Rizzo claims huge scalp at venue of world aths titles
A month after claiming the Stawell Gift off scratch, Rizzo was among six Australian wins, three meet records and seven podium finishes at the Seiko grand prix.
It was held at the National Stadium, which will host September's world championships.
Rizzo, who also finished third last month behind Torrie Lewis in the 100m at the Australian championships, clocked 11.38 seconds to win the 100m in Tokyo , with Richardson finishing fourth.
Just over a year ago, Lewis beat Richardson at a Diamond League meeting in China.
A 16-athlete Australian team made itself at home in Tokyo ahead of the worlds, with Georgia Griffith also posting the fastest outdoor time of the year in the women's 1500m.
Griffith clocked four minutes 01.10 seconds to also break the 10-year meeting record held by Ethiopian great Gudaf Tsegay.
The Australian won by five seconds, with compatriot Sarah Billings taking third place.
Rose Davies and Jude Thomas dominated the 3000m events, also breaking the meet records.
Davies' 8:42.38 gave her the women's race by nearly six seconds, and Thomas improved to 10th on the all-time Australian men's list with his 7:39.69 win.
Reece Holder won the men's 400m in 44.76 seconds, and Liam Adcock's last jump of 8.20m won him the long jump.
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Keely Hodgkinson won't rule out making attempt at new British record in Lausanne
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A longtime high school football coach, John Acquavita, had gotten similar phone calls before. This one didn't feel any more unique or promising than the others. Joycelyn Ward told Acquavita that she wanted her son, Travis, to join the football team at Wilbur Cross High in New Haven, Conn. He was spending too much time inside and needed to be more active. She told Acquavita that Travis had never played football, but she thought he would be good at it. Advertisement After all, he was pretty big, she told him. 'I've heard that before,' Acquavita said. 'Then you get 5-foot-8, 230, and they are pudgy guys.' Nonetheless, Acquavita invited Ward to bring Travis down to the school. The football team was in the middle of its summer lifting program, and the head coach would make sure to get Travis acclimated. 'When I got there that day, there was a car in the lot already,' Acquavita recalled. 'It was this Honda Accord. 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That's also a product of the position he plays. Interior defensive linemen don't get a ton of glory unless they are prolific sack guys. Jones is not that, at least not yet. He has 3 1/2 career sacks, but quarterbacks are aware of where he is on every play. There's also the matter of Jones having little interest in letting anybody in or even returning anybody's calls or texts. Acquavita once jokingly told Jones he was going to start charging him a yearly stipend for the number of calls he got from people who were going through him to get a message to his former player. Advertisement 'Look, I'm his mom and I have to think of ways to pull it out of him,' Ward said. 'You have to get really creative. He doesn't like to talk. It's that simple.' Jones insists that there's nothing particularly interesting or unique about his path to the NFL. He maintains that he didn't face any major challenges in his youth, that he was never left wanting or coveting what other kids his age had. Born in New Haven, Jones' birth father wasn't a regular presence in his life, but he still had a sizable support system with Ward, his older sisters, Amber and Alana, and his grandparents, Isabella and Clarence Windley. Ward was his biggest advocate and fiercest protector. She shielded her son from some of the family's struggles. His older sisters looked after him, and still do. Jones joked that they can be overbearing at times. Clarence, the father figure in Jones' life, never pushed sports on him, but he did harp on a message that has served Jones well: If you're going to start something, finish it. And don't cheat the process along the way. Jones had no premonition that football would stick. He still fancied visions of succeeding on the baseball diamond, where he was so big and intimidating as a pitcher that parents from the opposing team would threaten to not allow their kids to step in the batter's box against him. At the very least, they wanted to see his birth certificate. It didn't take long for Acquavita, though, to realize he may have something special. Acquavita was intrigued. Kids Jones' size weren't exactly frequenting the halls of high schools around the country. Acquavita brought Jones and his buddy, Rickqueal Warren, both of whom were freshmen, up to the varsity for a preseason scrimmage. He eased Jones in, sending him on the field in the third quarter. On his first play, Jones split a double-team and took the running back down in the backfield. Such plays became regular occurrences. Advertisement 'I never looked back,' Jones said. Jones was a force, and he was getting bigger and stronger, while not sacrificing athleticism. Acquavita remembers Jones soaring above the rim to dunk a basketball with two hands at nearly 360 pounds. Jones' play took a significant step forward when he learned how to lift and adhere to a workout regimen. When he'd come home from school and start reciting the names and stats of NFL players, Ward knew her son was hooked. He garnered interest and scholarship offers from a number of Power 5 programs. Jones hastily committed to Rutgers, yet he got cold feet. UConn had a struggling football program, but what mattered most to Jones was that Storrs was only about 30 minutes from home. His friends and family could attend every one of his home games. 