Keely Hodgkinson returns to competition at the European Athletics Championships in an unusual position. After breaking the world indoor record over 800m in March, it looked as though the world was at her feet. But the Paris Olympic champion has had a distinctly stop-start outdoor season, troubled by a “freak” injury and dogged by bad luck, and has been beaten resoundingly, twice, by Switzerland’s breakout star Audrey Werro, the fastest woman in the world this year.
With that in mind, does she still believe she is the best in the world, going into a major championships on home soil? On a video call with The Independent and other outlets, she smiles confidently as she says: “Yes, I still believe I’m very much capable of that.
“This is what I trained for, this is the exciting moment. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, had lots of people come around and challenge me, and I’ve always been there. I’m proud to have always been in that top segment, I’ve medalled at every single championships. So it’s really great to have the women’s 800 in the spotlight and everyone getting behind us and wanting us to run fast, it’s really exciting.”
The 24-year-old’s outdoor woes began when she fell in training onto a metal grate that left her with cuts to her knees before the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, where she lost to world champion Lilian Odira. She suffered surprise back-to-back defeats and withdrew in tears from the British national championships earlier this summer, moments before the 400m final, after tweaking her hamstring.
Now she is relaxed about the fall; her knees have healed – “I’ve got some fat scars, but they’re all fine” – and the incident didn’t cause her to miss any training. “It was like, how much pain can I manage? Against these girls, if you’re limping and your back’s out, all these little fine margins can affect your performance.
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Hodgkinson returned to winning ways at the London Diamond League last month (Getty)
“I just fell over, it’s a freak accident, who cares? I think people are very quick to judge and don’t really fully know what has happened. I wanted to run, I was there, I flew all the way out. Maybe in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have, but, I was there, I just thought, why not?”
Switzerland’s Werro has been the surprise package of the season and is the outright favourite after running the fastest times in the world this year. She won the Diamond League in Stockholm in one minute 53.98 seconds – the third fastest women’s 800m ever and the quickest this year – to leave Hodgkinson a distant second, even with a new personal best and British record time of 1:54.33.
Hodgkinson reflected on that race, saying: “I didn’t know what she was capable of at that point, and I think that just shows you that you can’t underestimate anybody. If you look at all our other head-to-heads, you wouldn’t have thought she was going to hang on. I don’t think I did anything wrong – I think people were trying to make me feel like it was a failure and it really wasn’t. That was a British record, it was my fastest time ever, and I’m going to remind myself of that because I’m proud of that.”
It has been a stop-start season for the Brit who withdrew from the national championships in tears (PA Wire)
Hodgkinson has become used to being the athlete to beat throughout her young career, a generational talent who wins with ease. This year she has been on the back foot. With Femke Broeders-Bol – having converted her brilliance in her normal discipline of 400m hurdles to the 800m – also a potent force, the 800 is set to be the race of the championships, but it may not go all Hodgkinson’s way.
She is taking a relaxed approach to that. “I’ve obviously got a lot of experience, and experience can be both a positive and a negative thing. Sometimes you overthink more because it’s like, I’ve done it this way, I’ve done it this way. So I just like to go back to basics, like when I was young, upcoming, I didn’t care. I had nothing to lose and I think it’s important for me that I hold on to that and I just race with courage and fearlessness and I think that’s how I’ll get the best out of myself.”
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Of the strength of her competition, she says: “I think it definitely just helps motivation-wise. This is what I love about championships. I’ve gone into them ranked eighth in the Olympics in Tokyo, came out with a silver; I’ve gone in as favourite and not won. I think it’s like a bit of a clean slate.
“The standard now in Europe has gone up [over the last few years], so I think the heats, the semis are going to be a lot faster than what we’ve seen in the last couple of years. It does mean you’ve got to bring your A game a bit sooner. But I think that’s a bit better for me because I like to line up and feel like, you know, this matters, I’m gonna have to run fast, I’ve got these girls to run against. I think it’s really exciting, the levels that we have.”
