分类： sports

The 2025 London Marathon delivered two pieces of history on Sunday, as Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe became the first athlete to run a ratified sub-two-hour marathon in an official competition, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa smashed her own women’s-only world record to defend her title.

Sawe, the defending 2024 men’s champion, entered the race openly predicting a landmark performance, and he delivered beyond expectations, crossing the finish line in an official time of 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds. The 31-year-old Kenyan’s achievement rewrites marathon history: while Eliud Kipchoge ran a 1:59:40 in an experimental 2019 event, that performance was never ratified as an official world record because it broke standard competition rules for pacing, fluids and event format, with specialized non-regulation equipment. Sawe’s run, by contrast, complies with all official rules and stands as the first recognized sub-two-hour marathon in open competition.

What made Sawe’s performance even more remarkable is the depth of the field’s results: the top three men all finished inside the previous official world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Through the first half of the 26.2-mile course, Sawe led a tight leading pack of six elite runners that included Olympic champion Tamirat Tola and Uganda’s half-marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo, with the group passing the halfway mark in 1:00:29, on pace to break the two-hour barrier. As the race progressed, the pack strung out, leaving Sawe and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, running his first ever marathon, to battle neck-and-neck through the closing miles. With just one mile remaining, Sawe made his decisive surge, pulling clear of Kejelcha to finish alone, taking a full 65 seconds off Kiptum’s previous world record. Kejelcha held on to finish second in 1:59:41, the fastest debut marathon in history, while Kiplimo took third place in 2:00:28.

After crossing the line, a visibly elated Sawe shared his confidence going into the race, held on a mild warm spring day in London. “I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me,” Sawe told reporters, noting his target time had even been scribbled on his running shoe before the start. “Coming to London for the second time was so important to me and that’s why I prepared well. Finally, what I had done for four months it has come today to be a good result.” Sawe ran in Adidas’s new Pro Evo 3 supershoe, which weighs less than 100 grams, and had openly teased a record attempt in pre-race media comments.

In the women’s-only race, Assefa matched Sawe’s historic performance by breaking her own world record to defend her 2024 London Marathon title. The 29-year-old Ethiopian, a reigning Olympic and world silver medalist, was locked in a tight three-way battle for the lead with Kenyan stars Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei through most of the race, before breaking away in the closing kilometers to cross the line in 2:15:41. Her time shaved nine seconds off the women’s-only world record she set on the same London course in 2024.

“It’s one of my plans really coming into this competition to break my own world record from last year’s race,” Assefa said after the race. “So to do that has brought me a lot of satisfaction. To repeat my victory from last year means even more. The happiness I feel is just swelling up inside me.” Obiri, a two-time 5000m world champion and 2024 Paris Olympic marathon bronze medalist, finished just 12 seconds behind Assefa to take second place in a new personal best of 2:15:53, edging out compatriot Jepkosgei by just 0.02 seconds. It is worth noting that the fastest marathon ever run by a woman in a mixed-gender race, where female runners benefit from male pacemakers, is 2:09:56, set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

Beyond the elite race history, the 46th edition of the London Marathon also set new records for participation and charitable giving. More than 59,000 runners were expected to complete the 42.2-kilometer course, beating 2024’s record of 56,640 finishers, which already stood as the most for any marathon in history. Organizers announced last month they are considering expanding the 2026 event to two days, which would allow up to 100,000 runners to participate. The 2025 race also raised a record £87.3 million ($118 million) for charitable causes, retaining its title as the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event.

The Melbourne Storm’s nightmare 2026 NRL season has taken another devastating turn, with star playmaker Jahrome Hughes confirmed to miss next Friday’s critical Round 9 showdown against the Dolphins after failing a mandatory head injury assessment. While initial scans have cleared the representative halfback of any serious structural damage to a worrying wrist injury that hampered his performance during Saturday’s heavy home defeat, the concussion protocol ruling has ruled him out of what is already a must-win game for the struggling club.

