Keely Hodgkinson surprised even herself after running an impressive leg in the 4x400m relay less than an hour after securing 800m gold at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland.

Olympic champion Hodgkinson secured her first world title with a dominant performance in her favoured event in Torun, before joining an unconventional British quartet to compete in the relay.

With the British squad short of 400m runners, Hodgkinson and sprinter Dina Asher-Smith stepped in alongside Tess McHugh and Louisa Stoney to record a fifth placed finish in the relay.

Asher-Smith, a 60m finalist, produced a strong time of 51.29sec for her leg before Hodgkinson, not a noted 400m runner, clocked the fastest split of the race clocked the fastest split of the race (50.10sec) in a sign of her excellent form.

Hodgkinson blasted away to clock 23.4sec through 200 metres, a time that left even her taken aback.

“Sometimes I surprise myself,” the 24-year-old posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The women’s 4x400m relay was won by the United States, their sixth success in the last nine editions of the World Indoors. The Netherlands brought home the baton for silver, with the Spanish quartet pipping Poland to bronze in the final event of the championships.

Pep Guardiola may have added a more cerebral dimension to football management but he had a confession. “I’m not yet artificial intelligence,” said the Manchester City manager. “I’m a human being and I can celebrate.” For Guardiola, the emotion of a Carabao Cup final win was apparent in his own booking for running out of his technical area. Given Guardiola’s unpredictability, replicating his thought process might be beyond even AI.

For the Catalan, defeating Arsenal at Wembley was the sort of result that was rooted in the unexpected element of football. “Not even me gave £1 for the victory today,” he said.

Guardiola has had many a triumph over the years, but few against the odds. He has tended to win with the favourites. His previous two finals at Wembley were upsets because City lost, to Manchester United and Crystal Palace in consecutive FA Cup showpieces. This time he was on the right end of a shock.

For much of his time in Manchester, there was the automatic assumption that whichever piece of silverware he had just collected would lead to more, often swiftly. Now it is not as clear.

Guardiola has his default answer, that he has one year left on his contract. Arsenal’s six-year trophy drought – Community Shields apart – underlines that most sides, even good ones, can find it difficult to collect any medals; in part, of course, because Guardiola’s charges often hoover them up.

Now there is the question if this is the end of something or a new beginning. Guardiola’s greatest rival, Jurgen Klopp, bowed out with a Carabao Cup that meant more to him because it was earned in improbable fashion.

There could be another comparison; except that, as Klopp would no doubt point out, Guardiola has won much more than him. One theory is that he would want to bid farewell with one of the big two trophies, and City are already out of the Champions League and nine points adrift of Arsenal in the Premier League.

But there are times when Guardiola seems genuinely excited by the potential of the third team he is fashioning. He believes they are not far off, and that sense may give him greater reasons to stay. “The team has something underneath that I can smell that they can flourish and winning helps to anticipate the process a little bit,” he rationalised.

Whether it is a side that will stay together and win together is another matter. As he stood at the end of the Wembley balcony, looking reflective as he watched his players bounce around in delight, the chances are he derived particular pleasure from seeing Bernardo Silva lift a first trophy as captain. Maybe a last, too, given that the Portuguese is out of contract in the summer and also deflects queries about his future.

Then, for different reasons, there are two of those Guardiola singled out for praise. Nathan Ake was parachuted in when Ruben Dias was hamstrung but one of Guardiola’s most solid citizens is probably fifth-choice centre-back now. The future has arrived; indeed, when it is Abdukodir Khusanov, his ally in a partnership of old and young, who does everything at startling speed.

Meanwhile, James Trafford’s early triple save meant the opening when Arsenal, in Guardiola’s words, “suffocated” City brought no breakthrough. Trafford returned to the Etihad Stadium last summer, little expecting City to buy Gianluigi Donnarumma two months later. At least the second-choice goalkeeper has some silverware banked from his second spell at the club but he will surely will be gone soon; he is too good to spend another season on the bench.

The rebuilding job is advanced in some areas, incomplete in others, perhaps complicated by probable departures in still more. At some stage, City may actually sign a right-back, though Matheus Nunes has a Wembley assist to show for his afternoon. Whether Nico O’Reilly will be a left-back in the long term remains to be seen; for now, anyway, he has the enviable tag of cup final hero.

Of the 13 arrivals in the last three transfer windows, Rayan Cherki and Khusanov may prove the two best. The Frenchman looked a high-class No 10 at Wembley, just as Arsenal, in the absence of Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze, lacked one. Guardiola has spent plenty but Cherki, at £31m, is a bargain.

Whether the Wembley way is Guardiola’s new blueprint, with two fast wingers, in Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo, remains to be seen. There are times when, unusually for a Guardiola side, they look undermanned in midfield; it was one of their problems in the Bernabeu.

It would help if Rodri were to return to the dominant form he displayed before his cruciate ligament injury. It is far from certain he will. It is a safer bet Erling Haaland, after just five goals in 20 games, will become prolific again.

They could be fulcrums of a third great Guardiola side; or there may not be one. This might be the platform for more or a one-off win for a team in transition. Like much else at City, it comes back to the issue if Guardiola will stay or go. And if it is the latter, AI can’t replace him.

