement during which she addressed speculation about her relationship with Fudd.“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own, and what we choose to share is completely up to us,” she said

Gay and Bedingham ace Durham’s chase against Lancashire: county cricket, day four – as it happened

Durham’s Emilio Gay and David Bedingham turned a substantial run chase into an ice-cream and Pimm’s knockabout at Chester-le-Street, chasing down a target of 336 to beat Lancashire with 18 overs to spare. Their unbeaten centuries, in a record stand, came at a gallop and Lancashire had no answer, despite winkling out Ben McKinney and Alex Lees before lunch. “The team is starting to believe,” said the Durham head coach, Ryan Campbell. “There’s a feeling of calmness around the group that I haven’t seen in a while.”Tom Westley and Dean Elgar both made centuries and in process batted Essex to safety against Surrey at the Oval, in a game soaked in sunshine and runs