Hughes’ absence is the latest in a string of crippling blows for the Storm, who are currently mired in their longest losing streak under legendary head coach Craig Bellamy, having dropped six consecutive matches. After Saturday’s humiliating defeat to the South Sydney Rabbitohs at AAMI Park, which saw Melbourne’s long-unbeaten home record against the Sydney club completely erased, the club sits second-from-bottom on the NRL ladder, only ahead of the still-winless St George Illawarra Dragons.

During the second half of Saturday’s defeat, Hughes repeatedly grabbed at his left wrist and forearm after taking multiple heavy knocks during the match, sparking immediate concern over a potential long-term layoff. Earlier in Round 8, the halfback was forced from the field early due to an unspecified injury, with Bellamy admitting post-match he could not confirm whether the issue was linked to the wrist or shoulder. However, post-match scans delivered one small piece of positive news: no significant ligament or bone damage was found, and Hughes will continue to be monitored by the club’s medical staff throughout the week.

That small reprieve was overshadowed by confirmation that a head knock sustained during the match has ruled Hughes out of the Dolphins clash. In an official statement, the Storm confirmed: “The club can confirm Hughes’ initial assessments of his wrist show no significant injury and he will continue to be assessed throughout the week, however the halfback failed his HIA and will enter concussion protocols. Hughes will be unavailable for Storm’s Round 9 game against the Dolphins.”

With Hughes sidelined, utility Tyran Wishart is widely expected to step into the starting halves combination for Melbourne.

The six-game losing run is unprecedented during Bellamy’s more than two-decade tenure at the club, and the veteran coach did not mince words after Saturday’s Anzac Day defeat, admitting it was the most embarrassed he had ever been in his decades-long coaching career. “It’s probably the most embarrassed I’ve ever been in my footy life to be quite honest,” Bellamy told reporters post-match. “There are obviously a few things the off-field staff is doing wrong and I’m included in that, so obviously I’m not doing my job as well as I should be… but to come up with a performance like that and a lack of effort like that on Anzac Day is embarrassing. I can’t say too much more than that.”

At this stage of the season, the Storm’s slim hopes of reaching the 2026 finals are already hanging by a thread, and the loss of their most influential playmaker has all but crushed early-season optimism among fans and analysts alike.

Just one month ago, Manly Sea Eagles supporters booed their team off the home pitch at 4 Pines Park, calling for immediate leadership change after a third consecutive defeat that saw former head coach Anthony Seibold lose his job. Ironically, that loss came at the hands of the Sydney Roosters, led by ex-Sea Eagles star Daly Cherry-Evans, leaving fans fearing the club would spend the 2026 NRL season fighting to avoid the wooden spoon. Today, that narrative has flipped entirely: a dominant 33-18 second-half victory over the Parramatta Eels has pushed Manly to four straight wins, and club legend-turned-interim coach Kieran Foran has turned early-season despair into legitimate finals contention.

Foran’s incredible turnaround since taking the top job has been nothing short of miraculous. The undefeated 4-0 start under his guidance has erased all talk of a last-place finish, with fans and analysts now openly debating whether the Sea Eagles can sustain their red-hot form to climb all the way into the top four. This win against the Eels was Foran’s biggest test to date, with star fullback Tom Trbojevic sidelined by injury – but Tom’s brothers stepped up to fill the gap seamlessly. Within the opening minutes of the match, Jake Trbojevic crashed over the try line off a well-placed kick to put Manly on the board early.

Midway through the second half, Ben Trbojevic delivered a pinpoint offload to halfback Jamal Fogarty, who sprinted 50 metres to score a breakaway try that blew the game wide open and cemented Manly’s lead. While the win was a massive boost for the club’s finals hopes, it did come with fresh injury concerns: Fogarty was taken off the field late in the match, and forward Corey Waddell was forced to exit early with a pectoral injury. The Sea Eagles’ credentials will face their toughest test this coming Sunday night, when they take on defending premiers Penrith in a clash that will prove just how far this revitalized side has come.