She was part of a trio of British success stories at the world indoor championships in Poland (Getty)
She had initially pencilled in the London Diamond League for an attempt at breaking the infamous world outdoor record, having smashed the world indoor record in March. But it now looks as though Werro, who became the first woman since the controversial Jarmila Kratochvilova to run under 1:54 – twice – in Paris and Stockholm this year, is the best placed to finally topple the Czech’s mark of 1:53.28, which has stood since 1983.
Hunter Bell and Hodgkinson are training partners and close friends, but the 32-year-old has spoken openly about her desire to double up, racing both the 800m and 1,500m, in future championships, adding yet another rivalry to the 800m field and another dynamic to negotiate for coaches Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows.
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Training partners and rivals Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell will not compete over the same distance in Birmingham (PA Wire)
Asked whether she would relish the challenge of having another rival over 800m, Hodgkinson says: “If Georgia wants to do that, that doesn’t really affect me. I think it’d be great. Obviously we train together, we push each other really hard, we’re both in really good shape. When we plan our races, I sit down with Trevor and plan mine, she does hers and whatever she feels like she wants to do.
“I think with there being three championships [UK nationals, Commonwealths and Europeans] and her being decisive between the two events, she’s just done what is best for her. But I’m sure there’ll be a time this season that we do match up and it’ll be a good race.”
A world-class field is headlined by the likes of Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, who has endured a stop-start season and faces fierce competition in what should be an electrifying 800m event, with Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, the fastest woman in the world this year, and Femke Broeders-Bol – stepping up from her usual 400m hurdles – also on the startlist.
Hodgkinson’s training partner and new Commonwealth Games 800m champion Georgia Hunter Bell is in action but only in the 1,500m, while reigning European 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith is back to defend her title alongside another British hope in world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt.
Sporting platforms do not just produce gruelling contests; they also generate off-the-field stories that are revered for decades. One such story was shared by Indian boxer Narender Berwal, who returned from the Commonwealth Games with a silver medal. During a felicitation ceremony at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, Berwal shared an anecdote from 2015, when he fought a boxer from Pakistan in the World Military Games. After Berwal won the match, he engaged in a hilarious conversation with his Pakistani opponent. As he recounted the exchange, even PM Modi was left in splits.
Political relations between India and Pakistan have been tense for decades. Narrating the story, Berwal revealed how he was cautioned by the Indian military not to lose against his opponent, given the ongoing border conflicts between the two nations.
“Since we were talking about Pakistan, a story came to my mind, sir. It was the 2015 World Military Games, and my first fight was scheduled against a boxer from Pakistan. Because it was the Military Games, I received calls from officials telling me, ‘You must not lose to Pakistan,’” he revealed.
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Berwal went on to win the bout, but both fighters suffered facial cuts, which led to them visiting a hospital together.
“I won the first round 4-1 and the second round 3-2, but both of us got cuts. I won the fight, and afterwards, we both went to the hospital to get stitches.”
Berwal continued: “In 2014, you [referring to PM Modi] became the Prime Minister for the first time. The army coach who was with us was named Narendra Rana. The Pakistani boxer thought about it for a while and then said to me, ‘Brother, can I say something?’ I said, ‘Yes, go ahead.’”
#WATCH | “Pakistani boxer said to me ‘Aapka naam Narender hai, aapke coach ka naam Narender hai, aapke Pradhan Mantri ka naam Narendra hai. Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai’…” says Heavyweight boxer and silver medallist Narender Berwal narrating his conversation with a… pic.twitter.com/qvmwO5D2sz
The Pakistani boxer then remarked: “Aapka naam Narender hai, aapke coach ka naam Narender hai, aapke Pradhan Mantri ka naam Narendra hai. Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai” (“Your name is Narender, your coach’s name is Narender, and your Prime Minister’s name is Narendra. I have started to hate the name Narendra”). As Berwal shared the story, PM Modi could not hold back his laughter.
At his residence, PM Modi held one-on-one conversations with several athletes, lauding their contributions to taking India’s sporting journey to new heights.
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Demi Vollering won the final stage of the Women’s Tour de France and retained her yellow jersey. This is her second Tour victory, following her win in 2023.
