Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 2.

Gianluigi Buffon retired.

Rob McElhenney continued to help Paul Mullin’s recovery.

Ian Wright and Usain Bolt enjoyed the success of the Reggae Girlz.

The shy and retiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Kammy had work to do.

South Africa reached the last 16 at Italy’s expense.

England were still celebrating.

Emma Raducanu was back out there.

Kevin Pietersen found a zebra crossing.

Luke Donald welcomed Jose Maria Olazabal to his Ryder Cup team.

Jason Robinson completed an early-morning gym session.

Big news in the boxing world.

Judd Trump took in the sights in China.

Andrew Balding’s The Goat routed the opposition in the curtain-raising Coral Handicap to spark a double on day two of Goodwood for the Kingsclere handler.

Despite being placed in three of his four previous races, the Cracksman colt was a 25-1 chance stepping up to a mile and a half in the hands of Jason Watson and clearly relished the testing conditions.

Amleto, the 5-2 favourite, did his best to bridge the gap inside the final furlong but The Goat was away and gone and passed the post with 12 lengths in hand.

Balding said: “The Goat stands for the ‘greatest of all time’ – the greatest in this race, anyway!

“He loved the ground and he’s a horse who’s just had a tough spring and took a couple of runs to hit his form at home.

“He was very good – I thought he might be in a bit of trouble, but I’m very happy with the way he pulled clear. He’ll love the autumn ground and there might be something for him.”

Balding completed his brace when Flora Of Bermuda (5-1) made a mockery of her poor draw to land the British EBF 40th Anniversary Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes under Oisin Murphy in similarly emphatic style.

Having tracked across towards the stands rail early, the Andrew Balding-trained daughter of Dark Angel powered home in the five-furlong contest and had the race won at the furlong pole.

Having been unlucky when runner-up in the Hilary Needler at Beverley and again when first of the far-side group when drawn on the wrong side in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, she gained just compensation, surging clear of Juniper Berries to score by four lengths, with a further three lengths back to Indispensable.

Balding said: “We think a lot of this filly, and it was a bit of a bump on the ground, but we felt we’d learn something if it didn’t work, but she took to it and she’s pretty tough.

“In a way, the draw was a plus because we didn’t get involved in any barging to hold our position. She has a lot of talent, enjoyed the ground and would have no problems getting six (furlongs). He couldn’t pull her up, by the looks of it.

“As long as she stays in one piece, black type won’t be a problem for her. She’s in the Lowther and that was always the plan.”

Proven mudlark There’s The Door (6-1), dropping back in trip, outstayed her rivals in the 10-furlong British European Breeders Fund EBF Fillies’ Handicap.

In a race where David Egan was unshipped by Decoration coming out of the stalls, the David Evans-trained three-year-old tracked Chips And Rice and took it up from the dogged La Isla Mujeres inside the final furlong, having enough to hold the staying-on Persist by half a length.

Winning rider Richard Kingscote said: “She loves this ground so we were delighted when the rain came for her.

“I felt last time at Ascot just stretched her a little bit, but a mile and a quarter on heavy ground is spot on for her.

“She has a good attitude and we had a lovely smooth run.”

Murphy completed his own double when Rhoscolyn (2-1 favourite) defeated Wobwobwob by a lengths as the pair drew clear of the remainder in the concluding seven-furlong World Pool Handicap.

The David O’Meara-trained five-year-old had been steadily dropping down the weights and the heavy ground played to his strengths, with Murphy’s mount grinding down the gutsy Wobwobwob to gain a fifth career victory.

In driving rain on the South Downs, the casual television viewer could have been forgiven for thinking the footage had been taken from a November National Hunt meeting and not the linen suit and Panama convention that is usually the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Though the weather denied racegoers the summer garden party they may have hoped for, the quality of the racing and the promise of seeing a true superstar in action was compensation enough for the sodden shoes and obliterated umbrellas.

The horse in question was Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington, a three-year-old son of Siyouni whose swiftly accelerating run of form brought him to the Qatar Sussex Stakes less than a month after his superb Coral-Eclipse victory.

Only four horses opted to take him on and even the relentless rain and deteriorating ground could not dissuade punters from sending him off as the 4-9 favourite under Ryan Moore.

