He 'nuked it' ... and super Plapp was out for a show
The episode also gives well-earned attention to standout performances from the Australian riders. Luke Plapp's impressive fifth-place finish is examined in detail, along with his race tactics and development as a rising force. Christophe and Dave also highlight the form of Ben O'Connor and Harry Sweeney, noting their potential in upcoming stages. Looking ahead, the hosts preview the looming Queen Stage in the Pyrenees, speculating on team strategies and possible breakaways as the Tour enters a critical phase.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Nikita Tszyu raises eyebrows with bizarre birthing story after Aussie stops Lulzim Ismaili in one round
Nikita Tszyu's return fight was highly anticipated, but in the end, his bizarre and graphic post-fight speech lasted longer and made more headlines than the bout itself. On Wednesday night, Tszyu scored a one-sided first-round stoppage win over Lulzim Ismaili, who was dropped in the first before refusing to get off his stool to start the second. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. After travelling from Germany, Ismaili was completely outclassed and overpowered by the man known as 'The Butcher'. Ismaili was dropped with a huge left hand in the opening round, and moments after it looked as if he would be stopped as he turned his back and tried to protect himself before escaping back to the ropes A patient Tszyu then went hard to the body, breaking Ismaili's rib with the last punch of the first round. And from the moment he sat on the stool, everyone in the arena knew he wasn't going to get back up. But any fan who immediately felt they had been short-changed in entertainment due to the short bout was soon mistaken as Tszyu went on a wild rant, starting with a truly bizarre baby birthing story and ending with revealing he missed his rival Michael Zerafa's fight because he was going to the bathroom. Tszyu raised plenty of eyebrows last week when he revealed his wife's placenta in capsule form, and breast milk was part of his pre-fight diet. And when asked if he had a message for his baby Curiosity – who is named after a NASA Mars rover – Tszyu revealed his walkout song choice was actually a nod to her. Walking out initially to The Undertaker's theme, and then Thunderstruck by ACDC, that may seem like a weird dedication on the surface, but Tszyu revealed the ACDC song was actually the first thing the baby heard. 'Thunderstruck is the song she came out to as we were having her,' Tszyu revealed post-fight. But it soon got even weirder. 'As we were having a C-section, I had the nurse play it,' Tszyu continued, before explaining how that was why he walked out with his eyes closed. 'I was thinking about Curiosity,' he said. 'Seeing her naked body being pulled out of my wife.' You can watch his full post-fight interview in the player at the top of the page. Unsurprisingly, announcer Ben Damon was keen to move on from that conversation as he asked Tszyu about his troublesome hand and return to the ring before asking about his rival Zerafa. When asked about what he thought of Zerafa's performance on Wednesday night, after the journeyman demolished American Mikey Dahlman in the co-main, Tszyu said he didn't see it. 'I went for a piss during Zerafa's fight to be honest,' Tszyu said on Main Event. 'I came back and f**k, it was over.' However, a match-up between the pair is becoming increasingly likely, with Zerafa calling out both Tim and Nikita Tszyu for years. 'It's a very dangerous fight. There are a lot of question marks with me with my experience, he's very experienced,' Tszyu continued. 'But you've got to test yourself. There's no way to improve without beating someone who's better than you.'
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Matildas, Chelsea star Sam Kerr says she wants to get back scoring goals ahead of her return from injury
Matildas star Sam Kerr insists there's no reason why she can't get back to her prolific goal-scoring best as she nears her long-awaited playing return with Chelsea. Kerr hasn't played for club or country since tearing her ACL on a Chelsea training camp in January 2024. Her rehabilitation has had setbacks, including requiring further surgery earlier this year, while she was also subject to a high-profile court case in February this year. There is still no fixed date for her return but Kerr is now back training with her teammates, who have been on a training camp in the Netherlands. Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ Australia's greatest ever goal scorer, who has enjoyed a trophy-laden six years at Chelsea, backed herself in to deliver when she returns for her club. "My contribution is goals; it's as simple as that," Kerr told Chelsea's website. "For the last, however many years, I've been within the top goalscorers, if not the top goalscorer in the team, and that's where I want to come back to, I've got high expectations of myself. "I have a lot of confidence in my ability, so the contribution for me is straightforward. It's goals. That's what I'm here to do, and that's what I normally do, so there's no reason why I can't do it again." Kerr has relished her return to more regular programming at Chelsea, who open their season against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on September 5, after her horror injury run. "During an injury, you're alone a lot," Kerr said. "So it's good to be back with the girls, just doing the same training sessions as them rather than solitary rehab sessions. "… It's nice to be back with the girls, back on the pitch, and yeah, I'm excited. I'm most looking forward to being out there, scoring goals and having fun." Kerr's enthusiasm will be welcome news for Matildas coach Joe Montemurro, who hopes to have her back firing ahead of next year's Asian Cup, along with Mary Fowler, who recently started running as she attempts to return from her own ACL tear. Chelsea will be especially keen to have her back in their attacking fold, with England dynamo Lauren James to miss the start of the season through an ankle injury suffered in the Women's Euros final win over Spain. Kerr, who has been joined by Matildas teammate Ellie Carpenter at Chelsea, is also keen to play under manager Sonia Bompastor for the first time. "Sonia's very demanding as a manager," she said. "I've only been back in training for a couple of weeks with her, but I enjoy working under her and Cami (assistant coach Camille Abily), they're great. "It's a big change for me, but they had a lot of success last year, so I'm looking forward to playing under them." AAP
