ATHLETICS
Teen sets 200m record
Australian sprint prodigy Gout Gout yesterday clocked the fastest time ever by a 16-year-old to smash the national 200m record and do something even Usain Bolt never achieved. The teenager ran 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships at his home track in Brisbane, breaking Peter Norman’s national record of 20.06 seconds from the 1968 Olympics. Gout has been compared in local media to Bolt and his time is the fastest ever by a 16-year-old over 200m, World Athletics said. Gout also now holds the second-fastest time in history for athletes under the age of 18, overtaking Bolt’s 20.13 seconds. “These are adult times and me, just a kid, I’m running them. It’s going to be a great future for sure,” Gout said. “I didn’t expect it to be that fast, but I guess I ran Australia’s fastest-ever time in the 200. I have been chasing that record, but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought maybe next year or the year after that.” It came a day after Gout clocked a wind-assisted 10.04 seconds in the 100m. “You know what they say: Pressure makes diamonds, and I guess I’m better than a diamond right now,” he said yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
RUGBY UNION
Wales player loses finger
Wales international Shane Lewis-Hughes has undergone a finger amputation after dealing with an injury in his right hand for years and aims to return to action within weeks, his club said on Friday. Lewis-Hughes, who has earned three caps for Wales, had the ring finger amputated just above the base knuckles, the Dragons said in a statement. “Surgery was a success. Spoke to the surgeon, he said it all went well. He’s expecting a full recovery ... assured me a couple of weeks,” the 27-year-old said in a video posted by Dragons on X. “Nine fingers now,” he added with a laugh, holding up his bandaged right hand.
MOTORSPORTS
Leclerc penalized 10 places
A grid penalty for Charles Leclerc left him and Ferrari needing an “amazing recovery” to beat McLaren to the Formula 1 constructors’ title. Ferrari had to change the battery pack on Leclerc’s car on Friday in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That means a 10-place penalty on the grid for today’s race. Despite being exhausted after a bout of food poisoning, Leclerc was fastest in the first session by .221 seconds from McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton third fastest for Mercedes. McLaren go into the race with a 21-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
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