Angela Meade and her son Harry have appealed for the return of the stolen medals
Two Olympic gold medals have been stolen from the family home of one of Britain’s most successful male equestrians.
The medals were won by Richard Meade during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and taken after burglars broke into a property near Marshfield, in south Gloucestershire.
Police believe the robbery took place between 29 October and 1 November, with several pieces of jewellery, antiques and trophies also taken.
Angela Meade, Richard’s wife, said the medals hold “a special place” in the hearts of the whole family after his death in 2015.
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“We are all extremely proud of his achievements as an event rider, and whilst the medals are of very little monetary value, they are priceless to us,” she said.
“I would plead for anyone who knows the whereabouts of the medals to hand them in to the police.”
Family handout
Richard Meade won the medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games
This is the second time the medals have been stolen, after they were taken from a car in the 1980s but returned after a media appeal.
The medals were left hidden in a public place, the authorities were tipped off about there whereabouts. One of the medals had been partially scratched, revealing that it was not solid gold and therefore of negligible material value.
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Det Insp Danielle Underwood, from Avon and Somerset, said officers have carried out forensic and CCTV enquiries and have spoken to people living in the area.
“These items are understandably of huge sentimental importance to the victims, and they are extremely anxious for them to be returned,” she said.
“Any burglary can have a devastating impact on victims – not only is there a financial or sentimental impact, but it can also make people feel unsafe in their own homes.”
Getty Images
Meade won gold in Munich 1972
Meade, who was born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, was one of Britain’s most successful Olympic equestrians, a triple Olympic gold medallist and the first British rider to win an individual Olympic title.
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As well as the two Olympic gold medals won in Munich, he also won Olympic gold in Mexico in 1968, and five World Championship medals.
Police are encouraging anyone who has seen any of the items, saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area or has any information which could help the investigation to come forward.
SOME much-loved European Grands Prix face the prospect of hosting races on a rotational basis sooner rather than later.
F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali teased that he “had some news to share” as a few European circuits prepare to learn their fate.
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Stefano Domenicali has confirmed that plans are in place to make a controversial change to the F1 race calendar
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A host of European tracks will lose their year-by-year right to hold races
A selection of Europe’s finest tracks might be forced to hold races on a bi-annual basis, starting in 2026.
Domenicali has revealed that some events will have to forego their year-by-year pattern with another event.
With a record-breaking 24 rounds already crammed onto the F1 calendar, the scope for adding new venues is now arguably smaller than ever.
The former Lamborghini CEO said: “We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grand Prix and some other new options coming later.
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“This is something that, of course, we will clarify in the due course. It is true that we have a large demand of new possible venues that want to come in.
“We believe that the balance we have in terms of numbers [of races] is the right one, so 24 is the balanced number that we feel is right.
“I do believe that all the propositions that are coming on our table are giving us the possibility to make even better choices for our future.”
Many of the European circuits are some of the most popular on the calendar, with the Belgian, Italian and British Grands Prix high on the list of the most exciting races each season.
F1 now spans across four different continents, with the FIA keen to further grow the sport’s presence in the United States with three races – in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – currently held there.
There are also talks about a further race in South America and a return to South Africa for the first time since 1993.
Formula 1 chaos as Brazilian GP qualifying POSTPONED due to heavy rain with drenched fans left waiting for hours
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC Fight Night 247 (ESPN+) fighter weigh-ins at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Among those weighing in are welterweight standouts Neil Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC) and Carlos Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who meet in the main event, and Bernardo Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Ricky Turcios (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who fight in the bantamweight co-feature.
The full UFC Fight Night 247 weigh-in results include:
After he crosses the finish line in Barcelona at the final round of the 2024 MotoGP season on 17 November, Takaaki Nakagami will start a new chapter in his life as a Honda test rider.
It’s a role that will take him back to his home country of Japan, a seismic shift for him after spending the best part of 10 years living in Europe.
Out of those 10, seven were spent racing in MotoGP with the LCR Honda team. He will leave the premier class with the sting of not having finished on the podium, despite coming close on a few occasions during his breakthrough 2020 campaign.
Nakagami had previously scored 14 podiums in six seasons in Moto2, including two wins, which earned him a move up to the premier class with Honda’s satellite squad, LCR. Nakagami was inducted into the Idemitsu side of the operation in 2018 to meet the Asian quota set by the lubricants company.
