Terence Crawford hung up the gloves in December, but Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn would be keen for the Omaha-born operator to return for one more fight.
Crawford walked away from boxing after becoming the sport’s second three-weight undisputed champion with a legendary triumph over Canelo Alvarez, shunning a lucrative rematch with the Mexican fan-favourite, safe in the knowledge that his legacy has already been cemented.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn admitted that he does not believe that Crawford is interested in making a comeback.
“When I have been around him, I have kind of felt like, physically, he has checked out. He talks about his body a lot, he talks about how it broke down, particularly in the last few camps, but Terence is an unbelievable fighter and a real competitor. He lives for competition.
“So, I would never rule it out, but I didn’t get that feeling [that we would return] from talking to him personally, I guess anything is possible.”
Still, if Crawford were to make a return, Hearn offered Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis as a possible opponent, once the Philly native has turned into a ‘superstar’.
“If ‘Boots’ can get himself into a position where he is a superstar of the sport and there is a huge amount of money for Crawford to fight him, we would love that fight, because that is a fight that I have wanted for a long time. I think that they are two unbelievable fighters.”
Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Back in March, the Vikings opted to ship out edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. Many saw that development as brutal news.
Doing so meant welcoming a pair of 3rd-Round selections. Added together, those picks are reasonably valuable. Better yet, there was some cap space that got saved while then being able to avoid needing to hand out a meaty extension.
The problem, though, rested in losing an EDGE1. Already, some depth issues existed, so sending out a player who terrorizes QBs and shuts down the run certainly didn’t help. Part of Minnesota’s motivation for moving on likely rested in concern about injury, which has been a reoccurring problem in Greenard’s career.
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Adam Schefter of ESPN has been on a heater with the news updates. Another arrived in the form of Greenard’s injury: “Eagles Pro Bowl LB Jonathan Greenard is being placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a pectoral injury he recently suffered.”
Brutal News for Jonathan Greenard
Thankfully, the injury doesn’t appear to be super serious.
Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team sent out an update: “#Eagles pass-rusher Jonathan Greenard, who was acquired in a trade this offseason and received a 4-year, $100M contract, recently suffered a pectoral injury while lifting and will begin training camp on the PUP list. The team believes the injury is not significant and he should be back sooner than later.”
Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
As with wide receivers, teams get in trouble when there’s only a single threat at edge rusher.
Think back to that 2022 season. Justin Jefferson was a single-man demolition crew. Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn were closer to solid than sizzling. Teams therefore had the luxury of sending two (or more) coverage guys at Jefferson. Trading for T.J. Hockenson helped but the weapons deficit became very apparent in the Vikings’ one-and-done playoff effort.
Similarly, boasting just a single threat to take down the quarterback isn’t a good spot to be. That singular threat will face constant double teams in the form of tights ends, fullbacks, and even cracking receivers. Go watch how Danielle Hunter got treated during that 2023 season where he still piled up sacks.
The Vikings are proceeding with the hope that two pass rushing terrors remain. Andrew Van Ginkel is an elite athlete who hasn’t slowed with age. Look for him to pin his ears back more. He’s going to feast if Brian Flores lets him chase down quarterbacks.
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There’s then Dallas Turner. To my eye, he’s reminiscent of Leonard Floyd as a long, explosive player who can bring down the passer. So far, he has yet to prove capable of mirroring Greenard, Hunter, and others who are well-rounded, complete edge defenders. Minnesota thinks that will change.
Jul 29, 2025; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43), linebacker Dallas Turner (15) and linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) talk during the teams training camp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Jonathan Greenard arrived in the Twin Cities in the free agency period in March of 2024. His four-year agreement for $76 million quickly proved to be a bargain. Coach Flores leaned on the rugged, all-effort defender to bring juice in the pass rush; Greenard didn’t disappoint. Combined with his upbeat personality and outgoing leadership style, Greenard quickly became a favorite in Minnesota.
In 2025, Greenard took a step back on the stat sheet. Part of the problem rested in missing time due to injury. Another issue was found in getting his paws onto the passer but not getting him to the ground. He was like a goal scorer in hockey who kept hitting the post even though he was getting good looks to score.
