分类： sports

A major health scare that forced Essendon Bombers rising star Nate Caddy to be hospitalized during last weekend’s victory over GWS Giants has been fully resolved, with interim head coach Dean Solomon confirming the key forward faces no risk returning to the field this Saturday.

Caddy was pulled from the round clash against GWS after developing an unexplained elevated heart rate mid-match, and was immediately transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Medical teams have since completed all necessary testing and cleared the young forward to resume full team activities, clearing the way for his expected starting spot in this weekend’s much-anticipated clash against old rival Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“From a medical standpoint, he’s been 100% cleared,” Solomon told reporters in a press briefing on Thursday morning. “When the elevated heart rate popped up, the team took the safe step of sending him to hospital for checks, but all results came back normal. He’ll take part in full training today, and he’s ready to go this weekend. We haven’t even talked about limiting his minutes or doing any in-game management – there’s no risk here at all.”

Caddy has emerged as one of the few bright spots for Essendon in a disappointing 2024 season, quickly establishing himself as a core piece of the club’s future forward line. Solomon added that the young forward has approached his post-scare recovery with intentionality, working closely with club medical staff to understand his health status and remains confident in his ability to compete at full intensity.

“He’s diligent, he asks a lot of questions, and he’s got a really clear understanding that there’s no ongoing issue,” Solomon said. “I haven’t seen any change in his demeanor or his readiness. He’s confident, we trust our medical team completely, and we’re ready to put him out there.”

Saturday’s matchup pits two teams with vastly different late-season goals against one another. Hawthorn currently sits in strong position to lock in a top-four finish on the AFL ladder, and is chasing momentum heading into the final month of the regular season as they build toward a premiership run. When asked to assess the 2024 Hawks, Solomon praised the side’s sharp on-field performance and strong leadership ahead of the clash.

“They’re a very sharp, well-led football side playing a really exciting brand of footy, and they’re going to bring a massive challenge for our group,” Solomon said. “But that’s exactly what our young group is excited for. We’re looking forward to testing ourselves against one of the best teams in the competition this weekend.”

For cycling fans around the world, few spots in the Tour de France carry the same legendary reputation as Corner Seven on Alpe d’Huez, better known worldwide as Dutch Corner. Every year when the world’s most prestigious cycling race climbs this iconic Alpine mountain, tens of thousands of visitors deck head to toe in the Netherlands’ signature bright orange flood the bend, turning the high-altitude stretch into a days-long, alcohol-fueled celebration that stands out even among the Tour’s most famous mountain pass gatherings. As the 113th edition of the Grande Boucle prepares to tackle Alpe d’Huez’s 21 winding hairpins this Friday, many loyal Dutch supporters have already staked out their spot at Dutch Corner, arriving days early to blast Europop tracks and ready themselves to cheer on their compatriots when the peloton rolls through.

No other nationality has claimed more Tour de France stage victories on Alpe d’Huez than Dutch riders — a record that even outpaces race host France, turning the climb into something of a personal home mountain for Dutch competitors in this year’s race. For many of these riders, the stretch carries deep personal nostalgia that stretches back to their childhoods, making the upcoming stage an especially emotional milestone.

“It’s a super special mountain, of course, Dutch Mountain and the famous corner seven,” 26-year-old Thymen Arensman, a Netcompany Ineos rider who claimed two Tour stages in 2023, shared ahead of this year’s race. Arensman is no stranger to Dutch Corner, both from training rides and long before he turned pro. “I have super special memories of this climb because when I was a little kid, like so many other Dutch people, I went there with my parents on holiday,” he explained. “I was really keen and eager as a little child to do this climb also as fast as possible. So (I have) really good memories there from my childhood.”

Arensman and his teammates already got a head start on preparation, tackling Alpe d’Huez’s hairpins in training before the Tour kicked off. “We did the climb a few times, but the climb is still just as hard as I remember as a little kid,” he added. “The famous corner seven will be amazing.”

Just reaching Alpe d’Huez in this year’s grueling Tour is already a major accomplishment for riders. The 113th edition has already made history as one of the most challenging in the race’s legacy: a blistering, record-breaking heatwave baked riders through the first 10 stages, while consistently fast average speeds across the race have left competitors more exhausted than ever. The race organizers have saved the most demanding terrain for the final week, with three back-to-back uphill Alpine finishes before the traditional ceremonial procession into Paris this Sunday.

For many riders, simply crossing the finish line of the Alpe d’Huez stage within the official time limit is the primary goal. “The corner will be nice, the rest of the climb I’m not so sure,” Frank van den Broek, competing in his third Tour, told Agence France-Presse. “It will depend on how the legs feel and how tight the time limit will be that day. But for sure, the corner, I’m looking forward to (it).”

