Multiple world record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen has told a Norwegian court that he lived in fear of his father Gjert from a young age as high-profile trial gets underway
11:53, 26 Mar 2025Updated 12:20, 26 Mar 2025
Jakob Ingebrigtsen in court for his father’s trial.
The trial, which is set to last until mid-May, began less than 48 hours after Ingebrigtsen completed a World Indoor double in China. And during his time on the stand Ingebrigtsen, 24, made a series of harrowing claims about how his father physically and psychologically abused him and siblings from a young age.
Gjert, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, has denied any allegation of violence. The claims first came to light in 2022 when Jakob, plus older brothers Henrik and Filip, stopped being coached by Gjert.
They then went to Norwegian newspaper VG to tell their stories, claiming that they did so to protect younger sister Ingrid, who was alleged to have been struck in the face by a wet towel after she told Gjert she did not want to go for a run. Yesterday the court was shown an image of Ingrid with a mark on her face.
A courtroom sketch of Gjert Ingebrigtsen on day one of the trial.
Ingebrigtsen, a multiple world record holder who has already won more than 30 major gold medals, referred to Gjert as the “defendant” throughout his evidence.
And detailing one account when he was just “seven or eight” years old, Ingebrigtsen said: “I’m just standing in the kitchen and looking down at the ground. The defendant is standing over me and screaming at me. He hits me several times on the top of the head.
“If I didn’t do as he did, he would come and shame me and beat me until I was sick.”
Ingebrigtsen also recalled one alleged incident when Gjert kicked him in the stomach and another when travelling in a car with his siblings when their father threatened to “shame him and beat him to death, or something similar.”
Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates winning the world indoor 1500m title on Sunday in Nanjing.
Gjert was also accused of referring to Jakob as a “f***ing idiot”, “thug”, “stupid”, “lesser” and “terrorist”. In 2014 or 2015 he threw a PlayStation Jakob was using out the window of their family home.
Ingebrigtsen went on to explain that he has struggled to trust people because of his father’s behaviour and grew becoming wary of showing emotion.
“If I was happy or did something nice, it could be used against me if I was a little tired at training the next day,” he said. “I was very conscious about showing emotions. I ended up not doing it. I have a hard time letting people in and I have a hard time trusting people.”
Asked why he had stopped calling Gjert “dad” aged 11, Jakob added: “I no longer saw this person as a father. I thought that the things he says, the things he does and has done, are not worthy of a father.”
On Wednesday morning Ingebrigtsen was set to be questioned by Gjert’s legal team. The trial continues.
Roger Black has spoken about the heart surgery he underwent in January and the fear he felt before going under the knife after keeping a heart condition hidden
10:26, 20 Mar 2025Updated 10:26, 20 Mar 2025
Roger Black required open heart surgery(Image: rogerblack400/Instagram)
He was diagnosed with a heart condition at the age of 11 but kept it hidden throughout his successful athletics career and until his six-hour-long surgery at the start of 2025. The 58-year-old told BBC Breakfast, during a feature to raise awareness on heart disease: “It is a big shock and a lot of people feel that shock when you talk about it.
“I was very scared of it, I was very worried about it and my biggest fear was not waking up, so just waking up was fantastic for me. If (people) are out of breath, or tired and not sure, just get checked out because you never know.
“Valve disease, people like me are born with it, but the majority of people that have this operation are not born with it, the valve just starts to degenerate as you get older.
“I feel very fortunate the surgeons have gone in there and cleaned me up. The reality of my situation is if they hadn’t gone in, my aorta could have burst because of the pressure on the aorta and that’s not worth thinking about.
“I was very fortunate because it got checked up every single year and I was given the go-ahead.
“The only year I didn’t go by the way and see my cardiologist was 1996 before the Atlanta Olympics because if he had said… I still would have gone!
“He was not stopping me going to the Olympics.”
During his illustrious career, Black won multiple gold medals, including two at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Famously, he also secured a remarkable silver in the 400m at the 1996 Atlanta Games, famously beating Michael Johnson.
Roger Black earned a silver medal during the 1996 Summer Olympics(Image: Bongarts/Getty Images)
As Black continues on the mend following his surgery, Michael Johnson, his one-time track adversary, reached out with a supportive message.
Black added: “It wasn’t something I ever kept secret but it certainly wasn’t something I ever talked about and the reason for that simple. I didn’t want it to define me and I didn’t want it to be an excuse.
