
Never mind the summer, British curlers set for Winter Olympics
Beijing 2022 silver medallist Bruce Mouat will captain, or skip, the men's team of four after a dominant season that brought a second world championship title.
Mouat leads an experienced line-up of fellow Olympic silver medallists Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan with Pyeongchang 2018 Olympian Kyle Waddell as alternate.
"Team Mouat have had an outstanding run of form this past year, becoming the first-ever rink to win four Grand Slam titles in one season, and I know they will be wanting to better the silver medal they won in Beijing," said Team GB Chef de Mission and Olympic champion skip Eve Muirhead.
Olympic champion Jennifer Dodds partners Mouat in mixed doubles.
Team Morrison replaces Team Muirhead, the only British gold medallists in Beijing, in the women's competition with Rebecca Morrison, Sophie Jackson, Dodds, Sophie Sinclair and Fay Henderson as alternate.
Curling team leader Nigel Holl said the early announcement of the teams was only possible because of the form and performances shown in the past season.
"The early selection allows British Curling to run the Olympic season for these athletes and teams with Milano Cortina as the only priority, so giving them the ultimate chance to perform when it counts in 2026," he said.
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Metro
2 minutes ago
- Metro
Arsenal's Max Dowman sends two-word message to Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha has attracted plenty of attention in pre-season, with Arsenal's own wonderkid Max Dowman one of those impressed by the emerging talent. The 16-year-old started in Liverpool's first of two friendlies against Athletic Club on Monday and made an immediate impression. Picking up the ball in midfield, the teenager drove forward and produced a brilliant finish from the edge of the penalty box to open the scoring within two minutes. Before five minutes were on the clock at Anfield, the England Under-17 international had also chalked up an assist for Darwin Nunez who scored Liverpool's second. It is not the first time the young forward has been involved this summer, starting against AC Milan and coming off the bench to score against Yokohama FM on the pre-season tour of Asia, with Slot clearly a big fan of his work. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. The Reds won both games on Monday, the first 4-1 and the second 3-2, and speaking after the pair of victories, Slot said of Ngumoha: 'Rio is showing good things every time in pre-season.' 15-year-old Dowman, who has attracted plenty of attention himself during Arsenal's pre-season, knows Ngumoha from England youth team duty and commented on his latest performance. The Gunners prospect posted a picture of the Reds talent celebrating his goal, with the simple caption: 'The coldest.' Slot already showed his faith in Ngumoha last season when he handed him his professional debut in the starting XI as Liverpool beat Accrington Stanley 4-0 in the FA Cup in January. That saw the London-born prospect become the second youngest Liverpool player in history (behind Jerome Sinclair) and the youngest to ever start a first team game at 16 years, 135 days. Ngumoha actually came through the youth ranks at Chelsea and only joined Liverpool last year. The Blues were so annoyed that the youngster had been tempted away to Anfield that they banned Liverpool scouts from attending matches at training base Cobham. More Trending On leaving London, Chelsea legend John Terry lamented: 'This boy is and will be a top top player.' The teenager started on the left wing on Monday and will hope to get more opportunities when the season gets underway, but clearly has a lot of competition in Liverpool's forward line. New signings Huko Ekitike and Florian Wirtz both started the second game against Athletic Club on Monday, alongside Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo. However, with Luis Diaz leaving for Bayern Munich and the tragic death of Diogo Jota last month, the 16-year-old may be handed a Premier League debut sooner rather than later. MORE: Man Utd respond to offer to sign £66m former Arsenal and Chelsea transfer target MORE: Arne Slot provides Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker updates after missing Liverpool friendlies MORE: Newcastle make improved Benjamin Sesko bid amid transfer race with Man Utd


The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Who is Rio Ngumoha? Liverpool's teenage sensation ready to star in Premier League
It is quite the statement to say that, amid a £269m outlay to bring in players with the quality of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool's most exciting prospect this season comes in the form of a developing teenage striker. Yet that is the building hype concerning 16-year-old forward Rio Ngumoha and the quality his possesses at such a young age. Then again, hype is one thing but performing on the pitch is another and in this arena Ngumoha is showing why football fans are getting excited about his future. On Monday 4 August, Liverpool played two pre-season games against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield. The games had different starting XIs with a mix of senior players and potential first team starters combining with fringe members of the squad in order to give Arne Slot a better feel for how his players are coping ahead of the