Those that did back him experienced just the briefest moment of worry when an outsider, Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval, loomed up in the final furlong, splashing happily through the rain-soaked terrain.

Paddington was not for passing, however, and his class snatched him away from any danger as he pulled clear to cross the line a comfortable length and a half ahead of his French rival.

The heaviest rain of the day fell when he returned to the paddock, but the weather did not prevent a warm reception as the horse strode back in looking as damp and imposing as a winning hurdler on a wet day at Cheltenham.

In his coat colour he bears little resemblance to Giant’s Causeway. But his Goodwood victory saw Paddington match his extraordinary treble of the St James’s Palace, Coral-Eclipse and Sussex Stakes.

His next step he is likely to mirror the ‘Iron Horse’, too, as the Juddmonte International at York beckons, a race Giant’s Causeway won by a head in 2000.

O’Brien – who was all smiles when posing for pictures with the ‘real’ Paddington Bear after the race – said: “We love these big days and I’m delighted that the lads are happy to run on them. York is a massive festival as well. We’ll definitely look at it and consider it very seriously.

“We’ll have to see how he comes out (of the race). But he’s very special, we think. We weren’t expecting the ground to be as tough as it was today, but knowing the horse he could take it with a smile on his face.”

Australia for the Cox Plate has also been mentioned, alongside the Breeders’ Cup, the latter meeting being the scene of an unforgettably agonising defeat for Giant’s Causeway in the final run of his career, going down by a neck to Tiznow in the Classic at Churchill Downs.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is even a tantalising possibility, which would mean stepping up to a mile and a half for a race that can be run in gruelling autumn conditions, as it was last year when Alpinista prevailed on very deep ground.

“The Breeders’ Cup is an option and Tom (Magnier, of Coolmore) mentioned something about Australia,” said O’Brien.

“We made an Arc entry because there doesn’t seem to be any end to his stamina. He could go anywhere or do anything. He’s had a busy season. You run in any one top-level race and you know it, but he’s doing them one after another.

“I thought he wanted good ground or better because he’s quick, but he has handled the soft ground and he’s won on heavy before – but when a horse can quicken like that you’d think he’d want good ground.”

Moore, who is not often overly effusive in his praise, hinted that Paddington could be one of the most talented horses he has partnered in a career that has seen him ride many champions.

“It’s a hard thing to say, but he gives you the feel that he might be as good a horse as I’ve ridden,” he said.

“He’s exceptional. And he’s handled everything that we’ve put in front of him, whether it’s a mile, 10 (furlongs), good ground, soft.

“He’s a straightforward horse who thrives on his racing. Someone asked me yesterday if he’d go on this ground and I said he’d go on snow.”

Shane Lowry feels he might be “owed” a little good luck in the FedEx Cup play-offs as he battles to qualify for the post-season for a fifth straight year.

The former Open champion is ranked 76th in the standings and needs to climb inside the top 70 at the Wyndham Championship after the field for next week’s first play-off event was reduced from 125.

The top 50 after the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis will then advance to the BMW Championship, with only the top 30 making it to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve been in situations like this quite a bit over the last number of years,” Lowry said in a pre-tournament press conference at Sedgefield Country Club.

“I missed out on the Tour Championship by one spot last year, by two shots in 2019. I remember playing here one year, I’d been told I needed a top 10 to get to the play-offs, I finished seventh and I missed out by one point.

“So I feel like the play-offs nearly owes me one at this stage, so that’s what I’m trying to tell myself this year.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some pretty good golf most of the year. I’m coming off the back of a pretty bad week at The Open, which I was very disappointed with, but I had a nice holiday with my family last week to kind of regroup and hopefully get going again this week.”

Lowry has recorded just one top 10 on the PGA Tour this season and, although three of his eight top 20s came in the majors, the top-heavy points structure has not done him any favours.

“I think there’s been a lot of good, not much great (golf), which on the PGA Tour doesn’t cut it,” the world number 30 said.

“I think I’ve had a lot of top-20 finishes, but you need those great weeks, you need those top fives to move up the FedEx Cup points list.

“It’s been an interesting year for me. The way the schedule is with the designated events I feel like I’ve played some places that I wouldn’t normally play and I’ve had to miss tournaments that I normally like to play.

