Monthly Archives

January 2025

All the news from the world of winter sports as Robinson, Noël, Crawford and Odermatt claim impressive victories – Red Bull Media

written by Hugh

Welcome to our weekly round-up of the thrilling world of winter sports, where the excitement of the FIS events and other global competitions has kept fans on the edge of their seats. From the snow-covered slopes to the icy tracks, here’s your dose of high-speed action, skilful manoeuvres and thrilling performances from around the world.

Here’s all you need to know: FIS ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP

January 26: Kitzbühel, Austria– Clément Noël moved to the top of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Slalom standings after clinching his fourth win of the season. The Frenchman was fourth after the first round but produced a scintillating second run to finish nine-hundredths of a second ahead of Alex Vinatzer.

The Italian also had plenty to celebrate after climbing from 11th to second – his best-ever result in 70 World Cup slaloms.- Noël, 27, said: “Kitzbuhel has been my favourite for a really long time, but the last time I won here was in 2019 and then I struggled a lot in the last few races. My biggest goal of the season is still the World Championships, but Kitzbuhel is just behind.

It’s so important for me so I’m really happy to be here and to win here.”- There was also an impressing showing in Sunday’s Slalom from Lucas Pinheiro Braathen who claimed third place. The Brazilian, one of the most charismatic skiers of his generation, only returned to competitive racing in October of last year after choosing to come out of retirement.- Pinheiro Braathan, who has now collected two Slalom podiums this season, said: “Honestly, I was so disappointed and just to say for the record, I would be proud of a fifth in Kitzbühel or a sixth-place or whatever… but I have a third and I have a second on this hill and it’s my dream to walk out with a Golden Gams one day. It’s missing on my shelf back home and I wanted it so bad.

“January 25: Kitzbühel, Austria- James Crawford secured the first World Cup win of his career with a masterful display in the iconic Downhill event at Kitzbühel. Victory came at the 112th time of asking for the Canadian who delivered a perfect run to finish clear of Switzerland’s Alexis Monney in second and compatriot Cameron Alexander in third.- Crawford, 27, said: It’s been a dream of mine to win the classics. I was really happy that I was able to bring my best skiing today. I feel like I have been struggling to do so this year and for it to come in Kitzbühel, for it to be enough to win, it means a lot.

“January 25: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany– Sophia Goggia missed out on victory by the smallest of margins as she took second place in Saturday’s Downhill in Garmisch. The Italian finished just 0.01 seconds behind compatriot Federica Brignone but was well clear of Corinne Suter in third.- Remarkably, Goggia dislocated her shoulder while racing and was still able to finish in second. Discussing the injury, she said: “I didn’t know how to keep the position in the last part because I couldn’t move the arm, and so I was a bit in difficulty and this affected my race. I have to stabilise it, but it’s really no problem. But if you ski down with a shoulder out, it’s not so comfy.

“January 24: Kitzbühel, Austria– Marco Odermatt claimed a first-ever victory in Kitzbühel as he won his second Super G race of the season. The Swiss superstar finished 0.11s clear of Austria’s Raphael Haaser, while teammate Stefan Rogentin claimed third place.- Odermatt, 27, said: “I knew it was a good run from the top to the bottom. Not the best I could show. I think in the middle section and the traverse, I could ski better. But this is Super G. I guess it’s very difficult; the most difficult discipline to have a perfect run from the first until the last gate.

”January 21: Kronplatz, Italy– New Zealand’s Alice Robinson claimed her first FIS World Cup victory in four years on Tuesday when she came back from fifth in the giant slalom first run to shock the field – a fourth World Cup win of her career. The Kiwi produced a sensational second run to finish 0.56s ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami in second with American Paula Moltzan third and Albanian 18-year-old Lara Colturi just off the podium in a superb fourth.- Robinson, 23, said: “It’s been four years since I last won and there were definitely some times in those four years where I wasn’t sure if I was going to win again, so to be back and winning here is just so special. My family’s here to watch, and I guess it’s just a lot.

“Explore more Winter Sports content HERE.

26th January 2025 0 comment

Equestrian

The Queen hosts a celebration of equestrian and para equestrian success from Paris 2024

written by Hugh

On the evening of Wednesday 22 January, athletes, owners, grooms and support staff attended a reception at Clarence House, hosted by British Equestrian Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, to celebrate their achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games last summer.

Her Majesty met first with eventing team gold medallist Rosalind Canter, the multi-medal-winning para dressage squad of Natasha Baker OBE, Mari Durward-Akhurst, Sophie Wells OBE and Georgia Wilson, and travelling reserve athletes Yasmin Ingham and Andrew Gould. They were joined by Performance Director Helen Nicholls and the Performance Managers from dressage and para dressage.

