Latest news with #TeamGB
South Wales Argus
18 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Gill may make mile bow when event returns to Commonwealth Games
Gill burst onto the scene last summer when she broke the European Under-18 record over 800m last year before going on to represent Team GB at the Paris Olympics aged just 18. Injury has limited her competitive action on the track so far this year, but the exciting talent believes next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow could be the perfect long-term target. 'It's exciting because I have never done a mile, so it gives me an opportunity to do my first mile maybe at the Commonwealth Games,' she said exactly one year out from the Games. 'As a middle-distance athlete, I focus on the 800m and 1500m, but the mile is such an historic event in England with people like Seb Coe and Steve Cram. 'For it to be brought back to the Commonwealth Games is so exciting, I know it is going to be such an incredible event to watch. To be able to participate is something to aim for.' Should Gill compete for England next summer, she will continue a special relationship with the Commonwealth Games. She made her international debut in an England vest at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023, where she won the 800m in a Games record time in Trinidad & Tobago. And she revealed the transformative impact of that Games ahead of her stunning breakout season a year later. 'I learned what it's like to go out with a team for two weeks with a whole new group of people,' she reflected 'I gained a lot of confidence from it, and it gave me a good foundation to go into the Olympics the next year. 'When it came to representing Great Britain, I had an understanding of what it would be like to go out with a whole group of new people. 'I am so fortunate that Team England gave me the opportunity to represent my country. It is my favourite competition I have done; it was so much fun. 'The Commonwealth Games is historic and to be part of Team England means so much to me. I was 16 at the time and I was so excited to get my first England vest.' Gill is part of an exciting crop of English middle-distance runners, which includes established names as well as a whole host of young talents who could be looking to make their mark in Glasgow next summer. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson leads the way in Gill's favoured 800m, while Georgia Hunter Bell has shown her ability across both distances. But Gill is also at the forefront of a new group of runners including European Under-20 5000m record holder Innes FitzGerald and fellow Commonwealth Youth Games athletes Jess Bailey and Lyla Belshaw. 'There are so many athletes my age who are running incredibly at the moment,' she added. 'I've been seeing the times going down and down, people getting faster and to be included in that cohort is something that I am very proud of. 'The competition right now for middle distance in the UK is at its top and it's so exciting to watch. 'Everyone is so friendly, we all get on so well and if we were all on the start line in Glasgow for the mile it would just be something truly incredible. It would be amazing to see what will come of it.' The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will run from 23 July to 2 August 2026. Keep up with everything Team England at
RTÉ News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Irish athletics trailblazer Maeve Kyle dies aged 96
Maeve Kyle, a pioneering figure in Irish athletics and a former hockey international, has died at the age of 96. Kilkenny native Kyle racked up 58 caps for Ireland's hockey team before shifting her focus to athletics after meeting her future husband Sean Kyle in 1953. Kyle became the first woman to represent Ireland in track and field at an Olympic Games when she contested the 100m and 200m at Melbourne 1956 as a 28-year-old in a career that became even more remarkable for its longevity. The honour of representing her country came at a financial cost, with the Ballymena-based athlete required to stump up £200 to make the trip Down Under. Kyle went on to compete at Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964, reaching the semi-finals in both the 400m and 800m in her final Games as a competitor. Two years later, Kyle claimed a bronze medal in the 400m at the European Indoors in Dortmund in what was then West Germany. Gold medals and records in multiple disciplines at World Masters level were attained in the following years, while the Ballymena & Antrim Athletics Club continued to flourish under her tutelage and that of her husband. Kyle enjoyed tenures as manager of both Team GB and the Ireland team, figuring in a fourth Olympics for Ireland when serving as a coach to the Ireland team at Sydney 2000. Voted into the RTÉ/Irish Sports Council Hall of Fame Award in 2008, Kyle was honoured by multiple athletics bodies on the Ireland of honour and in the UK, and was elected as a life vice-president of Athletics Ireland. Predeceased by her husband Sean in 2015, she is survived by her daughter Shauna and her granddaughter Indy.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Teenage track star Phoebe Gill hints at possible 'exciting' debut at Commonwealth Games
Gill burst onto the scene last summer when she broke the European Under-18 record over 800m last year before going on to represent Team GB at the Paris Olympics aged just 18. Teenage star Phoebe Gill hinted she could make her debut over the iconic mile when it returns to the Commonwealth Games next summer. Gill burst onto the scene last summer when she broke the European Under-18 record over 800m last year before going on to represent Team GB at the Paris Olympics aged just 18. Injury has limited her competitive action on the track so far this year, but the exciting talent believes next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow could be the perfect long-term target. 'It's exciting because I have never done a mile, so it gives me an opportunity to do my first mile maybe at the Commonwealth Games,' she said exactly one year out from the Games. 'As a middle-distance athlete, I focus on the 800m and 1500m, but the mile is such an historic event in England with people like Seb Coe and Steve Cram. 'For it to be brought back to the Commonwealth Games is so exciting, I know it is going to be such an incredible event to watch. To be able to participate is something to aim for.' Should Gill compete for England next summer, she will continue a special relationship with the Commonwealth Games. She made her international debut in an England vest at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023, where she won the 800m in a Games record time in Trinidad & Tobago. And she revealed the transformative impact of that Games ahead of her stunning breakout season a year later. 'I learned what it's like to go out with a team for two weeks with a whole new group of people,' she reflected 'I gained a lot of confidence from it, and it gave me a good foundation to go into the Olympics the next year. 'When it came to representing Great Britain, I had an understanding of what it would be like to go out with a whole group of new people. 'I am so fortunate that Team England gave me the opportunity to represent my country. It is my favourite competition I have done; it was so much fun. 'The Commonwealth Games is historic and to be part of Team England means so much to me. I was 16 at the time and I was so excited to get my first England vest.' Gill is part of an exciting crop of English middle-distance runners, which includes established names as well as a whole host of young talents who could be looking to make their mark in Glasgow next summer. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson leads the way in Gill's favoured 800m, while Georgia Hunter Bell has shown her ability across both distances. But Gill is also at the forefront of a new group of runners including European Under-20 5000m record holder Innes FitzGerald and fellow Commonwealth Youth Games athletes Jess Bailey and Lyla Belshaw. 'There are so many athletes my age who are running incredibly at the moment,' she added. 'I've been seeing the times going down and down, people getting faster and to be included in that cohort is something that I am very proud of. 'The competition right now for middle distance in the UK is at its top and it's so exciting to watch. 'Everyone is so friendly, we all get on so well and if we were all on the start line in Glasgow for the mile it would just be something truly incredible. It would be amazing to see what will come of it.'