“Sport is tough, to win Olympic medals you don’t want any excuses and you need to control what you can control, I didn’t want it to be that excuse.
“It worried my father every day. He worried every day because he knew what I had but clearly it didn’t affect me.”
Jeremiah Azu had little chance to celebrate his European title earlier this month having become a father a couple of days before but now he hopes new dad strength can propel him to world gold
Jeremiah Azu shows off his gold medal in Apeldoorn earlier this month.
Two hours after returning home with a European gold medal, Jeremiah Azu found himself dealing with his week-old son’s poonami. “Straight back to earth,” Wales’ fastest man says of the messy 1am clean-up job, and he would have it no other way.
Azu, 23, was not sold on the theory of new dad strength a month ago but after securing his first international championship win in Apeldoorn he is firmly buying into it. His sleep pattern remains all over the place because he is determined to ease the burden on his partner. And going from being “King of Europe to straight on the nappies” left him with the realisation that “life comes at you fast.”
But Azu has arrived in Nanjing for this weekend’s World Indoors as the fastest man this year over 60m and full of confidence. The absence of a host of big hitters, including reigning champion Christian Coleman and Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles, suggests another medal is within reach.
“I’m always going into everything thinking I can win,” he says. “I’m coming in with the fastest time, so I guess there’s a sense of pressure, but I kind of like that feeling. I think I’m definitely capable of doing something special, so I don’t see why I can’t walk away with the gold.”
The shortest sprint is prone to an even greater unpredictability and Azu himself knows all about his sport’s ability to surprise following the disappointment of a false start at last summer’s Games.
Yet that experience has been firmly consigned to the past – “It’s gone, it’s never going to come back” – and he insists it offers no additional motivation to his current ambitions.
Instead it is all about living in the present. During the winter he moved home from Marco Airale’s renowned training group in Italy both for family planning and to be of greater assistance to his local church, where his father, Alex, is the pastor.
Azu sings in the church band and credits his faith for giving him the mental strength to overcome his Paris heartbreak. Singing from an early age continues to help him on the track too.
Jeremiah Azu, right, wins the European 60m title in Apeldoorn.
“It takes the pressure off when I’ve got all these people watching me,” he says. “Standing on stage as a kid is a lot more daunting. I’m a performer at the end of the day and I’ve come to love it, even now. Like in church, there’s so much passion that I put into it.”
He was confident, entertaining and on a different level to his rivals in the Netherlands two weeks ago. And his new reason to perform is undoubtedly helping.
“I’m doing this for my own child, I’m doing this for my partner, I’m doing this for a piece of us. But for some reason that has just made things easier. I’m not sure what it is. I can’t really explain it still.”
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Magic Johnson clapped back at Anthony Edwards in the best way after the Timberwolves star took a dig at NBA players from the 1980s and 90s.
Edwards told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that he wasn’t too impressed with players from those eras of the game.
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Well, Johnson was told about the comment by Stephen A. Smith while appearing at the Yaamava Resort & Casino with the ESPN personality, as the New York Post reports.
That’s when Johnson fired back at Edwards.
“I never respond to a guy who’s never won a championship,” Johnson told Smith and the audience, which drew laughter from the crowd.
Magic didn’t hold back in his assessment of Anthony Edwards. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP)Source: AFPEdwards (right) won an Olympic gold medal in Paris alongside Steph Curry and Team USA. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)Source: AFP
“There’s not really anything to say. He didn’t win a college championship, I don’t know if he even won a high school championship.”
Johnson is certainly an authority in the game, having won five NBA titles with the Lakers.
And Edwards’ comments were enough to annoy some people in the basketball world, which seemingly included Johnson.
Edwards had told the WSJ that outside of Michael Jordan, no one in that era had much skill.
“I didn’t watch it back in the day so I can’t speak on it,” he said.
Magic is one of the greatest players of all-time. Photo: ALLSPORT USASource: Getty ImagesEdwards and the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals last season. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then.
“(Michael Jordan) was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean?
“So that’s why when they saw Kobe (Bryant), they were like ‘oh, my God’. But now everybody has skill.”
Edwards is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 25.9 points per game and helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals.
However, the Timberwolves star is still in search of his first NBA title.
