Adam Zampa of Australia celebrates with teammates (Getty Images)

Nathan Ellis produced a fiery opening spell to propel an under-strength Australia to a commanding 67-run victory over Ireland in their Group B opener of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Defending 183, Australia’s pace spearhead ripped through the Irish top order, finishing with outstanding figures of 4 for 12 in 3.5 overs. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa then dismantled the middle and lower order with 4 for 23 from his four overs as Ireland were restricted to 115 for 9 in 16.5 overs.

Veteran Paul Stirling was retired hurt and did not bat. With Mitchell Marsh sidelined by a groin injury and senior quicks Mitchell Starc retired, plus Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood unavailable due to injuries, Ellis stepped up as the leader of the attack. He struck early, bowling Ross Adair with a skiddy delivery before Ben Calitz dragged one back onto his stumps against sharp pace and bounce. His initial spell read 3 for 9 in three overs. Zampa then tightened Australia’s grip, although George Dockrell’s 41 off 29 balls ensured Ireland crossed the 100-run mark. Ellis returned to claim his fourth wicket and close out the match. Earlier, Australia posted 182 for 6 after being sent in on a sluggish surface. Josh Inglis (37) and Cameron Green (21) set the tempo before Matthew Renshaw (37) and Marcus Stoinis (45) combined for a crucial 61-run stand. Ireland’s spinners bowled tidily but dropped chances proved costly. After Travis Head was reprieved in the first over and then run out in the second, Inglis and Green counterattacked briskly. Green struck towering sixes before falling to midwicket, while Inglis was dismissed following a stunning diving catch by Stirling. Harry Tector removed Glenn Maxwell, but Renshaw and Stoinis rebuilt steadily before Humphreys bowled Renshaw. Stoinis followed soon after, despite a powerful six. Ireland conceded 53 runs in the final five overs as Australia sealed an emphatic start.

Snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim, despite admitting to nerves and just four weeks removed from a schedule-disrupting shoulder injury, effortlessly secured her spot in the Olympic final in Livigno, finishing first in Wednesday’s qualifying round.

Her commanding performance sets the stage for a historic attempt at a third consecutive gold medal, with Kim quipping, “I might be better at snowboarding than I am at walking.”

Her dominant display included a massive big air leap, propelling her 13 feet above the halfpipe’s edge, punctuated by a showy board grab.

She also executed a 1080-degree spin while riding backward, immediately setting her apart from the two dozen riders vying for a spot in Thursday night’s final.

The 25-year-old is competing with a shoulder brace, a consequence of an awkward fall four weeks prior during a training run in Switzerland.

open image in gallery

She returned to the halfpipe only two weeks ago, marking her first significant run since last March. Reflecting on her recovery, Kim noted, “She’s been very well behaved,” looking down at her left shoulder.

Her 22-year career underpins her consistent excellence, affirming “Muscle memory is a thing” to explain her high-level performance despite limited recent practice.

While American Maddie Mastro showcased impressive double corks, Kim’s performance underscored her decade-long dominance.

For the final, Kim plans to “go bigger”, aiming to link frontside and backside 900s, having pulled up on her second qualifying run after a slight skid to conserve energy.

She was later seen sharing hugs with her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

“I’ve landed all the components of my finals run, I just haven’t put them together,” she stated. “So I’ll get to do it on the big day.”

Among her key challengers for a medal are Mastro, Japan’s Sara Shimizu and Sena Tomita, Korea’s Gaon Choi, and fellow US rider Bea Kim.

However, the injury has shifted Kim’s perspective on her historic quest.

“If you’d asked me before the shoulder injury, I’d maybe have a different answer for you,” she admitted.

“But just because I’m coming back from an injury, obviously I didn’t get nearly the amount of reps I would normally get going into an Olympics, I’m just really proud of myself and proud that I’ve been able to push it as far as I have.”

Olympic skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle picked up Team USA’s latest medal on Wednesday, capturing a silver in the alpine skiing men’s super-G.

Cochran-Siegle put together a time of 1:25.45 and finished 0.13 seconds behind Swiss skiing star Franjo von Allmen, who picked up his third gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games. Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt won the bronze.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

United States’ Ryan Cochran Siegle speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men’s super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

For Cohran-Siegle, it’s his second Olympic medal of his career. He won a silver medal in the same event at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. He came in 14th in super-G at his first appearance in the Games in 2018 in Pyeongchang.

He finished 18th in downhill earlier in this Olympics.

AMERICAN ASHLEY FARQUHARSON CAPTURES RARE OLYMPIC LUGE MEDAL AT WINTER GAMES

United States’ Ryan Cochran Siegle wears a flag as he walks away from the medal ceremony after winning the silver medal in an alpine ski, men’s super-G race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Americans Sam Morse, Kyle Negomir and River Radamus also competed in the super-G. Morse finished in 23rd place with a time of 1:27.12, and Negomir finished in 26th with a time 1:28.62. Radamus didn’t complete the course, as he slipped and fell out of position. He appeared to be frustrated with himself as he skied toward officials that were near his part of the hill.

Cochran-Siegle, who is from Vermont and skis out of the Mount Mansfield club, made his World Cup debut when he was 19. But he hasn’t finished better than seventh in the super-G in his career. He is finished for these Games and will cheer on his skiing teammates the rest of the way.

Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen, gold medalist in an alpine ski, men’s super-G race, center, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist United States’ Ryan Cochran Siegle, left, and bronze medalist Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Negomir will compete in the giant slalom and team combined later in these Games. Ryder Sarchett will also compete in the giant slalom. Negomir and Radamus competed in the team combined and finished 18th.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau has confirmed that Eric Chelle will remain the head coach of the Super Eagles and will continue his job until his contract ends.

