Latest news with #marathonrunner
Wall Street Journal
30-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Celsius Looks Beyond Fitness Buffs in New Marketing Campaign
Energy-drink maker Celsius is reaching beyond its core audience of athletes and other gym-goers in what it says is its biggest ad campaign yet. ' is meant to court 'the everyday high-achiever,' people who might want an energy boost in balancing a demanding career and busy home life while still chasing fitness goals, the company said. Ads will feature a firefighter and nurse, for example, along with a marathon runner.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi lobbies for sport's awareness and Paralympic inclusion
Naqi Rizvi loves the 'absolute freedom' he feels on the tennis court. Winning titles is fun, too. The 34-year-old blind tennis champion is on a mission to not only raise awareness but also elevate the sport into the Paralympics. "That would be the dream, and I'd love to be the first Paralympic champion if I can,' Rizvi said. The London resident, fully blind from the age of 7 because of congenital glaucoma, only took up the sport a decade ago and is now the No. 1-ranked men's player in the world for his category. Also an avid runner, Rizvi has completed two marathons and although jogging with a guide is great, tennis offers more. 'On a tennis court, I have absolute freedom because I know where the boundaries are, no one needs to tell me which way to turn, I don't need to have a cane or anything of this sort," he told The Associated Press during a practice session at the National Tennis Center in southwest London. "It's just the absolute sense of freedom to know that I can run comfortably, make my own decisions, and then be able to play points or rallies. It's just incredible.' How it works The rules are basically the same as mainstream tennis just with smaller dimensions and slightly lower net. Tactile lines are taped onto the court so players like Rizvi can feel the boundaries. Depending on the level of visual impairment, you are allowed up to three bounces of the ball. The foam ball contains a bell so players can audibly track it. 'What I find interesting about blind tennis is it's incredibly technical,' said Rizvi, who also possesses a big serve. The problem-solving aspect of the sport is something Rizvi enjoys — no surprise given that he studied engineering at University College London. 'You really need to anticipate after you've heard the first bounce where the second and third will be,' he said. "You obviously can't see how your opponent has hit the ball, so it's a lot of anticipation and a lot of practice and getting used to different trajectories that the ball can take. Raising awareness Rizvi didn't even know that tennis was an option until he visited Metro Blind Sport in London a decade ago. He was hooked right away. 'I can almost assure you that if you did a survey of blind and partially sighted people," he said, "the majority of them wouldn't have any idea because it's not televised, it's not in any other mainstream events, so how are people supposed to find out?' The Lawn Tennis Association supports a visually impaired program that includes practice sessions at the governing body's National Tennis Center. That's where Jack Draper, the world No. 5 player, tried out the different levels. The LTA also runs tournaments each year and sends 'Team GB' to an international competition. Rizvi noted that there's not much financial backing in the sport. There's no prize money at tournaments and players often fund their own travel. 'Unless you obviously have the visibility and the money behind it, it's really hard,' he said. 'Governing bodies need to take a more active role and try and give parity to all forms of disability tennis not just the ones that have made it big like wheelchair tennis, for example.' Paralympics and Grand Slam events Rizvi, who is married and works in finance, originally represented his native Pakistan but for the past year has been part of England's program since gaining British citizenship. He discussed his childhood — his father is Pakistani and his mother is Indian — in a TEDx Talk he gave as a student at UCL. Invented in Japan by Takei Miyoshi in 1984, blind tennis is played around the world. Last year's world championships in Italy were the largest to date with 117 players from 20 countries, the International Blind Tennis Association said. Rizvi has won several national titles, a European championship, the world championship in 2023 — as well as gold that year at the ISBA World Games. He is also the two-time defending champion of the Play Your Way to Wimbledon tournament. The International Paralympic Committee handbook spells out that the sport or discipline must be 'widely and regularly practiced' in at least 32 countries and three continents. 'I really want it to be in the Paralympics,' Rizvi said, "but I also want this to be a mainstream sport which can be part of the ATP Tour, part of Grand Slam tournaments, just like wheelchair tennis has made such amazing leaps forward. I'd love for blind tennis to be there as well because it's definitely got the potential. 'It's got the countries, the continents, the people, the passion behind it." ___
