A mostly disappointing day for the Caribbean ended in more disappointment at the Paris Olympic Games as Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands had tough outings in the men’s 400m finals at Stade de France on Friday.
McMaster, who has endured a topsy-turvy season, placed fifth in a season’s best 47.79s, while Clarke, who was up with the front runners at one point, lost his form, clipped obstacles in the closing stages, and failed to finish.
Still, there was some Caribbean connection on the podium, as American gold medal winner Rai Benjamin is the son of former West Indies stalwart Winston Benjamin. The younger Benjamin, who represented Antigua and Barbuda at the youth level, won in a season’s best 46.46s.
He upstaged Norwegian World Record holder Karsten Warholm (47.06s), while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (47.26s) closed fast to claim bronze.
Newcastle produced a rampant first half display in their penultimate pre-season outing as they thrashed La Liga side Girona 4-0 on Friday.
The Magpies blitzed their opponents in the opening 45 minutes, with Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon giving the hosts a 3-0 lead after just 15 minutes.
Longstaff notched his brace before the interval to secure the Magpies' first win in their two pre-season fixtures taking place at St. James' Park this weekend.
In a frantic start to proceedings, Longstaff opened the scoring in the third minute, with Murphy adding Newcastle's second with a fierce strike off the crossbar.
A mistake by David Lopez allowed Alexander Isak to pick out Gordon two minutes later, composing himself before sending a left-footed strike into the far corner.
Isak had the chance to increase the hosts' advantage in the 21st minute after being brought down in the box, but saw his penalty saved by Paulo Gazzaniga.
The first half rout was complete after Joelinton saw his headed effort hit the crossbar, only for the rebound to be volleyed home by Longstaff.
Murphy and Isak squandered opportunities to increase their advantage in the second half, but the damage was done in the first 45 against the La Liga side.
Newcastle conclude their pre-season preparations against French side Brest on Saturday ahead of their Premier League opener against Southampton next weekend.
Data Debrief: Magpies on fire, but should have been more
Newcastle would have been expecting a tougher test from a side who will play Champions League football next season, and should have won by a more handsome scoreline.
The Magpies recorded an expected goals (xG) of 3.24, an underperformance of 0.76, with 11 of their 20 shots on target, while also missing four big chances.
Jamaica's young and promising triple jumper, Jaydon Hibbert, came agonizingly close to securing a medal at the Paris Olympic Games, finishing just shy of the podium in fourth place at the Stade de France on Friday.
With his impressive run of form coming into the global multi-sport showpiece, Hibbert was one of the favourites to earn a medal, but the 19-year-old, who looked a shadow of his usual bubbly self, fell short of the top three with a best leap of 17.61m.
The event was topped by Spain’s Jordan Alejandro Diaz (17.86m) ahead of Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo (17.84m) and Andy Diaz (17.64m). Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez (17.34m) was eighth.
No doubt Hibbert’s performance left him with a mix of pride and disappointment, as he entered his Olympic Games debut with high expectations after he consistently delivered strong performances throughout the season.
However, the fiercely competitive field in Paris proved to be a challenging environment, and Hibbert was unable to improve on his second attempt. His sequence also includes 17.31m and 17.53m, with his last three attempts having two failures, while he passed on the final attempt, which could be a signal that the jovial athlete might not have been in the best of health.
"It was a good championship, so firstly, I want to thank God for what He has done. To think that I almost boycotted the Olympics and now I am here today (Friday) standing on a fourth-place finish. I don't think many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics so I am grateful," Hibbert said shortly after competition.
"I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped the competition. Me and coach talked about it, and he was trying to influence me to go back, but I told him that coach, 'I have more years to come' so for now I am grateful for the fourth place, and so it is just the road to recovery from here," he added.
Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino set a new Olympic record to take gold in the women's 400m at the Paris Games on Friday.
Paulino, who won silver in Tokyo three years ago, crossed the finish line in 48.17 seconds, eclipsing Marie-Jose Perec's previous record of 48.25 that had stood since 1996.