If health allows, the edge rusher appears bound to bounce back with some huge numbers as an Eagle. Playing alongside those terrific d-tackles will help.
The 29-year-old defender stands at 6’3″ and 260 pounds. Many boast about having a great motor but few can mirror the effort that Jonathan Greenard offers. Philly snagged a good one.
Before the super-heavyweight bout Abdul told the BBC he wanted to become the new ‘King of Scotland’ – in reference to Amin declaring himself that name in 1976.
After taking power in a coup in 1971, Amin ran a brutal regime during which an estimated half a million people were killed. He was also known as the Butcher of Uganda.
Abdul, who never met his grandfather, was chasing Uganda’s first Commonwealth boxing medal since Auckland in 1990 – something which would have been guaranteed had he beaten Thomas.
Instead, he was given warnings in the previous two rounds and was trailing on all of the judges’ scorecards.
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“All I can say about this is the decision is not right, I am not happy,” he said.
“He elbowed me. He caught me with the elbow.
“It [the head movement] was not intentional. I was trying to come back.
“How can I headbutt someone? I would not.
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“He was the person they wanted to win. He was the winner before.
“I knew if I did not get knockout I could not win the fight.”
BBC Sport has contacted Commonwealth Games organisers and World Boxing for a response to Abdul’s comments.
Thomas, who is now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, said it was “not the way” he wanted to win.
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“I can’t change what happened today but I can control how I box on Friday,” he said.
Amin, himself a boxer, harboured a fascination with Scotland after serving in the King’s African Rifles in his 20s.
At the height of the regime, he was fond of wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes – and even declared himself “King of Scotland” in 1976.
Some years later, those predilections even spawned an Oscar-winning film, The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy.
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In a previous interview, Abdul said he was “inspired” by Amin, although it was not entirely clear whether he was talking about his boxing feats or not.
Speaking to the BBC, he refused to answer when asked if he was proud to be the dictator’s grandson, but he did address the question of how he feels when he is linked to someone with such a sinister reputation.
A fresh dispute has broken out in Senegalese football after the country’s Ministry of Sports reportedly said it will not pay any compensation if national team coach Pape Thiaw is dismissed.
Reports say the Ministry has officially informed the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) that it will not accept any financial responsibility if the federation decides to end Thiaw’s contract.
The Ministry stated that the decision to sack the coach belongs entirely to the FSF and that the federation must cover any compensation owed under his contract.
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The decision could create more pressure for the federation, which may have to use its own funds if it chooses to part ways with Thiaw.
The disagreement is the latest challenge facing Senegalese football and has added more uncertainty over the future of the national team’s coaching situation.
Jul 29, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Daniel Susac belted the first two home runs of his career, Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos stroked four hits apiece and the San Francisco Giants captured the season series over the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 16-3 shellacking Wednesday afternoon.
Susac finished with three runs and four RBIs, while Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee collected three RBIs apiece, helping the Giants complete the three-game home series with two wins and the seven-game season series with a 4-3 edge.
Susac’s first homer — a three-run blast in a scoreless game — came in the second inning and was all the Giants’ scoring until the sixth, when a seven-run uprising turned a one-win margin into a 10-2 lead.
The early homer came off Brewers left-hander Thomas Pannone (0-1), who was called up from the minors earlier in the day to allow scheduled starter Shane Drohan to get two additional days off. Drohan was rescheduled for Friday’s series opener in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.
Pannone, who hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2023, worked the first three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and three hits. He walked two and struck out two.
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The Giants broke the game open against the Milwaukee bullpen in the sixth, which featured a two-run double by Lee, a two-run single by Ramos and single-RBI hits by Christian Koss and Arraez.
Webb (6-7) was pulled at that point, having limited the Brewers to two runs on five hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out four.
The win improved the 29-year-old’s record against Milwaukee to 6-0 in nine career starts.
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Arraez capped his 24th career four-hit game with an RBI single in a three-run seventh, before Susac greeted Andrew Vaughn with his second homer leading off a three-run eighth. Susac had entered the game without a home run in his first 131 big-league plate appearances
Koss joined Susac with three runs scored for the Giants, whose run total was a season-high at home and third-highest anywhere.