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My GP dismissed ‘common cancer symptom' because I was fit and healthy – then I was given a heartbreaking diagnosis
AS a marathon runner and someone who'd never smoked, Warren Gray wasn't worried when he developed what he thought was an innocent cough. He says his GP wasn't overly concerned either - he had no breathlessness and wasn't losing weight - and he was just prescribed antihistamines. 5 5 5 But as the cough persisted, the now 47-year-old knew it was time to push for answers, eventually discovering he had stage 3 lung cancer. Warren, from Suffolk, first developed the cough in 2021 when he was 44. Describing himself as fit and healthy, he didn't think much of it at the time, especially because it was during the Covid pandemic. "I had to test regularly in my job as cabin crew, and they always came back negative," says Warren. "I wasn't coughing up blood or anything and had no other symptoms of illness." Regardless, Warren decided in June 2021 he would go see his GP - who prescribed him antihistamines and acid reflux medication. "I first went to see my GP approximately six months after my symptoms started," he says. "My GP wasn't overly concerned to begin with as I was a marathon runner, not experiencing breathlessness or losing weight. "Initially, I was prescribed antihistamines, which didn't make any difference, and then omeprazole when I went back, as it was then thought the problem might be acid reflux." Eventually, in October, Warren went for an X-ray which came back as abnormal. I'm a doctor and these 5 changes could be a sign of deadly lung cancer In November, he had a CT scan, and a malignancy was suspected. "Within a week, I had an appointment with a consultant who said a diagnosis could not be confirmed without a biopsy," he recalls. "I had a PET scan in December, then a CT-guided biopsy and a respiratory test, and just before Christmas, a follow-up with the consultant, who said results were still inconclusive, but whatever it was would have to be removed." It wasn't the greatest Christmas for Warren, knowing he was facing lung surgery the following month. But at the same time, he was glad to be getting out whatever was there. "I was told I wouldn't lose much of my lung function and there was no sign of any spread, which was the outcome I was hoping for," he says. "However, I was worried. Worried about surgery, my recovery, my future. Was my life now going to change? Would I be still be able to do the things I love like running. "And I thought about whether I would grow old and live a long life. All the things we take for granted. All these thoughts were going through my mind." When Warren met with his surgeon, he was told he would be having robotic surgery. Robotic surgery, specifically robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS), is a minimally invasive technique used for lung cancer treatment, offering benefits like reduced pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery compared to traditional open surgery. RATS involves surgeons using a robotic system to control instruments and a 3D camera through small incisions in the chest, allowing for precise manipulation and removal of cancerous tissue. On January 27, an upper left lobectomy was performed which took eight hours. Warren says it was a challenging operation because they needed to go in so close to the pulmonary artery. 'Of course I knew it would be cancer' It wasn't until February 2022 that he finally received his diagnosis: stage 3A lung cancer. Stage 3A indicates a more advanced stage of the disease where the cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the primary tumour, but not to distant parts of the body. "Some of my lymph nodes had been taken out during the surgery, and cancer was found in two of them," says Warren. "Of course I knew it would be cancer. "I have a great relationship with my care team and although nothing could be confirmed without a conclusive biopsy it was highly suspected, so I was prepared for that. "However, I was shocked that it was stage 3A due to the fact there were some cells located in lymph nodes which I wasn't prepared for as this was not on the PET scan. "I felt in that moment that my prognosis was a lot worse and this was going to kill me. "It's difficult not to read statistics and compare yourself to others with a similar stage, but as my oncologist told me, everyone's situation and cancer journey is different, as is their treatment plan. "It was a difficult time, also because I had been grounded as cabin crew since my diagnosis, which was a challenge in itself. "I had no work to distract me from focusing on the cancer, and wondered if I would ever fly again." During his procedure, the surgeon wasn't able to remove as much of a margin around the tumour as he would have liked because of the position of it near the mediastinum. So in January 2022, he was referred to an oncologist, who prescribed four cycles of chemotherapy, three weeks apart. "While the first cycle passed without incident, I developed horrendous side effects from the second cycle onwards," he says. "My hair thinned out completely and I had fatigue and nausea, although they were well-controlled with medication, and my team did all they could to help me; the quality of my care was excellent. 