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Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
How Wallaroo saved Cup hopes after sevens 'shake up'
Two years ago, Lori Cramer caught herself wondering how she was going to keep up with the Wallaroos' influx of rugby sevens talent. The backline veteran had the 2025 World Cup, which begins in less than a month in England, circled on her calendar. "I was thinking, 'it's coming'," the 32-year-old said ahead of Saturday's Test against Wales in Brisbane. "With the sevens girls coming in, everyone knew it would shake things up a little bit. "It was like, 'Okay, shit; there's about to be a bunch of girls that are rapid and with good skills'. "I'm a bit older ... whether I can match them physically and with pace, or maybe use my wisdom and smarts. "It's about adapting and figuring out how you can become indispensable. "For me, that's my experience - comms and a bit of my leadership as well." Cramer will provide backline cover in her 30th Test, coming off the bench at Ballymore. "You have to put your ego aside; you want to send your best fighters to the fight," she said. "It's not about me, it's about the Wallaroos. So if I'm the best person for the job on the day, then let's go." The influx hasn't reached the heights it threatened to when nine sevens stars were pencilled in for Super Rugby Women's opening round. Tia Hinds will wear the No.10 on Saturday while sevens great Charlotte Caslick (ankle) is hoping to be fit for Australia's second Cup game in late August. Fellow Olympian Bienne Terita (hamstring) was in calculations but won't be fit for the England showpiece while Levi sisters Madison and Teagan withdrew their interest. Wins against Fiji and USA have been offset by losses to heavyweights Canada and New Zealand this season. Confident progress has been made, Australia - boasting a 7-1 head-to-head against Wales - can prove it in their final two opportunities on home soil. Cramer rates Welsh flyhalf Lleucu George the "best boot in women's rugby ... an absolute freak" and expects a thorough examination. "We're hitting our straps when we need to be and the games against Wales can always get a bit fiery," Cramer said. "Everyone's building for something bigger, but we want to win these Test matches as well." Emily Chancellor will captain Australia with regular skipper Siokapesi Palu (foot) injured, while Ashley Marsters will become the first Wallaroo to play 40 Tests.
Courier-Mail
19-07-2025
- Courier-Mail
Running champion Faith Kipyegon on dreaming big and backing yourself
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. When Faith Kipyegon attempted to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes, the world sat up and took notice. Body+Soul was on the ground in Paris to witness history in the making, and spoke to this sporting trailblazer about destiny, dreaming big, and the unstoppable rise of female athletes. There are middle-distance athletes, and then there's Faith Kipyegon. One of the most decorated sportswomen Kenya has ever produced, the four-time Olympian collects world records like other people eat hot breakfasts. Having famously grown up running races barefoot in her home country, the 31-year-old is the current world record holder in both the 1500 metres and the mile, has competed at four Olympics – London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris – and has three gold medals stacked into an ever-growing trophy cabinet. But when she stepped out onto the blue athletics track of Stade Charléty in Paris on June 26, it was an attempt to do something truly audacious – to become the first woman in history to ever run a mile in under four minutes. Since British athlete Roger Bannister became the first person to break this barrier in 1954, more than 2,000 men have gone on to do so. But, until now, no woman had dared try to challenge this iconic sporting signifier – something many say is physically impossible. Sporting giant Nike put everything into backing Kipyegon's epic moonshot, producing a two-part documentary series following her journey to the Breaking4 start line. Months was devoted to its execution, and Paris was precisely chosen as the location to ensure perfect temperature, humidity, wind speed and conditions. But it was Kipyegon's custom-designed race kit – made specifically for this event – that created serious buzz in running circles. A dedicated team of Nike experts, researchers and innovators deployed the full power of sports science to develop high-tech gear built to support maximum speed and performance. The kit included a first-of-its-kind Nike Fly Suit covered in 3D-printed 'aeronodes', custom spikes with a carbon plate and titanium pins weighing just 85 grams, plus a body-mapped, moisture-wicking (and heat-controlling) Fly Web bra so light it's almost undetectable. Then – once the training and meticulous planning was done – this mother-of-one emerged from the stadium tunnel carrying a Kenyan flag on a warm Paris night, surrounded by a fleet of 13 hand-picked pacers, including Aussie running legend Stewart McSweyn. The deafening roar from an ecstatic 2000-strong crowd signalled what it meant. As the gun went off and she followed yellow pacing lights around the track with the kind of focus and intensity that's rare to see – and millions more watched around the globe and willed her on via livestream – it was clear this was a moment that mattered, on and off the track. Lathered in sweat and crossing the finish line in a time of 4:06:46 – Kipyegon smashed her own world record by more than a second – and helped reshape running history. While she may not have broken four (this time), the attempt did something arguably even more important: demonstrating that being bold and backing yourself is the only way to live. You are the world-record holder for the women's 1500 metres and the mile, a four-time world champion and an Olympic Games gold and silver medallist. With so many big moments in your career, how do you