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Tyson Fury explains why Arslanbek Makhmudov is right opponent for comeback fight

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Tyson Fury has explained why Arslanbek Makhmudov is the right opponent for his comeback, as the “Gypsy King” emerges from retirement for the fifth time.

On 11 April, Fury will box Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the Briton enters the ring for the first time since December 2024.

On that occasion, he was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in eight months, and he will bid to bounce back against Russia’s Makhmudov – 15 months after announcing his fifth retirement.

Ahead of his clash with Makhmudov, Fury spoke to The Independent and other publications in Tottenham, going into heavy detail about his upcoming opponent.

“I wouldn’t like to get in a wrestling match with the f***er,” said Fury, 37, referring to an occasion when Makhmudov, 36, wrestled a bear.

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“I met him in 2017 at the Billy Joe Saunders fight with David Lemieux. I met him there, he was just a whipper-snapper then – just a kid coming up, dreaming of fighting the heavyweight champion of the world. Now he has the opportunity of making dreams come true, making him very rich. Now he can go and do all the things he wants to do in his life.

“One hundred per cent, it’s destiny. Listen, everything has a plan in life, and he was always destined to get this shot and change his life and become very wealthy and be in a good position with himself.

Tyson Fury (left) take on Arslanbek Makhmudov in April
Tyson Fury (left) take on Arslanbek Makhmudov in April (PA Wire)

“I thought he’s a good opponent, he’s a dangerous opponent. If they’d have said I was going to fight some random person no one’s heard of, then that wouldn’t have turned me on, so I wouldn’t have even been interested. But considering I’ve got a No 5-ranked WBA heavyweight, who’s known to the British public because he just had a good fight with Dave Allen… and he wrestles bears for fun, and he’s as big as me, and as ugly as me, and the fact that he’s got 21 knockouts out of 22 fights, [it] makes him a very worthy adversary.

“It makes me want to train good and want to have a good camp, because if I don’t, then I could be one of those 16 first-round knockouts that he’s got, and a highlight-reel meme on his career. And I don’t want that, so I have to respect the fact that he’s a top boxer, he’s had over 100 amateur fights for Russia, and he’s a very experienced fighter.”

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Still, Fury said: “What do I do? Do what I always do. Box his head right off him.”

Makhmudov will enter the contest on the back of a points win over Allen in October. The Russian, 36, has a pro record of 21-2 (19 KOs), having lost to Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello since 2023. Meanwhile, Fury’s record stands at 34-2-1 (24 KOs). He is a former two-time world heavyweight champion.

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Derek Chisora falls to defeat against Deontay Wilder in final bout of his career

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Deontay Wilder consigned British heavyweight Derek Chisora to defeat in his final fight but only after an exhilarating fight of the year contender at a raucous O2 Arena.

In the 50th bout of Chisora’s eventful professional career, ‘Del Boy’ showed remarkable powers of recovery to come back from a punishing eighth round and take former WBC champion Wilder to the distance.

After the American showed the power early on in London which once made him one of the most formidable punchers in heavyweight history, Chisora’s farewell threatened to turned into a nightmare during a one-sided start.

However, Chisora rallied back in sensational fashion in a thrilling fourth and after he got up off the canvas in round eight, the 42-year-old made it through to earn a hero’s reception before, during and after the last three-minute round of his journey in the professional ranks.

It was not enough to seal Chisora one last victory after the judges scored the bout 115-111, 112-115 and 115-113 in favour of Wilder to earn the ‘Bronze Bomber’ a split-decision triumph, which may put his name back in the mix for the biggest fights in the division.

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2026 NBA playoff picture: Standings, tiebreakers as Lakers try to hang onto No. 3 seed without Luka Dončić

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Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) are going to miss the rest of the regular season, which makes the Lakers’ fight for the No. 3 seed in the West a lot tougher. They have an effective two-game lead over the No. 4 Nuggets with the tiebreaker secured and five games to play. 

In the East, the Pistons are one win or one Boston loss from officially clinching the No. 1 seed. 

The final day of the regular season will be on Sunday, April 12. Between now and then, we will be updating this playoff picture each day to keep you up to date on the standings, important magic numbers, all relevant tiebreakers and our SportsLine projections. 

Here is where we stand entering play on Saturday, April 4. 

*Tiebreaker note: All tiebreakers are included for teams currently within one game (or one seed) of each other, but will only be listed in the current higher seed’s section.

