Ben Stokes produced two match-winning innings but Dina Asher-Smith made history and Lewis Hamilton got title No 6Stride by stride, second by second, Dina Asher-Smith had a 2019 for the ages. To win one world athletics medal would have been staggering enough. To become the first Briton to leave with three from the same championships was a monumental statement of intent. Best of all was her 200m gold in 21.88sec, a time so fast it smashed her national record and made her the first British woman to win a global sprint title. Further silvers in the 100m and 4x100m highlighted the potential for more glory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. No wonder Sebastian Coe has predicted she will be the...
Raheem Sterling, Lewis Hamilton and Ben Stokes have used social media to fight back against a hostile pressLet’s begin with Bob Nudd. Now, this may seem a strange place to start an article about the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards when the show has come up with its strongest shortlist since the 2012 Olympics and, in all honesty, even Bob himself seemed a bit surprised when I called him up this past week to talk about it. “You can probably guess why I’m calling,” I started. “No,” he stopped. “Is it something to do with the election?” Not the election Bob, but the other big vote. The one you should have won, back in 1991 when Nudd, four‑times...
England’s manager has handled the Raheem Sterling incident well but cynics might argue it was an easy step for this fixtureGareth Southgate and England have just dealt with a modern problem in a pleasingly modern way. Over the course of 999 previous internationals it stretches credulity to imagine nothing like the contretemps between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez has been seen before, but the vast majority of England get-togethers took place in eras when it was perfectly possible and reasonable to hush things up and keep any small-scale disturbances in house.These days that is not so easy, and before social media could have a field day with speculation and jigsaw identification England fronted up and laid the matter to rest....
Manchester City midfielder’s myriad skills look set to provide Sterling with all he needs to score 30 goals this seasonPep Guardiola has challenged Raheem Sterling to score 30 goals this season and with four in his first two games the England forward is well ahead of schedule.Sterling opened the scoring in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham with a header, hardly his forte, though so inviting was the cross from Kevin De Bruyne he could almost have beaten Hugo Lloris with his eyes shut. It is probably reasonable to conclude that if the Manchester City captain stays fit this season and continues this level of assistance, Sterling will smash his personal goals target even if dropping points in their first home...
Emphatic win against Watford showcased Pep Guardiola’s men at their well-grooved best, full of invention and good habitsWelcome to the new order. Domestic games: played 51, won 43. Domestic trophies: three out of three. Five goal hauls: eleven. Defeats since Christmas: one.Scan the history books, fan back to the big city clubs of Victorian times, linger on the red-shirted eras of the last 50 years. English domestic football has never seen anything quite like this single-season hit from Manchester City. It turns out we really do all live in a sky blue world now. Continue reading...