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EXCLUSIVE Sir Mo Farah slashes price of £6million Surrey mansion by seven-figure sum in the hopes of making a speedy sale

EXCLUSIVE Sir Mo Farah slashes price of £6million Surrey mansion by seven-figure sum in the hopes of making a speedy sale

Daily Mail​5 days ago
Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah has stepped up the pace in his bid to sell his eight bedroom mansion - by knocking a whopping £1 million off the asking price.
The four-time gold medallist took the dramatic step after apparently growing weary of the slow pace of his plans to sell the magnificent property which was listed at £6 million last October.
Sir Mo, 42, had hoped to run away with a tidy profit after buying the grand house six years ago for £4million.
But after no buyers came forward after eight months he is now hoping to get the sale back on track by dropping the price by around 20 per cent.
Estate agents describe the striking three-storey property, which is set on an exclusive private estate in Surrey, as a 'magnificent, balanced family home'.
They highlight a string of features that would make it perfect for potential sporting stars of the future.
The 7,829 sq ft house has an outdoor swimming pool and an area 'prepared and electrically wired to be used as an outdoor gym'.
The property backs onto a private championship-standard golf course which is part of the 900 acre estate that also has a separate private tennis and squash club.
The property (pictured) backs onto a private championship-standard golf course which is part of the 900 acre estate that also has a separate private tennis and squash club
Residents can enjoy a range of sports on the nearby River Thames including kayaking, rowing, sailing and wild water swimming while the area has 'many clubs' for children and adults to enjoy rugby, football and horse riding as well as dance and creative arts.
Glossy photographs also show Sir Mo turned a 'garden room' into an entertainment space complete with pool table - as well as a running machine.
The ground floor of the property, which is 'finished to excellent standards' with modern fittings, has 'an impressive reception hall with a beautiful sweeping staircase' along with a series of rooms complete with 'bespoke furniture'.
They include a study and an 'elegant drawing room, with two grand pillars' which leads to the dining room - with both having double doors opening out to the rear gardens.
The upmarket estate agents say to prospective buyers: 'The true heart of this home is the open plan kitchen/breakfast room which leads to the double height garden room with floor to ceiling windows flooding the rooms with light.
'This is a fabulous space to entertain family and friends. Leading off the kitchen/breakfast room is the family room.'
The sweeping staircase leads to 'the first floor's 'impressive main bedroom suite with a bespoke fitted dressing room and balcony overlooking the rear garden' while there are three further bedroom suites on this floor, two with walk-in wardrobes.
The second floor comprises an additional bedroom suite, further bedroom, media room, separate storage room and a family bathroom - one of seven in the property.
The mansion also has a second entrance hall where the utility and separate changing room are situated along with stairs that lead up to a one bedroom annex which is 'ideal as staff accommodation'.
The house has an acre of land which includes 'beautifully landscaped gardens' as well as a wooded area with a stream and a bridge. An old fashioned red telephone box also stands as a quirky garden feature.
To ensure privacy and safety the gated estate is controlled 24 hours a day by private security guards while access is restricted at all times.
However, shortly after putting the property up for sale, Sir Mo was forced to spring into action to chase down two thieves who breached security and tried to steal his mobile phone while he was out jogging with wife Tania on the estate.
Sir Mo - who won 10,000 and 5,000 metre gold medals at the London Olympics in 2012 and in Rio four years later - had left the device by the roadside before spotting the men in a white van pulling up alongside.
One of the thieves grabbed the phone before Sir Mo sprinted to head them off.
Proving his legendary speed is still unmatched, Sir Mo gave chase along the tree-lined roads as his wife looked on and soon caught up with the hapless thieves.
They handed the phone back before fleeing the scene.
Sir Mo was said to be furious that the suspects were able to get past the extensive security detail sparking an investigation into what went wrong.
The exclusive home is a far cry from the modest council house in Hounslow, west London where Sir Mo lived as a child after he was trafficked to the UK from Somalia and forced to work as a domestic servant.
His father was killed in civil violence when he was just four.
He was placed with another Somali family after confiding in a PE teacher who helped him make strides in the world of athletics and apply for British citizenship which was granted in July 2000.
The father-of-three, who also has a stepdaughter, went on to become one of the UK's greatest ever athletes.
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How have Northern Ireland progressed since Euro 2022?
How have Northern Ireland progressed since Euro 2022?

