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A training session on a typical Manchester morning can be a gloomy affair.

With the sky hanging low and rain always a threat, it is a far cry from the sunshine Melvine Malard grew up with 6,000 miles away on the tiny island of Reunion.

But the moment the France forward walks into Carrington, any hint of cloud shifts.

Malard has quickly become a cult figure at Manchester United, not just for her impact on the pitch but for the infectious energy she has brought since first arriving at the club on loan in 2023.

“I think I change the energy here,” Malard tells BBC Sport.

“I like to enjoy football. I like to play free. Football is work but firstly it is the passion and the fans. I think they understand my energy and my vibes.”

The 25-year-old’s level of enthusiasm is something her team-mates have had to adjust to.

“Sometimes I come to the meeting and scream ‘Hello everybody!’ and everyone replies, ‘Mel, calm down!'” she says.

“I say, ‘Why? I’m coming here, so I’m happy’. Some people are a little bit the same – Jayde [Riviere], but not a lot… Millie [Turner], sometimes she tries but not the same as me.

“I’m a very happy person and positive. When you’re with me, you’re not bored!”

Equally as striking as Malard’s personality is her journey from the 39 by 28 mile island in the middle of the Indian Ocean to England via a stopover in France – an achievement worth celebrating on International Women’s Day.

She was only 14 when Sonia Bompastor first spotted her in a tournament in Paris and that brief encounter was enough for the now Chelsea manager to make the call that changed Malard’s life.

Eleven years on, Malard will face her former mentor with silverware on the line when United seek the first Women’s League Cup in their history against the Blues in the final at Ashton Gate on 15 March.

She has been central to United’s success this season, helping them to second place in the Women’s Super League and into the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League where they will play Bayern Munich later this month.

She has been involved in nine WSL goals for Marc Skinner’s side – with only Jess Park having more involvements – while she is also their joint-top scorer in Europe with three.

With a population of just 900,000, Reunion is better known for its volcanoes, wildlife and tropical climate rather than professional footballers.

On the men’s side, former West Ham star Dimitri Payet and Newcastle winger Laurent Robert are two that fans may remember – but those that make it all the way form a short list.

Growing up, Malard tried her hand at boxing, karate, judo and handball before discovering football.

“When I tried football, I said ‘that is my sport’ because I could put in a lot of energy and could play free,” she says.

She began playing in the island’s capital for Saint-Denis FC before the chance meeting with Bompastor, who was managing the Lyon academy at the time.

“She tells me, ‘Mel, I like you, come to Lyon’. I had two months to think but I said yes right away because it was a big opportunity in my life,” Malard says.

The transition from sunny Reunion to the bitter winters of Lyon all alone at the age of 14 was a shock to her system.

“It was so difficult but I knew what I wanted and I knew it was football,” she says. “Every morning and every night, I would put my boots on, go to the pitch and I would be happy.”

Seizing those early opportunities has paid off handsomely for Malard – three league titles, four Champions League medals and the experience of playing alongside some of the best in the world at Lyon and the France national team.

Now, in Manchester, she is continuing to love her experiences – despite that gloomy weather.

“Every time I pass Old Trafford, it’s a dream for me,” Malard says. “The people are so nice when I play football, singing my name at the stadium. The club is very big, has a lot of history and I enjoy it a lot here.”

And it will be a full-circle moment for Malard against Chelsea, managed by Bompastor, in the cup final.

“I’m excited, it’s good for us and this club deserve that,” says Malard, who featured in the 4-0 win against Tottenham in the 2023-24 FA Cup final as United lifted their first major women’s trophy.

“I’m also excited to play against my [former] coach. If we win, we put the name again in history and that is what we want.

George Russell took a comfortable victory in the Australian Grand Prix at the start of a new era of Formula 1 after a brief early scrap with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Russell and Leclerc staged a close fight for the first 10 laps with frequent lead changes before Ferrari’s decision to stay out during a virtual safety car period took them out of contention for the win.

The Briton led home team-mate Kimi Antonelli while Leclerc had to be satisfied with the final podium position ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

“I’m feeling incredible, it was a hell of a fight at the beginning. We knew it was going to be challenging and I got on the grid and I saw my battery level had nothing in the tank,” said Russell.

“I made a bad start and obviously some really tight battles with Charles, so I was really glad to cross the finish line.”

McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris finished fifth, fending off a challenge in the closing laps from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.

Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri crashed on his way to the grid of his home race, losing control over a kerb and getting a spike of unexpected power to spin into the wall.

Arvid Lindblad, 18, became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and impressed on his debut to take eighth behind countryman Oliver Bearman in the Haas.

The key stories of a race that faded in interest after early excitement were:

Russell’s pole position – 0.8 seconds clear of the fastest non-Mercedes car – had sent shockwaves through the paddock on Saturday but the race was initially much closer than qualifying.

Both Ferrari drivers made their expected electric starts, and Leclerc vaulted from fourth on the grid to take the lead at the first corner.

Russell powered past the Ferrari on lap two between Turns 10 and 11 by using extra electrical energy.

But Leclerc was not to go down without a fight and drove past the Mercedes in a similar fashion on the run to Turn Nine on lap three.

Russell tracked Leclerc closely. He challenged for the lead into Turn One on lap nine only for the Ferrari driver to fend him off and leave Russell to fight to retain his position from Hamilton, who by now had joined the leading train of cars.

Antonelli, who had dropped to seventh at the start before fighting back past Norris, Lindblad and Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, then joined them to make it four cars in the leading group after 10 laps, and they circulated together until Hadjar retired on lap 12.

The Frenchman, who had been running fifth, pulled off on the back straight, bringing out the virtual safety car, usually the trigger for teams to pit and benefit from the reduced time loss compared with pitting under racing conditions.

But while Russell and Antonelli pitted, Leclerc and Hamilton did not. Hamilton immediately questioned the call, saying over the radio: “At least one of us should have pitted.”

Instead, they ran long, sticking to their pre-race plan of a one-stop strategy.

By the time Leclerc pitted on lap 25, Russell was only five seconds behind him, and the Ferrari emerged 14 seconds adrift of the lead.

When the virtual safety car was called, Leclerc was approaching the pit lane entry. There was just about time to call him in had the team reacted quickly – as they arguably should have been prepared to do with Hadjar’s car where it was.

Stopping Hamilton would have been more comfortable, but they chose not do that either. They could have stopped the next time around, with the VSC still operating, but again both Ferraris stayed out.

Perhaps the team felt Mercedes would struggle to make it to the end with a single stop, but in the end it was no problem, and there will be questions as to whether Ferrari should have committed to staying in the lead fight given how they seemed able to match Mercedes at the time.

Leclerc said he did not think they could have won and that third was the best he could have done.

But while he made no ground on either Mercedes, nor did he lose significant ground, so there are indications Ferrari can challenge Mercedes in coming races.

The swapping of positions between Leclerc and Russell in the early laps looked exciting on the surface.

The overtakes were not in the traditional sense – of a driver diving down the inside into a corner by braking later than his rival, or gaining by exiting the previous one faster.

Instead, they were using the new “boost” and “overtake” modes, giving more electrical energy for short periods.

The place-swapping and close racing was a consequence of one boosting while the other was recharging his battery pack having previously boosted.

It also made it hard for one of them to break away, as well as compromising their overall pace. It was, according to Ferrari team boss Frederic Vassuer, “a good start” but it remains to be seen what F1’s audience will make of it as the season develops.

The drivers have questioned the new regulations, and the sport’s bosses will let the first three races play out before deciding whether to tinker with the rules to try to make the cars less energy starved, and reduce what many consider to be over-involvement of electronics and energy management.

The gap between the top four and the rest was enormous – Norris finished 35 seconds behind Hamilton – but Verstappen’s potential is unclear after he crashed in qualifying.

The four-time champion started on hard tyres on an off-set strategy. He stayed out for Hadjar’s VSC but pitted under a second when Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac conked out in the pit lane entry on lap 17.

Lindblad raced impressively after a strong weekend all round and made a promising start to his F1 career.

From eighth on the grid, he passed Norris and Hamilton on the first lap and briefly held third place on the opening lap, although the seven-time champion quickly got back past.

Lindblad lost out to Bearman in the second half of the race and had to fight off a challenge from Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi in the final two laps but managed to hold on to score points on his debut. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took the final point in 10th.

Fernando Alonso was among the six retirements in the Aston Martin. He made a rocket start to run 10th briefly from 17th, but soon began to fall back as the car’s lack of pace showed.

He was pulled into the pits when the team spotted a problem mid-race, sent out again 10 laps later to collect more data, and then called in again.

1. George Russell (Mercedes)

2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

5. Lando Norris (McLaren)

6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

7. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

British number one Jack Draper fought back from a set down – and feeling “a little bit underprepared” after eight months out with injury – to get his Indian Wells title defence off to a winning start.