It was the latest confirmation of the Dominican's recent dominance in the event following her victory at last year's World Championships in Budapest.
Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain finished in second, while Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek claimed bronze.
Great Britain's Amber Anning finished in fifth, breaking Christine Ohuruogu's British record, which has stood for 11 years, with a time of 49.29 seconds.
"I’m absolutely blessed. I am a little bit disappointed. I wanted to come away with three things," Anning said.
"It was either a medal, a PB or a national record and I got one of them. I'm just grateful to be in this position with these amazing girls.
"It was tough [the race], I think I let myself have too much work coming into home straight but I just used my strength.
"It’s been an amazing experience. "It’s still not done yet. I've got the relay tomorrow."
Steven Gardiner, 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion has responded sharply to comments made by fellow Bahamian and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Pauline Davis, following his withdrawal from the men's 400m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Gardiner, who was a favorite for the event, had to pull out due to an ankle injury, leaving his lane vacant in the preliminary round—a development that left fans and fellow athletes stunned.
Gardiner, who has been plagued by injuries over the past few years—including missing the 2022 World Championships and suffering another injury in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest—cited another injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the Paris Olympics.
However, Davis publicly criticized athletes, including Gardiner, for what she perceived as a lack of transparency regarding their physical conditions leading up to the Games. Her remarks did not sit well with Gardiner, who took to social media to express his frustration.
"To Pauline Davis, please don't ever speak on me ever because you've never been an influential person to many of us athletes," Gardiner began in his post, clearly stung by the criticism.
He went on to suggest that Davis's comments were not only unwarranted but also harmful. "You would love to see us suffer, and it shows," he added, directly addressing her public rebuke.
Gardiner continued, emphasizing that Davis was not present during his warm-up and therefore had no basis for her criticism. "You weren't in attendance during my warm-up, but you were the first to broadcast your loud and wrong remarks to spread lies and propaganda, which is pure evilness," he wrote.
Despite his anger, Gardiner concluded his message with a more conciliatory tone, saying, "But you'll be just alright. I'll pray for you just like others."
Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her first Olympic heptathlon medal but narrowly missed out on taking gold to Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam.
Johnson-Thompson, who is a two-time world champion, produced a career-best performance in the 800m, clocking a time of 2:04.90 seconds.
After going into the final event 121 points behind Thiam, the Brit needed to finish nearly nine seconds quicker than her opponent to reach the top step of the podium.
However, the Belgian finished with a time of 2:10.62 seconds, claiming gold by 36 points and becoming the first woman to win three heptathlon titles.
Thiam finished on 6,880 points, with her compatriot Noor Vidts moving above Switzerland's Annik Kaelin in the final event to take bronze.
Team GB's Jade O'Dowda finished 10th overall, while Ireland's Kate O'Connor was 14th.
Sergio Camello came off the bench to score twice in extra time as Spain added Olympic gold to their glittering trophy cabinet with a thrilling 5-3 victory over France.
Three goals in 10 first-half minutes – two from Fermin Lopez and the other from Alex Baena – appeared to take the final away from Thierry Henry's hosts, who had led early on through Enzo Millot.
However, Maghnes Akliouche teed up a grandstand finish at the Parc des Princes, then Benat Turrientes' foul allowed Jean-Phillipe Mateta to force extra time with a 93rd-minute penalty.
Both teams threw caution to the wind in the additional period, but Camello was the hero, producing a wonderful lob and a breakaway second to secure gold for Spain.
The hosts took the lead with the very first attempt of the game as Millot pounced on a loose clearance to fire goalwards from the right side of the area. Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball, palming it into the bottom-left corner.
However, Spain soon hit back through Barcelona youngster Lopez, who swept his finish into the bottom-left corner after being found in the middle of the area by Baena.
Buoyed by that strike, Spain built a two-goal lead within 10 further minutes. Lopez pounced for his second when Guillaume Restes could only parry Abel Ruiz's shot to put them 2-1 up, then Baena added the pick of the goals.