BBC News

time11 minutes ago

  • BBC News

How have Northern Ireland progressed since Euro 2022?

It has been three years since Northern Ireland walked out in Southampton for their first major tournament against Norway at Euro was an achievement even making the finals as a squad largely made up of part-time players battled against the odds. However, with the latest edition of the tournament now under way, Northern Ireland are sitting at home after their play-off defeat - again at the hands of and off the pitch, how have Northern Ireland progressed or changed since their historic finals appearance? "The growth in the women's game in Northern Ireland since the Euros is massive," said now-retired record goalscorer Rachel Furness."I think there is still a long way to go, but we are definitely going in the right direction."Do I think we are there yet on the pitch? No, but do I think the potential is there to be? Yeah, I do." What has changed? The most obvious change has been in management, as Kenny Shiels left his role less than a year after the Euros in January 2023. Andy Waterworth was handed the reins for a friendly with Wales that April, and Gail Redmond took charge for the two July fixtures against Scotland and the Czech Republic. Australian Tanya Oxtoby, who was Emma Hayes' assistant at Chelsea, was appointed soon after and took charge of her first match in September 2023. On the playing front, the squad that guided Northern Ireland to the Euros contained a number of players who had been playing international football since the senior team was reformed in 2005. The shift in focus has been clear by the average age of the squads. Of the 23 players who travelled to Euro 2022, the average age was 26.7 with Julie Nelson (37), Sarah McFadden (36), Furness (34), Ashley Hutton (34) and captain Marissa Callaghan (38) all in the latter stages of their careers. Despite missing influential striker Simone Magill, who injured her anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the tournament, the average age of the starting team for the final group game with England was average age of Oxtoby's squad for the post-season Nations League matches had dropped to 25.4, with 11 of the Euro 2022 squad still included. An even clearer indication of the trajectory of the squad came in the average age of the starting team in their final game in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was just 26.7 - a drop of three years from the terms of experience, there was an average of 42.3 caps in the Euros squad, while the latest iteration actually falls to 32.3, which highlights the groundwork in youth from Shiels and now terms of contracts, 10 of Northern Ireland's squad played their football outside the Women's that has flipped and there are only seven domestic players involved in Oxtoby's set up, and the number of players on full-time professional contracts has doubled from eight to 16."Some of the girls in there have experienced it and you have young, hungry girls coming through who are wanting to become professional a lot younger," said Furness. From inside the camp, Furness said an increase in analysis "down to the fine details" is helping the team make gains "we maybe didn't used to in the past". "That's what happens in the professional game in England. You look at yourself individually, in units and as the whole team. The girls are now doing that on camp. "It's the little tweaks and giving the young girls the exposure and experience now to see it come good in the next year or two." What do the stats say? The numbers highlight a rise in participation in women's and girls' football across Northern Ireland. In the latest strategy released by the Irish FA in March, the association states there has been an increase in participation - from 1,600 registered players in 2019 to 11,441 in 2024. In theory, increased participation year-by-year should widen the potential pool of international players in the long run. In the Women's Premiership, there has also been the introduction of professionalism by the Northern Ireland Football League and licencing. Attendances at NIFL matches has risen by 59%, however there has not been a jump in crowds at post-Euros for international matches as might have been Northern Ireland's most recent eight home fixtures - a combination of Euro 2025 qualifiers and Nations League games that have been split across Windsor Park, Inver Park, Seaview and Mourneview Park - the average attendance has been 2, out the final home match before the Euros against England, which drew a record crowd of 15,348, the average attendance of Northern Ireland's four other home competitive games in between securing Euros qualification in April 2021 and the finals the following summer was 2, Ireland's first two fixtures after the Euros were away in Luxembourg and Latvia, and the first home game wasn't until that November - an impressive win over Italy at a sold-out Seaview. 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‘Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the year': Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid target yet more success in SW19
‘Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the year': Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid target yet more success in SW19

The Independent

time12 minutes ago

  • The Independent

‘Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the year': Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid target yet more success in SW19

