India’s Lakshya Sen (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Lakshya Sen delivered a gritty performance to book his place in the final of the All England Open Badminton Championships, becoming only the second Indian shuttler to reach the title clash twice after defeating Canada’s Victor Lai in a demanding semifinal on Saturday. The 24 year old, who had previously reached the final in 2022, battled both a determined opponent and painful blisters on his right toe to seal a 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 victory in a contest that lasted one hour and 37 minutes. Sen’s achievement puts him in rare company alongside his mentor Prakash Padukone. The legendary Indian had reached the final in 1980 and 1981, famously winning the title in his first appearance in the championship match. Saturday’s semifinal turned into a test of stamina and resilience for both players. Sen and Lai were involved in several exhausting rallies, some stretching beyond 50 shots, as neither competitor was willing to give ground. The opening game remained closely contested until the score stood at 17-16 in Sen’s favour. The Indian then shifted gears, reeling off four consecutive points to take the first game. Lai responded strongly in the second game. The Canadian, who holds the distinction of being the first player from Canada to win a medal at the BWF World Championships, moved ahead 11-7 at the mid game interval and maintained his advantage despite Sen drawing level at 16-16 while dealing with blisters. Lai eventually forced the match into a deciding game. In the final game, Sen’s experience began to show. Mixing patience with calculated attacking shots, he built a healthy 15-9 lead. Lai continued to fight back and reduced the deficit to 17-15, but Sen finished strongly, claiming four points in a row to seal his place in the final. In the championship match, Sen will face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei. The left handed shuttler, who recently won the India Open, advanced to the final after defeating Thailand’s second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 in a semifinal that lasted one hour and 18 minutes.

What started as a routine benchmark race at Rosehill in July has proven a defining juncture for Dylan Gibbons prior to piloting class act Linebacker in the Group One Canterbury Stakes.

Having resumed riding a short time after shoulder operation, the young hoop rode Good Banter to the post in that winter affair.

Subsequently, he thanked co-trainer John O’Shea, which opened doors, and together with close colleague Zac Lloyd, he now does the stable’s work every Tuesday.

“Me and Zac are there every Tuesday together sending most of them around,” Gibbons said.

“They took me under their wing, which I’m very grateful for, and you’ve seen the winners we’ve had lately.

“Now having a couple of his good horses in one race, Zac can’t ride them all, so I’ve been fortunate to borrow Linebacker off him on Saturday, and he will obviously be a great hope.”

The Randwick Guineas winner from 12 months prior on the matching card, Linebacker begins anew post interrupted spring, peaked with Silver Eagle glory over Saturday’s route.

A mile specialist primarily, he thrives in sprints off a break, once accounting for Ka Ying Rising in a trial en route to that rival’s Everest conquest.

No matter if Saturday’s mount is fleeting, Gibbons aims to capitalize completely, not ruling out Linebacker figuring in the placings.

“I’ll just go out there and do my job and if we can get a result, great,” Gibbons said.

“He’s a good horse starting his preparation so as long as we get things right and start him off well, that will keep the team and connections happy.

“I had a sit on him on Tuesday to get a feel for him and his work impressed me a lot. I’d be confident in saying I don’t think sharpness will be what beats him on Saturday off his work.

“I’m very happy with how he is going into it and I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Interestingly, Gibbons reconnects with Good Banter for the initial time since Rosehill, contesting the Aspiration Quality (1600m), plus More Territories under O’Shea and Tom Charlton in the Wenona Girl Quality (1200m).

Bookmakers favor his Ciaron Maher-prepared Piggyback ($5.50) most in the Randwick City Stakes (2000m), where he eyes another forward showing after the Parramatta City Cup (2000m) success.

“She did a really good job the other day. I didn’t know much about her with it being first time on her, but the crew told me you just have to leave her alone,” he said.

“I had to back their judgement, and it was obviously the right call because she got out, and she motored to the line beautifully.

“We will adopt the same tactics, and a nice, low draw means I’m going to have plenty of options.

“There’s no reason she can’t reproduce what she did.”

Discover competitive racing betting markets ahead of the Canterbury Stakes.

England, South Africa and West Indies are set to depart India over the weekend on chartered flights arranged by the ICC following disruption to commercial air travel due to the ongoing conflict involving US, Israel and Iran.