Edwards was part of the United States team that won gold at this month’s Paris Olympic Games.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
The “sour taste” left by an early World Cup exit is driving Josh Giddey’s Olympic ambitions as the Boomers ramp up their preparations for a Paris medal tilt.
Lapping up a return home before heading to Paris, Giddey declared Australian basketball was “as good as it’s ever been” after Johnny Furphy and Alex Ducas became the latest players to join the Aussie NBA contingent on Friday.
Giddey, who linked up with the Boomers in Melbourne this week after a whirlwind 48 hours in his new home of Chicago, said the signings showed the strength of the Australian game.
“Australian basketball is as good as it’s ever been, from top to bottom I think,” he said.
Pacers nab exciting Aussie with pick 35 | 01:48
“You look at the veterans that run this program, and then the kids that are coming through, we have (NBA) draft picks every year, whether that’s lottery picks, second-round picks, whatever it is … Australia has proved to be a real pipeline into the NBA and we’re seeing it now on the global stage.
“The development that kids get in this country is world-class and it’s really shown up in the NBA draft.”
Giddey said he still felt the disappointment of the Boomers’ World Cup campaign last year after they failed to reach the quarter-finals following losses to Germany and Slovenia.
It was Australia’s worst result at an international men’s basketball tournament in almost a decade.
“We know we had a sour taste from the World Cup left in our mouths, for that to finish the way it did wasn’t good for any of us,” Giddey said.
Josh Giddey (right) says he is eager to resume his international basketball career as the Boomers arrive in camp in Melbourne ahead of the Olympic Games. Picture: Kelly Defina / Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“So we’re very happy to be able to go to Paris now with another chance to get up on that podium with a gold medal. It’s exciting, we’ve got a great group of guys.
“It’s always a fun time coming back and playing in green and gold. Especially these major tournaments that happen once every four years.”
Giddey said Chicago had made a strong first impression after he quickly relocated following his trade from the Thunder to the Bulls for Alex Caruso.
“I just got back from there (Thursday morning), but I’m very excited. I think it was good for both sides to get a fresh start,” Giddey said.
“The city was great, the organisation – the front office, coaches, the guys on the team were awesome. I was only there for 48 hours but it was good to get a feel for the city and the fans.
“I know the history of that club and how far back it goes, so I’m very excited to get over there in September and get into it.”
Giddey is part of a 17-man Boomers Olympic squad which will be trimmed to 12 players following a series of exhibition games against China, the USA and Serbia in July.
The point guard, arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference this season — and certainly the best guard — was left off the 11-man Olympic roster revealed Tuesday by ESPN.
The U.S. guards are Tyrese Haliburton, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Stephen Curry. Of that group, Curry and Haliburton have yet to win a gold medal.
Brunson, who has had a better NBA season than all those players, was on the U.S. World Cup squad last summer that disappointed and failed to medal.
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He was outplayed during the tournament by Haliburton, but coach Steve Kerr said recently he was “high on our list” for the Paris Olympics.
Apparently not high enough.
The other players to make the cut are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis while Kawhi Leonard was later revealed on Wednesday to be the final addition to the roster.
Josh Hart was also part of the Olympic pool after participating in the World Cup but wasn’t a serious contender for a spot in Paris.
Giddey wins top seed, Lakers still alive | 01:38
Brunson, meanwhile, closed his landmark NBA season with another Player of the Week honor after averaging 38.5 points over the final four games.
It was the fourth time this season Brunson won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and fifth since joining the Knicks — the most for the franchise since Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks went 4-0 in the final week. Brunson shot 51 percent, including 50 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s also the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March.
LeBron James (Lakers), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Suns), Joel Embiid (76ers), Anthony Davis (Lakers), Devin Booker (Suns), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Jrue Holiday (Celtics), Bam Adebayo (Heat), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Kahwi Leonard (Clippers)
This article first appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid were named among a 41-strong player pool for the USA’s 2024 Olympics basketball roster this week.
The star-studded roster will be whittled down to a 12-man squad for this summer’s Olympics in Paris, where the US will be chasing a fifth consecutive gold medal.
The provisional player pool contains 28 players who have represented the USA at an Olympics or FIBA World Cup, with 23 gold medals between them.
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LeBron James and Kevin Durant have both been named in the2024 Olympics USA extended squad (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
The 39-year-old James will be chasing a third gold medal in what will be his first appearance at an Olympics since the 2012 London Games.