Brice Turang had two hits and two RBIs for the Brewers, who hadn’t allowed more than 14 runs in any previous game this season. Jake Bauers also had a pair of hits for Milwaukee, which was out-hit 17-8.
There was a furious backlash on Wednesday to FIFA’s controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a private subsidiary. FRANCE 24’s James Vasina reports.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations, offering each of them up to $40 million if they support his controversial plan to sell minority stakes in FIFA’s major competitions.
According to a letter seen by the BBC, member associations that approve the proposal by 19 September will receive an initial $20 million from 1 January 2027. A further payment would follow later.
FIFA wants to create a new commercial company to manage its biggest competitions, including the FIFA World Cup. Private investors would be allowed to buy minority shares in the business.
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In his letter, Infantino defended the proposal, saying it would help football grow around the world.
“It is my duty and responsibility as FIFA president to present such game-changing opportunities to you, our members,” Infantino said.
He added:
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“It is equally my duty and responsibility to ensure such proposals are sufficiently complete and feasible, replete with substantiated figures and clear terms to assist you in the decision-making process.”
The plan has already faced strong opposition from several football organisations, who say they were not properly consulted before the announcement.
A spokesperson for England’s Football Association said:
“We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is and what conditions are attached.”
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The statement added:
“Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point.”
UEFA has also criticised the proposal, saying it had “crossed a line”. European football’s governing body plans to hold an emergency meeting with its 55 member associations later this week to discuss its response.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) also expressed concern.
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“We are deeply concerned by the lack of due process,” the organisation said.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) called for greater transparency.
“While the AFC recognises the importance of exploring innovative approaches that can strengthen the future of global football, initiatives of this scale and consequence must be founded upon the principles of good governance, transparency and meaningful consultation.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Infantino of trying to win support ahead of the next FIFA Congress.
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“It doesn’t seem like a reform. It seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football,” Tebas said.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also criticised the proposal, writing on X:
“The close relationship between the FIFA president and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No-one has the right to sell our game.”
The proposal has sparked one of the biggest debates in world football in recent years, with several football bodies demanding more consultation before any final decision is made.
Late NBA commissioner David Stern called it a “blessing.” When Stern took over the NBA in 1984, the league was in hard times, fighting to gain a foothold on national television and trying to stabilize itself. While it was Stern’s ambition and innovative business sense that were credited with propelling the NBA into its global future, that would not have been possible without two key figures: Bird and Magic. What Stern understood was that, to capture attention and demand eyeballs, star power — and rivalries more specifically — sells.
In Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Stern had two stars: one a stoic trash-talker and the other a charismatic competitor. That the two had already locked horns in college was a bonus. Stern directed the NBA’s marketing arm to lean into the individual rivalry, to promote games as Bird and the Celtics or Magic’s Lakers instead of, simply, Lakers vs. Celtics. That decision and the subsequent arrival of Michael Jordan took the NBA from a down-on-its-luck, tape-delay league to the superpower it is today. Twenty years after a rivalry transformed the NBA, professional golf found its own transformation courtesy of Tiger Woods. Woods’ transcendent talent was enough to reshape the conversation around pro golf itself, but adding Phil Mickelson, a diametric rival, helped usher in a whole new audience to the PGA Tour as fans flocked to see if Woods, the robotic killer, could make history and whether the risky and charismatic Mickelson could be a proper foil to greatness.
All that leads us to the LPGA and this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club. When Nelly Korda curled in a three-foot putt to win the biggest title in women’s golf and capture her second consecutive major, the LPGA set off on a “scrappy plan” to promote the game’s biggest star. As the LPGA hunts for its breakthrough moment, like the WNBA and women’s soccer have procured in recent years, the first step was to have a gravitational star whose talent, feats and personality demand attention. Korda’s blistering start to the season, coming on the heels of a winless 2025, was a gift that new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler could have only envisioned in his dreams when he took the job last summer. Eight months into the gig, he had it. That was Step 1.
But if you looked closer at Korda’s victory at Riviera, if you peeled back the layers, you could see a bigger dream in the background.
