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Michail Antonio: Ex-West Ham forward on move to Qatar side Al‑Sailiya

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Michail Antonio says he had to “swallow his ego” after his near‑fatal car crash as he prepares to make his first club appearance in 15 months.

The 35-year-old striker, who has joined Qatari side Al‑Sailiya, says owners of English clubs were wary of signing him following his accident in December 2024, which left him with multiple leg fractures.

He returned to competitive action with the Jamaica national team with three substitute appearances in June – his only football since the crash.

But Antonio told BBC Sport he “feels like a schoolboy again” as he looks to prove his fitness during a two‑month spell in the Qatar Stars League, with Al-Sailiya facing Al-Arabi on Saturday.

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Antonio says he still has “so much love” for West Ham, for whom he played 323 games and became their all‑time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals, but was disappointed he did not get the chance of even a final substitute appearance in a home friendly.

He says he ultimately was not wanted by then‑manager Graham Potter and describes his exit in August as “a hard pill to take”.

“I’ve still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years,” said Antonio. “It shows, because every single manager was putting a contract in front of me once I trained with them.

“But there were managers and clubs who refused to look at me because of what happened – the accident, the injury. Some owners went against it. In football, the manager can want you, but it’s the owner’s money.

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“My agent kept calling clubs, and the same thing happened – clubs wanted me to train first. With the ego I had, I said ‘I’m not coming to train. You’ve seen me play with Jamaica, you’ve seen my past 10 years. I shouldn’t have to train to get a contract.’ Clubs said ‘iIf you don’t train, we won’t sign you’.

“After staying at West Ham, training with the under-21s and going away with Jamaica again, my agent said ‘you’re going to have to train, prove your fitness.’

“I had to swallow my ego – that’s how I ended up at Brentford. I trained with them for two weeks.”

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Eighth National Indoor 60m Hurdles Title for Sarah Lavin

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The opening day of the 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena saw headline wins for Sarah Lavin, Adam Nolan, Sophie Becker and Mark Smyth.

Eighth title for Lavin

Emerald AC’s Sarah Lavin won her eighth national indoor 60m hurdles title as she beat world silver medallist Kate O’Connor of Dundalk St Gerard’s.

Lavin produced a smooth 60m hurdles run to win in 8.07 seconds, finishing ahead of Kate O’Connor who ran a huge personal best time of 8.21 seconds to go third on the Irish all-time list behind Derval O’Rourke and Lavin.

Commenting on her victory this afternoon, Sarah Lavin said:

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“I’m happy, I would have liked a season’s best but to run sub eight is a difficult task. There were things I did really well there, and some things I need to tidy up but overall, it was a positive run. I want to carry the speed and intent through the race, sprinting is one thing, working on technique for the hurdles is another, and trying to bring those together”.

Orlaith Mannion (South Galway AC) rounded out the 60m hurdles podium in third in a time of 8.45 seconds.

Adam Nolan wins men’s 60m hurdles

The men’s 60m hurdles was claimed by Adam Nolan from St Laurence O’Toole AC, as he successfully defended his 2025 gold in a time of 8.03 seconds. Leevale’s Seán Carmody took second in 8.19 seconds, with 2025 high jump champion Ciarán Connolly of Le Chéile AC taking third spot in a time of 8.45 seconds.

Becker takes first senior 200m title 

Sophie Becker won her first national senior indoor 200m title with an indoor PB time of 23.43 seconds. Racing in the sixth lane, Becker utilised her opening 100m speed to break clear of the field to cross ahead of Molly Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers), who clocked 24.07 seconds for second place, with DSD’s Mollie O’Reilly finishing third in 24.14 seconds.

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Becker spoke of her delight post-race in claiming the 200m title:

“I’m delighted with that. My first 200m title and an indoor PB to go with it so two boxes ticked and I’m thrilled to have taken the title. I’ve been lacking a little bit of confidence and the 200 really helps my 400 because I’m more of a speed-based athlete, so to know I have that time over 200 will give me plenty of confidence”.

Third national title for Mark Smyth

Raheny Shamrock’s Mark Smyth took a third national indoor title following a titanic tussle with defending champion Marcus Lawler of Clonliffe Harriers. The Raheny clubman held off the strong finishing Lawler to cross the winning time in 21.11 seconds. Lawler was second in 21.24, with Adam Murphy (Tinryland AC) third in 21.68 seconds.