First-time Tour rider Daan Hoole, a member of the Decathlon CMA CGM team racing alongside teenage French standout Paul Seixas, echoed that mix of anticipation and dread. “It’s a hard stage but it’s special with all the Dutch fans there so that will be for sure nice to see,” he said. Hoole grew up watching the Tour with his brother back in the Netherlands, and the pair would reenact the mountain stages as children after watching the race on television. “I dreamed always of the Tour. When I was watching it when I was younger with my brother, the next day we would play on the bike that we are one of these climbers and do like a small race,” he recalled. “Once you’re in it, in your head you can romanticise it a lot, (but) when you’re riding, it’s also just a lot of suffering.”

Now standing nearly two meters tall and weighing over 80 kilograms, Hoole grew out of the slim build required to be an elite climber, and he has since made his name as a two-time Dutch national time trial champion. But as a child, he dreamed of following in the footsteps of Luxembourg’s famous Schleck brothers, who carved their own legacy into Alpe d’Huez’s history. Frank Schleck claimed a stage win at the summit of Alpe d’Huez in 2006, while younger brother Andy wore the race leader’s yellow jersey when he climbed the mountain in 2011. “When I was starting watching cycling… Andy Schleck was doing really well and my brother was also cycling,” Hoole said. “So, on the bike, you act a bit (like) you’re the Schleck brothers. But once I became a cyclist, I realised quickly I wasn’t a climber.”

Even for non-climbers like Hoole, though, rolling through the orange-clad crowds of Dutch Corner remains a bucket-list moment years in the making, a chance to turn childhood dreams into reality amid one of cycling’s most iconic celebrations.

The Melbourne Storm is balancing two critical storylines heading into their high-stakes Friday night NRL clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium: waiting on a late fitness call for star halfback Jahrome Hughes, and preparing to honor one-club workhorse Josh King’s 200th career NRL game. Hughes, a former Dally M Medal winner, has been sidelined by a persistent hamstring injury that has limited him to just three appearances since the start of June. He missed the Storm’s round loss to the Sydney Roosters last week as the club managed the nagging issue, but his name has been included in the game day squad ahead of Friday’s crunch fixture – a significant boost for a Melbourne side already crippled by injuries to key players. Five-eighth Cameron Munster is already sidelined, while winger Will Warbrick recently joined the club’s lengthy casualty list with an achilles injury, leaving the Storm thin on playmaking and backline depth. Storm head coach Craig Bellamy confirmed that the final call on Hughes’ availability will not come until after the team’s traditional captain’s run leading up to the match. “He hasn’t done much for a couple of weeks,” Bellamy told reporters of his star halfback. “We’ll just see how he goes today and then we’ll go from there.” Utility back Trent Toelau has been placed on standby to step into the side if Hughes is forced to withdraw late. Regardless of Hughes’ status, the entire Storm squad has highlighted that they are focused on delivering a win to celebrate King’s remarkable milestone. A reliable front-rower, King spent the first six years of his professional career with the Newcastle Knights before making the move south to join Melbourne ahead of the 2022 NRL season. Since crossing clubs, he has built a reputation as one of the league’s most durable and consistent forwards, missing almost no games through injury or form slumps. In his first season with the Storm, King played 25 matches, and he has notched 26 appearances in every subsequent campaign – a feat that is even more impressive given the high physical toll of playing in the middle of the scrum. Bellamy paid an extensive tribute to King, framing the 200-game milestone as a testament to the forward’s relentless work ethic rather than just good fortune. “To play 200 games at NRL level in the position that he plays and the way he plays is quite remarkable in the time that he’s done it,” Bellamy said. “He’s hardly missed any games. That’s not just being lucky, it’s a lot of hard work. The one thing that really struck me when he first came here was how much time and effort he was willing to put into his preparation for games and training. He’s always done the little things and has always been consistent with it. It didn’t matter how long or boring it got, he made sure he did what he thought he had to do.” Bellamy also highlighted King’s quiet, lead-by-example leadership style that saw him emerge as a core part of the club’s leadership group even before he received an official title. “He was a fairly quiet bloke when he first came here, a typical country bloke from Singleton,” Bellamy recalled. “He was a leader before his time in that he didn’t need to say anything. He wouldn’t have said it, but it was basically ‘look at what I do, I’m leading here’ because he was doing all the little things well and was always doing the extras. Whatever he did, he always did it the best he could and as hard as he could and as fast as he could. He was a leader before he even had a title, but now he’s in our leadership group and sets a great example.” The Storm historically lift their performance for milestone matches for long-serving players, and the entire squad has already signaled their intention to put forward their best performance to honor King’s achievement.

