'It's different to a Test match at Twickenham'
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North Wales Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Alex Yee ‘energised' by London Marathon experience before triathlon return
The Olympic and world champion took time out of his main sport in the spring to fulfil a lifelong ambition by racing around the streets of the capital, and his time of two hours, 11 minutes and eight seconds made him the second fastest British runner. The effort he put into the project left him with peroneal tendinopathy, which causes pain and inflammation of tendons in the foot and ankle, in three places but he is now fully recovered and ready to dip his toe back into triathlon at Saturday's Supertri League race in Toronto. Yee told the PA news agency: 'I feel energised, I feel in a really good place. 'I don't think that necessarily means I'm going to come back in and smash the scene up and be at the front, I'm well aware of that, but I think I've just come back with a really good frame of mind about the sport and about where I want to be and how I want to go about it and improve.' Supertri races feature three fast-paced stages in a team environment, providing Yee with a fun reintroduction to the sport before the more serious business of a first World Triathlon Championship Series race of the year on the French Riviera at the end of August. The injury was a small setback but Yee has no regrets about testing himself in a different sport, and believes it can help take his triathlon racing to a new level. A post shared by supertri (@supertri_) 'There were things which I could probably get away with in triathlon that I couldn't get away with in a marathon, which I can now apply to triathlon and hopefully that will make me a better athlete as a result,' he said. 'It was really interesting to take that small step back. You get so used to training in a certain way so, when you take yourself out of a comfort zone and train a little bit differently and you're a little bit worse at it, it's an exciting thing for me.' Whatever the 27-year-old goes on to achieve, it will be hard for him to top the drama of his Olympic gold last summer, when his hopes appeared over only for him to sensationally reel in rival Hayden Wilde over the final few hundred metres. Yee's victory was one of the standout moments of the Games, and it is one he is continually reminded about. A post shared by Alex Yee (@lixsanyee) 'One moment that really sticks with me is a guy stopped me in Lewisham when I was running for a warm-up to run on – pretty surreal – the track that's now renamed after me,' said Yee. 'He was deleting a load of stuff off his phone to make memory to take a picture and just before he left me he said, 'I really appreciate everything you're doing for Lewisham, watching you was the last memory I have of my dad'. 'It really hit home that that can be such an important moment for somebody in their life. 'I feel like every time I speak to somebody or they stop me on the street, it's such an authentic moment that they're able to talk to me about, a moment of hope or of not giving up, or their children running round the living room or asking for a bike for Christmas because they watched me. 'We live in a tough world at the moment where opportunities are few and far between and our world's becoming a lot more digital so for people to be excited to be outside, to be excited about sport, I think is such a good thing.' Yee, who is already the most successful Olympic triathlete ever, has a third Games in Los Angeles in 2028 very much in his sights – and hopefully another gold in less nail-biting circumstances. 'It was an amazing moment and I would never change the finish but I still feel like I had something within me that could have made that race better,' he said of his Paris triumph. 'I'm not finishing that race thinking, 'I'm done, I've completed it', I'm thinking, 'What can I do to be better'? 'I still feel like I have that energy towards the sport and what's exciting me right now is that internal drive to be the best I can be. I know that each year success is rented and you've got to earn that right to be back at the top.'
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Millwall sign Ipswich midfielder Luongo
Millwall have signed Australia international Massimo Luongo from Ipswich Town for an undisclosed former Fulham midfielder made 12 Premier League appearances for the Tractor Boys last 32, has 45 caps and scored six goals for the has signed a one-year contract after completing a trial period with the Lions and becomes Millwall boss Alex Neil's fourth signing of the summer, following goalkeeper Max Crocombe's arrival from Burton Albion, Zak Sturge's permanent switch from Chelsea and Josh Coburn's club-record transfer from Middlesbrough. "He is a player who I know well from his time at QPR, and he brings a wealth of experience to midfield, which is one of the reasons we brought him in," Millwall director of football Steve Gallen told the club website., external"He has had a great few seasons with Ipswich Town, helping them to the Premier League, where he made 11 appearances last campaign, and has been an excellent addition around the training ground already."Luongo's career in English football began at Tottenham Hotspur but the defensive midfielder never made a senor appearance for the club, spending time on loan at Ipswich and then two temporary stints at Swindon made a permanent move to the Robins in 2013 and made 100 appearances and scored 14 goals across three spells at the club before joining QPR in 152 games and 10 goals for the Hoops, he had spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, before returning to Portman Road permanently in January 2023 and playing 43 times on the way to the Tractor Boys' promotion the following season. Millwall begin the new Championship season away at Norwich City on Saturday, 9 August.
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hamill 'privileged' to lead Afghan women's refugee team
Former Scotland striker Pauline Hamill says it is a "privilege" to have been named head coach of a newly-formed Afghan women's refugee team by governing body says the team is part of their commitment to offer "every girl and young woman the opportunity to pursue their footballing dreams, regardless of their circumstances".In the coming months, Hamill will manage three "talent identification camps", from which a squad will be selected to play international friendlies as part of the ground-breaking initiative and Hamill's appointment have both been endorsed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino. "We're proud to have Pauline Hamill guiding this team on such a meaningful journey," Infantino said. "Her experience, empathy and dedication will be a powerful source of strength and inspiration for these courageous players." Women have been banned from playing sport in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in a press release, Fifa says the newly-established team "represents a significant step forward in giving Afghan players the international platform to which they aspire", while also minimising the "risk of harm".As well as football coaching, the camps will give players access to support in other areas, including physical preparation, nutrition, psychological care and safeguarding."Fifa stands firmly with Afghan women - at home and in exile - and remains committed to creating safe, inclusive spaces where they can pursue their football dreams and be seen, heard and supported on the international stage," Infantino 53, played 141 times for Scotland across an 18-year international career and says she had no hesitation in accepting the job."I was super excited, honestly, as soon as I was offered the role," she said. "From the very start, something about the job was really pulling me in. "So, when I had the opportunity to lead the team, for me it was an absolute no-brainer. It's a privilege to be invited into this project."Hamill hopes the project will help players to better integrate themselves in local communities, as well as developing their footballing abilities."This is going to be something really special, and I think it's something that they'll remember forever," she said. "It's more than just a football journey. This is something that will have a lasting effect on people."