“But I’m here now and I want to play well and I want to get into next week and I want to make a run in the play-offs.

“Memphis is a course that I like playing and I’ve played all right in the past, so if I can get there, I know I can make a run there. I certainly don’t want to be sitting at home on my couch watching the play-offs.

“It’s a lot of motivation for me this week to play good golf and hopefully get my rewards at the end of it. I still feel like I can make the Tour Championship.”

Dundee manager Tony Docherty believes he has recruited “one of the best goalkeepers in the league” after signing Trevor Carson on a three-year contract.

The Dens Park club have paid an undisclosed fee to land the 35-year-old Northern Ireland international from cinch Premiership rivals St Mirren, where he made 40 appearances last term.

Carson has previously played for a string of clubs, including Bury, Portsmouth, Cheltenham, Hartlepool, Motherwell, Dundee United and Morecambe.

“I am absolutely delighted to secure the signing of Trevor Carson who I regard as one of the best goalkeepers in the league,” Docherty told the Dundee website.

“Last season when playing against him he had some outstanding performances and saves.

“He has got so much experience, he knows the league and I think he will bring a lot to the club. We have acquired a fantastic goalkeeper and professional.

“He will help me and the coaches get our message across to the squad and he will help the young players both on and off the pitch.

“First and foremost Trevor is a top performer, a really good goalkeeper with Premier League experience, but also in terms of personality, work ethic, mentality, he is everything we want to be at this football club.”

Carson signed a contract extension with St Mirren in March until the summer of 2025, but – while confirming his departure to Dundee – the Paisley club revealed that “over the summer, Trevor made clear his desire to move on from St Mirren”.

Carson is looking forward to working under Docherty and playing alongside his former Buddies colleague, Joe Shaughnessy, who moved from St Mirren to Dundee earlier this summer.

“It’s brilliant to be here,” he said. “I am very grateful to the manager and everyone involved who has made this deal possible.

“It’s the old cliche but I can’t wait to get started. I had a great conversation with the manager and as soon as I came off the phone, I said I want to play for that man.

“He talked about the project and the plans he has got here. It helps that Joe is here too, who I played with last season. Joe spoke very highly of the place and these things count massively in football.”

Jerome Reynier will target Qipco British Champions Day with Facteur Cheval after finishing best of the rest behind Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

The French raider had been kept fresh since finishing a close-up third behind the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan at the end of May.

Given a patient ride by Maxime Guyon, the 11-1 chance moved into contention with a couple of furlongs to run and briefly looked like giving red-hot favourite Paddington a real run for his money.

In the end Aidan O’Brien’s superstar colt found more to extend his unbeaten record this season to six, but Reynier was understandably thrilled with his four-year-old’s performance in defeat.

He said: “It’s like a victory today. We really thought he was going to beat Paddington, but he had the stands rail and we were in the middle of the track and he was stuck in the middle of traffic.

“He ran a great race, he was third in a Group One the other day and second today in a very nice Group One and I hope the next time we will be able to win at that level.

“With five runners it was best to wait at the back for a late challenge. We were the fourth favourite out of five runners, so we thought if he can just beat one or two home, we would be happy, but we never thought he was going to be able to run that way.

“He keeps improving mentally and physically, so probably the best is yet to come.”

Reynier has gone close on Champions Day before, with Skalleti filling the runner-up spot behind Addeybb in the Champion Stakes three years ago.

Facteur Cheval is also be Ascot bound, with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes a logical target.

“Fingers crossed he will be coming back in good shape and we can aim for the Queen Elizabeth at the end of the year with him,” the trainer added.

Roger Varian was pleased with the performance of third home Charyn, who was placed again behind Paddington having run well behind him in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.

“He ran well and he prefers better ground. He travelled into it well,” said the Newmarket handler.

“He ran very well at Royal Ascot to be third in the St James’s Palace, nearly second, and he ran very well in the Irish Guineas (finished fourth), so he’s knocking on the door at this top level.

“He doesn’t like this ground really, he wants better ground.”

The disappointment of the race was John and Thady Gosden’s three-time Group One winner Inspiral.

Frankie Dettori made an early move in the straight in an effort to beat Paddington to the stands rail, but his mount soon came under pressure and weakened to finish last of five.