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That weekend, Charley Hull put together a blistering 36-hole run of “F— it!” golf and pushed Korda as the World No. 1 eyed a dream accomplishment. In the end, Hull came up one shot shy of a playoff, settling for her fifth career major runner-up.
“It’s just frustrating. Another second place. I think that’s five second-place finishes I’ve had in majors now,” Hull said that evening in Los Angeles, her charismatic personality shining through even in defeat. “It’s pretty annoying, but I played really well the last day. Obviously missed a couple putts on the back nine, but it was quite windy, and I hit the ball fantastic, so fair play to Nelly Korda for back-to-back wins.
“I just love playing in the majors. Like I pretty much only get up for the majors. It’s really weird I just love playing in majors. Like if it’s a normal week-to-week I struggle sometimes getting the motivation. But when it comes to major weeks, I just love it. Like if I just even just make the cut, like at the weekend I can make a massive charge. But, no, I loved it out there.”
There’s no doubt the LPGA loved it as well. The league is full of young, exciting talent with dynamic personalities, but there’s no question that the top two names on the marquee are Korda and Hull. The conversation at each major starts with them. It was not an accident that when Kessler talked about creating global stars back at the CME in November, he specifically mentioned Korda and Hull and how what they both do on and off the course fits the LPGA’s vision.
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A legitimate rivalry between polar-opposite stars is a priceless commodity in sports. It’s something organic that can’t be manufactured or bought, only amplified by proper marketing and willing participants. In Korda, the LPGA has a dominant force who picks golf courses apart with a textbook swing and stoic demeanor. In Hull, they have a free-wheeling, gas-pedal-down star with a flashy personality. In the two we have oil and water.
A Nelly-Charley rivalry would theoretically be a priceless gift for the LPGA. The 2024 Solheim Cup, where Hull dominated Korda in singles but the U.S. won, gave us a glimpse of what that might look like. But we aren’t there yet. There’s another step.
“I don’t really see it as a rivalry at the minute, because, no offense, Nelly has got many majors, and I’ve got none,” Hull said on Tuesday ahead of the AIG Women’s Open. “I’ve got five second places. So let me get my major in first, and then that’s something we can think about in the future. But listen, what Nelly is doing for the game of golf is unbelievable and so good to watch … But I just want to get over the line and win my first major. Five second-place finishes in majors kind of hurt.”
Korda is as aware as anyone that Hull’s major moment could come soon, as long as you keep knocking; eventually the door swings open.
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“It’s about putting yourself in that position,” Korda said of Hull’s near misses. “You can’t control what others are doing, but she’s doing something right to always be there and be relevant, to be in the hunt. It’s kind of like Sam Burns. He’s been in the hunt a lot during major championships; hasn’t got it done. Eventually he will. You can’t get discouraged; it has to be encouraging.”
Much like when Tiger raced out to an eight-majors-to-zero lead on Mickelson, there is no suspense currently in this hopeful narrative. Rivalries need an ebb and flow to exist and grow. You can try and cast it into existence, but if one’s always a hammer and one’s forever a nail, it will fail to take root.
This week’s Women’s Open at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s is an opportunity for the LPGA’s dream vision to begin to crystallize. Last year, at Royal Portcawl, Hull, as she did at Riviera, went on a weekend tear to zoom up the leaderboard and get on the doorstep of her maiden major title. In the end, she came up short, and Miyu Yamashita took home the title. Reminders of that close call are everywhere this week for Hull, only adding to her major motivation.
“I remember looking at the faces [of past champions] walking in on the first day from last year and stuff, I was like, oh, I wish that was me,” Hull said.
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Hull can erase that bad taste with four good days of proper links golf at Lytham. Korda, who has cooled off since her blistering start to the season, will also be looking to punctuate her year with a third major and a ticket to the LPGA Hall of Fame. It’s easy to conjure up the LPGA’s dream scenario in your head: a Sunday duel between the game’s two biggest figures on a demanding links test — one that gives the LPGA a narrative that can launch it higher into the type of bold future Kessler has been preaching.
