WHAT’S HOT WHAT’S NOT
HOT BEN WHITTAKER
OH GOOD, more of the most tiresome debate in modern sport: how happy must our athletes look when they fall just short of glory? Whittaker had dazzled and charmed us en route to the light-heavyweight boxing final in Tokyo. He lost and made it plain he was not content with silver. That is fine. Others would be delighted. That is fine, too.
IAN FOSTER
NO DOUBT there were heads in hands in the All Blacks’ PR team when their coach said the Lions’ second Test against South Africa ‘put him to sleep’. But at least someone said it. This series has been a rollercoaster of drama but who can pretend the Tests have been a festival of vibrant rugby? Surely we’d rather coaches told it how it is?
EDDY ALVAREZ
ALVAREZ is only the sixth athlete in history to reach the podium in both a summer and winter Games. For the American, silver in speed skating at Sochi 2014 could now be followed by gold in baseball. His side face Japan in today’s final.
NOT FER NINO
A WORD of advice to the 20-year-old: yes, the cathedral is lovely, yes Knighton Park is rather pretty. But don’t head back to Leicester any time soon. It seems the Villarreal forward forgot the meaning of a pre-season friendly when he flew into Wesley Fofana on Wednesday, leaving the young defender with a broken leg. A crushing blow to Leicester. And totally unnecessary.
ENGLISH CRICKET
TURNS out the forecast Down Under is looking rather bleak for later this year. Who would have thought it after England left their Test side so undercooked ahead of the Ashes? They’re struggling with the bat and now Jofra Archer is out through injury. Just call it off. Stay at home fellas, put the fire on and enjoy turkey with all the trimmings. At least we have the Hundred…
BARCELONA
MES QUE UN CLUB. Or so they always tell us. But financially, Barca are in a pickle. However this saga with Lionel Messi ends, one of Europe’s great footballing institutions has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. And one of sport’s finest tales has turned into tragedy.