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Winter Paralympics 2026: Neil Simpson misses out on defending super G title with fourth place

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Britain’s Neil Simpson said “a couple of mistakes” stopped him from defending his Paralympic super G title as he finished fourth in Cortina.

Four years ago in Beijing, Simpson and his brother and guide Andrew won the nation’s only gold of the Games in the visually impaired super G, a victory that cemented him as the first British man to win gold at a Winter Paralympics.

This time around, Simpson was led by Rob Poth after a late switch of guide, but after struggling on the mid-section of the Tofane piste, the British pair crossed the finish line 1.1 seconds shy of a podium finish.

“There was some good skiing, so I’m pretty proud. Unfortunately there were just a couple of mistakes,” said 23-year-old Simpson, who with Poth won the 2023 super G World Championship title.

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“The section where there was a bit more air time and jumps, I just didn’t quite have the line there, so that just meant I didn’t have the speed over the flat.”

Austria’s Johannes Aigner won gold for his second Paralympic title of the Games, having also won the downhill.

Simpson’s British team-mate Fred Warburton placed 12th with his guide James Hannan after a run he described as a “bit of a battle”.

Both British pairs will compete in a further three events at the Milan-Cortina Games.

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Those start with Tuesday’s alpine combined – an event in which skiers race both a super G and slalom course.

“I gave it my best shot, unfortunately it wasn’t to be but it’s something that we need to learn from,” added Simpson.

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Man City star Rodri avoids ban but fined more than $100K for referee comments

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LONDON — Manchester City midfielder Rodri was fined 80,000 pounds ($107,000) but avoided a ban on Monday for comments he made after a Premier League game where he questioned the integrity of a referee.

After City’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham on Feb. 1, Rodri said: “We won too much and the people, they don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. And for me, honestly, it’s not fair, it’s not fair.”

The Football Association said Rodri admitted at an independent hearing to a charge that he “acted in an improper manner during a post-match media interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or match officials.”

As well as the fine, Rodri — who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or — was warned as to his future conduct.

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Mega news for Max Verstappen as driver shares major racing update

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It has now officially been announced that Max Verstappen is set to race at the 54th edition of the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, which will take place from 14 to 17 May this year. This will mark his first-ever 24-hour race after the driver already made his endurance racing debut in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie last year.

Verstappen has long spoken about his dream to compete in endurance racing, specifically the 24-hour event at the Nurburgring. Now, this is all set to become a reality. The 28-year-old has announced he will race for his own Verstappen.com Racing team, driving the Mercedes AMG GT3.

Red Bull Motorsports announced this news with a creative ad featuring Verstappen and professional skydiver Max Manow. The team for the entry has also been confirmed, as Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer will team up with the 4x F1 world champion.

Last year, Max Verstappen completed 14 laps of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in a Porsche Cayman GT4 as part of the process to obtain the licence required to race on the circuit. Officials deemed his performance sufficient and granted him the DMSB Permit Nordschleife. Soon after receiving the permit, the Dutchman entered the ninth round of the NLS and secured victory in a Verstappen.com Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

Since then, his endurance racing outfit has swapped partners, as the team now operates a Mercedes AMG GT3. Motorsport fans will have the unique opportunity to witness the Red Bull driver drive a Mercedes in May this year.

Verstappen will also race in the second round of the NLS for preparation, which is scheduled for March 21. This was moved ahead a week to avoid clashing with the F1 Japanese GP, so Verstappen could compete in it.

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Max Verstappen “thrilled” to be making Nurburgring 24 Hours debut

Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix - Source: GettyMax Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix - Source: Getty
Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix – Source: Getty

Max Verstappen has said that he is “thrilled” to be racing at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in 2026. The F1 star explained that this will tick off one of the things on his bucket list, having been there for a long time.

Speaking following the official announcement of the major update, Verstappen shared his excitement about the event. [via Formula1.com]

“The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place, there’s no other track like it. The 24h Nurburgring is a race that’s been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really thrilled we can make it happen now,” said Verstappen.

“Last year, I was able to get my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS9, that we won. That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS2 and the 24-hour race,” he added.

Max Verstappen hence faces a busy schedule, travelling to Germany between the Chinese GP on March 13-15 and the Japanese GP on March 27-29 to compete in NLS2 on March 21. Later in the season, he will go from the Miami GP on May 1-3 to the Nurburgring 24h on May 17-19 before returning to Montreal for the Canadian GP on May 22-24.