Finals Results

Women’s 200m

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1 Sophie BECKER Raheny Shamrock A.C. 23.43

2 Molly DALY Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 24.07

3 Mollie O`REILLY Dundrum South Dublin A.C. 24.14

Men’s 200m

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1 Mark SMYTH Raheny Shamrock A.C. 21.11

2 Marcus LAWLER Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 21.24

3 Adam MURPHY Tinryland A.C. 21.68

Women’s 60mH

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1 Sarah LAVIN Emerald A.C. 8.07

2 Katherine O`CONNOR Dundalk St. Gerards A.C. 8.21

3 Orlaith MANNION South Galway A.C. 8.45

Men’s 60mH

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1 Adam NOLAN St. Laurence. O’Toole A.C. 8.03

2 Sean CARMODY Leevale A.C. 8.19

3 Ciaran CONNOLLY Le Chéile A.C. 8.45

Women’s High Jump

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1 Aoife O’SULLIVAN Liscarroll A.C. 1.75

2 Sommer LECKY Finn Valley A.C. 1.75

3 Lauren DUFFY Bohermeen A.C. 1.65

3 Maeve FLEMING Leevale A.C. 1.65

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Men’s High Jump

1 Mohammed IBRAHIM HALIL Raheny Shamrock A.C. 1.93

2 Darragh KELLY Craughwell A.C. 1.90

3 Emmanuel OSAS Ratoath A.C. 1.90

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Men’s WFD

1 Michael HEALY Leevale A.C. 9.11 NR

2 David TIERNEY Leevale A.C. 7.99

3 Robert HIGGINS Na Fianna A.C. 7.08

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Women’s WFD

1 Kotryna PACERINSKAITE Fanahan Mc Sweeney A.C. 8.70 NR

2 Laura DOLAN Ferbane A.C. 6.46

3 Bridget MC DYER Finn Valley A.C. 6.29

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Men’s Triple Jump

1 David ONWUDIWE Ennis Track A.C. 13.96

2 Darragh FAHY Loughrea A.C. 13.94

3 Joseph GILLESPIE Finn Valley A.C. 13.75

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Women’s Triple Jump

1 Daphni DOULAPTSI TEEUWEN Raheny Shamrock A.C. 12.54

2 Caoimhe MC DONAGHSouth Sligo A.C. 12.21

3 Anna RYAN Moycarkey Coolcroo A.C. 11.4

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LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

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BGIS 2026 Quarterfinals Day 3 Group D: Overall standings and summary

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Group D delivered its first three matches on Day 3 of the BGIS 2026 Quarterfinals. Madkings finished first with 37 points and one Chicken Dinner. Second-placed Meta Ninza also had a great start and amassed 26 points and one Chicken Dinner. GenXFM and Nebula scored 25 points apiece.

Frostrex sat fifth with 24 points, including 15 eliminations, followed by Team H4K with 23 points and one Chicken Dinner. GodLike Esports had a slow start to the BGIS Quarterfinals and accrued 19 points. The Manya-led lineup got only one position point. Higg Boson finished eighth with 17 points.

Further down, Godz Officials and Esports Socials sat ninth and 10th with 16 and 14 points respectively. Sovereign, Rising, and Riotnation scored 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. K9 Esports suffered a poor start and could only muster seven points, leading to a 14th-placed finish. OSH and Empire Officials amassed four and three points, respectively.


Day 3 highlights of BGIS 2026 Quarterfinals Group D

Overall points table of Group D after three games (Image via YouTube/Krafton India Esports)Overall points table of Group D after three games (Image via YouTube/Krafton India Esports)
Overall points table of Group D after three games (Image via YouTube/Krafton India Esports)

Match 1 – Erangel

Meta Ninza, led by Shadow, won its first game with 16 eliminations. Meanwhile, Genxfm accumulated 16 points and 10 eliminations. Frostrex finished with an 11-point tally. Esports Social and GodLike grabbed nine points apiece.

Higg Boson amassed seven points and six kills, followed by H4K, Nebula, Rising, and Sovereign with four points each. Marking and K9 Esports grabbed only two points each. Godz Officials and Empire failed to earn any points.

Match 2 – Miramar

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Team H4K emerged victorious in its second encounter of the BGIS Quarterfinals with 18 points. Madkings posted 14 points, including nine eliminations. Godz Officials scored 13 thanks to star player ICYOP’s five kills. Frostrex also collected 13 points.

Rising and Genxfm garnered seven points apiece. Nebula, GodLike, and Higg Boson grabbed only four points each, followed by Meta Ninza with three. K9 Esports had another poor game and earned only two points.

Match 3 – Miramar

Madkings clinched a phenomenal 21-point Chicken Dinner in the third game. Syrax and ClutchGod from the squad delivered four kills each. Nebula also displayed top-notch performances and achieved 17 points, followed by Riotnation with 10 points.

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Sovereign and Meta Ninza scored eight and seven points, respectively. Higg Boson and GodLike got six points apiece. K9, Empire, Esports Social, and Godz Officials finished with three points each.