Rhasidat Adeleke finishes sixth after below-par performance at Stockholm Diamond League
Rhasidat Adeleke turned in a below-par performance to finish sixth over 400m at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday evening, the 22-year-old Dubliner clocking 50.48 seconds.
The field included three of her rivals from last year's Olympic final, but it was a newcomer to the professional scene, USA's Isabella Whittaker, who backed up her win at the Oslo Diamond League three days earlier, taking victory in 49.78. Next in was Norway's Henriette Jaeger in 50.07, with Britain's Amber Anning third in 50.17.
On Thursday, Adeleke had finished fourth in Oslo in 50.42, her first 400m race since last September. Her Irish record is the 49.07 she ran to win European silver in Rome last year.
She got off to a solid start in Stockholm and was in contention for victory as the field turned for home, but once again she tied up down the home straight and simply didn't have the legs to go with the leaders.
Adeleke and her coach Edrick Floreal have taken a different approach to the 2025 season, given the late date of the Tokyo World Championships in September, which are still 13 weeks away.
She bypassed the indoor campaign and has put an emphasis on over-distance work in training as she looks to build a foundation for later in the year.
Meanwhile, Swedish superstar Mondo Duplantis thrilled the home crowd in the men's pole vault, soaring over a world record of 6.28m. It was his 12th time rewriting the world record, and his first of this year's outdoor season.
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Fears growing at Leinster that in-demand Jacques Nienaber is on way out
There are growing fears that Jacques Nienaber is on his way from Leinster - and that there is an announcement scheduled for the coming days. The South African, who has spent two full seasons at the Irish province, has been the subject of initially tentative enquiries from French, England clubs and South Africa Rugby, that have now gathered significant pace. These approaches stem from the fact neither Nienaber, who's signed his current deal to July 2026, nor Leinster, have released details of an extension. "Jacques has been part of two Springbok World Cup winning squads and yet is still only an assistant coach at albeit one of the best clubs in the world," says a rugby insider. "But Leinster are not, and never will be, prestigious wage payers and he could probably treble, quadruple his money at some of the bigger Top 14 clubs or at one or two English clubs, depending on their owners' whims." Moreover, the idea that Leinster have finally shaken the trophy winning monkey off their back will add to Nienaber's lustre and Jake White's ringing endorsement last Saturday of the Leinster defence won't have fallen on deaf ears. "It would be wrong of me not to say Jacques' defence was outstanding. We tried bashing their line. They kept us out just before half time and it must have been a massive boost for them. "Credit to Jacques and the defence. We were a little bit one-off instead of running with numbers, people around the ball, but that's what happens when you're under the pump against a good team. 'Just tonight you saw the added value that he does as a defence coach. He's well, well known as that and he made it difficult for us. "We scored seven points and we had scored the second most amount of points in the competition this year and last year it was the most, and the year before it was the most so it just shows that they've obviously bought in to that element of their game. "Stuart Lancaster had a philosophy that was an attack philosophy, Jacques has come in and obviously tightened the defence and now the jigsaw puzzle is coming together because you haven't moved away from attacking and your defence has become much harder to break down. "You have to give credit where credit's due. Out of the three finals, this is by far the toughest final we've had. "Make no bones about it, they've gone another level up. That was Test rugby. It's like everything is in fast forward." The feeling inside the the rugby world though is that Nienaber, if he is set on leaving, has already been approached, knows the destination but, in respect to Leinster, it has been kept in-house. "Jacques is a very conscientious individual and would not want the story at the back end of a season which was fraught with difficulties in Leinster's case, to get diverted to being about him," continues the rugby source Nienaber has previously ruled out returning to South Africa but Rassie Erasmus is keen to have his former colleague as part of the coaching staff - possibly as Head Coach - for a crack at a third successive Rugby World Cup title in 2027 with South Africa. "I don't think Jacques owes Leinster anything, he contributed very much to their success this season. "But with a potential extraordinary treble on offer with South Africa or the possibility of becoming a €1-million per season coach at a wealthy French club the question starts to come down to what he thinks if best for his career and family in the long run." The question as to whether SA Rugby could afford Nienaber is moot, they are already paying Rassie Erasmus 15m Rand (€750k) per annum. French Top 14 clubs have a budget of €7m to allocate to 'coaching staff' any way they see fit while former Munster Head Coach Johan van Graan is estimated to be earning around €600k at Bath. As White says, there would be no shortage of contenders to fill his post should it become vacant. Leinster's machine will purr along nicely and it is nothing like as simple for Bulls. 'All credit to Leo too for bringing in guys like that. Where to for the Bulls? We've got to find ways in which we can catch up because I repeat, Leinster aren't going to come back towards the field. Leinster are going to keep moving forward. 'It's a bit like a Formula One racing car, if your pit stop is three seconds and theirs is two, and you think when you get it to two you could catch them but they've probably on 1.3 by then and you're still behind. 'So credit, as I said, Jacques has added that and I'm sure Leo will find other things they need to get better at. "Our job now is to make sure that we can find ways to fast track whatever we can fast track so that we can compete because we're going to find it hard to beat teams like Croke Park and Aviva if we don't catch up the things we need to catch up.'
