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• Clarke pleased with first Diamond League win; hoping for personal best at Diamond League final in Brussels

  Jamaican World under-20 400m record holder Roshawn Clarke is pleased after securing his first win on the Diamond League circuit in Zurich on Thursday.

  The former Camperdown High star produced a fast 47.49 to take the win ahead of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.58) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.02).

  Thursday was Clarke’s fourth Diamond League appearance. He made his debut on the circuit at last year’s edition of the Zurich Diamond League on August 31, 2023.

  “It means a lot because I came out here trying to get myself into the Diamond League final so I was trying to rack up as much points as possible and I came out with the win,” he said in a post-race interview with Citius Mag.

  “I’m very pleased with my first Diamond League win and it came in Zurich. What better place?”

  The 20-year-old was a finalist at the Olympic Games in Paris but unfortunately failed to finish after clipping the eighth then smashing into the ninth hurdle while in a battle with Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos for the bronze medal.

  Clarke spoke about using that disappointment as motivation to finish out the season on a strong note.

  “Strong-minded. I had disappointment in Paris and that has kept me pushing to make myself even better,” he said.

  “I want to come back stronger. I did not finish in the final at the Olympics so I use that as motivation to keep my season going,” he added.

  Speaking of finishing out the season strong, Clarke’s winning time on Thursday is the second fastest time of his young career, bettered only by his national record and world junior record 47.34 which he ran in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Budapest last year.

  Running a time that fast at this stage of the season on the back of that disappointment in Paris is a sign of Clarke’s mental fortitude that should see him being a medal threat in the event for a long time.

  Clarke’s mind will now shift to the Diamond League final in Brussels from September 13 to 14.

  “My goal is to go out there, run my race, run as best as possible and try to come out with a personal best in my last race for the season,” he said.

   

   

• Grenada's Anderson Peters feels he's returning to top form ahead of Diamond League final

  Grenadian javelin thrower and two-time world champion Anderson Peters believes he is regaining his best form just in time for the Diamond League finals in Brussels. Peters, who claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics in August, secured victory at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Zurich with a throw of 85.72m.

   Though not a season's best—his top mark this year being 90.61m—Peters is encouraged by his progress, especially after recovering from illness. "It still feels like I am coming back," Peters admitted. "After Lausanne, I was sick with the flu, so my body is still recovering. I have not been training, just relaxed and tried to recover. So it still feels like my body is on the way to top competition form."

   Despite the setback, Peters remains focused on finishing the season strong, with the Diamond League final in Brussels as his next target. "I was looking forward to competing here and seeing what my body can produce. I've got just one more competition for this year and I am done. Definitely, it is Brussels. It’s going to be my third time in the Diamond League final, and it will be my shot at the win."

   

  Looking ahead to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Peters is confident in his ability to peak at the right time. The World Championships will take place later in the season, but Peters is unfazed, having previously won his world title in Doha in October. "That is something we know how to do, and it is just a matter of doing it again," he remarked.

   Peters also reflected on the unpredictable nature of javelin throwing, a quality he relishes. "The beauty of the javelin throw is that it is an unexpected event. One day you throw 90m, and another day you throw 80. It’s a little bit unpredictable, but that’s why most javelin throwers like it. You never know when you’ll get a good throw or when the world record could be broken," Peters said, referencing Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record of 92m in Paris.

   "I like competing, and that keeps me going. That’s what I live for," Peters added. He also shared that he had already returned to Grenada briefly after the Paris Olympics to celebrate his success. "After Paris, I managed to go home for three days, so I’ve already had the celebrations, and it was good."

   As Peters gears up for his final competition of the season in Brussels, the Grenadian star is eager to continue pushing his limits as he seeks another Diamond League crown.

• Ronaldo on 900th career goal: 'Records haunt me'

  Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 900th career goal, but the Portugal captain claimed he is "haunted" by records.

  Ronaldo scored his landmark goal in the 34th minute of Thursday's Nations League contest between Portugal and Croatia in Lisbon.

  The 39-year-old's close-range finish, his 131st goal for Portugal, was enough to secure a 2-1 win for Roberto Martinez's team, who went ahead through Diogo Dalot, although the full-back then scored an own goal that dragged Croatia back into proceedings.

  Ronaldo was taken off late on to a standing ovation, and speaking to Portuguese media, he said: "It was an exciting goal for me. It's a round number.

  "Only I know how hard it is to work every day to score your 900th goal.

  "It's a unique milestone in my career. I don't break records… they haunt me!"

  Ronaldo let the emotions out after scoring, and seemed to be in tears of joy while celebrating.

  "As you know, I'm already 39 and a half years old and so you have to be very focused for things to go well," he explained. "To be at this level requires a lot of dedication.

  "So, when these little records happen, small, big, I get emotional because I know and value what I do, and my teammates, because obviously without my team-mates this would be unthinkable."

  Ronaldo endured a difficult Euro 2024 campaign, failing to score from 24 shots, including a penalty that was saved by Jan Oblak.

  Portugal eventually crashed out to France on penalties, and Ronaldo stressed the importance of getting off to a good start, and complimented Martinez's change in approach.

  "After what happened in the European Championship, we had to give a good response and that's what happened," he said.

  "We played well. Croatia fought really well and I think it was a spectacular game.

  "I felt freer than usual in this game. The coach also gave me that opportunity and we also played, in my opinion, a little differently to how we played in the European Championship.

  "We made a lot of changes, the players were freer on the pitch and when that happens, it's better for me, I'll be honest.

  "I feel better, I feel more involved in the game and I can enjoy football more. It's not that I didn't enjoy it at the Euros, but I like being a free player, I like to make space for my team-mates too and today was a performance that the team performed very well."