“The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,” USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Grant Hill said in a statement.
“It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium.
“This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.” Philadelphia 76ers star Embiid is set to play for the United States for the first time after pledging his allegiance to the squad last October.
The Cameroon-born superstar was eligible to play for the country of his birth, France and the United States, but opted for a US squad which will enter the Olympics as overwhelming gold medal favourites.
Doc Rivers lands the Milwaukee job | 00:46
The team will be coached by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, with Gonzaga University’s Mark Few, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acting as assistants.
USA Basketball also announced plans for pre-Olympic Games in Las Vegas and London.
The US will play Canada in Las Vegas on July 10, before exhibition games against South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at London’s O2 Arena.
USA basketball 2024 Olympics player pool: Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., LeBron James, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
From Mackenzie Arnold’s heroics for the Matildas at the Women’s World Cup final to Nathan Cleary’s 20-minute masterclass that inspired Penrith to NRL history — there have been lots of incredible individual moments in Australian sport this year.
Here, foxsports.com.au picks out 10 of the best — both on the international and domestic stage — that prove just how many reasons Australians had to cheer in 2023.
Nathan Cleary turns NRL GF
When Reece Walsh skipped past Nathan Cleary, leaving the Panthers halfback on the ground and later finding five-eighth Ezra Mam for his third try of the NRL grand final, it looked like the premiership was heading up north.
Brisbane led 24-8 at that point and with both Jarome Luai and Izack Tago succumbing to injuries, even this looked to be a step too far for the back-to-back defending premiers.
But after being stepped by Walsh in the lead-up to Brisbane’s fourth try of the night, Cleary got back up.
And when the Panthers needed him most, their star halfback delivered in the crowning moment of what was an already accomplished career, kicking a 40-20 that flipped the momentum of the decider.
Before then, Cleary faked a short ball to Liam Martin before breaking through the line to set up Moses Leota for Penrith’s second try of the night.
Cleary then quickly shifted the ball to Stephen Crichton as the Panthers drew within one score of Brisbane — and we all know what happened next.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Cleary, with the entire team on his back, stepped back on the inside and beat Walsh, Adam Reynolds and Billy Walters.
Comeback complete. History made. Legacy left.
“I don’t like rapping him when he’s sitting here,” Isaah Yeo told reporters after the game.
“I just feel like what he’s done in this space of time, no halfback has ever done it… that 20-minute period he put the team on his back and he won us his third grand final in a row.”
Cleary goes from a champion to a legend | 00:46
Glenn Maxwell’s CWC 200
Like Penrith, Australia looked to be in dire straits against Afghanistan, down 7-91 and chasing a 292-run target with a Cricket World Cup semi-final spot on the line.
But Australia fought back, although at Wankhede Stadium it was a stunning individual knock from Glenn Maxwell that saved the day to help pull off Australia’s highest successful run chase in World Cup history.
Maxwell hit 21 boundaries and ten sixes on his way to an unbeaten 201. The next highest score by an Australian on the day was 24.
The heroic Maxwell admitted post-game to feeling “shocking”, having suffered cramps throughout the game. But it seemed like nothing could have stopped him from writing his name into the record books.
“That’s just ridiculous,” Cummins said in the post-match presentation.
“Maxy was out of this world.
“It’s got to be the greatest ODI innings that’s ever happened.”
Australia, of course, went on to win the World Cup with Maxwell only required to put up two runs but they wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it wasn’t for his double century.
Titmus 400m world record
Just four months prior 16-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh had broken the 400-metre freestyle record in Toronto, clocking a time of 3.56.08 — 0.32 seconds faster than Ariarne Titmus.
But Australia’s reigning Olympic champion was quick to regain her throne, shattering the world record on the opening night of the world swimming championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Titmus breezed past McIntosh and Katie Ledecky to record a time of 3.55.38, capping off a golden night in the pool as Sam Short took home first place in the men’s 400m freestyle final while Australia also came out on top in the women’s and men’s 4×100 freestyle relay.
Titmus stole the show though, with two-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe declaring on Channel Nine’s coverage of the event that it was the “best I’ve ever seen her swim”.
Stunning Titmus sets sizzling WR! | 00:53
Piastri winning Qatar sprint
After an unfortunate Safety Car robbed him of a maiden podium at Silverstone, Piastri had some well-deserved luck on his side at Qatar as the Australian secured his first-ever Formula 1 victory.
