In their World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia in Skopje, Wales boss Craig Bellamy praised his “incredible group” of players.
Bojan Miovski capitalized on Joe Allen’s loose pass in the opening minute of extra time to score. The hosts had already figured out how to score all three points.
In the final seconds, however, David Brooks scored for Wales to keep Bellamy’s unbeaten start as Wales manager.
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Amber Anning could finally put the highs and lows into perspective by staring out from the 61st floor and admiring Nanjing’s glass-and-steel skyline.
After being disqualified for a lane infringement at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, she was reduced to tears two weeks prior.
She had already won the 400-meter world indoor title three hours earlier in China, reclaiming her place as a leading British woman.
And she had already lost once more a short while earlier.
Jeremiah Azu, the 60m world indoor champion, and Amy Hunt, the 60m finalist, went up to the top floor of our hotel that evening to play cards and listen to some music, she told BBC Sport.
“That was our celebration,” the statement read. Really cool and had a nice, understated vibe. However, I actually lost every game. I was so upset!
“Jeremiah won twice or three, Amy won,” but I couldn’t, despite winning the 400-meter hurdle, which was the most crucial event. “
Anning has a propensity to find herself trumps when it matters in her brief career.
She competed in Budapest while still a student and was awarded a world bronze medal with Britain’s 4x400m team.
She won two relay medals before moving on to the 2024 Olympic final in Paris, breaking the legendary Christine Ohuruogu’s British record and placing in fifth place.
Her ascent to the top of the game has been fashionable.
She set a championship record last summer when she captured the British title, leaving Laviai Nielsen and Jodie Williams in the dust.
With 175 meters left, Alexis Holmes bumped her in Nanjing on the tight turns of an indoor track.
Anning slants back, back, and possibly out of the woods.
But she regrouped herself, snuck into Holmes’ lead, blasted off the final bend, and defeated her rival.
Just three-hundredths of a second from her winning margin.
She said, “You have so much time to think with 400m, which is different from 60m where you just get it done.”
What are you going to do before now and the end to get your gold medal, I said to myself when I was pushed, “This is not how you visualized it, this is not the execution you wanted”?
“I had to wait, be patient, stay in touch with her, and then time it to perfection.
When I watched it back, I realized that I wasn’t winning if I had chosen to do it even a second earlier or later. How it functions is strange.
Anning’s replacement for Ohuruogu as the British record holder has a beautiful symmetry.
When Ohuruogu was in its early years, Lloyd Cowan, who led the team’s career, also coached Anning. He was 58 years old when he died in January 2021 from complications brought on by a Covid-19 infection.
He reminded me of my track dad, Anning said. Just being surrounded by him felt so warm. Such a difficult defeat, to say the least.
“I believed I would be here with him today, accomplishing this, and I know he would be proud of me.”
It’s nice to have the record kept in the family, which we do.
On the board of the Lloyd Cowan Bursary, Anning’s mother serves alongside Ohuruogu, helping to lower financial barriers for promising young athletes and coaches who might otherwise be disadvantaged by athletics.
If Cowan had influenced Anning’s early potential, American intelligence has been improved.
Anning left the UK for Louisiana State University as a teenager after her mother encouraged her.
Armand Duplantis, the 100-meter world champion, and Sha’Carri Richardson, the alma mater, inspired her to push herself.
She said, “I needed that extra push because I felt maybe a little too comfortable over here [in the UK].”
You can tell that every day you see success in your face.
Only a small percentage of people are going to make it because the population is so large and there are so many people there. Perhaps they want it even more because they are aware of the slimmer chances.
It took some time.
Anning acknowledges that she was “not as disciplined as I should have been” initially in Louisiana before moving to Arkansas, where there was a less lively party scene and a 400-meter elite team.
It is a testament to how hard she grinds to beat Holmes, the most successful American, over 400 meters.
Other well-known opponents might be worth considering.
The all-time top 400m hurdles champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, ran the seventh-fastest 400m time of 2024 in a September invitational race, and is thought to be using Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track on flat.
Femke Bol, a native of the Netherlands, holds the 400-meter indoor world record after winning gold in Glasgow last year.
Anning will be prepared if they square up against her.
She remarked, “Let them come. I enjoy competing because it improves the lives of others.
That simply means I need to work out more, work harder, and do a little bit better to stay top and up there.
This video is not playable.
Amber Anning could finally put the highs and lows into perspective by staring out from the 61st floor and admiring Nanjing’s glass-and-steel skyline.
After being disqualified for a lane infringement at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, she was reduced to tears two weeks prior.
She had already won the 400-meter world indoor title three hours earlier in China, reclaiming her place as a leading British woman.
And she had already lost once more a short while earlier.
Jeremiah Azu, the 60m world indoor champion, and Amy Hunt, the 60m finalist, went up to the top floor of our hotel that evening to play cards and listen to some music, she told BBC Sport.
“That was our celebration,” the statement read. Really cool and had a nice, understated vibe. However, I actually lost every game. I was so upset!
“Jeremiah won twice or three, Amy won,” but I couldn’t, despite winning the 400-meter hurdle, which was the most crucial event. “
Anning has a propensity to find herself trumps when it matters in her brief career.
She competed in Budapest while still a student and was awarded a world bronze medal with Britain’s 4x400m team.
She won two relay medals before moving on to the 2024 Olympic final in Paris, breaking the legendary Christine Ohuruogu’s British record and placing in fifth place.
Her ascent to the top of the game has been fashionable.
She set a championship record last summer when she captured the British title, leaving Laviai Nielsen and Jodie Williams in the dust.
With 175 meters left, Alexis Holmes bumped her in Nanjing on the tight turns of an indoor track.
Anning slants back, back, and possibly out of the woods.
But she regrouped herself, snuck into Holmes’ lead, blasted off the final bend, and defeated her rival.
Just three-hundredths of a second from her winning margin.
She said, “You have so much time to think with 400m, which is different from 60m where you just get it done.”
What are you going to do before now and the end to get your gold medal, I said to myself when I was pushed, “This is not how you visualized it, this is not the execution you wanted”?
“I had to wait, be patient, stay in touch with her, and then time it to perfection.
When I watched it back, I realized that I wasn’t winning if I had chosen to do it even a second earlier or later. How it functions is strange.
Anning’s replacement for Ohuruogu as the British record holder has a beautiful symmetry.
When Ohuruogu was in its early years, Lloyd Cowan, who led the team’s career, also coached Anning. He was 58 years old when he died in January 2021 from complications brought on by a Covid-19 infection.
He reminded me of my track dad, Anning said. Just being surrounded by him felt so warm. Such a difficult defeat, to say the least.
“I believed I would be here with him today, accomplishing this, and I know he would be proud of me.”
It’s nice to have the record kept in the family, which we do.
On the board of the Lloyd Cowan Bursary, Anning’s mother serves alongside Ohuruogu, helping to lower financial barriers for promising young athletes and coaches who might otherwise be disadvantaged by athletics.
If Cowan had influenced Anning’s early potential, American intelligence has been improved.
Anning left the UK for Louisiana State University as a teenager after her mother encouraged her.
Armand Duplantis, the 100-meter world champion, and Sha’Carri Richardson, the alma mater, inspired her to push herself.
She said, “I needed that extra push because I felt maybe a little too comfortable over here [in the UK].”
You can tell that every day you see success in your face.
Only a small percentage of people are going to make it because the population is so large and there are so many people there. Perhaps they want it even more because they are aware of the slimmer chances.
It took some time.
Anning acknowledges that she was “not as disciplined as I should have been” initially in Louisiana before moving to Arkansas, where there was a less lively party scene and a 400-meter elite team.
It is a testament to how hard she grinds to beat Holmes, the most successful American, over 400 meters.
Other well-known opponents might be worth considering.
The all-time top 400m hurdles champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, ran the seventh-fastest 400m time of 2024 in a September invitational race, and is thought to be using Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track on flat.
Femke Bol, a native of the Netherlands, holds the 400-meter indoor world record after winning gold in Glasgow last year.
Anning will be prepared if they square up against her.
She remarked, “Let them come. I enjoy competing because it improves the lives of others.
That simply means I need to work out more, work harder, and do a little bit better to stay top and up there.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the double Olympic champion, claimed that his father, Gjert, had “manipulated” and “controlled” him throughout his development on Tuesday in front of a court.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 59, is accused of physically and mentally abusing his 24-year-old son Jakob and another of his children in Norway.
Former coach Gjert for his son, who denies the allegations.
According to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, “my upbringing was very much characterised by fear,” he said in a court hearing in Sandnes Jakob.
“Everything was decided by me,” he said. There was a lot of manipulation.
Jakob, who won 1500m gold at Tokyo 2020 and 5, 000m gold at Paris 2024, gave an in-depth account of a number of alleged abuses at the hearing on Tuesday.
He claimed that he was forced to train two or three times a day as a teenager and that he was a schoolboy who was unable to attend parties.
Jakob also referred to a number of instances in which his father assaulted him.
Jakob was eight years old when he received a negative report about his behavior at school, and it is claimed that Gjert repeatedly struck him.
He added that his father punched Jakob in the face because he was late for a race in 2008, making it eight years old. He claims that his father punched him in the stomach after he fell off a scooter a year later.
He referred to another alleged incident from 2016 at a junior championships where his father threatened him and another one where Gjert was said to have allegedly thrown his video game console out of the window.
Jakob, 24, and his brothers Filip, 31, and Henrik, 34, both Olympic athletes, made public accusations that their father, who coached them until 2022, had been violent in October 2023.
The trio, who are one of seven Ingebrigtsen children, stated at the time that they still feel uneasy and afraid about Gjert, who they claimed was “very aggressive and controlling.”
Gjert claimed via his attorney that his claim was “baseless” and that he had never abused his children.
In April, Gjert was charged with one offence, but due to time constraints, five charges were dropped. The case was later expanded with a new charge.
Jakob won two Olympic medals, two of them, two of which were silver in the 1500m, and one of the 11-time European champions.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the double Olympic champion, claimed that his father, Gjert, had “manipulated” and “controlled” him throughout his development on Tuesday in front of a court.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 59, is accused of physically and mentally abusing his 24-year-old son Jakob and another of his children in Norway.
Former coach Gjert for his son, who denies the allegations.
According to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, “my upbringing was very much characterised by fear,” he said in a court hearing in Sandnes Jakob.
“Everything was decided by me,” he said. There was a lot of manipulation.
Jakob, who won 1500m gold at Tokyo 2020 and 5, 000m gold at Paris 2024, gave an in-depth account of a number of alleged abuses at the hearing on Tuesday.
He claimed that he was forced to train two or three times a day as a teenager and that he was a schoolboy who was unable to attend parties.
Jakob also referred to a number of instances in which his father assaulted him.
Jakob was eight years old when he received a negative report about his behavior at school, and it is claimed that Gjert repeatedly struck him.
He added that his father punched Jakob in the face because he was late for a race in 2008, making it eight years old. He claims that his father punched him in the stomach after he fell off a scooter a year later.
He referred to another alleged incident from 2016 at a junior championships where his father threatened him and another one where Gjert was said to have allegedly thrown his video game console out of the window.
Jakob, 24, and his brothers Filip, 31, and Henrik, 34, both Olympic athletes, made public accusations that their father, who coached them until 2022, had been violent in October 2023.
The trio, who are one of seven Ingebrigtsen children, stated at the time that they still feel uneasy and afraid about Gjert, who they claimed was “very aggressive and controlling.”
Gjert claimed via his attorney that his claim was “baseless” and that he had never abused his children.
In April, Gjert was charged with one offence, but due to time constraints, five charges were dropped. The case was later expanded with a new charge.
Jakob won two Olympic medals, two of them, two of which were silver in the 1500m, and one of the 11-time European champions.
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Emma Raducanu admits to never being afraid to “do things a little bit differently.”
The British number two’s inclusion in the WTA 1, 000 quarter-final without a full-time coach makes for brand-new feeling.
By defeating American 17th seed Amanda Anisimova on Monday, Raducanu won the Miami Open for the fourth time in a row.
The 22-year-old has won that many matches in one tournament for the first time since the 2021 US Open, when she clinched a fairytale victory as a teenage qualifier.
According to Raducanu, who is ranked 60th in the world, “I’d say I’m a bit of a free spirit, so I don’t need to be told what to do.”
“I believe that when I’m being really authentic, I’m playing at my best,” he said.
Raducanu regularly adheres to what she believes is best for her, whether it be winning a Grand Slam championship as an unknown rookie, working with a carousel of coaches, or changing her schedule to fit her needs.
Although it doesn’t always turn out well, she continues to hold onto her beliefs.
On the eve of this tournament, Vladimir Platenik and I made another decision that was initially unplanned.
However, her move seems to have paid off with her run on the faster courts in Miami, which is a flattering surface for her style.
Raducanu has a freedom and self-assurance that have only improved since her stunning US Open success.
According to Raducanu, “I feel when I’m boxed into a regimented way that I can’t express myself in the same way.”
Mark Petchey, a well-known player in British tennis circles who worked with her as a teenager, has guided her throughout her time in Florida.
Petchey, who previously trained Andy Murray for his salad on the ATP Tour, has been providing coaching advice from Raducanu’s box on the practice courts.
Petchey and Yutaka Nakamura, Raducanu’s long-time ally, have been working together.
What Raducanu refers to as a “different approach” has resulted in shorter, less intense warm-up sessions and shorter periods of enjoyment.
“This week has been a great eye-opener to when I’m happy and expressive and myself,” Raducanu said.
The reasons behind Raducanu’s chopping and changing of coaches have varied, and there is good evidence of this.
After splitting with a fifth coach in two years, Raducanu argued that her “provoking” and “challenging” questions in some way contributed to the high turnover.
The Briton turned to childhood coach Nick Cavaday as a hero when she recovered from wrist and ankle surgeries in 2024.
He provided stability and a reliable sounding board, but his relationship with him abruptly ended in January as a result of his health issues.
Some people are still unsure whether Raducanu even needs a full-time coach despite the fact that her father, Ian Raducanu, hired Platenik.
Rare are instances of players without a coach engaging in long-range competition. Nick Kyrgios, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon final, is one of the recent winners.
The controversial Australian responded to Raducanu’s run by calling coaches “overrated” and never missed an opportunity to be provocative.
Where are all the experts now, people, awfully quiet, saying Raducanu is winning? posted on X by Kyrgios.
The company’s representatives describe Petchey as a “familiar face” who is offering “support” when he balances his work as a television commentator with his role in Miami.
However, how long the agreement will last is unclear.
Tim Henman, a former British number one who has advised Raducanu over the years, thinks Petchey’s involvement “makes sense” because he is familiar with “Emma’s game.”
Henman, who will serve as vice-captain at this year’s Laver Cup, said, “It’ll be interesting to see how long it lasts for.”
Emma has stated in a fairly open interview that she finds it difficult to switch coaches.
I began playing tennis professionally at the end of 1992 and finished in 2007. I had three coaches.
Given the number of injuries and issues she has dealt with since winning the US Open, questions about Raducanu’s resilience have been frequently raised.
Additionally, this season was difficult. Before atraumatic stalking incident in Dubai and Cavaday’s exit, her back injury pre-season interrupted her.
Some of the skeptical people were pleasantly surprised by her brutal defeat of world number 10 Emma Navarro in the second round in Miami.
McCartney Kessler and Anisimova, who were both physically hampered, were both swarmed with steel by her.
Raducanu acknowledges that she has lost some of her “competitive spirit” over the past few months and even for a few years.
Whatever she decides to do in Florida, keeping up her level over time is something she has lacked to do so far.
Henman points to Raducanu’s improved durability as a result of her playing more tournaments, despite losing six of her nine matches before the Miami Open.
More than she has in the first three months of the season, Raducanu has competed in seven events this year.
She will re-enter the top 50 for the first time since August 2022 after Miami.
Henman said, “It’s simple to look at the results, but I’d rather look at the course of the tournament,” which is a big, big positive.