As Glasgow prepares to welcome a newly condensed Commonwealth Games, the head of global Commonwealth sporting governance has defended the event’s enduring value, framing it as a critical launching pad for emerging athletic talent even after a major host crisis threatened the future of the 96-year-old competition.

Commonwealth Sport President Dr. Donald Rukare shared his perspective in an interview with AFP, just days ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Games, which will see King Charles declare the event officially open. The Games were pushed into uncertainty last July, when the Australian state of Victoria pulled out as the originally scheduled host, citing ballooning costs that made the original event model unfeasible.

Stepping in at short notice, Glasgow — which previously hosted the event 12 years ago — stepped up with a practical solution: a scaled-back format that repurposes existing venues to cut down on public spending and keep the Games alive. This year’s competition will feature just 10 core sports and six para-sports, a significant reduction from the 19 sports and eight para-sports offered at the 2022 Birmingham Games. Despite the slimmed-down structure, Rukare emphasized the event’s core mission remains unchanged.

“We had that dark cloud over us in terms of having no Games, but Glasgow stepped in. Scotland the brave as we say,” Rukare noted.

First launched in 1930 as the British Empire Games, the modern Commonwealth Games now brings together 74 nations and territories, most of which have historical ties to the British Empire. Positioned every four years, two years on either side of the Olympic Games, the event has long served as a key developmental milestone for up-and-coming athletes preparing for top-tier international competition.

“It’s about the athletes,” Rukare added. “For some of the athletes, they’re going to be representing their countries, their territories, for the first time and we believe that the Commonwealth Games is where champions are made.”

To make hosting more accessible for future organizers, governing bodies have already restructured the event’s requirements: now, only swimming and athletics are designated as compulsory sports, giving potential hosts far more flexibility to design a programme that fits their infrastructure and budget. Rukare said he is optimistic about the event’s trajectory, pointing to already confirmed future host plans as evidence of growing stability.

India’s Ahmedabad has already been locked in as the host of the 2030 centenary Commonwealth Games, while multiple countries including New Zealand have expressed formal interest in hosting the 2034 edition. Rukare confirmed that the 10-sport model used in Glasgow is not a permanent change. “It won’t remain at the 10 sports for sure, but we’re looking at probably something in the range of between 15 and 18 sports going forward,” he said. “At the end of the day, what we’re looking for is how do we have a sustainable, smart, agile model, but also responding to the needs and aspirations of the athletes.”

The 2030 Ahmedabad Games marks a pivotal moment for the future expansion of the Commonwealth Games, which has been largely concentrated in a handful of countries over recent decades. Six of the last seven editions have been hosted by either the United Kingdom or Australia, and the event has only been held in Asia twice in its history. Notably, it has never been hosted on the African continent, despite dozens of African nations being part of the Commonwealth sporting family.

For India, hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad is widely viewed as a critical stepping stone to the country’s ultimate goal of securing the 2036 Olympic Games. Indian authorities hope a successful Commonwealth Games will establish the world’s most populous nation as a global premier sporting destination.

Rukare, a Ugandan sports administrator, highlighted that expanding hosting across the full Commonwealth membership aligns with the event’s core identity as a celebration of global diversity. “We’d like to see that the Commonwealth family, Commonwealth Sport, reflect the diversity, the multicultural cultures that we have,” he said. “Going to one of the biggest countries in the Commonwealth, building on from Delhi 2010, there’s no doubt that India now is a different place. They are ready to go.”

He added that a successful 2030 Games in India could pave the way for even more geographic diversity in future, including a future Games hosted on the African continent. “We’d like to see how India will definitely put on a good show, maybe down the road sometime in the future, Africa could host the Games. So we’re really trying to commit to the Games right across the Commonwealth, to be able to show the whole mosaic of the culture and beautiful tapestry that we have of all our 74 territories.”

After more than two years on the sidelines battling a devastating string of injuries, star St Kilda Football Club spearhead Max King is just one final training session away from making his long-awaited return to senior Australian Football League (AFL) action. Head coach Ross Lyon confirmed Friday that the 204cm, 102kg key forward is set to take the field against North Melbourne this Sunday, barring any unexpected physical setbacks from his final pre-match training run.

King’s multi-year injury nightmare has included successive problems with his knee, calf, and most recently a hamstring injury that cut short a comeback attempt through the lower-tier Victorian Football League (VFL) earlier this season, when he suffered the setback against Carlton’s reserve side. But Lyon said King has put in the hard yards to earn a senior recall this weekend, noting that the forward has fully returned to the match fitness and running volumes he recorded in 2023, and is entering the coming contest in far better physical and mental condition than he was during his earlier VFL comeback attempt.

