Raising the bar: Duplantis leads the stars aiming to break world records in Tokyo

From the pole vaulter in a class of his own to Kipyegon and Warholm, the world championships in Japan offer tantalising chances for new global marksArmand Duplantis is in a class of his own with a 17-foot pole in his hands. The Swede has broken the world record 13 times, including three times this year. His clearance of 6.28m at June’s Diamond League on home soil in Stockholm was particularly special: “This was one of my biggest goals and dreams, to set a world record here at Stadion. It’s magic

’Bigger than a bow’: Women’s Rugby World Cup organisers take aim at online hate

Women’s Rugby World Cup organisers have said there is no room for online hate in the game after Wales back-row Georgia Evans was sent abuse for wearing a bow in her hair.Yvonne Nolan, the competition director of England 2025, also hailed the sport’s community response after Evans released a statement last week saying she had been labelled “childish” for her regular gameday look and told it was not one “of a rugby player”.It sparked fan support during Wales’s loss to Fiji on Saturday with volunteers setting up a ribbon-making station and 1,200 worn by supporters during the final pool game.Nolan pointed towards the formal process the tournament has in place which sees a partnership with the Signify Group using technology to remove abusive comments.“We do have a social media monitoring protection tool and that is action based,” Nolan said

The Breakdown | England’s juggernaut must be wary of wheels coming off as World Cup stakes rise

It was the basketball great Kobe Bryant who best summed up the precarious status of the dead cert. His multitalented LA Lakers team came into the 2004 NBA finals as clear favourites to beat the less fashionable Detroit Pistons only to lose 4-1 in the series. “Talent doesn’t get it done, you have to be able to execute,” Bryant said. “When you have talent and you execute, that’s when you win.”In other words there is no such thing in sport as an absolute certainty, no matter how good you are

The Sparks’ Cameron Brink is redefining what it means to be a young WNBA star

It’s the fourth quarter of a tense, close bout in Los Angeles between the hometown Sparks and the Indiana Fever. The game has serious playoff implications for both teams, so every bucket feels fraught, and it’s going down to the wire. Cameron Brink, the 6ft 4in second-year Sparks center with an unmistakable Rapunzel-esque blonde braid has fouled out of the game, but you wouldn’t know it from her enthusiasm on the bench. No one is clapping harder, cheering louder, for her teammates.That’s fundamental to who Brink is, according to everyone I talk to around the team in their final push for the playoffs in recent weeks – the Sparks are in a battle with Seattle Storm for the final spot

Take the strain: Tug of War World Championships

“Pick up the rope! Take the strain! Steady! Pull!” When the referee barks those commands, eight competitors on each team muster every ounce of strength in their bodies and attempt to haul one another across the crumbling earth. Clutching a rope made of hemp or polypropylene, the first team to tug their opponents four metres from their starting position is the winner. They dig their steel-plated heels into the dirt – but strictly no spikes are allowed – while coaching staff guide and encourage them to victory. In the round-robin stages, each contest lasts two ends and the top four teams reach the semi-finals; the semi-finals and finals are decided over three ends. With varying age and weight categories, competitors range from their teens to their 70s

Athletics can’t keep kidding itself – it needs a five-pronged plan to save track and field | Sean Ingle

The world’s fastest man is being trash-talked by a YouTuber. “Are you ready man?” asks Darren Watkins, AKA IShowSpeed, on a live stream broadcast around the world. “You know my name’s Speed, right? And you know I am going to win.” Noah Lyles, the Olympic and world 100m champion, smiles at the teenage upstart. Then he bites back