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In 2025, it will be Thai racer Somkiat Chantra who will take over the place currently occupied by Nakagami, who took the decision to step down from MotoGP a few months ago. However, he maintains his relationship with Honda, which will keep him a test rider based in Japan.
Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda
Photo by: Asif Zubairi
This move is part of the shake-up that Honda instigated by Honda to accelerate the optimisation of its RC213V, a bike whose performance has been in a free fall for some time. The arrival of Romano Albesiano as the new technical director, plus three-time grand prix winner Aleix Espargaro into the testing division in Europe, is all part of the same overhaul. Nakagami will add another gear in the development of the parts that are tested in Japan, a task that was until now in the hands of Tetsuta Nagashima.
In next week’s finale, Nakagami will say goodbye to what can be considered more of his home track than Motegi. The Japanese rider, after all, has been living in Sant Cugat del Valles on the outskirts of Barcelona for almost a decade.
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After the final stop on the calendar, and official test the following Tuesday, in which his job will be to tutor Chantra, he will pack his bags and return to his home in Chiba, a city located 40 kilometres to the east of Tokyo. There, his life will suddenly go down two gears, at least as far as travel is concerned, although he still does not know what his day-to-day routine would look like.
“We have not yet spoken with Honda. We will do so at the beginning of December, when I will go to the HRC headquarters. There they will explain to me the plan they have planned for me, for the next six months,” Nakagami told Motorsport.com / Autosport.
“I don’t know yet how many days of testing I will do, or where, or how many wild cards they want me to do.
“Honda wants to accelerate the development of the bike in Japan. There is Nagashima, but he is not fast enough to evaluate the parts beyond their functionality. The idea is to shorten the time in the evaluation of the novelties, and I am faster than him. My times will not be five seconds off the grand prix riders.”
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After 17 full seasons in the world championship, including the lower classes, Nakagami is aware that the demands of being a rider will not be the same from next year.
Takaaki Nakagami, LCR Honda
Photo by: Asif Zubairi
That doesn’t mean that he can abandon his preparation, although his new routine will have nothing to do with the one he had until now in Barcelona, where he trained six days a week and combined sessions in the gym with flat track training.
“My rhythm and lifestyle will change completely. For the last 10 years, I have been living in Spain, and now I will move back to Japan,” he said.
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“The first thing I will have to do is adapt to the new context, to the new weather, and then see what is the best way to keep fit and familiar with speed.
“The good thing is that Honda is always there, so I will be able to use the bikes they let me use, or use their circuits.”
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has returned to training following three months out with injury.
The England left-back, who hasn’t played for the club since February, sustained a calf injury in early August.
He had been expected to return after the international break in October but former manager Erik ten Hag said Shaw had suffered a “setback”.
Shaw suffered a hamstring injury in February that ruled him out of the remainder of the last Premier League season.
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However, he was selected in England’s squad for Euro 2024 and started the final defeat by Spain after missing the group phase.
Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said earlier this week that fellow left-back Tyrell Malacia, who hasn’t played for the club since April 2023 following a knee injury, was closer to returning to action than Shaw.
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is “planning to crush some rehab” in his recovery from two surgeries.
Kershaw posted on Instagram that he had foot and knee procedures on Wednesday. He thanked Drs. Kenneth Jung and Neal ElAttrache for performing the operations.
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“Planning to crush some rehab and be as good as can be come next year,” Kershaw posted on Thursday.
The 36-year-old Kershaw is 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA in 429 starts and three relief appearances over 17 seasons — all with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He declined a $10 million player option in favor of free agency, but he is expected to return to L.A. after vowing to do so at multiple points during and after the Dodgers’ run to a 2024 World Series championship.
Kershaw was hurt for much of last season, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA over seven starts. He was sidelined throughout the postseason.
ALL eyes are on Sunderland as the World Seniors Darts Masters is finally UNDERWAY – but English icon Phil Taylor misses out on his farewell tournament.
Three-time major winner Robert Thornton kickstarts his campaign with a testing match against 10-time Women’s world champ Trina Gulliver.
English star Richie Howson and 2024 Matchplay winner John Henderson are in action this evening.
While darts legend Phil Taylor has been forced to watch on from the sidelines due to an injury.
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