The 42
3 hours ago
- The 42
'The coolest one was Quade Cooper coming down for training in LA'
WALK THROUGH THE campus of the University of California, Los Angeles on any given day and you might spot Real Madrid or another touring team like Chelsea training on one of the world-class pitches. Not far away, some of UCLA's Olympic athletes could be working out, or the university's football team – the Bruins – might be readying the next NFL stars, as the basketball side focuses on honing the craft of future NBA household names. Jackie Robinson, the first black American to play Major League Baseball, came through UCLA, as did six American football Hall of Famers, including three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman. The revered basketball coach John Wooden made his name there, developing stars like six-time NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. UCLA is a highly prestigious place, not just in sports. Among its alumni are 16 Nobel laureates and three Pulitzer Prize winners. Graduates of UCLA have won 105 Oscars, 278 Emmys, and 50 Grammys. The beautiful campus was the set for scenes in the movie Oppenheimer and is often used to portray Harvard in films. And sport is right at the heart of everything at UCLA. Ballymena man Rory Corr got used to spotting celebrities or watching people he had met go on to bigger things during his three seasons playing and coaching rugby with UCLA. 'It's actually insane,' says 25-year-old Corr, who came through Ballymena Academy with the likes of Ulster back Stewart Moore and Cornish Pirates out-half Bruce Houston. 'The facilities are probably the biggest wow factor. Rob Baloucoune and Nathan Doak were on holiday in LA and I caught up with them and said, 'I'll take you on a tour of UCLA.' Just walking around the campus, they couldn't believe it.' Corr is currently back home in Ireland after his three-year adventure in the US, which has also included working as a lineout analyst for Rugby FC Los Angeles in Major League Rugby and a stint training with the LA Giltinis. He is moving to Australia next month and will link up with the Randwick club in Sydney to continue learning his craft as a coach. Corr is firmly of the view that more Irish rugby players could change their lives by playing and studying in the US, where some colleges offer full or partial rugby scholarships. There are huge benefits even after graduating, and Corr would love others to explore the American route. The UCLA Bruins' Rose Bowl. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo He played lots of Gaelic football growing up but rugby slowly took over when he went to school at Ballymena Academy. The 6ft 6ins second row was a fine player, but he wasn't big on the gym, something that never changed over the years. What interested Corr more from early on was the strategy and scheming of rugby. 'I would annoy my dad when we were watching rugby on TV because I would always rewind,' says Corr. 'I'd be thinking, 'Oh, what did they do there? Why did they do that? What was the outcome? Why did they chase that?' Corr wasn't involved with Ulster's underage teams in school and when he chose to go to University College Dublin to study psychology, he initially didn't sign up with the rugby team. Advertisement But his curiosity got the better of him and he overcame a hint of 'impostor syndrome,' which stemmed from nearly everyone else in the UCD U20s set-up having played for their provinces. He ended up loving the experience. 'The two best players on that team were Cian Prendergast, who was in the second row and obviously now captains Connacht and plays for Ireland,' says Corr. 'And then Bobby Sheehan, Dan's brother. Bobby was unbelievable. Big, fast, strong, and could throw an unreal dart.' Corr had always liked the idea of doing some of his degree in the US and though Covid initially delayed those plans, he was eventually able to add on another year to his three-year degree in UCD. After weighing up multiple options, he went on exchange to UCLA, which also has relationships with Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Galway. Among the reasons was that Corr's fellow Irishman, Dave Clancy, was in charge of UCLA rugby at the time in 2021. Clancy, who now works as attack and backs coach for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby, convinced Corr to come to Los Angeles, which offered top-class education, amazing facilities, year-round warm weather, and the full-on American college lifestyle. Rugby in UCLA is different to other places in that they don't offer a varsity programme where players come in on scholarships with everything paid for. Rugby players have to pay annual fees but get access to all of the elite facilities as a result. Corr playing for UCD. The UCLA rugby team trains on exactly the same pitches that visiting teams like Man United and Real Madrid use. Their gym set-up includes a padded area for working on contact skills that many professional clubs would be envious of. So it was an ideal place for Corr to continue enjoying his rugby. He impressed for UCLA in that 2021/22 season, earning selection on a Division 1A All-American team at the end of the campaign, as well as having a stint with the now-defunct LA Giltinis. The likes of Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, and Dave Dennis were playing for the MLR side in 2021. Injuries in their second row meant they needed training cover for six weeks. 'The coolest one was probably Quade Cooper coming down for a training session one day,' says Corr. 'It was good to get that exposure to the high-performance environment, to push myself to the next level and say, 'You know what, it's actually not too far away, I understand what's going on, what the concepts are.'' Corr came back to Ireland after the year in UCLA determined to get back to the States as soon as possible. In the meantime, he contacted Budge Pountney – the former Northampton back row who now works as the rugby development manager in Ulster Rugby – and got started on his coaching badges. That led to working with the Ulster U16 and U17 set-ups, a valuable experience for Corr in player development. But all the while, he was working towards getting a Visa to move back to the States. He landed a job with Inventure, a renewable energy company, and returned to LA in the summer of 2023, also linking back up with UCLA as their new forwards coach. 