North Wales Live
2 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Live
Almost half of women have been subjected to sexist abuse while playing sport
Nearly half of all women have endured sexist taunts whilst taking part in sports, with slurs such as 'throw like a girl', comments about appearing 'like a man' or being 'not strong enough'. A survey of 3,000 female athletes revealed other unwelcome comments included assertions that women weren't as good at sports as men, or that women in sport were inferior or 'soft'. The main source of these unwanted comments came from strangers on the street, followed by male athletes and male coaches. Worryingly, 58 per cent of those who have faced sexist abuse admitted it made them consider quitting sport altogether. Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, deputy chief medical officer at AXA Health Insurance, which commissioned the study, said: "Comments about physical ability or derogatory statements about gender have no place in sport or exercise. "It can be a lose-lose situation for women sometimes. Despite the progress which has been made to improve access to women's sport, the research shows there's still a long way to go to making sport an equal playing field for all." The research went on to discover other obstacles for women, with 39 per cent saying their involvement in sport was negatively affected by menstrual health. Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek, who triumphed with Team GB in women's hockey at the Rio Olympics, shared: "As a woman in sport, I've encountered and heard countless jibes; 'Oh, she's hormonal, oh, she's on her period, she throws like a girl, she's not strong enough – the list goes on. "One area in women's sport which I have loved to see evolve is the menstrual cycle and women's periods, because whether you like it or not, it does affect sporting performance. "We are not using it as an excuse, we just needed a greater understanding." The study found that 78 per cent believe female athletes don't get the recognition they merit, despite 94 per cent of parents recognising the significance of demonstrating a positive attitude towards exercise for their children. To help shield women from these damaging experiences, eight in ten said coaches, officials, spectators and others within the sporting community must raise their standards to tackle sexist abuse. Speaking up when witnessing abuse, championing equal opportunities and offering praise to women when merited are the leading recommendations to help enhance the culture for women in sport. Dr Bradshaw stressed: "It's important we ensure that women are treated fairly, so we need to normalise flexing training plans to suit women's needs, such as using the stages of the menstrual cycle to benefit training. "We know that certain stages of the cycle women can feel more fatigued, but there are stages where they might feel stronger, too – so they can use this to their advantage. "Women menstruating are also more likely to suffer injuries, so this should be factored into training plans." Sam Quek added: "Sport for me is magical. It's for everyone. To any female involved in sport who has been told they're too much – you're not, you're you. And to any female who has been told we're not enough, we are enough."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Taylor deserves place in Hall of Fame
Josh Taylor's accomplishment in becoming undisputed world champion should be recognised as "one of the great British sporting feats ever" and the Scot is deserving a place in boxing's Hall of Fame, according to Carl Frampton. The 34-year-old is retiring from the sport on medical grounds after a career in which he won Commonwealth Games silver and gold medals for Scotland, represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and became the first – and so far only – male fighter from the UK to capture all four world titles in a single division. "Josh should be proud of everything he's done in his career, especially becoming an undisputed champion," former world champion Frampton said. Taylor 'sadly' announces retirement over eye issue Boxing schedule and results 2025 Watch every Born to Brawl episode "We see how much of a big deal it is that people make of the undisputed heavyweight champion when Oleksander Usyk beat Daniel Dubois at the weekend. Josh Taylor was undisputed in 18 fights - that's unbelievable. Hard to fathom, really. "So I think that's what people should remember Josh for. It literally doesn't happen unless you're someone like a Vasiliy Lomachenko or a Usyk or someone like that. That's the calibre of fighter that achieves this. "Josh Taylor becoming undisputed champion in 18 fights in a marquee division, not down at light-flyweight where nobody fights or anything like that, a marquee division, should be recognised as one of the great British sporting feats ever. "Undisputed light-welterweight champion in 18 fights is Hall of Fame behaviour, I think." Taylor and Frampton, a former two-weight world champion, trained alongside each other when both were under Shane McGuigan's wing, with the Scot making his professional debut on a show headlined by Frampton in Texas back in 2015. "I was there the whole way, pretty much," Frampton told BBC Scotland. "Josh is a great friend of mine and he's a good person as well. And he does a lot of good things behind the scenes, which people don't see. Josh is just a good fella. "I'm very, very proud that I was able to witness some of his greatness up close and personal." More boxing from the BBC Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