'I have no regrets about him going to Connecticut,' Ward said. 'At the time, it was best for him. But I'm like, 'If he went to a place like Alabama, he would have gone first round.' The football player, I wish he could have gone (elsewhere). The boy, Travis, I was glad he stayed.' Jones was recruited by Connecticut and other programs as an interior offensive lineman. He said all of his scholarship offers were to play offensive guard, and he was OK with that. However, after he arrived on campus, the Huskies' coaching staff had a change in plans. Their standout defensive tackle, Foley Fatukasi, had just gone to the NFL, and they needed a replacement. 'When you saw him come out of high school, you just saw that raw ability that he had,' said former UConn coach Randy Edsall. 'The biggest thing is we knew that he never was going to reach his full potential while he was at UConn. He was still on the rise. Some guys peak in college. Travis was just ascending as he was coming out of college. You knew his best years were going to be ahead of him.' A local kid staying home, Jones became one of the faces of a rebuilding football program. The Huskies went just 4-32 in Jones' four years at the school, but he persevered through the losing and embraced the college experience. He worked on his body, losing 30 pounds ahead of his sophomore season. He was an impactful player on the field, with teams quickly realizing he needed to be double- or triple-teamed. Advertisement Clemson decided that it didn't need to double a defensive tackle from Connecticut, and Jones had one of his most impactful games. When he took a step up in competition, like at the Senior Bowl, Jones flourished. He was still uncomfortable being the center of attention, but he became a walking billboard for everything the Huskies needed more of in their program. 'He was just a great kid, and he was brought up the right way,' Edsall said. 'He was a kid that struggled a little bit academically, but he always did the work and was always going to put in the time and do everything he was supposed to do. You never had to worry about it. His mom was a stickler for doing things the right way, and Travis did those things. He was just a very respectful kid. You have 105 on your roster. You'd like to have 105 Travis Joneses.' Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, a two-time Pro Bowler, was asked by a reporter last year to identify the toughest player he's ever had to block. He shot a glance toward Jones' locker and said, 'Can I say Travis?' 'I don't remember anyone stronger than him that I've ever gone against,' Linderbaum said last week. 'The power that he plays with is crazy. If your technique is out of sorts just a little bit, he's going to make you pay. That's just how strong he is. We see it every single day in practice. Sometimes he's almost unblockable with the things that he's able to do.' Jones was dismissive of a question about whether the upcoming season could be his best yet. He said all he cares about is helping the Ravens win games, and he understands that means doing a lot of the dirty work that doesn't show up statistically. Believe it or not, he said he's hoping to be more vocal with his teammates. Jones broke down the huddle after an offseason practice and wants to be more comfortable the next time he's asked to do it. Advertisement Otherwise, he had no interest in looking back or playing the 'what if?' game. He doesn't wonder if his career would have been different if he had gone to a perennial football powerhouse rather than UConn. He doesn't think about how last season could have been different if he hadn't sustained a high ankle sprain while in the middle of the best stretch of his career. He also didn't want to look ahead and talk about his contract status. Jones is entering the final guaranteed season of his rookie deal. 'The last thing on my mind right now,' Jones said. With other players, that would be hard to believe. With Jones, who says his hobbies are watching the occasional movie/show and working out, it isn't. Acquavita remembers taking Jones and Warren out to dinner a week before the 2022 NFL Draft. Given an opportunity to pick the place, Jones chose a $10 per plate barbecue joint. While there, Acquavita told Jones how much his life was about to change. 'I said, 'Travis, next week, you're going to be a millionaire,'' Acquavita said. 'He was so innocent about it. He had no idea what was coming down the pike, and he didn't care. It was like, 'I get to play football? I'd do it for a couple of pizzas and maybe a car so I can make it to practice.' 'I've been doing this for a while, and I've only coached three or four players who love everything about football. Travis is one of them. He just loves being a football player.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