'There's guys we'd have who are All-Americans, some of them might play for America in a World Cup in the future,' says Corr of that role. 'Then in the same training session, we'd have guys who had never played rugby before, maybe have never really played sport before. You have to develop and deliver a training programme that caters to all of those individuals. So that was a very unique challenge.' UCLA's rugby team is international, with players from France, South Africa, Belgium, Australia, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Their games against other universities often involve flights or 10-hour bus journeys. The sheer scale of the US is part of the challenge. Corr loved being back in the UCLA bubble. He was always on the lookout for players and remembers convincing American football player Lucas Gramlick to give rugby a go. Not long after, the 6ft 7ins and 130kg Gramlick had signed in the MLR and was on the US Eagles' radar. Corr during a stint with the LA Giltinis. There was another time when Corr and co. told the off-season UCLA American footballers to come down and try touch rugby. Among those who got involved was Laiatu Latu, a defensive end who was the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. 'It was touch but you'd almost move right out of the way because they were just so fast and physical,' says Corr. 'They're made out of cement!' Rugby FC Los Angeles got up and running in 2024 and with the MLR heavily incentivising clubs to have academies, another opportunity opened up for Corr. He started as forwards coach for RFCLA's academy in the summer of 2024 and that led on to becoming a lineout analyst for the senior team earlier this year. That involves poring over footage of RFCLA's opposition lineouts and sending clips to the club's Aussie coaches, Stephen Hoiles and Dave Dennis. RFCLA – whose squad includes Christian Leali'ifano, Gonzalo Bertranou, and several Irish players - face the Houston SabreCats tonight in the MLR quarter-finals and it has been riveting for Corr to be involved in the campaign. 'I clip stuff up, send it to Dave,' says Corr. 'So to go back to earlier, 'What did they do? Why did they do it? Here's where their strengths are. Is that something that's maybe we can expose or maybe we can make applicable to us?'' Corr recently analysed the impact Gavin Thornbury has on the Utah Warriors' lineout, and he loves digging into the detailed intricacies of the set-piece and other parts of the game. He hopes to continue down that route in Australia, where Hoiles helped him to connect with Shute Shield side Randwick. Corr will get involved with the Randwick U20s as he takes on a new job away from rugby in Sydney. He knows that it will be a challenge to become a full-time professional rugby coach but Corr is keen to see where this journey leads next. 'Being a professional coach would be unbelievable,' he says. 'I recognise it's pretty tough to get there. I recognise that people I'm competing against are boys that are currently playing professional rugby, so it's really about kind of getting my reps up, learning the art of coaching over the next five years, hit 30 and see where I'm at. 'A professional coach would be great, ideally probably more of a specialist coach than a head coach.' Another return to the US is already part of his thinking. Corr reckons that coaching full-time at an American college might be 'one of the best jobs in world rugby' with the great lifestyle, pay, and stability involved. Whatever comes next, UCLA will always have a fond place in Corr's heart.
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock break down in tears as Northern Ireland win World Cup of Darts in final leg decider
JOSH ROCK burst into tears on stage after Northern Ireland won a dramatic World Cup last leg decider. Team partner Daryl Gurney hit double eight to wrap up an epic 10-9 win over Wales' Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in Sunday night's final in Frankfurt. Advertisement 1 Northern Ireland duo Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock let it all out after victory Rock, 24, and Gurney then dropped to their knees on stage in scenes of incredible emotion as they picked up their first world titles and an £80,000 jackpot. He said: 'When we said we are paired together we'll win it. We didn't expect to do it, but we did it. 'As a team we were fantastic. We fought hard all the way through.' Gurney added: 'Firstly congratulations to Wales. They showed their class. Jonny and Gezzy, absolute legends of the game. Advertisement 'Josh had the power-scoring and I just had to clean up the finishing. 'I hope I don't get a fine for this but every time I went for double five a wee bit of poo fell out! 'I was never going to miss double eight. I have never been so proud of this man and myself.' Northern Ireland made a storming start and Wales were lucky to only be trailing 3-2 at the first break. Clayton then hit a wonderful 142 to draw it level. Advertisement Most read in Darts Breaking Exclusive BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But Rock was in inspired form, hitting 180s for fun, breaking the tournament record of 20. However, Price hit tops to break throw and Wales still hadn't missed a dart at a double. Then Rock delivered a cool tops to live the game again at the second break at 5-5. 'Stupid' - Josh Rock hits out at 'disrespectful' World Cup of Darts rival's on-stage antics Yet again Clayton nailed the double at first attempt and then a double six put them in command at 7-5. But a double 18 and double eight from Gurney put the Irish back in front. Advertisement Gurney then delivered a cool double 14 and now they were just one leg from glory. But they missed four title darts and Clayton hit double 16 and it went down to a decider. Rock then hit a crucial 171 and Gurney finished it with double eight.