The fate of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) season appears to be in jeopardy, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly deciding to host the event in only two cities, and behind closed doors. On Sunday, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the government directive, citing the West Asia conflict and soaring fuel prices as the primary reasons behind the decision. However, there may be more to the development than meets the eye. Reports have emerged suggesting that overseas players scheduled to participate in the PSL have been urged to pull out of the tournament or face dire consequences.

An armed opposition group in Pakistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, has issued a public statement warning overseas stars such as David Warner, Steve Smith, and Daryl Mitchell against participating. In a chilling ultimatum, the group stated that players’ safety cannot be guaranteed if they travel to Pakistan for the T20 league. In the note, the armed group asked Warner, Smith and other overseas stars to “withdraw immediately” from the PSL.

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Armed opposition groups in Pakistan have issued a statement urging all foreign players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket matches to avoid traveling to Pakistan, stating that their security is not guaranteed and there is a risk of harm.

The… pic.twitter.com/caf7Tim1ep

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— Islamabad Post (@ISBPost) March 23, 2026

Explaining their stance, the group claimed they are not opposed to cricket as a sport, but argued that the prevailing security situation in Pakistan is unsuitable for staging a high-profile tournament involving international players.

“We want to advise the relevant cricket boards not to send their players to Pakistan. If something happens to them, it will not be our responsibility. We have already issued our warning,” a commander of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar told The Sunday Guardian.

When asked how the group would respond if players ignored the warning, the commander added, “We will do whatever is in our capacity, but we will not let the matches happen. We will do our best to ensure that the tournament is disrupted and the players do not take to the field.”

This year’s PSL features several high-profile internationals, including Australia’s David Warner, Steve Smith, and Adam Zampa, alongside England’s Moeen Ali and New Zealand’s Devon Conway. While the PCB has already implemented strict measures, the recent changes to the 2026 format have not been officially attributed to these threats. With the season set to bowl off on 26 March, all eyes are now on the PCB and the international stars to see how they navigate this developing situation.

Philadelphia is entering a critical 2026 season, and while there have been significant changes on the offensive side of the football, the two most critical components for the defense are at the pass-rusher position. Vic Fangio’s unit has lost multiple free agents, including star pass rusher Jaelan Phillips. The Eagles have breakout contenders at several positions, but none more important and valuable than the continued development of Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. Hunt is the one player to watch, and thankfully, Philadelphia’s most underrated player.

Just two years ago, Hunt was playing football collegiately at Houston Christian as a pass rusher after beginning his career in the Ivy League as a safety. Hunt made a big leap in his second season, winning one-on-one matchups with a great burst off the ball, outstanding technique, and a relentless motor. Still, he offers plenty of upside as a versatile and multidimensional playmaker.

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In 2025, Hunt became the first Eagle to lead the team in both sacks (6.5) and interceptions (3) in the same season. Hunt is the second Eagle to have 6.0+ sacks and 3.0+ INTs in a season, joining Seth Joyner (1991-92).

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles’ most overlooked player ahead of 2026 season

Ademola Lookman was among the goals for Atletico Madrid, but it was not enough as they suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday’s La Liga derby.

Fresh from an impressive outing in midweek, the Super Eagles forward kept his place in the starting line-up for the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, as Atletico locked horns with their city rivals in a highly anticipated encounter.

As expected, both sides approached the game with attacking intent, creating an open and entertaining contest from the first whistle. The hosts threatened early through Dani Carvajal, whose effort was safely handled by Juan Musso.

Chances continued to flow at both ends, with Federico Valverde, Marcos Llorente, Arda Guler, and Vinicius Junior all coming close, but neither side could find the breakthrough in the early stages.

The deadlock was eventually broken in the 33rd minute, and it was Lookman who made the difference. The Nigerian forward started a quick attacking move from the left, combining neatly with Giovanni Simeone before finding himself one-on-one with Andriy Lunin. He calmly finished into the bottom corner to give Atletico the lead.

Real Madrid responded with urgency before the break, as Valverde, Guler, and Aurelien Tchouameni all tested the visitors’ defence, but Atletico held firm to take their advantage into half-time.

The game came alive after the restart. Real Madrid were awarded a penalty in the 51st minute after a foul in the box, and Vinicius Junior stepped up to convert, bringing the hosts level.

Just minutes later, the momentum shifted completely as Valverde struck to put Real Madrid ahead, turning the game around in quick succession.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone made changes, withdrawing Lookman as part of a tactical adjustment. The decision paid off when substitute Nahuel Molina fired home a powerful effort in the 66th minute to make it 2-2.

However, the parity did not last long. Vinicius Junior struck again in the 72nd minute to restore Real Madrid’s lead, sealing what would prove to be the decisive goal.

The hosts were reduced to ten men late on after Valverde received a red card, giving Atletico a numerical advantage. Despite pressing forward in the closing stages, they were unable to find an equaliser, as the match ended 3-2 in favour of Real Madrid.

Despite the defeat, Lookman achieved a notable milestone with his goal. The Nigerian attacker became only the eighth Atletico Madrid player to score on his debut in a La Liga derby in the 21st century, and the first since Luciano Vietto in 2015.

Since his reported €35 million move in January, Lookman has continued to make his mark, and his performance will be a positive sign ahead of the international break.

He is now expected to link up with the Super Eagles squad for upcoming friendly matches against Iran and Jordan, where head coach Eric Chelle will be counting on his attacking quality.