An early break of serve in his third set gave Draper a crucial advantage which he pressed home to overcome Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6 6-3 6-2 and move into the third round in California.

Having only returned last week following the lay-off caused by bone bruising in his left serving arm, Draper – who had a bye in the first round – was wayward early on before hitting back at the beginning of the second set.

He built a 5-2 lead in the third and saved three break points in the final game.

Draper told BBC Sport he had “mixed emotions”.

“It felt great because of such good memories here from last year but, at the same time, difficult because I am probably underprepared for this tournament compared to how I would like it to be,” he said.

“I started a little slow, but then fought back hard and found some really good level towards the end. I can only go in one direction from here.”

Draper beat Holger Rune in last year’s final to lift his first Masters 1,000 trophy but, having reached a world ranking of four, his breakout year was curtailed.

Draper says he has probably done more serving during his injury lay-off than at any other point in his career, but it was not a weapon he was always able to rely on against Bautista Agut.

Draper’s fast start to the second set was, however, the pivotal moment of the match and, even though he is still showing plenty of signs of rust, he won the decider with room to spare.

Draper’s next opponent, Francisco Cerundolo, is happiest on a clay court.

Norrie, who won the Indian Wells title in 2021, will play Australian world number six Alex de Minaur in the last 32.

“I have been having an amazing preparation,” said Norrie.

“I got here with time – a lot of time – so I’ve been practising really really well against all types of players, and the weather’s been unreal, so good vibes all around.”

World number one Carlos Alcaraz was a 6-2 6-3 winner against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, while five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic beat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 4-6 6-1 6-2 to also reach the third round.

Spaniard Alcaraz won the Australian Open this year to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, and has won all 13 of his matches in 2026.

“I played great,” he said. “The conditions weren’t easy – a lot of wind today.”

Serb Djokovic, playing for the first time since losing the Australian Open final to Alcaraz, said: “I knew that the first match in such a long time will be a little bit tricky.

Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first fighter to win UFC titles in three weight divisions when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt at the White House on 14 June.

The event, named UFC Freedom 250, was announced by US President Donald Trump last year and is being held to celebrate 250 years of American independence.

Brazil’s former middleweight champion Pereira vacated his light-heavyweight title last month to pursue a historic third belt at heavyweight.

Briton Aspinall suffered accidental eye pokes which left him needing surgery on both eyes.

Pereira’s bout with Gane, which will take place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC, will serve as the co-main event on the six-fight card.

The main event will be a unification fight between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim title holder Justin Gaethje.

Spanish-Georgian Topuria has not fought since June after dealing with personal issues following his divorce, while American Gaethje beat Britain’s Paddy Pimblett for the interim belt in January.

The White House has hosted recreational sports and events before but the UFC’s show will mark the first professional live sporting event to take place on the grounds.

The UFC is set to spend about $60m (£44.3m) on the event.

Full details are yet to be confirmed, but UFC president Dana White said he expects about 5,000 spectators on the South Lawn, with a further 85,000 watching at a nearby park called the Ellipse.

When Trump first announced plans for the UFC to host a show at the White House, although an ambitious idea, it did not come as a surprise.

White has a long-standing friendship with Trump, who held some of the early UFC shows at one of his old properties, the Trump Taj Mahal, in 2001.

The friendship blossomed, with Trump appearing as a guest at numerous UFC shows, where he is the guest of honour with his own walk-out moment.

The friendship is compounded by White’s public endorsement of the president, and he became a key ally during the 2024 election campaign.

It is here where the lines between sport and politics blur, with the UFC – through the voice of White, who acts as the promotion’s mouthpiece – providing a platform for Trump’s politics.

Trump benefits by aligning himself with the UFC, which is embedded in themes like patriotism, toughness and machoism, because it leans into the image many of his political fans arguably support.

The UFC benefits from the relationship by reaching audiences through Trump’s global public platform when he attends shows and publicly endorses fighters, such as Colby Covington and Jon Jones.

Trump’s government also provide a powerful ally as the UFC seeks to tighten its grip on MMA in the US and be given the same opportunity in boxing.

The UFC has faced challenges to its business practices, paying out £281m in a 2025 lawsuit and facing two more from former fighters.

As Trump fronts the US-Israeli strikes in Iran and his approval rating at home falls, UFC White House may be a welcome distraction – and boost – for Trump on his birthday.