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2026 NBA Playoff Picture

If the season ended today…

Play-In Tournament

East first round
No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 76ers
No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Hawks

West first round
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
No. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Rockets

Western Conference standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Spurs: Spurs clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 1 seed

2. San Antonio Spurs (59-18)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 2 seed

3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-27)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Nuggets: Lakers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Lakers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Lakers clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 3 seed

4. Denver Nuggets (49-28)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Rockets: Nuggets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Nuggets clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 4 seed

5. Houston Rockets (48-29)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Wolves: Tied with one game remaining
  • SportsLine projection: No. 6 seed

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-31)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 5 seed

7. Phoenix Suns (42-35)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Series tied 2-2, Suns hold because of division record
  • SportsLine projection: No. 7 seed

8. Portland Trail Blazers (40-38)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Clippers: Clippers lead 2-1
  • Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Blazers clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 8 seed

9. Los Angeles Clippers (39-38)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Warriors: Clippers lead 2-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 9 seed

10. Golden State Warriors (36-41)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 10 seed

Eastern Conference standings

1. Detroit Pistons (56-21)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Celtics: Pistons clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 1 seed

2. Boston Celtics (52-25)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Knicks: Knicks lead 2-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 2 seed

3. New York Knicks (50-28)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Cavaliers: Knicks clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 3 seed

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: Raptors clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 4 seed

5. Atlanta Hawks (45-33)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: Raptors clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. 76ers: Hawks clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 6 seed

6. Philadelphia 76ers (43-34)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Raptors: 76ers via division record
  • Tiebreaker vs. Hornets: 76ers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: 76ers clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Series tied 1-1
  • SportsLine projection: No. 7 seed

7. Toronto Raptors (43-34)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Hornets: Raptors via conference record
  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: Raptors own
  • Tiebreaker vs. Miami: Raptors lead 2-0 (two to play)
  • SportsLine projection: No. 5 seed

8. Charlotte Hornets (42-36)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Magic: Hornets clinched
  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Heat clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 8 seed

9. Orlando Magic (41-36)

  • Tiebreaker vs. Heat: Magic clinched
  • SportsLine projection: No. 10 seed

10. Miami Heat (40-37)

  • SportsLine projection: No. 9 seed

Notable magic numbers

  • Pistons’ magic number to clinch East’s No. 1 seed: 1
  • Wolves’ magic number to clinch playoff spot: 2
  • Thunder’s magic number to clinch West’s No. 1 seed: 4
  • Hawks’ magic number to clinch playoff spot: 3

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BREAKING: Deontay Wilder beats Derek Chisora on points in epic heavyweight brawl

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Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder went to the judges’ scorecards and the Bronze Bomber won the fight by split decision

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Deontay Wilder beat Derek Chisora on points in an epic heavyweight brawl at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.

Both fighters went toe-to-toe in the capital in a fight full of twists and turns but it is Wilder who prevailed with the American winning by split decision.

“I had a durable opponent, I knew Derek was going to come, I knew he was going to bring everything that he had,” Wilder said immediately after the fight.

“This is his retirement fight and I was telling him in the ring as I started seeing his eyes swelling and his temple start to buckle a bit and I said ‘brother, you have got to live for your kids. I don’t want you to hurt too much.”

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Cambridge happy to defy ‘brutal’ Boat Race weather and extend men’s winning run

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Champagne-clutching Cambridge bow Simon Hatcher wanted to win the men’s Boat Race by the “curvature of the earth” but by the finish was simply satisfied to beat both Oxford and Mother Nature.

Heavy favourites Cambridge made it four straight victories on Saturday, beating underdogs Oxford by three and a half lengths on a blustery afternoon on the Thames, where wind gusts were predicted to reach 38 miles per hour.

It made for sea-like conditions in some sections, with both crews electing to take the relatively rare step of risking added weight by employing electric pumps to displace any water the boats were likely to take on.

“The conditions tend to make equals of us all,” said Hatcher, an American PhD student in engineering, when asked about the small margin between the rivals in the opening stages.

“A lot can happen that’s unexpected when the conditions rear up like that. We handled it well enough to get our bow well enough ahead at the end. Whether the margin would have held on a flatter day, we’ll never know.

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“I mentioned before that I wanted to win by the curvature of the earth. We might not have won by the curvature of the earth, but we got the bow well ahead and I think that’s the most important thing.”

Hatcher’s word for the conditions was “brutal”, adding, when asked about the especially punishing white-capped section at Chiswick, “in those moments you’re blown to a halt, essentially, by the wind.”

Cambridge entered the 171st men’s edition of the Boat Race unbeaten this season, but Oxford held them to just a narrow lead at the start – less than four seconds at Mile Post – before the light blue boat pulled ahead at the midway point and crossed the finish with a lead of just over 11 seconds.