5 5 "However, my scans showed the chemo, which finished in May, had been working, and in August I had four weeks of radiotherapy, 20 sessions in all, which was much easier to deal with." Warren's final treatment, a month of radiotherapy, ended in August 2022. Since then, all his scans have been clear. "My treatment took approximately eight months in total – from surgery straight onto chemo and then later radiotherapy," he says. "I was motivated to do all I could to beat this and my surgeon, oncologists and rest of the team were very supportive. "I felt very involved in the options and decisions that were available to me, as well as the risks involved. "As treatment finished, it was up to me to pick up on my life and fend for myself, which was quite difficult; I didn't have any counselling at the time and never really processed what had happened. "However, in January 2023, following four-monthly scans which were all clear, I was signed off as fit to fly again, so have been back working long-haul flights and running 15-20 miles a week. "I am living my best life again. I also started counselling to help me cope with the anxiety over whether my cancer will come back as I have been feeling agitated at every little sign of illness. "I've now completed the counselling and like anything, you only get out of it what you put in. "It was difficult at first to change my way of thinking, but after several sessions it allowed me to change my mindset and focus on living in the here and now, the present." 'Covid saved my life' Warren says cancer has changed his outlook on life, and he wants to do all he can to raise awareness and fundraise for charities like Cancer Research UK. "The first thing I did was set up a monthly donation and also a gift in my will," he adds. "I've spent my time focusing on my fitness and running and I'm planning on doing a marathon in the future. "My message to others is that you only need lungs to have lung cancer, even if you've never smoked or think you're too young." Incidence rates for lung cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 80 to 84. But Warren stresses anyone can get cancer, and would encourage people to speak to their GP if they feel something's not quite right. He adds: "I feel Covid saved my life, because had it not arisen, I might never have been concerned to find out the cause of my cough. "What I've learned about cancer is that you should never think it can't happen to you." Warren is supporting Cancer Research UK's Race for Life in partnership with Standard Life. Visit to find out more. WHAT IS LUNG CANCER? LUNG cancer is the most deadly common cancer in the UK. It is considered a common cancer alongside prostate, breast and bowel, which together make up more than half of all new cases. Around 49,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year and 35,000 die from it. Just one in 10 patients survive for a decade or more after being diagnosed and lung tumours make up 21 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK but only 13 per cent of cases. The main reason that it is so deadly is that symptoms are not obvious in the early stages. When signs do appear they may include: A cough that lasts three weeks or more, and may hurt Repeated chest infections Coughing up blood Breathlessness Unusual tiredness The NHS does not routinely screen for lung cancer but is rolling out more tests to smokers and ex-smokers at high risk, in a bid to catch it earlier. Testing may involve X-rays and chest CT scans. Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer and accounts for about 70 per cent of cases. Risk may also be higher for people who have inhaled other fumes or toxic substances at work, such as asbestos, coal smoke or silica.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
British marathon runner Holly Archer responds to critics who took aim at her event attire
Recommended Videos Published May 7, 2025 10:04pm EDT Holly Archer completed the London Marathon in less than three hours. But before she crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 39 minutes, Archer contended with some unexpected commentary related to her appearance. Archer appeared to wear a pair of running briefs as she ran the race, which apparently grabbed some fans' attention during the 26-mile event. A video shared to Archer's social media platform was inundated with comments. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Some social media users claimed the 31-year-old seemed "uncomfortable," while others argued elements of the outfit closely resembled a woman's swimsuit. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Archer caught wind of the chatter and responded to critics by asking, "Should I have worn a tracksuit?" Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
