NEWS NOT FOUND
Jannik Sinner’s doping settlement means nobody loses from ban but try telling Halep that | Simon Cambers
In the end, then, everyone got something they wanted. For Jannik Sinner, the three-month ban he has accepted from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is less than he might have received had he let the appeal go the natural distance. While he will miss almost nothing of note, at least in terms of grand slams, since the world No 1 will be free to return in early May, ready for the French Open and a shot at a third successive major title and fourth in total.For Wada, Sinner’s partial admission of responsibility holds up a key part of the anti-doping programme: that an individual is responsible for what goes in their body, a responsibility that extends to their entourage. And for the sporting world at large, it’s something of a rebuttal to those who say the superstars get preferential treatment
Poppy Cleall drives Saracens to win over Exeter to close in on home semi-final
There are few less pleasant experiences in this sport than playing against Saracens at a wet and windy StoneX Stadium. Exeter Chiefs found out the hard way as they offered plenty of huff and puff but were ultimately shut down by a more ruthless and efficient team. The visitors needed to win this one and their final game against Leicester Tigers to have any hope of qualifying for the semi-finals. Now they will be spectators when the competition narrows to four.Saracens will be in the mix
Keely Hodgkinson shows her Klassic formula can inspire new generation
After winning an Olympic 800m gold medal and the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award, Keely Hodgkinson set herself a bold new challenge: getting a whole new generation of fans into track and field.Foolish? Brave? Or visionary? The sceptics and gatekeepers certainly had their doubts. But the sight of hundreds of teenage and young girls dancing to Taylor Swift, Rosé and Bruno Mars, and Psy’s Gangnam Style in between races at her brand new event, the Keely Klassic, was quite the riposte.Normally an athletics event in the UK feels a bit like a vicarage tea party. This felt more like being on the Road to Damascus
Mitchell return instrumental to England’s Six Nations revival
It wasn’t just the way Steve Borthwick used his bench that shaped England’s victory over France, it was the way he didn’t use it, too. Instead of bringing on Harry Randall, Borthwick backed Alex Mitchell to play a full 80 minutes, something he hasn’t allowed any scrum-half to do since Mitchell last did it during England’s tour of New Zealand.Mitchell missed most of the intervening games while he was recovering from a neck injury, including the three defeats in the autumn when Borthwick chopped and changed between Randall, Ben Spencer and Jack van Poortvliet in the interim.Things always run smoother when a team knows who the starting No 9 is, and for Borthwick’s England it’s undoubtedly Mitchell. In all the excitement about Fin Smith’s performance, the importance of his Northampton teammate’s contribution in those last minutes got a little lost
Wakefield mark Super League return with deserved victory at Leeds
Super League’s opening weekend has been littered with surprise everywhere you look but it is a sign of the times in this particular part of the world that compared to what we have seen in recent days, this Wakefield Trinity victory at Leeds Rhinos does not quite carry the same shock factor any more.Such was the dominance of the Rhinos during large stretches of the past 20 years, it would have felt inconceivable at one stage if someone would have told you we would enter an eighth season since Leeds last tasted success in the Super League Grand Final. But here we are in 2025, with the Rhinos facing that exact situation and in a real state of flux.Once again, Leeds have rolled the dice in the off-season in an attempt to snap the failings of recent years, having finished eighth in each of the last two seasons. Major names including the former Great Britain international Jake Connor have joined the club and their legendary winger Ryan Hall has returned for a second spell at Headingley
‘A sad day for tennis’: critics round on Sinner after three-month ban agreed
Jannik Sinner has agreed to accept an immediate three-month doping ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) – a decision that was quickly met with criticism from inside the game, with Nick Kyrgios calling it “a sad day for tennis”.Sinner, who successfully defended his Australian Open title last month, tested positive for the anabolic agent clostebol last year which he said had entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.The men’s world No 1 was initially cleared by an independent tribunal after being provisionally suspended, however Wada had appealed against that decision to the court of arbitration for sport (Cas). On Saturday it emerged that a deal had been reached that would see Sinner banned from 9 February to 4 May – with Wada accepting the Italian player had not deliberately cheated, and allowing him to return before the French Open begins on 25 May.“Wada accepts that Mr Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage,” Wada said in a statement
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