Publicity frenzy surrounds Gout Gout, but he has the super power to cope

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

World Athletics Championships 2025: McLaughlin-Levrone wins women’s 400m, Kebinatshipi takes men’s title –as it happened

Righto, that’s it from us for now, but what a night that was. Noah Lyles ran a brilliant 200m semi, setting up tomorrow’s final with Letsile Tebogo, Kenny Bednarek and Bryan Levell also looking mean while, in the women’s event, it looks like a ruckus between Shericka Jackson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.But it was the two 400m finals that really made us feel, Collen Kebinatshipi announcing himself to the world with a dominant run to take men’s gold, before Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did what we all knew she’d do, adding the flat to her list of events mastered, having left the hurdles in search of a new way to proclaim her genius.Sean Ingle’s reports will be with us shortly, sh please do check back in here or on-site for those, but otherwise, peace out.I’ve not really finished kvelling over today, but just have a look at tomorrow!I don’t suppose Sydney could quite stretch to the 800m, but 400m hurdles are so taxing perhaps she’s got the strength

Gout Gout misses out on 200m final but says better performances are ‘coming’

The promising debut of Gout Gout on the international stage has come to an end after he was eliminated at the world championships in a competitive semi-final in Tokyo.The 17-year-old finished fourth in his race behind winner Bryan Levell, and missed out on the two additional time-based qualification places on offer after running a 20.36sec.Although Torrie Lewis couldn’t progress in the women’s 200m either, Australia’s middle distance runners and high jumpers found success in the National Stadium on Thursday.Three Australian women reached the semis in the 800m, including Jess Hull who was reinstated after being a victim of contact

Hannah Botterman fit to face France in semi-final after fearing her World Cup was over

Hannah Botterman has admitted she feared her Rugby World Cup was over after sustaining a back injury against Australia in England’s final pool match.Botterman, 26, has recovered to be named in England’s semi-final starting XV but was seen crying in pain as she walked off the pitch in the second half against the Wallaroos and subsequently sat out the quarter-final victory over Scotland.Fast-forward a week and the loosehead will feature in the front row amid four changes to England’s starting XV to face France on Saturday, including the return of world player of the year, Ellie Kildunne, at full-back.When asked, however, if she felt her tournament might have been over after being substituted in the second half in Brighton, Botterman said: “Yes. Back’s never nice to do, but it was a bit more painful than anything else I’ve had