start of the new season. Ngumoha was handed a starting place in the first match and got the watching supporters on their feet before the ground was even full. Alexis MacAllister slipped the ball forward after winning possession in the centre circle and found the run of Ngumoha. The teenager dribbled into the box and only had eyes for goal as he slotted his effort into the bottom corner with less than two minutes on the clock. Three minutes later, Ngumoha drove forward again and rolled a pass into the feet of Darwin Nunez who doubled Liverpool's lead with a close range finish. The fans erupted in chants of 'Rio, Rio, Rio' making their excitable feelings about Liverpool's latest starlet well known and doing nothing to quell the hype around a player yet to make his Premier League debut. A striker of Nigerian heritage suited to dribbling and cutting in from the left wing, Liverpool realised Ngumoha's potential a year ago and brought him to Anfield after the teenager had come through the academy at Chelsea. He spent eight years in London and the switch to Liverpool caused some tensions between the clubs. The Daily Mail reported at the time that Chelsea were angry about Liverpool poaching a 'generational talent' and the Blues took Liverpool to a tribunal over the move in a bid to secure a compensation fee. The outcome of that tribunal has not been disclosed. Arne Slot, in his first year in charge at Anfield, also recognised that Ngumoha had the potential to succeed at the highest level and named him in Liverpool's matchday squad for a League Cup clash with Southampton in December 2024. He didn't play in that match but in January 2025 Ngumoha made his professional debut for the club, starting in Liverpool's 4-0 win against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup. That appearance, at 16 years and 135 days old, made him the youngest Liverpool player to appear in the FA Cup and the youngest player to start a first-team game in the club's history. If 2024/25 only hinted at the rising potential of Ngumoha then this summer's pre-season has put him on a trajectory straight to the Liverpool first team. The Reds went on a tour of Asia and played matches against AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos with Ngumoha influential in both games. Liverpool lost 4-2 to Milan but the teenager provided an assist from his position on the left wing before netting in the 87th minute in a 3-1 triumph over Marinos. Slot, perhaps rightly, tried to play down Ngumoha's impact as the youngster is still learning but with each striking performance that is becoming more difficult. Speaking after the Marinos win Slot said: "We've only played two games over here and we haven't played against Premier League opponents yet, but I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising. "Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that's something else. "But he's definitely a player who shows that if he keeps bringing these performances in, it definitely won't be the last time he plays a few minutes for Liverpool. It's all about consistency. He needs to show it every single day we're on the pitch." Slot added: "Rio is showing things every time in pre-season." For Ngumoha, who turns 17 later this month, breaking into the Liverpool first team is the current aim but he won't hurry his development. "I'm not trying to rush because I'm still only young," said Ngumoha, "But at the same time, I just want to show the manager what I can do and not get too complacent. I just want to do bigger and better things for me and the club."


The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey arrives at court to face rape charges
Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has arrived at court where he is due to appear on rape and sexual assault charges. The midfielder faces five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following alleged offences between 2021 and 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The Ghanaian midfielder, 32, has been charged with five counts of rape against two women, as well as a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences took place between 2021 and 2022 when he was playing for north London club Arsenal. Partey was wearing a black zip-neck jumper and held a navy blazer as he entered Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning, walking quickly past members of the press. His lawyer Jenny Wiltshire previously said he 'denies all the charges against him', adding he welcomed 'the opportunity to finally clear his name'. Partey, of Hertfordshire, is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts of rape against another. The sexual assault allegation relates to a third woman, according to the CPS. The Metropolitan Police said it first received reports of an allegation of rape in February 2022. Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth around £45 million. The defensive midfielder signed for the Spanish club in 2012 and made 188 appearances, as well as going out on loan to Mallorca and Leganes. He played 35 games for the north London club in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals. Partey has also made more than 50 appearances for Ghana – including at the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. An Arsenal spokesperson previously said: 'The player's contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings the club is unable to comment on the case.'