A source told PTI that England, who went down to India in the second semifinal on Thursday, are expected to leave from Mumbai on Saturday evening on a direct flight to London.

West Indies and South Africa are the other two teams still in the country despite their campaigns having ended.

While the Windies were knocked out of the T20 World Cup after India defeated them by five wickets at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, South Africa’s campaign ended after their defeat to New Zealand here in the first semifinal on Wednesday.

Both South Africa and West Indies will travel together from Kolkata on a another charter flight.

The two sides are likely to fly first to Johannesburg before the West Indies contingent continues onward to Antigua.

The exact departure time is yet to be confirmed but the flight is expected to leave on Sunday.

A section of the South African group, including members of the team management along with players Keshav Maharaj, Jason Smith and George Linde, will head to New Zealand on Sunday for a limited overs tour beginning on March 15.

The Cricket West Indies had on Thursday confirmed that arrangements were being made for a charter flight to take the team back home after they remained stuck in the city for more than four days due to international airspace restrictions in the Gulf region.

“During a high-level call earlier today involving CWI, ICC officials, a representative of team management, and a representative of the players, it was confirmed that a charter flight is currently being arranged for the team’s departure from India, with the expected departure scheduled within the next 24 hours,” CWI had said in a statement.

“The departure time remains subject to final air traffic approvals. The team remains safe and well as arrangements continue to be finalized,” the governing body had added.

The CWI said it had been in constant touch with the players, team management and the International Cricket Council while working on travel arrangements.

“While the situation remains complex and fluid due to international airspace restrictions arising from security concerns in the Gulf region, CWI assures the public that every precaution is being taken to ensure the safe return of the team to the Caribbean,” the board had said.

The development had come hours after West Indies head coach Daren Sammy voiced his frustration over the delay on social media in a post that he “just wanna go home”.

Following the arrangement he had posted “Got an update. That’s all WI wanted.

Racing from the rear by instinct puts Bauhinia at the mercy of race tempo and luck, which has been in short supply for her.

Co-trainer Lee Curtis is optimistic that this autumn will bring brighter days for the mare, commencing with Saturday’s Wenona Girl Quality (1200m) at Randwick.

“Her work has been as good as ever, if not better,” Curtis said.

“Her trial was really good. She finished behind Peter Snowden’s horse, Raging Force, and she beat home Arctic Glamour in the trial.

“She’s going super. We only gave her one trial but we’re happy.”

Boasting two triumphs in 11 appearances, Bauhinia proved competitive with Sydney’s leading mares in spring, settling for a tough fifth behind Stefi Magnetica in The Invitation (1400m) and only just missing Arctic Glamour in the Hot Danish Stakes (1400m).

Curtis plans to afford her a midfield position from the draw on Saturday, setting her up ideally for the explosive finish she possesses.

“It’s a six furlong race, so she will be getting back anyway,” he said.

“She’s third in the betting so she is a chance.”

In the Wenona Girl betting, a trio of horses command single-digit quotes, led marginally by Gangsta Granny ($3.20) ahead of Idle Flyer ($3.50), while Bauhinia lurks third at $9.50.

Visit top betting sites to find the keenest racing odds for the Wenona Girl Quality.

Brentford right-back Michael Kayode has revealed that his dream is to play for Italy’s senior national team, although he remains proud of his Nigerian background.

Kayode was born in Borgomanero, Italy, to Nigerian parents, Victoria and Anthony. Because of his background, the young defender is eligible to represent both Italy and Nigeria at international level.

The 21-year-old has already played for Italy’s youth teams, featuring for the country at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 levels. His performances have made him one of the young players being closely watched by both countries.

Despite Nigeria’s interest, Kayode has admitted that his main ambition is to represent the Italian national team.

“For every player, it is a dream to be in the national team, especially now because of the World Cup qualifiers. I really hope we qualify,” Kayode said.

The Brentford defender explained that his focus right now is to perform well for his club, as that will improve his chances of receiving a senior call-up.

“It is important to do very well at your club because if you don’t do well there, you will not get called up. So my focus is on Brentford, and if I get the opportunity with Italy, that will be great,” he added.

Kayode, however, said he appreciates the support he receives from Nigerians despite his wish to play for Italy.