Piastri, who went on to finish second at the Qatar Grand Prix, handed Red Bull just its second defeat in the season at that point while it was also McLaren’s first win since Daniel Ricciardo’s triumph at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
There were three Safety Cars in what was an eventful sprint race, although this time around Piastri later admitted they were his “friend” in helping him fend off Max Verstappen.
“I’m very happy. It was a very stressful race,” Piastri said after the sprint.
“When I saw all the soft [tyre] guys come through at the start, I thought we were in a bit of trouble, but then their tyres fell off pretty quickly – that was good.
“Safety Cars were my friend today, definitely once Max got behind me, but the pace was reasonable… I think in a race where you had to manage a lot, the tyres, cars on other compounds, I think we did a really good job.”
It was just one shining moment in an impressive rookie season for Piastri, who ended the Formula 1 season in ninth on the driver standings.
Piastri wins Rookie of the Year | 00:53
Tim Tszyu winning three big fights
Tszyu opened the year with a stiff challenge, facing the only man to have beaten then super welterweight division champion Jermell Charlo.
Tszyu was supposed to fight Charlo before that bout fell through, with Tony Harrison stepping forward to take on the Australian for the interim WBO title.
It was both the biggest test of Tszyu’s career to that point and his biggest risk too but it all proved worth it in the end as he claimed a ninth-round stoppage victory.
LIGHTS OUT in RD 9 – Tszyu ends Harrison | 01:10
Up next for Tszyu was Carlos Ocampo, who had a 35-2 record and 23 knockouts to his name before he got in the ring with the Australian, who didn’t even need to be taking the fight.
“What Tim is doing is absolutely crazy as far as global boxing goes, the risks he is taking but that’s what he’s about,” No Limit CEO George Rose said at the time.
“He’s [Ocampo] got a hell of a record. He’s a guy who can hit and he’s here to spoil the party. It’s an absolute risk he’s taking. As far as global boxing goes, nobody else in the world is doing what Tim would do taking on a guy like Carlos Ocampo.”
But Tszyu knew what he was doing, staying active in his eventual pursuit of a shot at Charlo and making yet another statement in the process — the biggest of his career in fact — as he destroyed Ocampo with a first-round knockout.
Tszyu belts Ocampo in 77 seconds | 01:08
The long-awaited bout between Tszyu and Charlo would never come, with the American instead challenging boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez to a fight that he later lost.
It then saw Charlo stripped of his belt, with Tszyu confirmed as the new WBO super welterweight champion. The next step was to make his first title defence.
And so, Tszyu capped off a big year with a unanimous decision win over Brian Mendoza in a fight that would have likely ended in a finish if it was anyone but the American in the ring.
Mendoza though went the distance against Tszyu, even as the Australian stalked him down in the final rounds, landing a few brutal uppercuts that seemingly had the challenger on the ropes.
It may not have been the finish Tszyu was after but it was still dominant as it comes, with two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter describing him as a “bully” as the Australian refused to let up even with the result likely beyond doubt.
Tszyu lands ferocious bombs on Mendoza | 00:28
Mark Zahra winning Melbourne and Caulfield Cups
It was a dramatic 24 hours for Zahra before he even suited up for and later won the Caulfield Cup, with news his horse Without A Fight had failed his initial veterinary assessment.
Zahra, who had won the previous year’s Melbourne Cup riding Gold Trip, initially thought the stallion may miss the Caulfield in preparation to the Cox Plate, which was run the following weekend.
“I had to give myself an uppercut I reckon about Thursday because I didn’t sleep Wednesday night just thinking about… it was like someone stealing your missus, someone else getting the ride on Gold Trip, I was a bit shattered,” Zahra told Channel 7 of the moment when he found out Gold Trip would run in the Caulfield Cup.
“I thought, ‘F***, he is a great horse, I have an emotional bond like I don’t with any other horse, Gold Trip’. And then on Thursday, ‘What the ‘F’ are you doing?’ You picked this horse, after the last start I said to Sam Freedman I think he will win the Caulfield Cup.”
That prediction proved true as Zahra won a thrilling edition of the race.
Zahra then backed it up in spectacular fashion, again on Without A Fight, as he took out the Melbourne Cup to become the first jockey to win the race back-to-back on different horses since Harry White in 1978 and ‘79.