In football, Monaco pulled off an upset against Liverpool in a pre-season friendly, whilst Marseille beat Bilbao. Manchester City beat Atlético Madrid, whilst Arsenal lost to Dortmund. In tennis, Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati tournament.
CM Punk is one of the most popular stars in WWE. While the fans love him, some members of the roster are not so fond of the Second City Saint. One such star is former Intercontinental Champion, ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio.
During a recent Meet & Greet ahead of the SummerSlam Premium Live Event, the self-proclaimed King of the Luchadors was seen demanding a kid stop wearing any Punk merchandise. Mysterio said that if the kid wants to come and get an autograph from him, then the young fan should not be wearing any Punk merchandise.
Thanks for the submission!
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“Hey man! I know you got me to sign this ‘Dirty Dom’ card, but you got to get into a different shirt. No more. You can’t come up to me with those CM Punk merch on. Alright? Anything… I’ll take Penta, anything else, but CM Punk. You promise me on that.” Dominik Mysterio said.
Dominik Mysterio still gave the kid an autograph, but he made the young fan to promise that next time he would not be wearing any Punk merchandise during the next Meet & Greet.
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When Will CM Punk Defend His WWE Undisputed Title?
A couple of weeks ago, on Night 1 of the SummerSlam Premium Live Event, the Second City Saint managed to retain his championship against the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes.
The following night, a new number one contender for Punk’s title was determined. It was none other than a returning Kevin Owens. On the following episode of SmackDown, Owens confronted the Second City Saint and promised that he would be the one to dethrone Punk.
Following the war of words, Kevin Owens ran into SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis backstage and named the date and place when he wanted to challenge CM Punk for the Undisputed title. Owens demanded that he wanted to wrestle the self-proclaimed Best in the World in his home country, Canada.
WWE is prepping for its Canada tour, and as part of that tour, an episode of SmackDown is set to take place in Toronto, Canada. It will take place on the 21st of August. Thus, Owens will be challenging Punk on that episode of SmackDown.
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Having put the Nusa option on hold due to its excessive costs, Tony D’Amico has confidently focused on other options.
For example, according to a report in Corriere dello Sport, he’s reopened the possibility of signing Gabriel Martinelli, 25, a Brazilian national team and Arsenal winger, whom Roma could approach because his contract with the Gunners expires in a year.
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The biggest obstacle? His salary. Martinelli earns €11 million gross, and the Giallorossi wouldn’t want to go above €9 million, given the Friedkins’ self-imposed salary cap.
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The agency representing him, Roc Nation, also has Lyon’s Malick Fofana and Real Madrid’s Endrick in its stable, players for whom Roma has made enquiries, making a more determined bid in the case of the Belgian.
Arsenal remain convinced that an agreement isn’t so impossible to reach: Tzolis has already arrived in that role, and Martinelli, as mentioned, has a contract that expires in less than twelve months, which could persuade the seller to offer a discount, reaching €40-45 million.
Shaun Murphy broke Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 12-year record for the most unanswered points in a professional match as he thrashed Matthew Selt 6-0 at the China Open in Taiyuan.
Murphy, who also equalled the record of four consecutive centuries, opened the first-round tie with breaks of 18, 61, 132, 103, 139, 113 and 41 for a new record of 607 points without reply.
“It’s like a cricket score isn’t it?” Murphy told WST. “I can’t believe it, I’m over the moon.
“I knew I was close at the interval, but I didn’t want to go looking for it on any sites or anything, As a sportsperson, when you do find yourself in that bubble, in that flow, you just want to stay in it.
“Ideally I wouldn’t have had the interval, I would have just carried on. But it was a delight to play for a great crowd out there. Thrilled.
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“I haven’t set many records throughout my career and I’m sure someone at some stage will come along and beat that one, but to be part of snooker history in that way is a great thrill.”
O’Sullivan set the previous record of 556 unanswered points in a 6-0 win against Ricky Walden at the 2014 Masters.
Murphy compiled successive century breaks in frames two to five and joins Mark Allen and Neil Robertson as the only players to have achieved the feat twice.
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan won six straight frames after falling 2-0 behind to beat Jackson Page 6-2, but world number one Judd Trump’s unbeaten start to the season was halted in a 6-3 defeat to Noppon Saengkham.