Lining up a free-kick just to the left of the D, the Villarreal man gave Restes no chance by whipping a sensational effort over the wall and into the top-left corner.
Manu Kone missed a great chance to cut Spain's lead when he nodded against the crossbar after the break, but Les Bleus' hopes were rekindled with 11 minutes to play as Michael Olise's free-kick was steered into the far corner by Akliouche.
There was more drama in stoppage time, with Turrientes clumsily dragging Arnaud Kalimuendo down from a corner. Mateta kept his nerve from the spot to level, though Turrientes almost redeemed himself with a dream winner when his shot clipped the crossbar at the other end.
France continued to press in extra time, but they were caught out in the 100th minute as Camello latched onto Adrian Bernabe's pass before sitting Restes down with a delicate chipped finish.
Camello was not done there, latching onto a long throw from Tenas as France threw players forward in stoppage time, before making sure of the gold by finishing past Restes.
Data Debrief: Roja end 32-year Olympic wait
Since an iconic Spain team featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique won gold on home soil at Barcelona 1992, La Roja have been reduced to the role of nearly men at the Games.
They were losing finalists at Syndey 2000 (versus Cameroon) and Tokyo 2020 (against Brazil), but they got over the line this time around, even if they had to go the distance.
With the senior squad winning a record-breaking fourth European crown last month and the under-23s claiming gold in Paris, it looks like this era of Spanish success could go on for some time yet.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic solidified her status as one of the all-time greats in the 400m, capturing Olympic gold in a stunning and historic race at the Paris 2024 Games on Friday. In what is now the fastest 400m race in Olympic history, Paulino stormed to victory, shattering the Olympic record with an extraordinary time of 48.17 seconds.
Paulino, known for her powerful and controlled running style, took command of the race from the start. She maintained her composure through the first 300m and then unleashed a devastating kick down the home stretch, pulling away from a world-class field to claim her first Olympic title. Her time of 48.17 seconds broke the long-standing Olympic record of 48.25 seconds, set by Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Trailing Paulino was Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked a season-best 48.53 seconds to take the silver medal. Naser, who has been gradually returning to her best form after a few challenging seasons, showed glimpses of the brilliance that saw her run the third-fastest time in history, 48.14 seconds, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The bronze medal went to Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland, who crossed the line in 48.98 seconds, marking her as the third woman in the race to break the 49-second barrier—a testament to the extraordinary quality of the competition.
The race was exceptional from start to finish, with all eight finalists clocking sub-50-second times. Ireland’s rising star, Rhasidat Adeleke, finished fourth in 49.28 seconds, just a fraction ahead of Great Britain's Amber Anning, who set a new personal best of 49.29 seconds. Alexis Holmes of the USA also set a lifetime best, finishing sixth in 49.77 seconds, while Sada Williams of Barbados was seventh in 49.83 seconds. Norway's Henriette Jaeger rounded out the field, finishing eighth in 49.96 seconds.
Paulino’s victory adds another prestigious trophy to her growing collection, which already includes two World Championship silver medals. Her performance in Paris not only cements her legacy but also raises the bar for future generations of 400m runners.
Emma Hayes is eyeing gold in her first tournament in charge of the USWNT, labelling their journey to the Olympics final as "the stuff dreams are made of".
The United States face Brazil in Saturday's showpiece match at the Parc des Princes in a repeat of the 2004 and 2008 finals, fixtures the US won on both occasions.
Hayes, who was appointed as Vlatko Andonovski's successor in May, has won eight of her nine games in charge (D1), scoring 19 goals and conceding just twice.
The former Chelsea head coach won her seventh WSL title in her final season with the Blues, saying her rapid transition to the international stage has been a "whirlwind".
"Going from my beloved Chelsea to the US women’s national team - what a whirlwind and what a dream all at once," Hayes said.
"To finish my time with Chelsea with another Women's Super League title and then be here competing for gold, honestly this is the stuff dreams are made of.
"I have visualised this moment so many times in my life."
Brazil are seeking their first gold in women's football at the Games, and are boosted by the return of Marta, who will play her final international match on Saturday.