“It’s just the greatest feeling in the world,” Hatcher added. “You put so much time into a campaign like this, and you really become brothers with every person in your boat and every person in the club, to deliver like that and to be a part of history.

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“It’s just everything. It’s everything you hope for, and regardless of the margin or anything, it’s the greatest feeling ever.”

Cambridge’s win takes the men’s head-to-head record to 89-81 in favour of Saturday’s victors.

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What to make of the expansion rosters drafted by the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo

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The Portland Fire selected Bridget Carleton with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft.

A member of the Minnesota Lynx since 2019, the Canadian sharpshooter will be a founding player for the rebirth of the Fire. Canada’s first WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo, selected Julie Allemand with the second pick in the expansion draft. The Belgian point guard has three seasons of WNBA experience, most recently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2025.

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Here’s how the whole expansion draft unfolded:

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First round
  1. Portland: Bridget Carleton (Minnesota; unrestricted free agent)

  2. Toronto: Julie Allemand (Los Angeles; restricted free agent)

  3. Portland: Carla Leite (Golden State; under contract)

  4. Toronto: Nyara Sabally (New York; under contract)

  5. Portland: Luisa Geiselsöder (Dallas; reserved)

  6. Toronto: Marina Mabrey (Connecticut; unrestricted free agent)

  7. Portland: Emily Engstler (Washington; reserved)

  8. Toronto: Aaliyah Nye (Las Vegas; under contract)

  9. Portland: Maya Caldwell (Atlanta; reserved)

  10. Toronto: Lexi Held (Phoenix; reserved)

  11. Portland: Chloe Bibby (Indiana; reserved)

Second round
  1. Toronto: Mariá Conde (Golden State; contract expired)

  2. Portland: Haley Jones (Dallas; reserved)

  3. Toronto: Maria Kliundikova (Minnesota; reserved)

  4. Portland: Nyadiew Puoch (Atlanta; rights held)

  5. Toronto: Adja Kane (New York; rights held)

  6. Portland: Sarah Ashlee Barker (Los Angeles; under contract)

  7. Toronto: Nikolina Milić (Connecticut; reserved)

  8. Portland: Sug Sutton (Washington; restricted free agent)

  9. Toronto: Kitja Laksa (Phoenix; reserved)

  10. Toronto: Kristy Wallace (Indiana; contract expired)

  11. Portland: Nika Mühl (Seattle; under contract)

Although free agency and the college draft still are to come, let’s evaluate the current state of the inaugural rosters for the WNBA’s 14th and 15th franchises.

Portland Fire roster analysis

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Southampton shock Arsenal to reach FA Cup semi-finals

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Arsenal are stung by a late goal from Southampton’s Shea Charles, as the Premier League leaders fall to defeat in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

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Lauren Price v Stephanie Pineiro: Price beats Pineiro & hints at Claressa Shields fight for end of 2026

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A bloodied Lauren Price dug deep to beat Stephanie Pineiro on points to retain her welterweight world titles in Cardiff before calling for a future fight with Claressa Shields.

The 31-year-old picked up a terrible cut in the fifth round against the previously unbeaten Puerto Rican.

Price rallied to fight to the final bell and was rewarded with a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

After the fight, American Shields – who has held 15 world title belts across five weight divisions – stepped into the ring to face off with Price.

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“This girl stood in front of me is one of the best in the game,” said Price.

“We all need dance partners, we’ve both got Olympic gold medals, let’s do it.

“This is why I’m in the game, I want to fight the best. Credit to Sheilds – I respect her – but I back myself!”

Shields said the location of any fight would have to be discussed but hinted at a meeting between the two stars at the end of 2026 and said the bout would be at middleweight.

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“When you are an Olympic champion you are a special fighter,” said Sheilds.

“Me and you have talked online and me and you can make it happen, you did great tonight .

“No disrespect to you, you’ve got a little bit of time. I’ve got one more fight and then we can fight at the end of the year.”

Price has spoken often about staging a future fight at either the 33,000-seat Cardiff City Stadium or Principality Stadium, which can hold almost 80,000 fans.

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In Shields, Price could face the calibre of opponent who would merit such a step up in venue.

Shields, also 31, currently holds the IBF, WBC, WBF and WBO heavyweight world titles and has a professional fighting record of 18-0.

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Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder live scorecard and fight result

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Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder meet tonight in London for a heavyweight clash that carries real intrigue despite both men being deep into their careers.

With this being the 50th fight for both men, fans are expecting at least one retirement when all is said and done. Chisora, 42, has said he will hang up the gloves win, lose or draw, but if he beats Wilder in style many feel it will be hard for him to resist one more. He steps through the ropes enjoying something of an Indian summer in his long career, having beaten Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin in his last two.