The World No 1 missed the Canadian Open in Montreal – ending his hopes of becoming the first player to win all nine Masters 1000 events in the same year – and has not competed since winning his fifth Grand Slam win at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
Alcaraz also pulled out of the Cincinnati Open as a precaution but Sinner seemed confident that the issue would not hinder his participation in New York.
Sinner said: “After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
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“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet…I’m now focusing on getting ready for the US Open.”
The 24-year-old Italian, who defeated Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final, will bid for his sixth major singles title at the US Open, which starts on 30 August.
Following what he describes as a “good bit of business”, Eddie Hearn has offered his thoughts on the vacant title clash between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic.
While they were already scheduled to collide at London’s O2 Arena on August 29, the two heavyweights are now fighting for the IBF world title.
This additional incentive was made possible by promoter Frank Warren, who cut a deal with mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez and persuaded him to step aside.
Up to this point, Itauma has shown signs of generational talent but against mostly limited opposition, perhaps with the exception of Jermaine Franklin in March.
But even then, the ferocious 21-year-old dispatched the fringe contender in five rounds, while Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte went the distance with Franklin in previous fights.
Hrgovic, however, is considered a proven world-level operator, with his only defeat resulting in an eighth-round stoppage on cuts to Daniel Dubois in 2024.
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But even when considering the difference in experience, Matchroom promoter Hearn has told IFL TV that Itauma is a “massive favourite” for good reason.
“I think it’s a good bit of business from Frank Warren. Obviously they’ve managed to get Frank Sanchez to step aside, and I think he has to fight the winner.
“I think Moses is a massive favourite and, if he wins, he becomes world heavyweight champion.”
If he claims the IBF title, Itauma would also become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986.
National senior record holder high jumper Pooja Singh failed to live up to the expectations, finishing seventh in the final, as India ended their World Athletics U20 Championships campaign with three medals here.
The 19-year-old Pooja could only clear 1.84m, way below her national senior record height of 1.93m. She failed to sail over 1.87m in three attempts.
Izobelle Louison-Roe of Australia won the gold with 1.92m, while Lilianna Batori (1.90m) of Hungary and Aitana Alonso (1.90m) of Spain bagged the silver and bronze respectively.
In May, Pooja had won gold in the Asian U20 Athletics Championships with the senior national record height of 1.93m. She is also the reigning gold medallist at the Senior Asian Athletics Athletics Championships.
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The Indian women’s 4x400m relay team, meanwhile, finished ninth and last in the final, clocking 3 minute 45.28 seconds. The team comprised Bhoomika Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Tanu Chaudhary and Thiya Arumugam.
USA won the gold with a time of 3:29.15s, while Australia (3:31.39s) and Great Britain (3:32.08s) took the silver and bronze respectively.
With two silver and one bronze here, India equalled the medal haul of the 2021 and 2022 editions.
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Ashish Yadav had opened India’s medal account with a silver in the men’s javelin throw. Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan added a silver and bronze respectively in the men’s high jump and long jump.
From 2002 to 2018, India won just four medals in the World Athletics U20 Championships, including a gold each from Neeraj Chopra (men’s javelin throw in 2016) and Hima Das (women’s 400m race in 2018).
Discus thrower Seema Antil won India’s first ever medal in the World Athletics U20 Championships with a silver in the 2002 edition in Jamaica, before Navjeet Kaur Dhillon won a bronze in the same event in 2014 in the USA.
In 2021 edition, Amit (men’s 10,000m race walk) and Shaili Singh (women’s long jump) won a silver each while the mixed 4x400m relay team bagged a bronze.
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In 2022, Selva Prabhu Thirumaran (men’s triple jump) and mixed 4x400m relay team clinched a silver each while Rupal Chaudhary (women’s 400m) bagged a bronze.
India won one medal in the 2024 edition, a bronze through Aarti in the women’s 10,000m race walk event.
Best hitter matchups for this week include the Rangers, Cubs and Giants
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Whether you’re in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They’re not must-starts by any estimation, but they’re often the best you’ll find off the waiver wire.
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