Zahra grabs a 2nd straight Melbourne cup | 01:13
Mollie O’Callaghan world champs five gold medals
O’Callaghan, who reigned supreme for a second-straight year as Australia’s Olympic Program Swimmer Of The Year, stunned the swimming world when she claimed a world record and gold in the 200-metre freestyle at the world championships.
It was only the start of an incredible performance in Fukuoka from the 19-year-old, who went on to win five gold medals after defending her 100m freestyle world crown and also coming out on top alongside her Australian teammates in the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x100m Mixed freestyle relays.
O’Callaghan’s effort in the 200-metre freestyle, which won Performance of the Year at the Australian Institute of Sport Performance Awards, was the pick of the bunch.
Touching in at a time of 1:52.85, O’Callaghan broke one of swimming’s longest-standing records, with the record previously held by Federica Pellegrini and set back in 2009.
“There were tears, there was happiness. It was very mixed emotions. I’m just so proud of myself to do that and it was such an unexpected moment,” O’Callaghan said at the time.
“… To come out with a world record was really unexpected for me.”
Sensational Mollie strikes GOLD again! | 00:43
Mackenzie Arnold’s Matildas heroics
Australia’s thrilling penalty shootout win over France in the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-finals was historic for a few reasons.
Starting with the fact it was the first time the Matildas had booked their spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
It was also the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history, which brings us to Mackenzie Arnold, who became a national hero overnight after her heroics in goal.
The only blemish — if you can even call it that — was a missed penalty shot which hit the post but Arnold more than made up for it with two crucial saves in the shootout.
“Mackenzie was amazing,” Sam Kerr said.
“She saves all our penalties at training and robs our confidence. We all just stuck to our routines and we knew she’d come through for us, but she was amazing in the game as well.”
Arnold heroics progresses Tillies! | 00:17
Ange Postecoglou’s historic start at Tottenham
Even before breaking new ground as Tottenham’s new manager, Postecoglou kicked off 2023 in style as the Australian completed a domestic treble with Celtic.
Postecoglou won his fifth trophy in two seasons with the Hoops as Celtic defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-1 in the Scottish Cup final, having already taken the team to glory in the Scottish Premiership and League Cup.
“I’m very proud of the whole group. It’s a bit surreal when you think about what we have achieved,” Postecoglou said at the time.
Of course, it would only end up being the start of Postecoglou’s rapid rise in the football world as he was officially announced as the Spurs’ latest manager in June.
Postecoglou was up against it from the start when it was confirmed in August that prolific striker Harry Kane would be departing the club on the eve of the new season.
It was always going to be hard to replace the team’s all-time top goalscorer and given slow starts in Postecoglou’s previous stints at Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic, expectations weren’t necessarily high of the new Australian hire early on.
Instead, Postecoglou made history as he claimed his third straight Premier League Manager of the Month award after guiding Tottenham to eight wins and two draws from 11 games.
Postecoglou’s only loss in that early period came in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, where Tottenham was reduced to nine men.
Tottenham sat on 26 points after its first 10 games, marking the best return of any new manager during that period in Premier League history.
While the results were obviously promising, more than anything Postecoglou gave Tottenham supporters a reason to believe after Kane’s departure.
And even if it was early in the season, he wasn’t going to stop them either.
“Let them dream, that’s what being a football supporter is all about,” Postecoglou said in late October.
Ange speaks on Spurs’ strong start | 01:05
Nina Kennedy’s magic moment of sportsmanship
It was a golden moment, but not only because Australian Nina Kennedy came out on top in the women’s world pole vault final in Budapest.
Rather, what made the moment even more memorable was the show of sportsmanship between Kennedy and Olympic champion Katie Moon, with the pair both clearing 4.90 metres but failing to progress at the 4.95 metre mark.
The duo came together with officials and after a small chat, decided to share the gold medal and both be crowned world champions.
“I think a miracle happened tonight,” Kennedy said.
“To win a gold medal, it is just a dream come true. I jumped out of my skin tonight. It was super crazy. I felt like the whole stadium was watching every single jump, they were all around us tonight, it was really incredible.”
Kennedy had already broken two national records — at 4.85 and 4.90 metres — to get to that point in the first place.
Bob Knight, the tempestuous winner of three NCAA national championships while the basketball coach at Indiana University died Wednesday.
