Four-time British Olympian Paula Radcliffe has secured the Six Star Medal upon completing the Boston Marathon.
Radcliffe, 51, finished Monday’s race with a time of 2 hours 53 minutes 44 seconds, placing her 117th out of 12,447 women that took part.
The Six Star Medal is awarded to runners who complete all six of the world marathon majors: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.
Radcliffe retired from competitive running in 2015 and in March completed her first marathon in a decade when she ran in Tokyo.
The Briton held the women’s marathon world record for 16 years from 2003 with a time of 2:15:25 before it was broken by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei in 2019.
Radcliffe is a three-time winner of both the London and New York City marathons, and won Chicago in 2002.
Her first international medal came in Boston in 1992, when she won gold in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships.
On Monday, Sharon Lokedi won the Boston women’s race in 2:17:22, with the Kenyan breaking the course record of 2:19:59 from 2014 by over two-and-a-half minutes.
BBC Radio 2 star Jo Whiley discussed the family’s tough decision to place her sister Frances into a Mencap-run home, as well as her worries about Frances’ wellbeing
Radio 2’s Jo Whiley shares new health update on sister’s move to care home
BBC Radio 2 star Jo Whiley shared a positive update with fans after her sister was moved into a residential care home. She said her sister, Frances, who has a rare genetic disorder called cri du chat syndrome, is in the best place of her life after moving into the home.
Jo discussed the family’s tough decision to place Frances into a Mencap-run home as well as her worries about Frances’ wellbeing. She revealed: “So many people who were carers or had children or siblings in care said it was such a relief to see that, because it is so hard relinquishing someone you love to somebody else’s care.
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Jo shared an update on her sister’s move into a car home(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking to Saga Magazine, the radio star continued: “You worry so much. The one constant throughout my life is whether Frances is happy, and that awful feeling of, ‘Oh God, is she being looked after? ‘”
“We’ve tried many different homes. Frances doesn’t sleep easily – she won’t sleep in her bedroom, she has tantrums, so you need a place that’s very tolerant of challenging behaviour and knows how to manage things like her running away.
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“But right now she’s probably the best she’s ever been. “
She previously shared a clip from the home earlier this year(Image: jowhiley)
Earlier this year, Jo took to her Instagram page to share a video one of the care staff took of Frances listening to Jo’s BBC show while sitting at the dinner table with a couple of Furby toys on the table.
Jo captioned the post: “I just wanted to share this because it’s so lovely and brilliant on many levels. My sister Frances lives in a residential care home. One of her brilliant support workers, Sarah sent me this film of Frances listening to my radio show last week.
“She heard me say it was Peter Gabriel’s 75th Birthday and then play ‘Don’t Give Up’ so you can hear her say ‘Happy Birthday Gabriel! ! ’ and then she sings along to the song accompanied by her beloved day-glo Furbies who look like they’re really going for it!
“Fantastic heart-melting stuff that I just wanted to share. Glimpses of life like this is invaluable to anyone who has a family member living in the care of others. “
The star continued: “If you do work in the care system – please know you are massively appreciated and the role you play in the lives of families is huge.“Also the power of music and radio to bring joy and connectivity – never to be underestimated.”
Fearne Cotton, Davina McCall, Rachel Pridmore, Gaby Roslin and more took to the comment section to share their support for Jo, with Gaby writing: “This is beautiful.”
“I work in the care industry, and feel it’s a pleasure and honour to work with the people I do! ! I love the feeling, some days, of going home and feeling I’ve made a difference to someone’s life,” one person commented.
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Haiti Couleurs and champion jockey-elect Sean Bowen held off a strong finish from Any Second Now to claim victory in the Irish Grand National.
The 13-2 second favourite came into the race having won the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last month, then under Ben Jones.
The Rebecca Curtis-trained eight-year-old and Bushmans Pass were the leading pair from the early stages at Fairyhouse before the latter fell back to the pack.
That left Any Second Now (17-2) as the main challenger but, after also finishing second in the race last year, the 13-year-old could not close the gap with Haiti Couleurs winning by three and a quarter lengths.
Favourite Quai De Bourbon (11-2), ridden by Paul Townend, finished third with Dunboyne (22-1) in fourth.
John F. Kennedy’s grandson has bizarrely claimed US Vice President JD Vance is responsible for the death of Pope Francis. Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced the sad news the Pope passed away at around 7. 30am. The 88-year-old has suffered health issues for several months after being admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome for treatment for bronchitis on February 14 which developed into double pneumonia.