The LPGA’s own “blessing” is sitting on the horizon just out of clear view. It might be approaching, but something has to happen before the bigger picture can become reality.
“While you divide, we unite,” Gianni Infantino wrote on social media on Monday, in a long missive aimed at his detractors. By Tuesday, he had united the football world — albeit in opposition to his latest scheme.
Chief among FIFA’s proposed investors is the investment vehicle, Thrive Eternal, headed by Joshua Kushner — younger brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law.
Why is FIFA’s new World Cup plan controversial?
Other than the potential conflict of interest connection to Trump, with whom Infantino has grown close, there are significant concerns about transparency, corruption and whether FIFA has the remit to make such a move unilaterally.
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“The World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events, and that comes with a responsibility beyond maximizing revenue,” Bret Myers, a professor of sports business practices at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA, told DW.
The US connection is important, with the model echoing the way that many US sports operate. Formula 1 too went through a similar process when it was bought by Liberty Media in 2017. Greg Maffei, a former Liberty CEO, has been a “key commercial adviser” to FIFA on the FFE plan.
“North American sports have long operated within a more commercial framework, where private ownership, franchise valuations, and investor involvement are widely accepted,” Myers added.
“Football, particularly in Europe, has a much stronger tradition of clubs and competitions being viewed as cultural institutions rather than purely commercial assets.”
USA striker Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban during the World Cup was suspended after Infantino got a call from Trump Image: Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire/IMAGO
More fundamentally, the concern is that this is the first step towards the World Cup, football’s biggest prize, becoming privately owned.
“A minority investment is very different from relinquishing control,” Myers said. However, it does represent a significant shift in how the World Cup is financed and managed commercially.”
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World football’s global governors are a nonprofit organization but sit on cash reserves of an estimated $8 billion (€7.02 billion) after a World Cup that saw ticket prices skyrocket.
Given FIFA’s remit lies in developing football, rather than purely profiting from it, there is a sense that this is a move designed to shore up Infantino’s power and, perhaps, encroach on the turf of the continental football federations he failed to include in the planning.
How do Infantino and FIFA aim to sell the plan?
FIFA has promised to invest profits back into the game, mostly by offering all 211 member associations a flat fee of $20 million in 2027, rising to $24 million by 2035. Associations must decide whether to accept those payments by September 19 or risk them being reduced or retracted.
“The president controls this huge pot of money and uses it to reward those that are loyal to him, that support him, and punish those that are not supportive of him,” Miguel Maduro a former chairman of FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, told DW.
“FIFA could do lots of good things with money. But there is no system of checks and balances and accountability to make us sure that the money is actually going to be well spent by all national football associations. Everything that that’s happened in the past makes me suspicious of how this money will end up being spent.”
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What has the reaction been from the footballing world?
Almost universally negative. National federations, world leaders and fan groups have all come out against the idea, with federations particularly peeved about the lack of consultation.
But perhaps the most surprising reaction came from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who released a statement confirming it was “not consulted on the proposal and is disappointed” by the way in which it was released. Asia and Africa, are where Infantino’s main power base lies, as together they have 101 of the 211 national associations — with each getting a vote on the president.
The close friendship between Infantino and Trump has raised alarm bells for someImage: Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERS
Similar misgivings were expressed by a number of powerful national football associations, including Germany’s DFB.
“A line is being crossed here. There is a strong consensus among the member associations on this matter, as evidenced by several conversations I have had in recent days with Aleksander Ceferin [president of Europe’s football governors UEFA] and other colleagues,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, a DFB vice president.
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“If European football stands united in opposing these plans, it carries significant weight.”
Who might oppose FIFA’s World Cup plans?
UEFA seems in the best position to lead any revolt and has hit out at the plans, saying football is “not FIFA’s to sell.” It was a strongly worded statement of the type UEFA has released several times in recent months as its battle with FIFA plays out in public. Reports suggest UEFA will meet as soon as Wednesday to discuss their options.
Maduro backs UEFA’s stance but said he’d like the current climate to serve as an opportunity for broader reform.
“I don’t think UEFA has the same severity of problems that we find in FIFA, but I do think it also suffers from serious governance problems and that they need to be addressed,” he said.