“I’m happy that the Nigerian people are happy for me. The opportunity to be able to play for both countries is amazing,” he said.

The young defender made a name for himself in Italy’s youth setup when he scored the winning goal in the final of the 2023 European Under-19 Championship.

With his career continuing to grow at Brentford, Kayode will hope that strong performances in the Premier League can help him achieve his dream of representing Italy at senior level.

Cody Rhodes will walk into WrestleMania 42 as the undisputed WWE champion as he took the title back from Drew McIntyre on “Friday Night SmackDown.”

Rhodes and McIntyre were locked in a brutal feud that ended with them locking horns for the title on Friday night. “The American Nightmare” hit McIntyre with a Cody Cutter from the top rope and then hit McIntyre with the Cross Rhodes in the center of the ring.

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Cody Rhodes holds the title belt during SmackDown at Moda Center on March 6, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Melina Pizano/WWE via Getty Images)

He pinned McIntyre and the celebration began.

Jacob Fatu also got his hand involved in the match as well, taking a chair away from McIntyre who was set to use it for nefarious purposes.

The match was arranged at the Elimination Chamber when McIntyre got himself involved in Rhodes’ attempt to win the match and give himself an opportunity for the title at WrestleMania. He did enough to cost Rhodes then, but SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis sparked his own war of words with McIntyre and booked the title match.

Cody Rhodes celebrate’s his win during SmackDown at Moda Center on March 6, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Melina Pizano/WWE via Getty Images)

It ended with Rhodes back on top of the championship picture and earning his spot at WrestleMania 42. It’s his third reign as Undisputed WWE champion.

He will be going up against Randy Orton, who won the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Orton and Rhodes have a long backstory that began when Rhodes was in Orton’s faction in 2008. About 16 years later, the two will have match on “the grandest stage of them all.”

There are now five matches solidified for the event, though the days on which the matches will take place have not been figured out.

CM Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against men’s Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns. Women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan will challenge Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship.

Randy Orton celebrates his win during WWE Elimination Chamber at the United Center on Feb. 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)

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Women’s Elimination Chamber winner Rhea Ripley will go up against Jade Cargill, while Brock Lesnar issued an open challenge for anyone brave enough to go up against him.

WrestleMania 42 will take place on April 18 and April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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With the Olympics over, it is not out of the realm of possibility that some dirty work went on behind the scenes — there were rumors about male ski jumpers potentially inflating their private parts for better hang time. In the Enhanced Games, though, as counterintuitive as it may sound, there is no such thing.

The Enhanced Games have long been labeled the “Steroid Olympics” by critics. The event doesn’t have its name by accident, as performance-enhancements will be allowed.

However, CEO Max Martin believes that such an event actually champions fairness, honesty and, most importantly, safety.

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Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev will compete in the Enhanced Games after already swimming the fastest 50 meters ever. (Enhanced Games)

“I would say the biggest [misconception] is that athletes are putting their health at risk with what they’re doing, and they’re just doing it for the money. It’s actually quite the opposite,” Martin said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

“Saying that enhancements are dangerous, in some circumstances, is true, yes. It can be completely abusive — too high of dosing, bad drug-on-drug interaction, because it’s unsupervised and unmonitored, that can be very dangerous, yes. But that is exactly what we stand against and exactly what we’ll be able to circumvent by being transparent and allowing it in a regulated environment.”

So, how do they do that?

Well, Enhanced doctors have gone, and will continue to go, through every athlete’s data and let the athlete know what they should and can, and what they should not and cannot, take. That means, yes, it’s not as easy as someone getting more enhancements simply if they want it. Some athletes, Martin said, even had to stop taking specific substances because they were not approved by Enhanced’s doctors.

“And why is it unapproved? Because we haven’t found out yet in research, whether it is safe or not,” Martin said.

That’s part of why Martin believes his event may actually be safer than the Olympics.

“[They] take substances that are not well-researched, that we don’t know well, that are newly developed. We have no data on how these substances actually do in your system. And then, secondly, by taking additional drugs like a masking agent to hide what you’re taking in the first place, that’s super dangerous,” Martin said. “If you take it out into the open and you allow athletes to utilize regulated and improved substances, where you know very, very well the safety profiles, the benefit profiles, and you monitor them constantly and over time, then you know if something went sideways. Because we monitor the athletes so well, we notice immediately.”