For the Parramatta Eels, the result extends a devastating run of poor form and crippling injury woes that have left them sitting 15th on the ladder ahead of the round 12 bye. The club’s injury crisis deepened during the match, when center Dylan Walker suffered an arm injury that saw him return for the second half with his left arm strapped in a sling. Walker is the latest key player sidelined for Parramatta, joining a long list of starters including Jonah Pezet, Isaiah Iongi, J’maine Hopgood and Bailey Simonsson who are already out long-term. Walker had been one of the Eels’ most consistent playmakers through the early rounds, and his absence will be a major blow for the side moving forward. The Eels also face potential further disruption, with dummy-half Tallyn Da Silva facing possible suspension after being sin-binned for a dangerous lifting tackle on Jake Simpkin. While Parramatta put up a solid defensive fight in the first half, they collapsed in the second, as Manly carved through their edges repeatedly – winger Brian Kelly had a particularly tough day, committing five costly errors. The Eels will face tough matches against the New Zealand Warriors, North Queensland Cowboys and Melbourne Storm before their bye, leaving them with little room to claw their way back up the ladder in the coming weeks.

One of the standout individual performances of the match came from Manly back-rower Haumole Olakau’atu, whose barnstorming display dragged the side through an otherwise unremarkable first half and pushed him into contention for a call-up to the NSW Blues State of Origin side. The powerful forward ran 201 metres from 21 carries, notched four offloads, broke seven tackles and delivered a brutal hit on Dylan Walker just before halftime that set up a field goal to give Manly a 7-6 halftime lead. Olakau’atu, who came off the bench in two Origins for the Blues in 2024, is now firmly on NSW coach Laurie Daley’s radar after a string of dominant displays showcasing his explosive running and elite aerial skills.

Speed winger Jason Saab also delivered a memorable moment for the Sea Eagles, showcasing unexpected soccer skills to score one of the match’s most talked-about tries. After Fogarty put up a high kick into the in-goal area, Saab out-jumped the Eels defence to notch a perfect header that set him up for a clear run to the line, capping off a stunning day for the revitalized Manly side.

The English Premier League delivered another afternoon of high-stakes drama this Saturday, as two late match-winning goals upended the landscape of both the tense relegation battle and the race for Champions League qualification with just four matchweeks remaining in the season.

The most electrifying twists unfolded in the fight to avoid the final relegation spot, where Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have emerged as the two remaining contenders after Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley already confirmed their drops to the Championship. In a turn of events that left fans of both clubs reeling, West Ham substitute Callum Wilson struck a 92nd-minute winner that preserved his side’s two-point advantage over Tottenham, keeping the London club in the driving seat to beat the drop.

The day began looking grim for Tottenham, who traveled to face already-relegated Wolves without a Premier League win dating back to December. Blunted in attack, the side managed just two shots on target across 90 minutes, and looked set to settle for a frustrating goalless draw that would leave them mired in the relegation zone. It took an 82nd-minute strike from Joao Palhinha to secure a scrappy 1-0 win for Tottenham, lifting them temporarily out of the bottom three.

Minutes later, when news broke that Everton had scored an 88th-minute equalizer at the London Stadium to cancel out Tomas Soucek’s first-half opener for West Ham, traveling Tottenham supporters erupted in celebration. At that point, the North London club had slipped above West Ham in the table, on course to escape the drop zone at West Ham’s expense. But Wilson had other plans, netting a dramatic late winner that shifted the dynamic back in West Ham’s favor.

Speaking after the match, Wilson emphasized the unity that has carried his side through the tough relegation run-in. “The atmosphere was electric,” he told the BBC. “I think the fans and the players have really come together in this period and it has stood us in good stead. We’re the ones in the driving seat at the moment and if we take care of our own results it should stand us in good stead come the end of the season.”

Nottingham Forest, who sit three points clear of both Tottenham and West Ham on 39 points, all but secured their top-flight status with a dominant 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland on Friday, pulling them well clear of the relegation battle.

