Latest news with #BritishChampion
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer valiantly beaten in ferocious UK title fight
Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer Danny Christie's bid to become British champion for a second time ended in valiant defeat in Birmingham. The Currock man's BKFC British welterweight title fight against Connor Tierney was a ferocious contest. But Christie was ultimately beaten by technical knockout in the fourth round after his corner stepped in. The 40-year-old Cumbrian traded some formidable blows with home-city champion Tierney at BKFC 77 Birmingham. The Carlisle boxer's face took some serious punishment whilst Christie landed some powerful shots of his own as he fought on. Connor Tierney BEATS Danny Christie after the referee stops the fight! 😯#BKFC77 | LIVE on DAZN | TONIGHT — DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) June 28, 2025 But the fight was called to a halt 14 seconds into round four, with the post-fight announcements confirming that it was Christie's corner rather than referee Alan Jackson who had called a stop to things. It saw 30-year-old Tierney retain his title, with Christie denied in his comeback BKFC fight as he tried to add the welterweight title to the UK light-heavyweight crown he won in 2023. The fight was top of the card at BP Pulse Live and lived up to its billing as the two fighters showcased a contrast of powerful styles. Tierney, fighting from the blue corner, set the early pace with some rapid uppercuts and body shots, drawing early blood, before Christie – who had cut a relaxed and confident figure in his ring walk – offered a strong response with a big right-hand blow that connected with his opponent just before the first round bell. The reigning champion showed sharp movement as the pair traded more blows, Christie's face increasingly blood-streaked as cuts opened up further during the second round. The Carlisle fighter then tried to force the issue early in the third round as he went on the attack with some right and left-hand combinations, Tierney having to withstand some powerful shots from Christie whilst offering further telling body shots and jabs and showing elusive movement. Christie, pictured at Friday's weigh-in, came out of retirement for the title fight (Image: BKFC) The fourth round was paused early on with calls for Tierney's right-hand wrap to be attended to, but the fight did not resume as referee Jackson then signalled an end to the contest. Christie offered no protest against the decision and was quick to embrace Tierney as the Birmingham man celebrated his victory. The post-fight statistics showed that Christie threw and landed more punches but the damage inflicted by Tierney was also clear. Announcer Jeff Houston duly confirmed that 'the red corner had stepped in' leading to the TKO decision in Tierney's favour. Christie's corner team included fellow Cumbrian BKFC champion Agi Faulkner as well as Carlisle bare-knuckle boxer Kieron Sewell along with coach Arron Adair. The fight had seen Christie return to the high-profile BKFC platform, having retired last November. The Cumbrian made a strong impact on the top bare-knuckle stage in his initial run of fights by winning the light-heavyweight title two years ago, while last year he earned a world title fight in the middleweight division, losing to American star David Mundell.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Colchester brother and sister excel in the world of Obstacle Course Racing
AN inspirational Colchester athlete is celebrating after he was crowned British Champion for his unique skills tackling obstacles for a third year. Harry Jeffery, 13, has been handed the Obstacle Course Racing title for the third consecutive year after an impressive performance at the British OCR Championships in Scotland. Representing Team GBR, he tackled a challenging 3km course with more than 20 obstacles, including mud, climbs, and technical rigs. His sister, Sophie Jeffery, aged ten, also had an outstanding race, finishing second after being crowned British Champion last year. The siblings train together on their garden rig, constantly motivating each other, and between them their achievements are impressive. Harry Jeffery (Image: Stuart Jeffery) Harry is the reigning FISO World Champion, a European Championships podium finisher, and holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance traversed using hooks in one minute. Sophie is the 2023 Spartan World Champion, having taken the title in the Bahamas. She was the first British female to take the title. The siblings are set to compete in the first Spartan European Championships in Henley-on-Thames this weekend. With Obstacle Course Racing recently added to the modern pentathlon at the next Olympic Games, the sport is on track to become a standalone Olympic discipline. Sophie Jeffery (Image: Stuart Jeffery) The future looks promising for Harry and Sophie, with the European Championships in Portugal and the World Championships in Sweden on the horizon. Dad Stuart said: "The two siblings train side-by-side on their garden rig, constantly pushing each other and proving that talent, teamwork, and a lot of heart can take you to the top. "Between them, they've racked up an impressive list of achievements. "The future is bright. Harry and Sophie are ready to represent their country, their sport, and their hometown with everything they've got."