Escorted by Helen Nicholls and Chief Executive Jim Eyre, Her Majesty also took time to talk with a number of horse owners and grooms, acknowledging the vital roles they played in the teams’ successes on the field of play at Chateau de Versailles. Many of the practitioners and support staff from British Equestrian’s World Class Programme were also in attendance and had the opportunity to reminisce with Her Majesty about the build-up to the Games and their time in Paris.

In a speech to draw the evening to a close, Jim Eyre expressed his gratitude to Her Majesty for her kind hospitality, her enduring support for the equestrian community and for her continued Patronage of British Equestrian, which was confirmed to be retained in May 2024 and is much valued by the Federation.

He also took the opportunity to thank the athletes for their hard work and determination during their performances at the Games. He went on to pay tribute to the owners, who are the backbone of our sport, and the grooms who dedicate their lives to the wellbeing of their equine charges. He ended by recognising the ‘team behind the team’ – the support staff, the Performance Managers and the practitioners, who all work tirelessly to ensure the athletes and horses can perform to their best on the world stage.

Her Majesty then addressed the gathering: “I would like to reiterate exactly what Jim said. I’m so proud to be your patron and what you achieved in Paris made us all feel very proud to be British. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, but I was watching every bit of it on television and it really did bring tears to the eyes. Thank you to the whole team for everything you do.”

Jim Eyre then presented Her Majesty with a commemorative book of photographs, which captured key moments and the team spirit from both Games for her collection.

23rd January 2025 0 comment

TSF News

New Coaching Hub

written by Hugh

The Women’s Sport Collective’s Coaching Hub provides cross-sport networking for female sports coaches working in elite sport.

The Coaching Hub is part of an industry wide initiative funded by Sport England and led by Women in Sport, in a growing movement to drive systematic change for women in coaching.

Membership of the Coaching Hub is free and open to all women coaching at regional or national level with athletes in the talent or performance pathway, or who are coaching elite or professional athletes.

Members will have access to online networking sessions, a dedicated WhatsApp group, newsletters and personal development webinars within the Women’s Sport Collective’s new career acceleration programme.

https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/join-the-coaching-hub

They will also have the chance to learn from six incredible Patrons of the Coaching Hub:

Hope Powell CBE (football) former Manager of the Lionesses and GB team
Jenny Meadows (athletics) coach to Olympic Champion Keely Hodgkinson and BBC SPOTY Coach of the Year
Giselle Mather (rugby) Head Coach of GB Women’s 7s
Judy Murray OBE (tennis) former Fed Cup Captain
Mel Marshall MBE (swimming) former coach to triple Olympic Champion Adam Peaty OBE
Jess Thirlby (netball) Head Coach of the England Roses

22nd January 2025 0 comment

Motor Sports

Dakar Rally – DAY 14: Stage 11 – January 16, 2025

written by Hugh

Australian Daniel Sanders has a nine-minute bike lead heading into Friday’s final Stage 12 after his challengers went all out to cut the gap in Thursday’s penultimate Stage 11. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider saw nearest rival Tosha Schareina take 7m31s out of him with Argentine Luciano Benavides and Adrien Van Beveren also making inroads.

– With just one stage left in the Empty Quarter Desert to navigate safely for his first Dakar title after leading from the Prologue, Sanders, 30, revealed: “Tomorrow, we’ve got 60km in the sand dunes. Tonight I’m going to look at changing the bike set-up a little bit, I wasn’t fully happy with it today. The focus will be on having a good day.”

– As teenage Spaniard Edgar Canet looks to close out a memorable Rally2 title victory tomorrow, Sanders’ teammate Benavides has an outside shot at finishing on the bike podium with 6m26s separating him from Frenchman Van Beveren in third place. Benavides, 29, admitted: “It’s been a tough Dakar. Everyone who has made it into the Top 10 has done a really good job. The competition has been strong.”

– There was not much of a time change in the Ultimate class standings, even though Mattias Ekström of Ford M-Sport edged out Nasser Al-Attiyah of the Dacia Sandriders for his first 2025 Dakar stage win by 41 seconds after five-time winner Al-Attiyah suffered two flat tyres that cost him precious time. Swede Ekström, who holds a 4m16s advantage in third place over the Qatari in fourth, said: “I was pushing all stage. It’s been a very competitive two weeks with lots of tough challenges along the way.”

– American Mitch Guthrie Jr. continued to enjoy his Ultimate class rookie ride with the Californian bringing home his Ford Raptor T1+ in fourth spot on the day to place fifth overall. The 28-year-old said: “There were some tough areas to navigate and get up the dunes on this stage. We kept it moving, made some passes and I feel like we did alright.”