“What current testing systems are focused on is punitive drug testing. They are only focused on whether an athlete is cheating or not. What they’re not focused on is whether an athlete is healthy and safe to compete,” he continued. “Some of our guys didn’t even have health coverage, and they’re competing on the highest international level, winning medals for their countries. They’re not even health-insured. And so that’s really the problem.”

In this photo illustration, the Enhanced Games logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“Athletes are willing to do whatever it is to win. What we need to do, and are obsessed with, is making sure that every athlete that goes into competition is healthy and safe to compete.”

Part of the protocol is also making sure athletes are taking what makes sense for them and their sport. Australian swimmer James Magnussen won’t be taking the same enhancements as, say, a powerlifter.

“The enhancements, what they’re doing is they’re not pumping (Magnussen) up to be a bodybuilder. What they’re doing is they’re very, very targeted to who he is as an individual and to what he specifically is training for. And that allows him to just become better,” Martin said, adding that the enhancements are more so “icing on the cake and fine-tuning,” rather than the main product.

Enhanced is also paying its athletes quite the prize money — $250,000 for winners, $250,000 for the rest of the pack, and $1 million to anyone who breaks a world record. Perhaps not coincidentally, World Aquatics said it would begin to give Olympic winners $50,000 in 2024.

“I think they did that because they know that we’re going to start paying athletes well, and athletes will evaluate that. They’re scared. It’s a beautiful thing. That’s the positive impact we’re already having, and I think there will be more in terms of positive impact that we can inspire other sporting institutions to do that in the future,” Martin said.

One athlete who will be competing at Enhanced is Hafþor Juius Bjornsson, better known as “The Mountain” from “Game of Thrones,” or more simply, “Thor.” With 32 international Strongman titles, the 6-foot-9, 400-plus-pound behemoth will attempt to break his own deadlift world record of 1,124 pounds for a grand prize himself.

Thor is in lockstep with Martin on the safety of the event.

“What I like about what the enhancement is doing is they check athletes first. They have us do a massive heart check, they take results, we get blood drawn, and we do all these tests, and we check our body to see if we are healthy enough to participate. Once that is done, we get the green light. Throughout the course of our training, we see doctors, and it’s really like, I feel in a lot better position now than I was doing it on my own,” Björnsson told Fox News Digital. “Like, I feel like I’m in good hands with Enhanced. They’re really caring, and they really want to make sure that I’m healthy first and foremost, you know? So it’s good. I’m really stoked and excited for the opportunity to be with Enhanced and to have the opportunity to break the record with Enhanced.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger presents Hafthor Bjornsson of Iceland the trophy as Bjornsson won the Arnold Strongman Classic title for the third straight year as part of the Arnold Sports Festival on March 7, 2020, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Throughout the event, there will be nothing to hide. As Martin said, “It’s a fair game,” even for the small number of athletes choosing not to be enhanced, because it is fully “transparent.”

“These athletes, they know what they’re up against, you know? They have the same opportunities to utilize the same access to the medical program…” Martin said. “So many athletes have explained to me that they came in second, and they thought, ‘You know what, the first guy was cheating, but they didn’t catch him.’ And that’s the worst feeling you can have, because you stay within the rules, you do everything that you can to become the best, someone else is taking a cheating approach to it, wins, doesn’t get caught, it’s the worst feeling in the world.

“If you come in second at the Enhanced Games and you’re not enhanced, you’re very proud of your performance, because you’re like, ‘OK, this guy chose to do something I didn’t want to do myself, but I know that within what I chose to do, I’m the freaking best.’ And that’s what gives so many athletes like this excitement about being in the games, because it’s an open competition, a transparent competition.”

And yes, Martin “absolutely” believes any world records set would be legitimate, even if they are not officially recognized.

“There are studies that show that 43% of Olympians take banned substances, but 1% gets caught. That questions, for me, every record that there is, every performance that there is, because on average, every other athlete cheats,” Martin said.

Last year, Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev swam a 50-meter freestyle in 20.89 seconds, the fastest ever, with the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs (an enhanced Magnussen failed). While most may deem it illegitimate, Martin takes pride in knowing that Gkolomeev does not have to hide how he got there — unlike athletes such as Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery and numerous others.