Across the country at Anfield, another set of late action reshaped the race for Champions League places, as Liverpool claimed a vital 3-1 win over Crystal Palace to climb into the top four. The result marked Liverpool’s first victory over Palace in four meetings this season, after the London side knocked them out of the League Cup and beat them in the reverse Premier League fixture, following a penalty shootout win in the season-opening Community Shield.

Recently recovered from a fibula fracture that kept him sidelined for months, Alexander Isak opened the scoring for Liverpool, notching his first goal for the club since December. Defender Andy Robertson doubled the Reds’ lead shortly after with a tidy finish on a slick counter-attacking move. Crystal Palace cut the deficit in the second half through Daniel Munoz, but Florian Wirtz iced the game with a last-gasp third goal to restore the two-goal advantage.

The result was tinged with minor concern for Liverpool, however, as star winger Mohamed Salah was forced to limp off the pitch in the second half with a hamstring injury, with less than a month remaining in his decorated tenure at the club. Despite the injury concern, the result leaves Liverpool level on 58 points with Aston Villa and Manchester United, eight points clear of fourth-placed chasing Brighton, making qualification for next season’s Champions League near-certain for Arne Slot’s side – a strong recovery after their disappointing title defence this campaign.

“Our objectives this season have changed due to our form but the Champions League is so important to this football club and we’ve made a big step,” Robertson told Sky Sports after the match.

In the day’s early kickoff, Fulham claimed a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, keeping the Cottagers’ own hopes of European qualification alive. Ryan Sessegnon scored the game’s only goal shortly before halftime, after both sides had missed early chances to take the lead. The result dropped Villa out of the top four, opening the door for Liverpool’s ascension.

The final game of the day will see league-leaders in waiting Manchester City top when Arsenal host Newcastle United. The Gunners, who held a nine-point lead at the top of the table just two weeks ago, have seen that advantage evaporate amid a poor run of form. Arsenal now trail City only on goals scored, with the two sides level on goal difference heading into the evening kickoff.

One of Australian Rules Football’s most iconic annual fixtures delivered a lopsided result this Anzac Day, as Essendon Bombers head coach Brad Scott opened up about his team’s crushing second-half collapse to a inspired Collingwood Magpies side led by veteran champion Scott Pendlebury. Speaking to reporters after the final siren, Scott expressed deep frustration over his side’s failure to rise to the occasion, admitting he struggled to reconcile his honest assessment of the defeat with a more guarded, team-aligned narrative for the post-match press conference.

The match was tightly contested through the first two quarters, with neither side managing to pull away despite Scott acknowledging Essendon never found their rhythm in the opening half. That stalemate shattered dramatically after halftime, when Collingwood slammed through 15 goals in the second half, including nine unanswered goals in a dominant final quarter that left Essendon powerless to stem the tide. At 38 years old, Pendlebury turned in a career-defining performance to anchor the Magpies’ charge, ultimately claiming his fourth Anzac Day Medal for his match-winning impact.

Scott summed up the result bluntly, saying his squad was “absolutely obliterated” by Collingwood, a result he pinned largely to catastrophic performance at centre bounce clearances. While overall clearances for the match finished roughly even, Essendon couldn’t win a foothold in the contest out of the central stoppage, a failure that handed Collingwood repeated attacking opportunities that blew the game open in the final term. “The last quarter margin is almost entirely attributed to centre bounce territory and you lose contest forward,” Scott explained, noting that even when Essendon managed to move the ball into their attacking 50 after halftime, they were able to convert – they simply never got enough chances to mount a comeback.

The Essendon coach added that his young squad looked visibly overawed by the magnitude of the Anzac Day occasion, one of the biggest non-finals matches on the AFL calendar, played in front of a capacity crowd at the MCG. Scott pointed out that Pendlebury alone has more career game time than 75 percent of the entire Essendon list combined, but he refused to pin the loss solely on inexperience, saying a lack of composure under pressure was a problem across the entire team. “Repeatedly we weren’t able to handle those moments, so we weren’t able to handle the occasion, we weren’t able to handle Collingwood’s pressure. Even worse, we weren’t able to stand up under perceived pressure which wasn’t even there,” he said.