Chelle’s future has been a subject of speculation since the end of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished third. Reports had linked him with other national teams, but Gusau said the coach is still under contract and is not expected to leave.

Gusau explained that Chelle still has one year left on his contract and must respect it.

He said, “We still have a one-year contract with Eric and therefore whatever anyone will show on him, he has to wait until his contract expired.”

The NFF boss added that the federation does not want distractions around the coach, stressing that Chelle enjoys working with Nigeria.

Gusau also said money should not be the main reason for a coach to change jobs, as success and results are more important than salary. He questioned whether Chelle would achieve the same results if he moved to another team.

He further explained that Chelle believes in the Super Eagles and the quality of players available, and feels he can achieve his career goals with Nigeria.

According to Gusau, Chelle has confidence that he can achieve his dreams with the Super Eagles and has strong belief in the team.

Gusau concluded by saying the NFF believes in Chelle and that he remains part of the Super Eagles setup. He added that Nigerians will be informed about future plans when the time comes.

With Gusau’s statement, it is clear that Chelle will stay in charge for now and could even earn a contract extension if he continues to impress.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has been sacked by Spurs after just under eight months in charge.

While the higher ups at Spurs focus on finding Frank’s replacement, we thought we’d test your knowledge by looking at those head coaches who have come before.

Can you name the past 10 permanent Tottenham managers? Good luck!

Almost seven years ago, Samer Tawk wondered whether he would walk again.

“I was young and crazy and was skiing somewhere I shouldn’t have been in Lebanon, and I fell 14 meters (46 feet),” Tawk told DW.

Now the cross-country skier is preparing to represent Lebanon at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

It is a long-awaited return to the world stage for the 27-year-old. In 2019, Tawk was looking forward to the Beijing Games in 2022 and his second Winter Olympics but then suffered serious injuries doing the sport he loved.

“I was broken. I broke my hips in four places. My left leg was 40% paralysed. I tore my urethra, had internal bleeding, broke my elbow and my hand.”

The skier was rushed to the hospital, where he spent over a week in intensive care.

“At first, my thoughts were on whether I would survive and then if I would be disabled.”

Recovery begins for Tawk

Slowly, but surely, he started to recover, and the thought of getting back on the skis was always there. In the beginning, though, he was literally focused on taking the next step.

Advertisement

“I didn’t complicate things. I didn’t overthink it. I just wanted to try my best, and that’s what I told the doctors,” Tawk said. “I started with small steps, and when I saw even tiny progress, I was so happy and motivated.”

So much so that he was soon thinking about competing again, either in the Paralympics or the Olympics.

“Most of the doctors thought it would be nearly impossible for me to recover 100%,” Tawk said.

But Tawk wanted to see how far he could get.

Advertisement

“In the first year, I was trying to ski on cross-country skis, but I couldn’t move more than 10 meters, my left leg couldn’t handle it, and I kept falling down.”

This went on for about two years.

“I was skiing a bit, but my technique was much worse. It took a long time. After three and a half years, I was like ‘okay, I can train again and be serious about my goal.’”

The switch from alpine to cross-country

Tawk had originally tried alpine skiing at age 6 on the slopes of Lebanon, near his home of Bsharri in the mountains, around 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) north of Beirut.

“It was so good but expensive, and my family wasn’t rich. I had to pay coaches [and] buy a season pass, so I switched to cross-country skiing. It was less expensive, and I loved it.”

Advertisement

Lebanon may have a lot of snow, but organized winter sports are rare. Tawk is one of only two athletes in Lebanon’s delegation for the Milan Cortina Olympics, with Andrea El Hayek, an alpine skier competing in the men’s slalom, the only other. 

“It wasn’t easy, but I lived close to the slopes and could be there in just 10 minutes, and I started to train more and more,” Tawk said.

In 2015, the Lebanese federation brought in a coach from Serbia to help. He told Tawk that if he trained hard enough, he could make the Olympics in three years’ time, and in 2018 that’s exactly what happened.

Tawk competed in Pyeongchang, becoming the first competitor from his homeland to compete in Olympic cross-country skiing.

Advertisement

“It was so cold, it was crazy but a great experience,” said Tawk, who finished 105th in the 15-kilometer freestyle event.

The prospect of going to Beijing four years later was exciting, and even after the accident, there was some hope.

“When I fell, I thought maybe in six months, I will be normal again, but in 2020, I was still broken. In 2021, I was not so good,” Tawk said.

Desperate to go to China but recognizing he wasn’t fit enough to compete, Tawk went to Beijing as a coach.

Advertisement

A long way back

Four years later, he returns to the course as an athlete. At Milan Cortina, Tawk does not see himself competing with skiers from the strong European nations such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland. He says that Lebanon could perhaps start reaching the podium in about 20 years.

“Thinking about a medal is more than dreaming, even if I was never injured, it would be impossible as there are some countries that have a big history in cross-country skiing and can spend millions just on coaching,” Tawk said.

In the meantime, there is a different way to win for Tawk. Meeting his own expectations and competing with countries on a similar level to Lebanon, such as Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

There is also the possibility that he can help inspire his home nation to move to the next level.

“The Lebanese people know a little about winter sports but not much,” said Tawk, who would like the government to do more.

Advertisement

“For the Winter Olympics, I am frustrated that we don’t have any official recognition. Nobody has said ‘good luck’ officially. We didn’t even have a meeting and I don’t even know if I will be given kit to wear. Lebanon is a beautiful country but it’s not great if you want to be organized as an athlete,” Tawk said.

After all he has been through, Samer Tawk, is however, just delighted to be there.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding