Tarling and Charlton win world track golds for GB

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At the Track World Championships, Josh Tarling and Josh Charlton won gold for Great Britain.

In Chile, Tarling won the men’s points race with a 750-point lead over American Peter Moore (675), earning his first British gold of the championship.

Charlton, 22, added to Bradley Wiggins’ 2008 gold medal total, earning GB its first individual pursuit title.

After getting off to a strong start, 21-year-old Tarling scored maximum points in the opening sprint before running away empty.

He seized control of the lead, and he kept accumulating points, including the most points ever at sprint 11 to claim the gold medal in style.

Tarling, who debuts in the Track Worlds, becomes the first British man to win the points race since Jonathan Dibben in 2016.

Not knowing how or how it would feel for my first World Championships was frightening, Tarling said.

“It felt good,” he said. I thought it was good that I knew the legs were there when I first saw it.

Charlton, who won the championships last year, led by more than three seconds, overtaking Rasmus Pederson, who had earlier won silver.

In another area, Joe Truman won the men’s 1km time trial behind the Dutch duo of Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen to match his previous best result from 12 months ago.

After three days of action, Britain now has seven medals overall.

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Why ‘cheat code’ Farnworth can light up Ashes for England

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Herbie Farnworth, England’s national player in Australia, has made the journey from Blacko in Lancashire to Brisbane, where he has starred in the NRL.

England hope to win their first Ashes series victory over the Kangaroos since 1970 because he is arguably the best center in the world and also has the “cheat code” to prove it.

In Shaun Wane’s England squad, who plays in Australia’s top competition, Farnworth is one of six men.

Even as former Australia international Aaron Woods and other pundits from outside the UK have fueled Wane’s squad with dreadful comments about their caliber, his abilities cannot be underestimated.

Farnworth was a key player in England’s 2-0 victory over Samoa 12 months ago, scoring three tries and becoming the series’ top metre maker, and was a key member of the side that reached the World Cup semi-final in 2022.

Farnworth scored 12 tries in 19 appearances for the Dolphins in 2025 before a hamstring injury ended his season in early August and affected the Queensland side’s quest for the title.

George Williams, England captain, who appears to be a club-mate of Farnworth’s in the near future, has repeatedly referred to him as “one of the best centers in the world.”

The England stand-off called “Herbie is unbelievable.” He is currently considered to be one of the best players in the world. We welcome him into our team with open arms because he is a cheat coder who plays in the NRL.

He “creates something from nothing,” he says. I’ve known him for a while, and he’s a good lad as well. In the NRL, he kills it.

It appeared as though Samoa was playing a different game than anyone else in the previous series we played. He was simply “running through like he was playing under-sevens.”

AJ Brimson, a newcomer to Wane’s squad, said: “In my opinion, he was the best center]in the NRL] this year.

    • three days ago
    • Earlier, 4 days ago

We intend to do something special, they say.

Herbie Farnworth runs with the ball against SamoaGetty Images

The 25-year-old’s rise to fame is well documented.

He was courted by Burnley and Manchester City as a promising young footballer after signing with Manchester United.

Instead of sacrificing his life to rugby league, he excelled as a junior for Wigan St Patricks under the guidance of his uncle, former Wigan scout Brian Foley, before moving to a 10,000-mile dream.

He made his NRL debut in the Brisbane Broncos in 2019 and was a member of the team that reached the 2023 Grand Final before moving on to the Dolphins, the NRL’s 17th franchise, in 2024.

He maintains modesty and a touch of his roots despite having a status that rivals England’s star-studded rivals and being the man many believe will light the series.

“I try to improve every year, and I like to think I’ve done it over the course of my time in the NRL,” said Farnworth.

“The boys in Super League will teach me a lot,” I said. Some excellent footballers play here. We have a very strong team bond, and we intend to do something special.

“I play against them,” the Australian players, who are all very talented, but they are just men. They don’t have anything incredibly human about them. At Wembley, I’m eager to get a hold of the Aussies because I enjoy playing them.

Brimson, who shifted from Australia to England in May, was also in Farnworth’s purview this time around.

The full-back’s two brothers were born in Chertsey, and he frequently travels with his mother, who is also a Londoner, to England’s south coast for family vacations. Farnworth joked that he wanted to show him a little bit of northern culture because of this.

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If we lose, “I’ll be poor.”

Farnworth has been able to enjoy home comforts because the majority of the three-Test series is set outside of Manchester.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on Pendle Hill.” Because I don’t see my family and friends as often, it’s a boost to see them all again,” said Farnworth.

It’s very special when I play, and having them watch me play is unusual, which makes it even better for me.

They’ll attend each of the three games. Every time I return home, I experience the feeling that I haven’t left. Everyone in the village is familiar with me and the family, and it’s a very close knit community.

However, his friends have criticized him for having a slight Queensland twang.

He said, “You pick up the twang [in Australia].”

It’s the “little slang words” I’ve lost from over here, but it quickly returns once I’m around the Englishmen. I’m slated for being English in Australia, but when I return home, my roommate will slam me for being an Australian. I can’t win. “

The magnitude of the occasion, which is Farnworth’s first Test series against Australia since 2003, is evident in the record crowd that will line up for an Ashes Test of about 60, 000 on Saturday.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to participate in one again. It becomes extremely special if it occurs every 20 years. He continued, “It is everything.”

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  • Rugby League

Love of fashion, idolising Drogba & friends with Hamilton

The Football Interview is a new series in which the biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations about the nation’s favourite sport.

We’ll talk about defining moments, career highs, and personal reflections, as well as motivation and mindset. The Football Interview brings you the person behind the player.

Reece James, who was six when he first started training with Chelsea, is now club captain. After moving through the academy and the first team, he advanced to the top.

James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, scoring on his debut in a 7-1 win over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

James, 25, has had a stellar career, including winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, becoming the club captain in 2023, and making his England debut against Wales in 2020.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries affecting him over the past four seasons.

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Kelly Somers: First question: name, where you’re from, and what’s your coffee order?

Reece James: I’m Reece James; I was born and raised in Mortlake, close to Richmond, so I’m sure more people will be familiar with that area. My coffee is a flat white.

Has a flat white always been what, Kelly?

Reece: No, it started with, like, vanilla lattes and stuff.

Kelly: Let’s start with a football debate. What does football mean to you?

Reece: From a young age, it’s pretty much all I knew in school. I wasn’t the brightest kid, and I just loved playing football.

Kelly, tell us about your earliest playing days. Is this tough to answer because it was such a big part of your kind of childhood and growing up?

Reece: No, simply because I have terrible memories. My earliest memory was probably, I don’t know, going to watch my brother play. He used to play, and he’s two years my senior.

Kelly: It was big in your household, wasn’t it, because your dad was was so heavily involved? Isn’t he a football coach as well, is he? Tell me a bit about that.

Reece: We were three years old growing up. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we used to train a lot with him.

Do you recall many of those discussions, Kelly? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you were outside and he was doing drills with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yes, I can recall that the drills were initially young. Thankfully, they paid off for me and my sister]Chelsea and England forward Lauren James].

Kelly, tell me about your first team as a youngster, what it was called, and what you can recall.

Reece: I don’t remember much, to be honest. In Kew, Kew Park Rangers were present. I think I was there for about a year. I was scouted there for Chelsea, from there.

Kelly: And you weren’t a defender at first, were you? Talk to me about how your positional journey changed…

Reece: I started off as a striker, and then eventually moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at right-back, and I hated it at the time.

Kelly, why were you so against it?

Reece James of Chelsea with sister Lauren James during the UEFA Champions League Final Getty Images
Kelly, you said you started out as a forward. Who was your idol?

Reece: My idol was]Didier] Drogba. Growing up, I admired Chelsea, and I admired him.

Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your career – a moment that has shaped you and the player you have become?

Reece: Going on loan is probably what I’d say. Bridging the gap between academy and first-team football is the hardest and that is probably what most players making the jump find challenging.

Kelly, you’re obviously talking about Wigan. Why was Wigan the right club for you at the time? Why did it work so well when you knew everything in London was miles away?

Reece: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which helps. I left my friends and family and had to grow up quickly, so I gained a lot of experiences. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.

Kelly, who has had the biggest impact on your career?

Reece: I would say]Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He has played at the highest level for a long time and is nearly my father. He always tried to help me from the minute he arrived and still does, even now he is not here]having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: How might he assist you?

Reece: It was little messages off the pitch. Sometimes he would try to paint a different picture while playing the pitch and observe things differently than I did.

Kelly: It must have been nice to see him this summer]at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It was great to see him again. I’m happy that his team did well in the tournament]they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Chelsea]. He always looks good to see him.

Kelly: If you could go back and replay one match in your career, which would you pick?

Reece: The Champions League [final] would be the outcome if it were to go the same.

Kelly: Other than winning, what was so special about that night?

Reece: Few people anticipated our victory. ]Manchester] City were favourites. They had chances, but they didn’t take them, ending the game with a score of 1-0. It is the biggest trophy in club football.

Kelly: There were many people talking about PSG and the way you won the Club World Cup, which was a similar situation…

Reece: It was another final where we were underdogs but we all believed and knew we were good enough to come out on top. We obviously demonstrated that in the game and in the outcome, in my opinion.

Kelly: What was a typical day for you and your siblings growing up?

Reece: We would leave for school. The minute we got home from school, it was kicking a ball around on the street until one of us had to go to training. The other person would be side-watching and kicking a ball around. It was like that for pretty much all of my childhood, always with a ball at my feet.

What was it like to have your sister Lauren as a sibling? Kelly It must have been so evident from a young age how good she was…

Reece: I didn’t realize how talented she was when she was younger because I didn’t see as many girls playing. She always played with me and boys and she was better than most of them. She has expanded dramatically throughout her career and is doing incredible things.

Kelly: I read she was training with the Arsenal women’s team and was then moved to the Arsenal boys ‘ academy. She mentioned that she was a football player and didn’t consider herself to be any different as a girl. That must have been something that playing with you and your brother must have really helped her with…

Reece: Yes, she was always playing with both of us, which likely contributed to her technical prowess and physicality.

Kelly: What’s your relationship like with her now?

Reece: It’s good. We live a similar life – we’re playing football at the highest level. We are sometimes close but sometimes our schedules don’t work out, making us miss each other’s games.

Kelly: Do you speak a lot and see each other a lot?

Lewis Hamilton meets footballer Reece James during the British GP Getty Images
Kelly, if you’re taking a day off from football, what does that usually look like?

Reece: If it’s pre-season I’m not leaving the house, because I’m tired. I would actually spend the entire day in bed. If it’s in season, I’d probably go into London with my friends, see what they’re up to.

Kelly: With football being so competitive, how do you get away?

Reece: When I get home, I just try not to think too much, take things in my stride.

Kelly, you enjoy a fashion show, and fashion is a big deal to you.

Reece: I like a fashion show, yeah, depending on the time of year. I’m interested and enjoy good fashion because it’s what I like.

Kelly: How would you describe your fashion sense?

Reece: It’s much more chilly now. A few years ago, it was a bit more edgy.

Kelly, does that depend on getting older?

Reece: Maybe boredom!

Kelly, what would your friends say about you? You come across super laid back. Do they concur with each other?

Reece: Most of the time, yeah. I also have a sharper side. Not everything goes my way. They sometimes notice that I’m not in the mood more than anyone else.

Kelly: Has your personality changed as you’ve got older and everything you’ve gone through?

Reece: I really like that. I’ve had a lot of disappointment, setbacks. That alters how you think and interpret the world.

Kelly: Do you think becoming a captain has changed you as well?

Reece: Yes, it has benefited me because it has allowed me to develop. I need to help the younger team-mates and try and improve them as players and as people.

Kelly, what would you say about your team-mates?

Reece: Why don’t we pull one of them in! That would be a little simpler. They’d probably say I’m chilled as well.

Kelly, I saw you play, but you’re not chilled out on the field. It seems like there is a very different Reece James sitting here to Reece James the captain.

Reece: I’m not sure what happens. It’s all or nothing on the pitch, and then off the pitch it’s like whatever happens, happens.

Kelly, Lewis Hamilton congratulated you on his friendship with you. It wasn’t sent from someone just observing, it was from someone that clearly knows you. Talk to me about how we are connected to him.

Reece: We’re reasonably close. He is undoubtedly the best Formula 1 driver to have ever lived. I know we play different sports, but there are many similarities. Because he has been at a high level for longer and has gone through more, he makes an effort to assist me wherever he can when I’m going through challenging spells.

Kelly: How did you get to know each other?

Reece: We’ve been in contact ever since, thanks to a mutual friend.

Kelly: What are you most proud of?

Reece: Probably the club’s trophy collection.

Kelly: Any one in particular?

Reece: I wouldn’t pick because they all play a significant part in the ensemble.

Kelly: Tell me something that people get wrong about you the most.

Reece: To be honest, I don’t know. A lot of people say a lot of stuff. Everyone has their own opinions, but I don’t really care. I don’t know if I see anything, I’m not really paying attention anyway.

Kelly, what would you like to accomplish with your career if you could only accomplish one thing?

related subjects

  • Chelsea
  • Premier League
  • Football
    • 17 October
    A graphic of  Premier League players from every team in the division in 2025-26 season, with the  Premier League trophy in front of them.
  • Quiz logo

More on this story

Love of fashion, idolising Drogba & friends with Hamilton

The Football Interview is a new series in which the biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations about the nation’s favourite sport.

We’ll talk about defining moments, career highs, and personal reflections, as well as motivation and mindset. The Football Interview brings you the person behind the player.

Reece James, who was six when he first started training with Chelsea, is now club captain. After moving through the academy and the first team, he advanced to the top.

James announced himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful in style, scoring on his debut in a 7-1 win over Grimsby Town in September 2019.

James, 25, has had a stellar career, including winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, becoming the club captain in 2023, and making his England debut against Wales in 2020.

However, things have not always gone smoothly, with a series of injuries affecting him over the past four seasons.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Kelly Somers: First question: name, where you’re from, and what’s your coffee order?

Reece James: I’m Reece James; I was born and raised in Mortlake, close to Richmond, so I’m sure more people will be familiar with that area. My coffee is a flat white.

Has a flat white always been what, Kelly?

Reece: No, it started with, like, vanilla lattes and stuff.

Kelly: Let’s start with a football debate. What does football mean to you?

Reece: From a young age, it’s pretty much all I knew in school. I wasn’t the brightest kid, and I just loved playing football.

Kelly, tell us about your earliest playing days. Is this tough to answer because it was such a big part of your kind of childhood and growing up?

Reece: No, simply because I have terrible memories. My earliest memory was probably, I don’t know, going to watch my brother play. He used to play, and he’s two years my senior.

Kelly: It was big in your household, wasn’t it, because your dad was was so heavily involved? Isn’t he a football coach as well, is he? Tell me a bit about that.

Reece: We were three years old growing up. It was all football mad, and he obviously was a coach as well, and we used to train a lot with him.

Do you recall many of those discussions, Kelly? Because I read that as young as the age of four, you were outside and he was doing drills with you in the back garden.

Reece: Yes, I can recall that the drills were initially young. Thankfully, they paid off for me and my sister]Chelsea and England forward Lauren James].

Kelly, tell me about your first team as a youngster, what it was called, and what you can recall.

Reece: I don’t remember much, to be honest. In Kew, Kew Park Rangers were present. I think I was there for about a year. I was scouted there for Chelsea, from there.

Kelly: And you weren’t a defender at first, were you? Talk to me about how your positional journey changed…

Reece: I started off as a striker, and then eventually moved to the wing, left wing, right wing, and eventually to midfield, and then eventually at right-back, and I hated it at the time.

Kelly, why were you so against it?

Reece James of Chelsea with sister Lauren James during the UEFA Champions League Final Getty Images
Kelly, you said you started out as a forward. Who was your idol?

Reece: My idol was]Didier] Drogba. Growing up, I admired Chelsea, and I admired him.

Kelly: Can you think of a turning point in your career – a moment that has shaped you and the player you have become?

Reece: Going on loan is probably what I’d say. Bridging the gap between academy and first-team football is the hardest and that is probably what most players making the jump find challenging.

Kelly, you’re obviously talking about Wigan. Why was Wigan the right club for you at the time? Why did it work so well when you knew everything in London was miles away?

Reece: The first thing is that I played week in week out, which helps. I left my friends and family and had to grow up quickly, so I gained a lot of experiences. Playing on a consistent basis helped a lot.

Kelly, who has had the biggest impact on your career?

Reece: I would say]Brazil defender] Thiago Silva. He has played at the highest level for a long time and is nearly my father. He always tried to help me from the minute he arrived and still does, even now he is not here]having left Chelsea in 2024].

Kelly: How might he assist you?

Reece: It was little messages off the pitch. Sometimes he would try to paint a different picture while playing the pitch and observe things differently than I did.

Kelly: It must have been nice to see him this summer]at the Club World Cup]?

Reece: It was great to see him again. I’m happy that his team did well in the tournament]they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Chelsea]. He always looks good to see him.

Kelly: If you could go back and replay one match in your career, which would you pick?

Reece: The Champions League [final] would be the outcome if it were to go the same.

Kelly: Other than winning, what was so special about that night?

Reece: Few people anticipated our victory. ]Manchester] City were favourites. They had chances, but they didn’t take them, ending the game with a score of 1-0. It is the biggest trophy in club football.

Kelly: There were many people talking about PSG and the way you won the Club World Cup, which was a similar situation…

Reece: It was another final where we were underdogs but we all believed and knew we were good enough to come out on top. We obviously demonstrated that in the game and in the outcome, in my opinion.

Kelly: What was a typical day for you and your siblings growing up?

Reece: We would leave for school. The minute we got home from school, it was kicking a ball around on the street until one of us had to go to training. The other person would be side-watching and kicking a ball around. It was like that for pretty much all of my childhood, always with a ball at my feet.

What was it like to have your sister Lauren as a sibling? Kelly It must have been so evident from a young age how good she was…

Reece: I didn’t realize how talented she was when she was younger because I didn’t see as many girls playing. She always played with me and boys and she was better than most of them. She has expanded dramatically throughout her career and is doing incredible things.

Kelly: I read she was training with the Arsenal women’s team and was then moved to the Arsenal boys ‘ academy. She mentioned that she was a football player and didn’t consider herself to be any different as a girl. That must have been something that playing with you and your brother must have really helped her with…

Reece: Yes, she was always playing with both of us, which likely contributed to her technical prowess and physicality.

Kelly: What’s your relationship like with her now?

Reece: It’s good. We live a similar life – we’re playing football at the highest level. We are sometimes close but sometimes our schedules don’t work out, making us miss each other’s games.

Kelly: Do you speak a lot and see each other a lot?

Lewis Hamilton meets footballer Reece James during the British GP Getty Images
Kelly, if you’re taking a day off from football, what does that usually look like?

Reece: If it’s pre-season I’m not leaving the house, because I’m tired. I would actually spend the entire day in bed. If it’s in season, I’d probably go into London with my friends, see what they’re up to.

Kelly: With football being so competitive, how do you get away?

Reece: When I get home, I just try not to think too much, take things in my stride.

Kelly, you enjoy a fashion show, and fashion is a big deal to you.

Reece: I like a fashion show, yeah, depending on the time of year. I’m interested and enjoy good fashion because it’s what I like.

Kelly: How would you describe your fashion sense?

Reece: It’s much more chilly now. A few years ago, it was a bit more edgy.

Kelly, does that depend on getting older?

Reece: Maybe boredom!

Kelly, what would your friends say about you? You come across super laid back. Do they concur with each other?

Reece: Most of the time, yeah. I also have a sharper side. Not everything goes my way. They sometimes notice that I’m not in the mood more than anyone else.

Kelly: Has your personality changed as you’ve got older and everything you’ve gone through?

Reece: I really like that. I’ve had a lot of disappointment, setbacks. That alters how you think and interpret the world.

Kelly: Do you think becoming a captain has changed you as well?

Reece: Yes, it has benefited me because it has allowed me to develop. I need to help the younger team-mates and try and improve them as players and as people.

Kelly, what would you say about your team-mates?

Reece: Why don’t we pull one of them in! That would be a little simpler. They’d probably say I’m chilled as well.

Kelly, I saw you play, but you’re not chilled out on the field. It seems like there is a very different Reece James sitting here to Reece James the captain.

Reece: I’m not sure what happens. It’s all or nothing on the pitch, and then off the pitch it’s like whatever happens, happens.

Kelly, Lewis Hamilton congratulated you on his friendship with you. It wasn’t sent from someone just observing, it was from someone that clearly knows you. Talk to me about how we are connected to him.

Reece: We’re reasonably close. He is undoubtedly the best Formula 1 driver to have ever lived. I know we play different sports, but there are many similarities. Because he has been at a high level for longer and has gone through more, he makes an effort to assist me wherever he can when I’m going through challenging spells.

Kelly: How did you get to know each other?

Reece: We’ve been in contact ever since, thanks to a mutual friend.

Kelly: What are you most proud of?

Reece: Probably the club’s trophy collection.

Kelly: Any one in particular?

Reece: I wouldn’t pick because they all play a significant part in the ensemble.

Kelly: Tell me something that people get wrong about you the most.

Reece: To be honest, I don’t know. A lot of people say a lot of stuff. Everyone has their own opinions, but I don’t really care. I don’t know if I see anything, I’m not really paying attention anyway.

Kelly, what would you like to accomplish with your career if you could only accomplish one thing?

related subjects

  • Chelsea
  • Premier League
  • Football
    • 17 October
    A graphic of  Premier League players from every team in the division in 2025-26 season, with the  Premier League trophy in front of them.
  • Quiz logo

More on this story