Dettori said: “We tried, but it was very obvious that she doesn’t cope with this kind of ground.

“If the ground dries up and she comes out of this race, we can back her up in the race she won in France last year (Prix Jacques le Marois).

“It was obvious what was going to happen – Paddington got a lead and everything his own way, so I grabbed the fence as I had to make a race of it.”

Katie Taylor has an immediate chance to avenge the first defeat of her professional career as she takes on Chantelle Cameron again on November 25 in Dublin.

Cameron retained her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles in May with an against-all-odds majority decision win in Taylor’s Irish homecoming at the 3Arena, which will also stage the rematch.

While Cameron expressed a wish to move down to 135lbs and challenge Taylor’s status as undisputed world lightweight champion, the return bout will once more be at 140lbs for the Northampton fighter’s belts.

Taylor’s loss shattered her perfect record in the paid ranks after 22 consecutive wins and the unbeaten Cameron, who moved to 18-0 by beating her rival, is ready to show it was no one-off.

Cameron said: “To go over to Ireland for her homecoming with my belts on the line and beat her was a brilliant experience, but beating her on November 25 will surpass that as I know what to expect now.

“I’ve boxed at that high level with a huge amount of pressure on me and the crowd against me. I’m going in there with more aggression and energy. I’m confident of getting the job done in better fashion.

“In the gym we’re correcting mistakes that I’ve made. Going back to Ireland to beat Katie Taylor twice in a row will show that it wasn’t just a lucky night for me and an off night for Katie.

“I think I’m all wrong for Katie. I’m too big, I’m too strong and my will to win is too strong. I’m going to be there all night long. Katie picked the wrong fighter to fight.”

Taylor had been undefeated since Rio 2016, when she was still in the amateurs but, despite turning 37 last month, retirement is a long way from the Bray fighter’s mind.

“I’m delighted the rematch has been made and really can’t wait for another huge night in November,” Taylor said. “I relish challenges like this and these are the occasions I live for.”

Manchester City are closing in on a 90million euro (£77.5million) deal for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.

Leipzig were said to be holding out for a fee of 100m euros (£86m) for the Croatia international.

However, it appears City have been able to push the transfer through and Gvardiol is expected have a medical later this week.

Gvardiol would add competition on the left side of City’s defence, having helped Croatia reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and then the final of the Nations League, where they were beaten by Spain.

Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is so far City’s only summer signing, with the Croatian having moved from Chelsea during June.

City saw captain Ilkay Gundogan leave for Barcelona on a free transfer and Riyad Mahrez last week completed a switch to Saudi Arabia club Al-Ahli in a £30m deal.

The Premier League champions will take on Arsenal in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

Gregor Townsend is confident Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie will recover from injury in time for next weekend’s World Cup warm-up match away to France after sitting out this Saturday’s Test against Les Bleus at Murrayfield.

The Edinburgh flanker has sustained a minor calf strain and will play no part in this weekend’s match in Edinburgh, with stand-off Finn Russell handed the skipper’s armband in his absence.

However, Townsend is optimistic that Ritchie will be back in contention for the rematch against the French in Saint-Etienne the following Saturday.

“I would hope he will be back next week,” said the head coach. “He’s confident he will be back in full training next week.

“It was a calf strain that has required more time off. He got a scan on Tuesday just to make sure there was no more damage done, and it was felt that this week there was no need to push the injury.

“He’s confident he will be running by the weekend and back to full training next week.”

Talismanic stand-off Russell – who will join Bath from Racing 92 after the World Cup – will lead the national team for the first time, less than 10 months after being omitted from the initial squad for the autumn series.

Asked what has changed in the intervening period for the 30-year-old to go from outsider to leader, Townsend said: “Finn has played really well since he got back into the squad.

“He has always been a leader for us in terms of attack. He is older, has more experience and an opportunity has opened up where he’s the right man to lead us this week.

“It’s the right time to give him that opportunity, and it will be interesting to see how he goes. Being vice captain and our most important attack leader gives him a real confidence and I’m hoping that being captain gives him confidence too.

“The players that do most of the talking on the field are your 10, your captain and maybe one other player. Finn has certainly done that for us over the last couple of years.”

Townsend believes Russell is in his prime.