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The trophy in Trump's Oval Office is everything that's wrong with world soccer
On the latter, Infantino has been the subject of intense hostility from domestic leagues and players' unions, to the point FIFA has been fighting legal fires over the world governing body's alleged 'abuse of dominance' and lack of consultation when adding to an insanely congested international calendar. This is understandable. A Europe-based player who participates in Euro 2024, the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup will effectively have zero rest for three straight off-seasons. There is no room to move, and how the Club World Cup affects the domestic season of Chelsea and PSG et al may yet be revealing. Then back into the oppressive North American summer heat they will go for a World Cup across three countries in the US, Canada, and Mexico. There's nothing like watching an injured player doing his best work. 'FIFA was put on earth really to regulate the global game and to run international football, and the Club World Cup is a move into club football,' Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said earlier this month. FIFPro president Sergio Marchi, meanwhile, labelled it 'nothing more than a fiction created by FIFA' and its 'grandiloquent staging inevitably reminiscent of the 'bread and circuses' of Nero's Rome'. There are so many more voices in this debate, but for the sake of brevity, let's stick with former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who called it 'the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard'. Arsene Wenger, a vocal critic of fixture congestion throughout his previous role overseeing Arsenal, has now taken a 'fantastic competition' view in his current capacity as FIFA's chief of global football development. 'A real Club World Cup was needed,' said Wenger, who recently campaigned for a World Cup every two years. He added that every club involved would favour this format moving forward – and of course they would when the prize fund is $US1 billion. Chelsea received an estimated $US114.6 million; it is little surprise other big European clubs would like a piece of the pie. Real Madrid's reported push for a biennial cycle is apparently supported by other clubs who failed to qualify for this year's tournament, including Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Napoli. The proposal for 48 teams fits that agenda given that, unless FIFA lifts its cap of 12 European entrants and two from each country, expansion is the only way to ensure more European clubs (notwithstanding other cross-continental quirks in the qualifying criteria). But this tells us what the Club World Cup is not. It is not a bucket-list trophy like the World Cup or continental championships. The value is not in the prestige of the title. Had Inter Miami (demolished by PSG in the round of 16) won, Lionel Messi would not have retired any more contented for the privilege (he already has three of the old Club World Cups with Barcelona). There is no way he would have picked this space-age trophy over the World Cup he finally added to his otherwise complete CV in 2022. That is not to say the football was bad. Despite the naff, corporate anti-culture, the actual football was quite good, headlined by novelty rivalries and upsets galore. Al Hilal knocked out Manchester City and Auckland City drew held Boca Juniors to a draw. Then there was the standout quality and colour of Brazilian sides Flamengo (beat Chelsea), Botafogo (beat PSG), Fluminense (beat Inter Milan and made the semi-finals) and Palmeiras (topped their group and made the quarters). In this sense, the organisers were savvy, offering an extended hand to the peripheral or uninitiated football fan, and to America's diaspora who comprised a portion of these numbers (not that this was intended given the Trump administration's stance on diversity and immigration). It offered hope for the future of such an event, if treated more modestly. But FIFA is nothing if not bloated, and the money speaks for itself: the revenue averaged out at $US33 million per match. At that rate, why not add even more games? The problem here is that the world governing body is failing to recognise the law of diminishing returns that are less tangible than cold, hard cash. All that money has cheapened the global football ecosystem, in a surreal sort of inflation that disrupts its delicate balance without actually distributing wealth in a more equitable way. Diluting the game's meaning without addressing the yawning gap between rich and poor. Infantino, presumably the Nero in Marchi's metaphor, nevertheless hailed his pet project as 'a huge, huge, huge success' on the eve of the final. He did so from New York's Trump Tower, where FIFA has set up a base and where he refused to answer any questions regarding anything unrelated to the Club World Cup (like Saudi Arabia being awarded hosting rights to the 2034 World Cup) and even some things related to the Club World Cup (like Saudi's Surj Sports Investments largely bankrolling the tournament). And so, once again, propaganda wins the day. Soft power and influence and sportswashing remain the modus operandi, and Trump's trophy will keep playing its geopolitical part from the Oval Office. Loading Infantino is somewhere up in space, mapping the approximate positions of planets at the time of FIFA's foundation in 1904 and the Club World Cup's opening match in 2025. Orbiting the earth in pursuit of celestial symbols to engrave on his trophy, just to give others the chance to 'hold the world of club football in their hands'.