JD had met with the late Pontiff on Easter Sunday, just hours before he tragically died on Easter Monday. But in a bizarre social media trend, Vance has been dubbed the “anti-Christ”. In post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jack Schlossberg said: “Okay JD killed the pope. “
His post which has been viewed over 283,000 times was soon flooded with messages of criticism. One user said: “Your words are shameful. ” A second added: “Are you kidding with this? Just not funny – total disrespect. ” A third fumed: “No, Johnny. Maybe it’s time to back off. “
Pope Francis I has died at the age of 88 (Anadolu via Getty Images)
For round the clock updates on the death of Pope Francis, click here to read our live blog.
“Insensitive. You should know better,” commented another. JD, who converted to Catholicism as an adult had a private audience with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, having attended mass earlier in the day. Their meeting was not part of Vance’s schedule for his trip to Italy but sources have claimed that having a few moments with the Pontiff was a personal goal for him.
The pair sat with one another for a “brief” chat and a photo opportunity on Sunday. During the brief meeting, video of which showed polite but subdued greetings on behalf of Francis, Mr Vance thanked him for agreeing to see him.
He told him: “I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you in better health. Thank you for seeing me. ” The Vatican said the two met “to exchange Easter greetings”, with the Pope offering three big Easter eggs for Mr Vance’s children, who were not there, with the Vice President’s motorcade spending a total of 17 minutes on Vatican land.
US Vice President JD Vance met with His Holiness on Easter Sunday at the Vatican (Getty Images)
Before he left, Mr Vance could be heard saying: “I pray for you every day. God bless you. ” Following the news of Francis’ death, JD has since taken to X to share a statement. The controversial Vice President said: “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul. ” He shared a moment of prayer given by the late head of the Catholic Church on Friday, March 27, 2020 – when the world was gripped by the coronavirus pandemic.
Confirming the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Ferrel released a statement. It read: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7. 35am, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.
JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg has been widely criticised for his controversial comment on social media (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God. “
In his last post on X, the Pope gave the message people are not made for death – but for life. He wrote on Sunday: “Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life. “
Earlier this month Pope Francis, whose birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, met with King Charles and wife Queen Camilla who enjoyed a surprise private meeting at the Vatican and were “delighted” he “was well enough to host them”. They met for around 20 minutes, with Royal sources saying the Pope took the opportunity to wish Their Majesties a happy anniversary on the day marking their 20 years of marriage.
Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. At high school, he earned a chemical technician’s diploma before entering the Jesuit novitiate in March 1958. He became a Catholic priest in 1969. Four years later, he was appointed superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina. In 1992, Pope John Paul II – who was pope from 1978 until his death in 2005 – named him an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and then in 1997, he was promoted to coadjutor archbishop. He became head of the archdiocese in 1998 and three years later, Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals.
On March 13, 2013, he became pope at the age of 76, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope in 600 years to resign from office.
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The four Serie A matches scheduled to take place on Monday have been postponed to a later date following the death of Pope Francis, the Italian top flight said in a statement.
Udinese’s game at Torino, Fiorentina’s visit to Cagliari, Genoa’s match against Lazio and Juventus’ trip to Parma will be rescheduled to an unspecified date.
The games will have to fit into a congested finish to the season, potentially clashing with the Champions League semi-finals.
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Serie A also postponed matches in its youth league.
The Italian football federation (FIGC) announced that all games across professional and amateur football on Monday would be rescheduled to a later date.
The FIGC hailed the Pope as “an example of Christian charity and dignity in suffering, always close to the world of football”.
The Vatican said Pope Francis, a keen football fan, died aged 88 on Monday.
Leicester City captain Jamie Vardy has described his club’s season as “miserable” and a “total embarrassment” after their relegation from the Premier League.
Leicester’s 1-0 defeat by Liverpool on Sunday confirmed an immediate return to the Championship, meaning they have been relegated from the top flight in two of the past three seasons.
“No words I have can ever express my feelings of anger and sadness with the way this season has gone. There are no excuses,” Vardy wrote on social media.
“Having been at this club for so long, we’ve experienced so many highs and successes – and this season has been nothing but miserable and for me personally, a total embarrassment. It hurts, and I know you’re feeling it too.
“To the fans: I’m sorry. Sorry we haven’t performed. “
Striker Vardy was part of the Leicester side that won the Premier League title in 2015-16, before reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016-17 and winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021.
Leicester are 19th in the Premier League table having won just 18 points from 33 games.
Their fortunes did not improve after appointing Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager in November, and the Foxes are now unable to match the 34 point-tally that saw them relegated two years ago.
Vardy has made 496 appearances for Leicester since joining the club from Fleetwood Town in 2012.
