Keely Hodgkinson escapes boredom to lift British spirits at world championships

It has not been the greatest world championships for Britain so far, with only Jake Wightman’s 1500m silver medal lifting the gloom. But on Thursday the cavalry finally arrived in the form of Keely Hodgkinson.The Olympic 800m champion has been so bored in her hotel in the 35c heat she has even taken to staging playful indoor races with her training partner, Georgia Hunter Bell. But she dusted off the cobwebs in qualifying comfortably for Friday’s semi-finals in 1min 59.79sec

Piastri and Norris ‘in control of own destiny’ in F1 world championship battle

Oscar Piastri has insisted that he and his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, are in control of their own destiny as they fight for the Formula One world championship after the pair were involved in a highly controversial swap imposed by the team at the Italian Grand Prix.Given the pair are in a two-horse race for the title, the question of team orders playing a potentially decisive role loomed large after Monza. Max Verstappen won the race but McLaren’s decision to have Piastri return second place to Norris, after the British driver lost the position due to a slow pit stop caused by a faulty wheel gun, was contentious.With Norris claiming second place he gained three points on his teammate in the championship standings, narrowing the gap to 31 points. Many fans were aggrieved at the perceived manipulation of the result and the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, warned that the team’s use of team orders in an effort to be as fair as possible to both drivers risked setting precedents that would become increasingly hard to manage in the title run-in

Salt’s fine form adds flavour to question of who opens for England at T20 World Cup | Taha Hashim

Phil Salt’s opening remarks in his post-match press conference were a slight surprise. He had just hit 89 to win England’s series opener against Ireland, following on from his unbeaten 141 last Friday. But his mind was still on the missed opportunity in between. “I was quite disappointed at Trent Bridge to not get out there and have a chance to win a series against South Africa,” he said.Rain ruined that decider on Sunday, denying a man who had found form – three consecutive single-figure scores preceded his hundred – and wanted more

Publicity frenzy surrounds Gout Gout, but he has the superpower to cope | Jack Snape

The sight was, frankly, ridiculous. Crowded around 17-year-old Gout Gout were 30 reporters – most of them middle aged men – asking the year 12 student about a running race. The mass was crammed in tight, sweaty and rich in odour, in a cavern under Japan National Stadium still humid from the day despite a late shower leaving a shimmer on the track.But this mania is now customary in the age of Gout. The boy himself saw the funny side, giving his first genuine smile amid the madness, when asked what it makes him feel to be the subject of such fascination

Giants New Zealand must be wary of bogey team Canada in World Cup semi-final

Maple Leafs have gone under the radar at Women’s Rugby World Cup but underdogs can upset the championsFor anyone who might be thinking champions New Zealand are a shoo-in to make the Rugby World Cup final, Canada have three key attributes to suggest they can knock out the Black Ferns in their semi-final on Friday evening: Belief, fast ruck speed and Sophie de Goede.Canada are the world No 2 side and came close to beating England at the 2024 WXV 1, yet have gone under the radar in the buildup to this tournament and during its early stages, with much of the attention focused on the potential for a rematch of the 2022 final between New Zealand and hosts England. Against the Black Ferns in the last four at Ashton Gate, Canada will still be viewed as underdogs in some circles, something the team have spoken about a lot, according to the wing Alysha Corrigan.“It is something that isn’t new for us, we are usually seen as that underdog and not always getting that recognition we think we deserve,” says Corrigan. “I think that is something that fuels our fire

Left smouldering for a decade, the Hawthorn v Geelong rivalry is about to fire up | Martin Pegan

The AFL’s best modern-day rivalry has been left smouldering for a decade. The flames might flicker whenever Geelong and Hawthorn meet. They threaten to take hold each Easter Monday. But the fear and loathing will return in full when the fuel of a preliminary final is poured on the Cats and Hawks clash on Friday night.Geelong have largely had the better of their old foes since Hawthorn completed their premiership three-peat in 2015