– With Saudi driver Dania Akeel impressing again with third after her Stage 10 triumph, Gonçalo Guerreiro’s Challenger class title tilt suffered a blow as he lost over 45 minutes to Argentine leader Nicolas Cavigliasso – the gap between him and third-placed Spaniard Pau Navarro now less than 20 minutes.

– Chilean Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López moved up to second in the SSV class after Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait suffered a nightmare day with the Dakar convoy convening for a mass Stage 12 start on Friday before charging towards one final finish line and the trophy presentations.

2025 Dakar Rally selected overall standings after Stage 11

Ultimate

1. Yazeed Al Rajhi (SAU) 51:53.36

2. Henk Lategan (ZAF) +06.11

3. Mattias Ekström (SWE) +22.34

4. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) +26.50

5. Mitch Guthrie Jr. (USA) +59.26

9. Seth Quintero (USA) +2:19.47

12. Rokas Baciuška (LTU) +3:40.19

14. Lucas Moraes (BRA) +5:27.55

18. Guillaume De Mévius (BEL) +8:04.02

41. Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) +38:42.40

43. Nani Roma (ESP) +70:14.08

Challenger

1. Nicolas Cavigliasso (ARG) 56:44.09

2. Gonçalo Guerreiro (POR) +1:11.36

3. Pau Navarro (ESP) +1:30.11

20. Corbin Leaverton (USA) +34:31.41

28. Dania Akeel (SAU) +73:04.22

SSV

1. Brock Heger (USA) 58:04.54

2. Francisco López (CHL) +2:06.00

3. Alexandre Pinto (POR) +3:37.06

Bike

1. Daniel Sanders (AUS) 52:13.34

2. Tosha Schareina (ESP) +9.00

3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) +15.50

4. Luciano Benavides (ARG) +22.16

8. Edgar Canet (ESP) +1:39.09

Bike (Rally2)

1. Edgar Canet (ESP) 53:52.43

2. Tobias Ebster (AUT) +35.08

3. Romain Dumontier (FRA) +1:22.53

Learn More About the 2025 Dakar Rally Event HERE.

16th January 2025 0 comment

Pick Your Sport

Goalscorers: Facts and Feats, Records, Top Scorers – Neil Beacom

written by Hugh

Do you follow the beautiful game?

Over the years there has been many a discussion and lots of arguments about the most important player on the pitch. When everyone settles down and reality sets in we tend to all agree that it is the goal scorer.

Neil has continued his extensive research, which originally showcased the 50 Greatest Goal scorers, and has now produced an encyclopaedia of football knowledge with the specific focus on the goal scorers throughout history.

You will be astonished by the level of research which has allowed Neil to compile the 500 Pages on the magic and importance of goal scoring over decades.

The book is the ultimate football companion and an appreciation of the History of Goal scoring. It features English and Scottish league club goal records and the top Scorers for every season in every division in English football and the top scorers in the Scottish, Welsh leagues plus the Irish League & League of Ireland Domestic cups.

British clubs who have played in European club competitions and the Euros and World Cups have all been included.

It is simply an profile of 700 players in the history of British football including One Goal Wonders, Partnerships, Derbies & Rivalries. The Facts and Feats are all here – the list is endless.

It can be used to gain a clear and concise understanding of the goal scorer and it is easy to navigate with an A-Z layout.

If you love football and want to know everything about goals then buy this book:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/goalscorers/neil-beacom//9781835635285

15th January 2025 0 comment

Football

Jürgen Klopp Starts New Role as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer

written by Hugh

Jürgen Klopp started his new position as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, saying he was excited to be working in a multi-club, multi-sports set-up for the first time, and with a pledge to deliver: fire on the pitch, entertainment for the fans and a long-term vision for the clubs under his leadership.

“I want people to see us playing and without reading the name on the shirt, they should feel it – they should know (we’re Red Bull)” Klopp said at the Hangar-7 exhibition space in Salzburg, where he made his first media appearance since assuming the role at the start of January.

He added: “What I want to do is develop football – develop football for our clubs, for our players, for our talents, but for football itself as well. Somebody has to take care of that. So yes, helping football, and in the same moment, being successful with Red Bull in the long term is super appealing to me.”

Klopp began his coaching career with Mainz 05 in Germany in 2001, going on to find success at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. Among his collection of titles are the Premier League, Bundesliga, Champions League, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, and FIFA Club World Cup.

His new role is his first since bidding an emotional farewell to Liverpool in May 2024, and will call on his experience to provide strategic vision to Red Bull Soccer.

“I’ve been a leader for the last three decades, but I want to listen, I want to feel, I want to learn, I want to understand what the people did so far because I can tell you they all did a brilliant job so far. It’s not that we’re starting from scratch. But to bring it all together, I think that’s a real challenge, to be honest, and that’s what we try to do.”