The 38-year-old was shown a red card in Brazil's final group game against Spain for a high foot, resulting in her missing the quarter and semi-finals.
Marta has scored 121 goals in 203 appearances for her nation, becoming the first player to score in five straight Olympics with her brace against Japan.
“When I was a young coach assisting Vic Akers at Arsenal, we played a Women’s Cup two-legged final against Umea, the Swedish champions, and they had a young Marta,” Hayes recalled.
“I remember being on the touchline thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, who is this extraordinary player?’ To witness what she’s done on the pitch, I think she’s been more than a role model and icon, she’s been the best player.
“What she’s done for Brazil or the generation coming through, she’s been an inspiration.”
Team USA have the chance to win a first gold medal since London 2012 after winning bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
Despite winning 16 major titles during her time at Chelsea, Hayes is hungry to add to her trophy cabinet while continuing her unbeaten start in the US dugout.
"I like winning, it's part of my DNA," Hayes said. "I'm with a team that likes winning so of course our goal is to win the gold medal."
Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce, who entered the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as one of the favourites for gold in the women’s 400m, has announced the end of her season following a heartbreaking finish in the semi-finals. The 2024 NCAA champion and national record holder, who had lowered Jamaica's 400m record to an astonishing 48.57 seconds last month, was widely expected to contend for the top spot in Paris. However, according to impeccable sources close to the athlete, Pryce was struck by a stomach virus just before the semi-finals, which derailed her Olympic dreams.
Despite her best efforts, Pryce could only manage a fourth-place finish in her semi-final heat, clocking a disappointing 50.77 seconds—well off her personal best. Reflecting on her season and the abrupt end to her Olympic journey, Pryce shared on Instagram, “The end of my season may not have been what I had hoped for, but I trust that God knows best.”
The virus had a lasting impact, leaving her unable to recover in time to compete in Friday's 4x400m relay, prompting her to make the difficult decision to end her season early. “Despite the disappointment of not achieving the desired outcome, I believe that there is a reason for everything and that God has a plan for me,” Pryce wrote, expressing her faith and resilience.
While missing out on the Olympic final was a significant setback, Pryce's 2024 season remains one for the history books. She claimed the NCAA title with a record-breaking 48.89 seconds and anchored her Razorback 4x400m relay team to a remarkable 3:21.93, setting another record. Throughout the season, Pryce consistently pushed the limits, running lifetime bests on four occasions, with her crowning achievement coming at the London Diamond League on July 20, where she set the national record of 48.57 seconds, her fifth lifetime best.
Looking ahead, Pryce remains optimistic about the future. “I’ll use this as a stepping stone towards something greater and that there are valuable lessons to be learned from this experience. Even though it may be difficult to accept at the moment, I am grateful for the opportunity to grow,” she reflected, signaling her determination to return stronger next season.
As she wraps up an extraordinary year, Pryce expressed her gratitude to those who have supported her. “With that being said, I’m utmost grateful for everything I’ve achieved this season. Next year will be even better by God’s will. Thank you to all my supporters who ride with me along my journey."
For the first time since the 2008 in Beijing, Jamaica has failed to medal in the Women’s 4x100m at an Olympic Games.
Jamaica’s quartet of Alana Reid, Kemba Nelson, Shashalee Forbes and Tia Clayton produced a season’s best 42.29 fifth in the final at the Paris Olympics at the Stade de France on Friday.
The American quartet of Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry, Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson combined to run 41.78 for gold ahead of Great Britain (Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt) who ran 41.85.
Germany ran 41.97 in third while France were fourth in 42.23.
Wolves head coach Gary O'Neil has signed a new four-year contract with the club following an impressive first season at the helm.
O'Neil joined Wolves on the eve of the 2023-24 season after Julen Lopetegui resigned over the club's transfer policy, having been sacked by Bournemouth despite leading them to Premier League safety in 2022-23.
Following a slow start, O'Neil won plaudits for keeping Wolves away from a relegation battle, masterminding a memorable victory over Manchester City as well as league doubles over Chelsea and Tottenham.