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“Simply getting rid of Mr. Infantino but leaving the entire structure and model of governance of sports will be removing a couple of bad apples but leaving the tree that produced them in place.”
Aleksander Ceferin’s UEFA has been a strong critic of FIFA in recent yearsImage: Mike Egerton/PA/picture alliance
How could this change football?
That the AFC and the CONCACAF (which governs North, Central America and Caribbean football) have criticized the way the latest plans were released, may have strengthened UEFA’s hand in any thoughts of breakaway or boycott.
It may also lead to the continental federations uniting to find someone to oppose Infantino in next year’s presidential election or in threats of boycotting next year’s Women’s World Cup.
But Maduro thinks such talk is often designed to appease the public before intentions are quietly shelved.
“What we’ve seen so far for the most part is that these statements, where they distance themselves from these kinds of initiatives of FIFA, are made under the pressure of public opinions. But then they actually never follow through.”
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Maduro went on to say that UEFA’s increasingly strident opposition to FIFA is, at least in part, a reaction to an increased threat to its own highly lucrative Champions League. Should the proposed changes go through, Maduro expects World Cups to be more frequent and a further expansion of FIFA’s recently expanded Club World Cup.
“They will want to transform that into the big international football competition of clubs instead of the Champions League. That’s what they will try to do because it will be in their commercial interest,” he said.
Kate O’Connor rewrote the history books but is keen to add another chapter to another storied summer before next month is out.
The absence of two-time world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson from the Commonwealth Games heptathlon made O’Connor the one to beat, a new feeling for the Northern Irish athlete.
Her silver medal at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo underlined her potential, but there’s winning on paper and winning in practice.
She’s the first Northern Ireland team member to win gold here, the first track and field athlete to top the podium in 40 years and the first woman to do so since Dame Mary Peters in 1974.
And while the emotion of her first major senior championship title came in a blur, there won’t be long to reset her focus before the European Championships in Birmingham in just 13 days.
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Kate O’Connor won gold for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games (Getty)
A rested Johnson-Thompson, who prioritised that event over Glasgow, awaits, along with Swiss star Annik Kälin and others in a stacked field. Triple Olympic and European champion Nafissatou Thiam is not competing as she continues a cautious comeback from injury.
O’Connor’s winning score of 6,569 points at Scotstoun was well short of Kälin’s world-leading 6,819, but the 25-year-old didn’t just have to battle the new pressures of expectation here – she also had to contend with the elements. At times it didn’t just rain; it was biblical.
“I came here wanting to score somewhere in the 6,700s, or even higher, because I felt I was in that kind of shape,” she said.
“My coaches reminded me that championships aren’t about big scores – they’re about competing. You have to deal with whatever conditions you’re given, and with the rain and cold I think I produced a very good score. Hopefully at the Europeans in Birmingham it’ll be warmer and I’ll have another chance to chase that bigger total.
“I’m not worried about the turnaround before Birmingham. I’ll just treat these last few days as really good training.
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“It’s not a difficult journey home and my body feels good. I feel healthy and I don’t think I emptied the tank out there, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.
“Being one of the favourites was a completely new experience for me. Last year I learned what it was like to carry the expectation of being in medal contention, but this was the first time I’d gone into a championships as someone people expected to win gold. That brings a different kind of pressure.”
O’Connor finished eighth in 2018 and claimed silver behind Johnson-Thompson four years later in Birmingham.
But it was only last year that her life changed: pentathlon silver and bronze at the World and European Indoor Championships, gold at the World University Games and that famous silver in Tokyo.
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Records and personal bests were rewritten and then rewritten again, with her Irish national record of 6,714 points meaning she ended the season ranked second in the world.
After admitting her frustration with her opening day, she recorded a solid leap of 1.82m in the high jump, a season’s best 52.85m in the javelin and won the concluding 800m at a canter. Her winning margin over England’s silver medallist Jade O’Dowda was a huge 291 points.
“As an athlete you’re always looking ahead to the next competition, so you don’t always stop to appreciate what you’ve achieved,” she added. “Hearing those things makes you realise just how special it is.”
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