“As long as he gets through training, he’s done an enormous amount of work. Every time he stepped up his preparation, he built a bigger and stronger base, which has set him up for a sharper return,” Lyon told reporters Friday. “He’s certainly back to 2023 volumes and running numbers and he looks strong and fit, so we expect him to get through tomorrow and play. It’s not going to be easy, we get that, but he’s just in such better physical and mental shape this time around.”

Lyon explained that the club’s decision to fast-track King’s senior return comes down to a calculated risk-reward analysis: the Saints fielded the AFL’s shortest average team last week, and King’s imposing frame will add critical size and forward presence against North Melbourne. “We’re really respecting the level, we understand what Aidan Corr and Charlie Comben bring to North Melbourne, they’re a very good side, so we’re certainly not being flippant about this call,” Lyon said. “We just see the risk versus reward, and we just think he really helps us. Max is 204 centimetres and 102 kilos, he’s going to help, he’s a big man.”

While King’s return is all but confirmed barring injury, Lyon has backed off his earlier optimistic timeline for star ruckman Tom De Koning, who suffered a rib injury in a match against the Western Bulldogs last month. Lyon said he overestimated how close De Koning was to a return ahead of last week’s clash, and the big man is now unlikely to feature Sunday, though he retains an outside chance of a last-minute comeback.

The coach also fired back at recent comments from Geelong star Bailey Smith this week, after St Kilda defeated by a Smith-inspired Geelong last Thursday night at GMHBA Stadium. Smith had 35 disposals, kicked one goal, and ran riot in the first three quarters before the Saints assigned defensive midfielder Marcus Windhager to tag him, holding him to just 10 disposals in the final term. After the match, Smith argued Windhager was wasted in a tagging role, a comment Lyon dismissed Friday as self-interested and impulsive.

“Well it’s interesting, (Windhager) has been playing halfback, I think he’s had two tagging jobs all year,” Lyon said. “Bailey was running rampant with no one on him, then Windy put him to sleep, so there’s probably … the horse trying the hardest in the race is self-interest, right? Bailey often talks without thinking, doesn’t he? At least he’s not sending emojis out on texts this time.”

South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett has delivered a firm rebuke to calls for injury-linked performance clauses in star centre Latrell Mitchell’s next contract, while maintaining cautious optimism that the representative rugby league superstar will take the field again before the end of the current National Rugby League (NRL) season.

Mitchell, 29, has not appeared in a match since the Rabbitohs’ Round 11 defeat to the Dolphins. What started as a lower-back injury has since been compounded by a persistent calf issue that forced the superstar to cut a recent training session short. Last week, Mitchell consulted a specialist neurologist to pinpoint the root cause of his ongoing injury troubles, and his availability remains assessed on a weekly basis as South Sydney fights to secure a place in the NRL finals.

Addressing media, Bennett pushed back against speculation that Mitchell’s season is already over. “We don’t know that (if he’s played his last game this season). It’s a week-by-week proposition,” the coach said. “He’s back running now which is good, so we’ll see how that goes. Of course I do (hope that we get him back this year) and he does too because he wants to play. It’s not like he’s trying to avoid playing. It’s something we have no control over. We have good people around him with experts in their field, so we’ve just got to wait and see now.”

While Bennett joked that Mitchell could avoid injury by switching to the low-impact racket sport pickleball, he turned serious when discussing public calls to structure the centre’s next contract around match availability. Mitchell has one year remaining on his current deal, with industry speculation projecting his next contract could carry a salary cap value of roughly $1.4 million per season.

Widely regarded as the most destructive active player in the NRL when fully fit, Mitchell has only featured in 31 first-grade games since the start of the 2024 season. This high rate of injury-related absence has led some pundits and fans to argue the Rabbitohs should add incentive-based clauses to his next deal, that would tie his salary directly to the number of games he plays. A similar structure was previously floated for Manly Sea Eagles star Tom Trbojevic, who has dealt with repeated hamstring injuries throughout his career.

Bennett rejected the proposal outright, calling it a bad idea that undermines the fundamental nature of player contracts. “It’s a terrible idea and I’m not interested in it,” Bennett said. “It’s just a bit of misfortune that creates the problem. It’s not because him or Tom or others don’t do all the work and all the training. You’ve either got a contract or you haven’t. We’re not going to make one up based on how many games you played. That’s not going to happen, not at the good clubs anyway.”

In other team news ahead of the Rabbitohs’ Friday night clash against the Melbourne Storm, forward John Radel has been named in the starting line-up after star forward David Fifita received a two-match suspension from the NRL judiciary. With starting lock Cameron Murray and young forward Tallis Duncan both sidelined by injury, Thomas Fletcher has been elevated to the game day bench.