Wolves were in contention for a European place in March, only for injuries to key attackers Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan to cost them as they faded to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League.
O'Neil's work with the Molineux club led to suggestions he could attract interest from elsewhere, with the 41-year-old being tentatively linked with Liverpool and England.
Wolves have now moved to tie their boss down until 2028, amid an impressive pre-season that has included dominant wins over West Ham and RB Leipzig in the United States.
O'Neil told the club's website: "I'm really pleased. Me and [sporting director] Matt [Hobbs] started discussing it towards the latter part of last season, but there were a lot of things going on. When the time arrived to discuss it, it was fairly straightforward from my point of view.
"I'm absolutely loving my time here, my staff love it, my family love it, so it's felt a really special place for us over the past year and I'm looking forward to continuing the journey."
Wolves won more points (46) and scored more goals (50) in the Premier League last season than they did in any of their previous three campaigns, last bettering those figures when they finished seventh under Nuno Espirito Santo in 2019-20 (59 points, 51 goals).
O'Neil's side have brought in Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima and Jorgen Stand Larsen ahead of the new campaign, with their Premier League opener taking them to Arsenal next Saturday.
They sold club captain Max Kilman to West Ham last month, while winger Neto is reportedly close to joining Chelsea in a deal worth a reported £55million.
Joel Embiid is out to silence a hostile French crowd when Team USA face the hosts in the men's basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but was granted US citizenship in 2022, declared for Team USA late last year after his home country failed to qualify.
That decision came after he also sought French citizenship, amid suggestions president Emmanuel Macron had called the Philadelphia 76ers star to convince him to represent the hosts.
Embiid has been jeered by French fans throughout the basketball tournament, with the USA winning all five of their games to date, reaching the final with Thursday's comeback victory over Serbia.
On the eve of Saturday's gold medal match, Embiid said: "Frankly, I don't understand why I've gotten a lot of criticism from the crowd.
"They're going to boo me. I'm going to go back at them and tell them to 'suck it.' It's going to be fun."
Reflecting on his decision to link up with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and company in representing the USA, Embiid said he would have played for Cameroon if they had qualified.
"Having lived half of my life in the US and the other half in my country, Cameroon, it just looked like it was, 'you could go two ways'," Embiid said.
"I said from the beginning that if Cameroon would've qualified, that would never have been a choice. Then having the family [in the US] and having built a lot of things and having accomplished a lot of things, knowing the group of guys deeply, it just made it easy.
"I think a lot of people wanted to make it an issue because of the storyline and all that stuff.
"But to me it's whatever it takes to win gold. So that's what I'm focused on. It's all about Team USA against France."
Callum McGregor has confirmed his retirement from international following Scotland's disappointing showing at Euro 2024.
McGregor, who started all three of Scotland's group games in Germany, made 63 appearances across a seven-year career, netting three goals.
The 31-year-old helped the Tartan Army qualify for Euro 2020 - their first major tournament since 1998 - scoring in a 3-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group fixture.
McGregor ends his international career with the 14th-most appearances for Scotland, with only John McGinn (69) and Andy Robertson (74) playing more from their Euro 2024 squad.
He captained Celtic to a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock last weekend as he chases down a 23rd major honour with the 54-time Scottish League champions.
“It has been a huge honour to achieve 63 caps for my country," McGregor said.
"Appearing just once would have been a dream come true so to achieve 63 and be inducted into the International Roll of Honour after getting 50 is something I could only have dreamed of as a young kid.
“Playing for Scotland always meant so much to me and reaching two major tournaments will always be a source of real pride.
"Scoring at Hampden at the EUROs in front of our fantastic supporters will always be a special highlight for me.
“I have worked with some excellent managers, team-mates and staff and I thank them all for their incredible efforts during the time we have had together.
“I would like to wish Steve, the current Scotland players and all the players who follow me nothing but success for the future."
Scotland are next in action in the Nations League where they will face Poland and Portugal, aiming to respond from their poor showing at the European Championships.
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