Asked about his comment that he was torn between sticking to the “party line” and sharing his true assessment, Scott confirmed he would not shift blame to his inexperienced players, despite the clear gap in big-game experience between the two sides. The collapse of Essendon’s game plan was a chain reaction, he explained: when their initial plan to contain Pendlebury and young Magpies star Nick Daicos failed, adjustments also fell flat, leading to a domino effect of missed assignments and missed opportunities.

The brutal defeat leaves Essendon with no time to lick their wounds, as they prepare to face the reigning premier Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium next Saturday in what shapes as another tough test for the rebuilding side.

AFL fans witnessed a slice of history on Anzac Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury delivered one of the finest performances of his 18-year career – a standout display that will likely lead to the 38-year-old being rested for the club’s critical upcoming clash with Hawthorn next Thursday.

Facing off against traditional rival Essendon, Pendlebury put on a clinic that will be remembered in Anzac Day lore: the veteran playmaker finished the match with 43 disposals, 19 direct score involvements, and two crucial goals. This dominant outing earned Pendlebury a record-breaking fourth Anzac Day Medal, pushing him past former Essendon champion James Hird to claim the outright record for most medals awarded to the best on ground in the annual blockbuster fixture.

Despite the career-topping performance, the tight five-day turnaround between the Anzac Day match and Collingwood’s next fixture against Hawthorn means Pendlebury is extremely unlikely to take the field next week. Collingwood head coach Craig McRae opened up about the planned rest in a post-match press conference alongside the star player, noting that the high volume of minutes Pendlebury logged during Saturday’s game puts unnecessary strain on the veteran ahead of the quick turnaround.

“I won’t make that final decision now, but I would probably think you’re unlikely to play next week,” McRae said. “We’ve got a five-day break, we’ll make final decisions early in the week but we’ll see how he pulls up. We already had an initial conversation that it could go either way, but he logged so much time on the ground today, which was perfect for this game but creates challenges for next week. We’ll complete a full fitness assessment during the week before locking in a call.”

McRae made no attempt to hide his admiration for the evergreen veteran, saying he remains constantly amazed by what Pendlebury can produce at an age when most AFL players have long retired.

“He’s played many incredible games throughout his career, and statistically, this is one of the very best,” the coach said. “I told the players on the bench this, and I’ll say it openly: I don’t want to get older and take for granted what this man gives us. What we saw today just reaffirmed he’s a legend of this sport and a legend of this football club. To put in a performance like that at 38, there are no age barriers for him and no ceiling on what he can do. He’s remarkable, every time I watch him play I’m in awe.”

Pendlebury, who has built his 431-game career as a versatile utility capable of slotting into any role the Magpies need, made a last-minute position shift late in the Anzac Day clash that led to his second goal – a change that sparked a raucous “Pendles” chant from the packed crowd of Collingwood supporters. The 38-year-old explained after the match he made the call to move into a deep forward role to grant young teammate Beau McCreery the chance to take over centre bounce duties, and also relished the personal matchup against young Essendon defender Archie Roberts.

“It was actually Beau kept saying he wanted to take centre bounce, so I told him if he wanted it he could have it and I’d move forward,” Pendlebury said. “I actually coached Archie Roberts when I was at Haileybury four years ago, we won a premiership together. When I saw he was matched up on me, I decided I’d take him deep. The old APS school football community has already been talking about that matchup, so I won’t let Arch live that down anytime soon.”

Pendlebury brushed off praise for his individual performance, attributing his stellar day to the team’s solid defensive structure and a bit of good fortune. “The way our team set up today, we defended really well, and I’m happy to just be a small cog in the machine that is this club,” he said. “I was saying to Jordy De Goey late in the game that even when I was trying to stay away from the footy, it still ended up finding me. It was just one of those days where everything bounced my way, and at 38, you definitely take those days.”

The result of the Anzac Day clash sets up a critical round of AFL action, with Collingwood set to take on Hawthorn in a Thursday night fixture that could shape the remainder of the club’s season, as the side waits to confirm Pendlebury’s availability ahead of the match.