STV News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Handball players urged to apply for new university scholarship
Handball players from around the world are being invited to apply for a new scholarship programme that is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe. The new Handball Scholarship is being launched in a collaboration between the Scottish Handball Association – Scotland's national governing body for handball – and Oriam, Scotland's Sports Performance Centre, based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. The Handball Scholarship is an expansion of Oriam's existing Sports Scholarship programmes, which help athletes to study at the same time as competing in high-level sport. Handball is one of Scotland's fastest growing team sports, with Scotland seeing a 500% jump in participation in the sport over the last two to three years, according to Scottish Handball. On an international level, the 2024 final of the European Men's Handball Championship in Germany last year attracted 1.2 billion views. The sport involves two teams of seven players competing to score goals by throwing the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposing team's goal. Ewan Hunter, Chief Executive of Scottish Handball, said: 'Handball is popular because it's fast, exciting to watch and really easy to pick up. The basic rules are very quick and simple to understand. And inclusivity is built into the sport, so boys and girls play together through primary school. 'We're seeing very strong growth in handball at a grassroots level in Scotland and for the last couple of years, we've been focusing on developing pathways from there through into the higher levels of the sport. This scholarship programme is the next natural step on that journey and builds on our long relationship with Oriam.' Scottish Handball has been a partner of Oriam's since the centre opened in 2016 to help Scotland's top athletes train and prepare for competition at the highest levels. Oriam is one of only a few venues in Scotland with a full-sized 40 by 20 metre indoor court for handball, and Scottish Handball hosts most of its major events here. This includes Scottish Cup and Super Cup Finals, where the top two handball teams from England and Scotland in the Men's Senior League and the Women's Senior League compete for the British Champion title and European qualification. STV News Ewan Hunter of the Scottish Handball Association (left) and Katrina Gibbon of Oriam Ross Campbell, Executive Director of Oriam, said: 'This is an exciting expansion of our Sport Scholarship programmes that also deepens our partnership with the Scottish Handball Association. This allows us to work together to support handball athletes, not only from Scotland, but from across the world. 'The key aim of our scholarships is to help athletes perform both academically and in their chosen sport through access to our world class facilities and Oriam's performance staff. All of these factors make this programme an exciting opportunity for athletes to be a part of.' Katrina Gibbon, Performance Sport Manager at Oriam, explained the different elements of the Handball Scholarship in more detail. She said: 'Athletes joining this programme will have access to specific technical training in handball and they'll also have strength and conditioning sessions with our sports science team. 'They'll have weekly access to our hydro pool for recovery, alongside sports psychology support and access to physiotherapy through our Oriam Clinic. Oriam's Athlete Lifestyle and Advocacy Co-Ordinator can also support athletes with any potential clashes between academic and sporting commitments.' The partners say they are not aware of other programmes in the world of handball that combine academic study and athlete support in this way. While handball is not played professionally in Scotland, as it is in other parts of Europe, the aim of the new scholarship is to continue building the sport at an amateur level. 'Handball will continue to be an amateur sport in Scotland for the foreseeable future,' Ewan said. 'But we want to embrace that – and our hopes for this scholarship are really clear. 'We hope it cements the pathway for the development of handball at all levels. That means primary school, secondary school, community club, full club and age group level. 'We recognise that 99.9% of people who play sport in Scotland will not end up earning a living from the sport they play. But with this scholarship, you can still continue your development and growth as a handball player – without having to put your career or academic aspirations to one side.' Athletes offered a scholarship will be able to show a strong track record in handball at an amateur club level or international age group level. 'We are looking for players who will add quality and value to the handball community here in Scotland,' Ewan said. One of Oriam's existing Sports Scholars, Rory Semple, has already played handball for Great Britain at Boys and Men's age-group level. Rory, 20, from Renfrewshire, started playing handball at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow and is at Heriot-Watt in the third year of a degree in economics. 'I started playing handball at school when I was 13 and through the years progressed to playing for Great Britain,' Rory explained. 'Now I'm playing at Heriot-Watt University and still at my club at Kelvinside in Glasgow, but playing under 20 at the Great Britain level. 'The Sports Scholarship at Oriam has been really helpful. It's pushed me to absolutely smash my limits at physical training in the gym here. It gives me a great social balance as well because there are like-minded scholars my age here and we're all competing at the same sort of level. The coaching staff are absolutely excellent too, so the support is ten out of ten.' Handball originated as a sport in the 19th century and has its roots in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The sport is played professionally in these countries and has also been one of the longest standing sports at the Summer Olympics. The rules of the game include a 'rolling substitution' rule, meaning there's no limit on substitutions during a game. This means there's 'a space and place for anybody of any size, shape or physical fitness,' Ewan said. Oriam's facilities include multiple sports halls, outdoor pitches, an indoor tennis centre and a state-of-the-art gym. It also has a performance wing with facilities including a strength and conditioning gym, hydrotherapy pool, medical and rehabilitation suite and sauna. Sports clubs and governing bodies who use Oriam as a training and performance hub include Scotland's national rugby team, Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Scottish Squash. The centre is based on Heriot-Watt's Riccarton campus to the West of Edinburgh and is around four miles from Edinburgh Airport. Other facilities on campus include the Marriott Bonvoy hotel, opposite the Oriam complex. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