prepare for them, and where do you draw your deepest sense of belief from? I would say being mentally strong and believing in everything I do. Believing in the training, believing in everything I've been – from when I was running barefoot [in Kenya], to where I am now. It's really given me that drive. There are challenges in everything a person does. I wake up before everybody else, get up around 5.40am, then go for my run about 6am, and that can be challenging. But it's about dreaming you want to achieve more in your career. What motivates me is knowing we can't limit ourselves – especially as women. That's really helped me to work hard in every training session that I do. Last month you beat your current world record and were just six seconds shy of becoming the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes – an attempt that took an enormous amount of tenacity and grit. Is that something you've learnt from anyone in particular, or has that always been within you? I was so surprised to see an almost full stadium cheering me on [during the attempt], I really didn't expect that many people to be there. The crowd really pushed me to run fast. I feel so proud of myself that I tried. I take this [mindset] from my mentor, Eliud [Kipchoge]. He ran 2.00 in Breaking2 [his attempt to become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours.] Then, on the second attempt in Vienna, he made it to run 1.59. You learn from the mistakes or you learn from the process. And I think for me, Breaking4 was that. It allowed me to see that everything is possible. With your accolades to date, your history-making attempt in Paris and a six-year-old daughter, Alyn, how do you hope to inspire the next generation? This attempt was all about sending a message to women, to the older ones, and to the next generation of young adults that we have to dream big. I didn't want to hold back and regret later that I could have done this better, or I could've done that better. I just wanted to run my race, execute as fast as possible, and see what the finish line could offer. I was just happy that the team believed in me, that I was capable of running below four minutes in the mile. This race was about showing the world that we have to push…you have to wake up in the morning and just go for that thing you want because it will never just come to you. I know that one day, one time, [the world record for running a sub-4 minute mile] will be in another woman's hand. So many people don't discover running until they're adults, but as a child growing up in rural Kenya, you covered 10 miles a day running to and from school. In order to find new athletes, how do we spot and develop new talent? Well, I'm so happy that in my country there are so many youth camps in schools where they develop young talent. Baranaba Korir [head of youth development for Athletics Kenya] is empowering the next generation, and it really gives me hope seeing young girls and boys training, running in school competitions, youth and championships meets. I see the next generation of athletics and believe it will bring another Faith, another Eliud Kipchoge. I think we are in safe hands at the moment. Paris was specifically chosen for Breaking4. What does it mean to you, and what was the most important piece of training that gave you the confidence to take on such an audacious goal? Paris is like my second home, and will always remain in my heart. This is where I broke the 5,000 metre world record after breaking another world record in Florence. For this attempt, it was the track and speed sessions that made the biggest difference. If I can do 62 times eight with a very small recovery, I got so confident and only need a little bit of endurance to be where I am. You've competed at four Olympics – London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris – and countless World Athletics meets. Is there a difference between races like Breaking4 where you're essentially competing against yourself, and races when you're competing against your peers? Well, yes, that's a test of patience. This was totally different compared to when I'm racing in the Olympics or World Championships. There, we are running for a gold medal, to be the first to cross the finish line, but this is life. Rapid-fire round Favourite pre-race pump-up song: 'Try Everything' by Shakira Dream post-run meal: A burger and fries If you weren't a runner, you'd be: Maybe a teacher Most memorable sporting moment: Winning my first Olympic gold in Rio Go-to running shoe: The new Nike Vomero Premium Biggest mentor: My teammate and training partner, Eliud Kipchoge Originally published as Running champion Faith Kipyegon on dreaming big and backing yourself
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Perth Now
Water quality delays worlds marathon swimming event
Water quality concerns mean Australian Olympic medallist Moesha Johnson has had the start of her world swimming championships campaign delayed by a day. Johnson, who won silver in the marathon swimming last year at the Games, and fellow Paris Olympian Chelsea Gubecka were due to compete in the 10km event on Tuesday. But their race was moved to Wednesday and will now be held after the men's 10km at Sentosa Island, south of Singapore. Open water events are also scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "While testing in recent days has consistently shown water quality at the venue to meet World Aquatics' acceptable thresholds, analysis of samples taken on 13 July surpassed these thresholds," organisers said in a statement. Water quality was a key issue at last year's Olympics, with the triathlon and marathon swimming events held in the River Seine. After a massive project to clean up the river for the Games, heavy rain meant the men's individual triathlon was postponed by one day. All other events went ahead as scheduled. Once she competes in her open-water events, Johnson will also contest the 800m and 1500m freestyle in the pool at the worlds.