“Kristian Gkolomeev is the only human being, that was ever able to travel the distance of 50 meters in water in 20.89 seconds. That’s just the fact, whether you treat this as an official word record under World Aquatics regulations or whether you treat it as an official word record under Enhanced Games regulations, the fact is, no other human being was ever able to do that. Full stop.”

Kristian Gkolomeev of Greece competes during the Men’s 50m Freestyle Semifinals of the Swimming at the Paris La Defense Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympics Games on Aug. 1, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)

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Is he OK if people think Gkolomeev’s accomplishment is not legit?

“Of course.”

Unorthodox? Certainly. Eventually the norm? Possibly.

“People can make their opinion on whether they like it or not, but the notion that this is a steroid Olympics where everyone’s just going to be shot up with some random drugs, it’s just completely wrong,” Martin said.

“After May 24, I think the world is going to have a much different perspective.”

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South Africa and West Indies cricket team (Agency Image)

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticised what he believes is unequal treatment of teams following their exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, pointing out that some sides are still stranded in India while others have already been allowed to leave.England were knocked out of the tournament after losing their semi-final to the India national cricket team on Thursday. According to Vaughan, the English side is set to return home on a charter flight soon after the defeat.However, the situation has been very different for other teams. The West Indies cricket team, who were eliminated last Sunday after a five-wicket loss to India in the Super Eights, are still waiting in Kolkata to travel back. The South Africa national cricket team are also stuck in the same city after their semi-final defeat to the New Zealand national cricket team on March 4.Taking to X, Vaughan questioned the disparity and suggested that influence at the global level of the International Cricket Council should not determine how teams are treated once they exit a tournament.“So England got knocked out on Thurs get a charter home today .. West Indies go out last Sunday and are still in Kolkata .. SA in the same position .. That’s where the power is all wrong .. All teams in this situation should be treated the same .. just because you are more powerful at the ICC table shouldn’t count ..,” Vaughan wrote.

Michael Vaughan post

The travel complications are largely due to charter flights arranged by the ICC being affected by international airspace restrictions linked to security concerns in the Gulf region amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran.Frustration over the delay has also been visible within the West Indies camp. Head coach Daren Sammy recently shared a short but telling message on X that reflected the team’s mood. The former West Indies captain posted, “I just wanna go home.”The tournament is now nearing its conclusion, with defending champions India national cricket team set to face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The competition began on February 7 across venues in India and Sri Lanka.

The date, time, and other vital details of the T20 World Cup 2026 closing ceremony have been announced. India and New Zealand will face off in the final on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Notably, the closing ceremony of the T20 World Cup 2026 will take place on the same day at the same venue. The gates will open at 3:30 PM IST, while the performances are set to begin at 5:30 PM IST. Renowned Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin is among the stars who are set to perform at the closing ceremony.

New Zealand beat South Africa in the semifinal by nine wickets, whereas India pulled off a close seven-run victory over England in the second semifinal. The Kiwis have never won the T20 World Cup trophy. On the other hand, the Men in Blue have won it twice and are also the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2024.

New Zealand will aim to win their first-ever trophy in the history of the tournament, while India will look to create history by defending their title. No team has ever won back-to-back trophies before.

When is the T20 World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony?

The closing ceremony of the marquee event will take place on Sunday, March 8. While the gates will open at 3:30 PM IST, the performances will begin at 5:30 PM IST.

Where is the T20 World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony?

The closing ceremony of the tournament will take place in Ahmedabad. The Narendra Modi Stadium is the venue for the same.

Who will perform at T20 World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony?

The crowd are set to witness blockbuster performances at the closing ceremony. Famous Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin will set the stage on fire. Along with him, popular Indian singer Sukhbir, often referred to as the “Prince of Bhangra”, will also be performing.

Further, famous Gujarati folk singer, performing artist and composer, Falguni Pathak, will also entertain the crowd with her mesmerising music.

Where to watch T20 World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony live?

The live streaming of the closing ceremony will be telecast across the Star Sports Network channels. It will also be available on the JioHotstar website and app for online viewers.

It will be interesting to see whether India retains their title or a new champion will emerge.