Knight — often his own worst enemy while warring with administrators, faculty members, security guards, the media, his own players and even a random student or two — was 83, suffered from dementia and had been in ill health for the last several years, the NY Post reports.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family,” Knight’s family said in a statement.
“We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honoured. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend.”
Legendary coach Bob Knight dead at 83. Credit: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Knight, who began his coaching career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, won those titles with the Hoosiers in 1976, ‘81 and ‘87. He also won one with Ohio State in 1960 as a little-used reserve on a team fronted by future Hall of Fame players Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek.
Knight, who coached the Hoosiers from 1971 until he was fired in 2000 after an on-campus incident involving an Indiana student, spent the last six and a half seasons of his coaching career at Texas Tech and retired in 2008 with 902 victories.
At the time it was the most wins in NCAA Division 1 history. Knight now sits fifth on the all-time list having been surpassed by, among others, the now retired Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, who played for Knight at West Point and later was an assistant on his staff there. Tributes poured in on social media as the basketball world dealt with the passing of a true legend of the game.
And while he wasn’t easy to play for — ask Larry Bird who lasted only a few weeks before heading home and later resurfacing at Indiana State to become one of the game’s all-time greats — Knight’s Indiana teams never had a losing record while winning or sharing 11 Big Ten titles, reaching five Final Fours and his 1976 squad is the last team in NCAA history to go through an entire season unbeaten, finishing 32-0.
In fact, his 1974-75 and 75-76 teams went a combined 63-1, the lone loss coming in the 1975 NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.
Knight was 659-242 at Indiana where his players went to class and, if they stayed all four years, usually graduated. He was a stickler for following NCAA rules despite his distaste for the NCAA as an entity and his penchant for bucking authority.
“If my primary purpose here at Indiana is to go out and win ballgames, I can probably do that as well as anybody can,” he once said. “I would just cheat, get some money from a lot of people around Indianapolis who want to run the operation that way, and just go out and get the best basketball players I can. Then we’d beat everybody.”
Knight, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, also coached the U.S. men’s team to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid said he has pledged to play for the United States at next year’s Paris Olympics.
Embiid was also eligible to play international basketball for Cameroon and France but has instead opted to join what is expected to be a star-studded Olympic squad.
ESPN reported that the Yaounde-born Embiid confirmed his decision early on Friday [AEDT] to Team USA executive director Grant Hill.
Embiid, 29, joins an array of NBA stars who have signalled their intention to play in the Olympics as the Americans aim to bounce back from their failure to medal at the FIBA World Cup in August.
LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry all said this week they aim to be part of the US squad which will be chasing a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris.
Speaking to reporters during a Sixers training session on Thursday, Embiid said he had opted to play for his adopted homeland due to “family” considerations and an overwhelming desire to play in the Olympics.
“It was tough. Obviously, I love all three options,” Embiid said.
“You know with my own country, which I love, a lot.
“But I really wanted to participate in an Olympics. That’s been my goal and my dream.”
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Embiid, who has lived in the US since he was 16, added that the birth of his son Arthur in 2020, who is a US citizen, had also influenced his decision.
“You add that with the fact that my son is American, and that I’ve been here for such a long time. I just felt like, that for the past few years ever since he was born, every decision I’ve made is based on family,” Embiid said.
“Having the chance to represent the US, and my son being born here…ultimately I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”
Embiid’s availability for the Olympics gives the US squad another formidable weapon in a line-up that will start as overwhelming favourites for the gold medal.
The 7ft (2.13m) 280lb (127kg) giant was virtually unplayable last season, averaging 33.1 points per game with 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Last-second shot keeps Bullets on top! | 00:49
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Today, Ramona Shelburne said the uncertainty surrounding Cameroon’s spot in the Olympics played into Embiid’s decision to represent Team USA.
“This was a really hard decision for Joel because he was born in Cameroon, he has ties there,” she said.
“If Cameroon were qualified for the Olympics, he’d be playing for Cameroon but they’re not qualified and it’s no sure thing for them to be one of the last four teams in. Then it comes down to the USA and France.
“He’s a French citizen and a US citizen… but you see guys like LeBron James, Stephen Curry — former MVPs in this league and the reigning MVP says, ‘We’ve all got to get back together to get the USA back on top’… it’s like an Avengers team that’s going to go to Paris. You want to be a part of that.”