Wilder, who years ago would have been considered a heavy favourite in this match-up, has looked well past his best in his last high-level fights, losing to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang while, crucially, seeming unable to fire his famous right hand which has given him 43 knockouts from 44 wins. With no thought of losing entering his mind, he has said he will fight on, however a loss to Chisora, particularly if it comes inside the distance, will convince fans he no longer belongs at the top of the heavyweight division.

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Stay with Boxing News for a live scorecard as the action unfolds and full fight results.

Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder live scorecard

This is a Boxing News live scorecard and not the official score from the judges.

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
Chisora 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilder 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder fight result

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UConn coach’s wife blasts St John’s fans

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The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team is one win away from reaching their third national championship in the last four years.

The Huskies got to the Final Four after a stunning Elite Eight win over the Duke Blue Devils when Braylon Mullins nailed a long 3-pointer to give them the lead right before the final buzzer. Duke reached the game with a victory over the St. John’s Red Storm.

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Andrea Hurley watching a college basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena

Andrea Hurley, wife of UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley, watches the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame exhibition game between the UConn Huskies and Boston College Eagles at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Oct. 13, 2025. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)

Dan Hurley’s wife, Andrea, weighed in on St. John’s fans seemingly rooting against the Huskies as they took on the Michigan State Spartans in the other Sweet 16 matchup on that side of the bracket. It appeared the rivalry between the two schools is alive and well.

“OK, I’m gonna say it. St. John’s fans … When we went to the game, all those St. John’s fans were rooting against us,” Andrea Hurley said on “The Field of 68: After Dark.” “And that just broke my heart. … It’s really sad. … That’s crappy … That was crappy.”

2026 NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT: LAST TIME FINAL FOUR TEAMS MADE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

UConn head coach Dan Hurley talking with a referee during a basketball game.

UConn head coach Dan Hurley talks with a referee during the first half of the Elite Eight NCAA tournament game against Duke in Washington on March 29, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

Hurley said she was talking to Rick Pitino’s wife during the Big East Championship and asked her how she did it, seemingly forming a bond with the family over the rival school.She added that she may not have wanted to see the Red Storm in the tournament, but didn’t necessarily want to face the Blue Devils either.

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Dan Hurley had praise for his wife earlier in the week after he said she was able to keep players from storming the court after Mullins’ shot went in against Duke. UConn may have received a technical foul for going on the court too early, which may have presented a different conversation from the media going into Final Four.

UConn head coach Dan Hurley speaking at a news conference

UConn head coach Dan Hurley speaks during a news conference ahead of the national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against Illinois at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)

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UConn will take on Illinois in their Final Four matchup. The winner will either play Arizona or Michigan.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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India men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relay teams register big progress | Other Sports News

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India’s men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relay teams took a major step toward qualification to the World Athletics Relays in Botswana in May, delivering standout performances at the International Invitation Relay Competition here on Saturday.


The men’s 4x400m squad, featuring Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, and Rajesh Ramesh, secured gold with a time of 3:01.43 seconds. The performance significantly bolsters their standing as they push for a spot in the World Athletics Relays, scheduled for May 23 in Gaborone, Botswana.


In the mixed 4x100m relay, the National B team stole the show by shattering the national record. The quartet clocked 42.30 seconds, erasing the previous mark of 43.44 seconds set by Tamil Nadu in 2025.

 

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The India A team followed closely in second at 42.34 seconds, while the Maldives took third.


Chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair praised the depth of the field, noting that both Indian entries performed “exceedingly well.


However, the day was marked by “heartbreak” for the men’s 4x100m relay team. A disqualification in the heats ended their hopes of qualifying for the World Relays. National record holder Animesh Kujur expressed his disappointment, noting that the Chandigarh meet was the final opportunity to improve their ranking before the April 5 deadline.


The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) fielded two teams in the mixed 4x100m relay, and members of both teams did exceedingly well, chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair said..

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However, India’s international sprinter and national record holder, Animesh Kujur was disappointed at missing a golden chance to board the flight to Botswana.


“The competition in Chandigarh was the last chance for the 4x100m relay squad to improve their world ranking before the deadline of April 5, but we missed,’ Kujur, a member of the national 4x100m relay team, said.


The national mixed 4x400m relay and women’s 4x100m relay teams are also strong contenders to win tickets to the World Athletics Relays.


The national women’s 4x100m relay clocked 43.86 seconds at the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships. The current world ranking is 23.

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The national 4x400m mixed relay team’s current world ranking of 22 is based on the 3:14.81 performance at the World Relays in China.

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