“He’s in really good physical shape and was when he came back in last November and during the Six Nations too,” he said.

“He’s hitting that sweet spot where, after playing the game for 10 years in that one position and playing against some of the best teams around, he has an understanding of where space might open up.

“If you’ve got that physical side right too, you can exploit those opportunities. That’s what he is doing. He’s really motivated about playing for Scotland and playing club rugby for the next few years.

“If you can get that mix for the next two or three years, and it’s important to note he is improving all the time, you’ve got one of the best players in the world in that position with us, which is great.”

Townsend has made 13 changes to his starting XV for this weekend’s clash with the French, restoring the majority of his big-hitters after fielding a largely experimental side for last Saturday’s win over Italy.

Ritchie and hooker George Turner are the only notable absentees from the starting line-up, with Ewan Ashman – capped seven times – the least established international in the line-up.

Townsend is hoping Scotland can show over the next two games that they have built on a strong performance in their 32-21 Six Nations defeat by France in Paris in February when they roared back from 19-0 down and threatened to pull off a famous victory.

“We want to show we are a better team than that day,” said Townsend. “I feel that what the players are showing in training is at a lot higher level than what we produced in the Six Nations. That gives us a lot of encouragement and excitement.

“We did play well and the character in the team was outstanding, but we didn’t finish off nearly enough opportunities to win the game. Three times we were over the try-line and didn’t score, and there were another four times where great creative play didn’t get rewarded.

“It’s great that France have committed to home and away fixtures like they did last time. It suits us that we were able to mix up our team last week and we now have two very tough Test matches home and away.”

Paddington made it a brilliant six from six for the season with a dominant front-running victory in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

The Siyouni colt has not looked back since making a successful start to his campaign in a handicap at Leopardstown, winning a Listed race at the Curragh, the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes before successfully stepping up to 10 furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse.

Dropping back to a mile, Aidan O’Brien’s teak-tough three-year-old was the 4-9 favourite to make light of testing conditions and controlled matters from flag-fall in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Three-time Group One-winning filly Inspiral was the first of his challengers to throw down a challenge, but her effort was short lived and in the end it was French raider Facteur Cheval who emerged as the biggest threat.

But try as he might, he could never quite get on terms with Paddington, who had matters well in control as he passed the post with a length and a half in hand.

The winner was emulating former Ballydoyle great Giant’s Causeway by completing the St James’s Palace, Coral-Eclipse, Sussex Stakes treble.

The ‘Iron Horse’, as he was affectionately known, went on to add the Juddmonte International at York to his CV 23 years ago.

Emma Raducanu has stepped up her recovery from wrist and ankle surgery by returning to the practice court for the first time.

The 20-year-old was forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon after undergoing operations on both wrists and one ankle at the beginning of May.

She has been rehabilating over the last few weeks but made a big step by hitting for the first time at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on Wednesday.

A post shared by Emma. (@emmaraducanu)

Raducanu documented her session, which saw her gently hitting with a practice partner, on Instagram with the caption: “August 2nd, THE FUN PART. 1st time back on court.”

The US Open winner, who has been dogged by injuries since her amazing 2021 triumph in New York, will not be fit for the forthcoming tournament at Flushing Meadows, with a return in the Asia or European indoor swing in the autumn more likely.

Big Evs proved his surprise Royal Ascot success was no fluke with victory in the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood.

Narrowly beaten on his debut at Redcar in May, Mick Appleby’s juvenile was sent off at 20-1 for the Windsor Castle Stakes but ran out a clear-cut winner.

He was the 9-4 joint-favourite to follow up at Group Three level and a smart start meant he was soon leading the field in the hands of Jason Hart.

Purosangue came at him hard as the post loomed, but Big Evs kept responding to pressure and clung on by a neck.

Kylian, the other 9-4 favourite, appeared outpaced early on, but made late progress to place third and may well have finished closer with a clearer run.

Betfair cut Big Evs to 5-1 from 8-1 for the Gimcrack at York on August 25, although connections also raised the possibility of paying the £40,000 required to supplement him for the Nunthorpe on the same day.

He is an 8-1 shot with Paddy Paddy Power to become the first two-year-old to win the all-aged Group One since Kingsgate Native in 2007.