Describing himself as a “sports person first and foremost”, Klopp also said he was eager to learn from Red Bull’s involvement with multiple sports and athletes and looked forward to making a long-term impact across the clubs and on the global game as a whole.

“When you’re in the job, you have no time for that because you play every three days, and it’s just winning, winning, winning, or dealing with defeat. So now I’m free of that. I have time and energy for all the other stuff. That’s why it was an easy decision for me. It’s a sports decision, and I always loved the Red Bull sports idea. It’s exciting, it’s adventurous, it’s innovative, and I want to be part of that, and now I am.”

Klopp has a long track record of putting his trust in young players, and he is eager to continue his work in developing talent at Red Bull.

“I always had this kind of idea about making people better, putting your arms under their wings, to really make them better. That was always my idea, so that’s no different. The only thing I did before was I always worked with one club, and now we have a few more.

“In my mind, we want to be special, and I really want to help the people to live that.”

Klopp is also renowned for what he once referred to as “heavy metal” football. He insists that a similar kind of intensity will be essential on the pitch at Red Bull, but he’s mindful that a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t necessarily work at clubs in different parts of the world.

“You cannot just put one idea on different cultures,” he explained. “You have to feel what’s right for that. What I said before: I want us to be more intense. (…) I want people to see us playing (and) without reading the name on the shirt, they should feel it; they should know it. That’s really lively. So, yeah, there will be some fire, I’d say.”

Red Bull’s involvement in multiple sports and with athletes across the world means Klopp can look forward to meeting and sharing ideas with some of the most talented, innovative and successful sportspeople around. Among the inspiring individuals Klopp is eager to meet is Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who clinched his fourth successive world title in 2024.

“There are so many things to talk about!” Klopp said. “Not just how focused he is, but all kinds of things. It’s really crazy. I would love to spend time with him to understand how he can do that under the threat of 300 miles an hour in a car and still be in his absolute best mindset. Super interesting.”

Watch the Replay of the Press Conference on Red Bull TV HERE

Image courtesy of Red Bull & Sky

15th January 2025 0 comment

Tennis

Rejuvenated Rybakina Targets Fresh Start With 2025 Australian Open Title Tilt

written by Hugh

Sixth seed Elena Rybakina is looking forward to taking to the Australian Open court again on Monday in her first-round clash against home hope Emerson Jones, after a mixed 2024 season that has seen her draft in fellow former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic as her coach – who helped Novak Djokovic to a period of title dominance from 2019 to 2024.

There is always magic in the air when the first Grand Slam of the year gets underway, not just the sunnier weather but also the surfing trips that often accompany it or, in the case of Rybakina, taking viral selfies with quokkas – cute marsupials from the kangaroo family – on an island near Perth.

Back on the court, the 25-year-old Kazakh has a fresh outlook and wants to attack again in 2025 starting with the Jones match which could open up a possible run to another final like 2023 thanks to a kind draw for her.

Rybakina is an ‘all around’ player who feels at home on all surfaces and comfortable playing all strokes, but she also knows that she can improve to take on the players above her in the rankings such as world number one Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus who beat her in the 2023 final.

At the United Cup in Perth, the dress rehearsal for the Australian Open, Rybakina and her teammates reached the semi-finals and she put up a great fight in two hard-fought sets against world number two Iga Świątek of Poland – precisely the type of match that she needed to regain competitive toughness.

Here is what the 2022 Wimbledon champion had to say ahead of her 2025 Melbourne title tilt:

Have you done anything differently than usual ahead of the Australian Open?

“For me, the break was longer than usual. I didn’t play for nearly two months. It was a positive experience. I didn’t do this for the last five, six years, where I only had a maximum of two weeks off. Also, after many injuries, I had the chance to fully recharge my batteries. It helped a lot.

“I didn’t miss the traveling at all. Instead, I had time to see family and friends, and also spend time with my dogs. I did some wakeboarding too and I finally took some driving lessons. I will hopefully get my license by the end of this year.”

What have you worked on specifically to get yourself in the best shape possible?

“We were working a little bit on everything on the court. During the off season, it’s important to regain physical strength. I tried to get back in shape physically and I’m feeling really good now. I know how to play kind of everything on court, but some strokes I don’t use that often.

“For example, the backhand slice when in a defending position. I practiced a lot on this. This is something I will definitely use more often during my matches.”

How has Goran helped put you in the right mindset for your 2025 season?

“We are working with Goran for a month now. We went to the United Cup together and we did a good job. One thing is clear: we are still getting used to each other. We will see how it is going to go but, for now, it’s been quite good.”

Rybakina is set to compete against Australian Emerson Jones in the Australian Open on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Listen to Rybakina’s winning mindset on ‘Mind Set Win’ podcast HERE.

Words and Images courtesy of Red Bull Media

11th January 2025 0 comment