While plenty of attention was on the likes of Jack Draper for glory at Wimbledon this year, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are undoubtedly Britain's best hopes of grand slam success. Between them, the pair hold 12 major wheelchair singles titles, and their doubles partnership is even more impressive: Reid holds the outright record for wheelchair doubles slams at 27 – and 23 of those have come with Hewett. The tour's highest-ranked doubles team kicked off the year with the Australian Open title and backed that up last month by lifting the trophy at Roland Garros, their sixth straight French Open crown and eighth consecutive grand slam victory. The pair first competed together in 2016 and are among the longest-serving teams on the tour, but are still finding ways to innovate and keep their opponents guessing, Hewett tells The Independent ahead of Wimbledon. 'Starting the year in Australia and picking up another slam there, maintaining that form and confidence throughout the year so far, it's been a lot of fun,' the singles world No 2 says. 'There's a lot of positivity on the court right now. We're working on quite a few things in our game, developing what we want to do in wheelchair doubles, and it's definitely helping us keep motivated and focused.' While those things are 'top secret', the pair are confident the tweaks, and their brilliant first half of the season, will serve them well when the wheelchair events get underway this week. 'Physically it's quite a tough transition [from playing on clay to grass] but it's the best time of the year, for sure,' Reid adds. The return to grass has an added dimension for Hewett this year. Last year he finally sealed a maiden Wimbledon singles title after heartbreaking defeats in his two previous finals there, and completed the career grand slam in the process. 'It was a relief,' he says of the emotional victory, one of many finals he has contested with the world No 1, Japan's teenage prodigy Tokito Oda. Between them Hewett and Oda have won the last 10 majors and contested seven of the finals, splitting the titles in Melbourne and Paris between them. 'It's been quite a few years that I'd been wanting to get my hands on that trophy – this man [Reid] did it back in 2016 so he set the trend, nearly 10 years ago now!' Hewett adds. 'I'd been on that journey for quite a few years and it had been building year on year so to finally get that achievement was a nice one.' There was little time to process the win, however, with the doubles final scheduled immediately afterwards. 'Playing at Wimbledon and being in the finals at Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the year,' the 27-year-old continues. 'I didn't want the day almost to be ruined by not winning the doubles as well. So it was like, pause the celebrations and let's get another reason to celebrate.' In fact there were few celebrations at all, he admits: 'We watched the England game [at the Euros] and they lost, so it was pretty tame! 'It feels a lot different this year. I'm excited to go back, have a bit more freedom playing singles and doubles, and enjoy myself a lot more.' One of the big stories of this year's French Open was about scheduling, with the organisers coming under fire for consistently putting women's matches on the poorly-attended opening slot on Court Philippe-Chatrier, as well as prioritising men's matches in the evening session. Hewett also criticised the tournament for its last-minute decision to move his singles final, against Oda, from its planned slot on Court 14 to Suzanne-Lenglen. The change occurred without consulting the players and gave them a little over half an hour to prepare for the different conditions on the show court. Hewett lost 6-4, 7-6(8-6). Now he is keen to stress the unusual nature of the incident. 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Those are four massive events for the players, whether that be financially or in their playing careers in terms of what they achieve. It's all been going on a great trajectory over the last five years.' Reid adds that they feel Wimbledon leads the way in terms of how it shows off its wheelchair events - although they have yet to play on Centre Court. 'Off the back of a successful trial of having some wheelchair matches on No 1 Court and seeing how the crowd responded to that and enjoyed those matches, I think the last couple of years they've proactively scheduled the wheelchair finals into the scheduling for those show courts, so people know they're buying tickets partly to watch those matches,' the Scot says. 'That's maybe where the other slams can catch up a little bit, market those matches and profile those matches a little bit more like Wimbledon does. That's how we're going to get more people watching the sport and filling seats for those finals.' 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At the end of the day we want to get the best out of each other on the doubles court and that information is quite valuable if you need to change the way we need to play, or pick up your partner. It's more about the aftermath. We've built an environment where we can have that honesty, because we share a common goal, which is to win.' It comes as no surprise then that, asked what their plans are for the remainder of the season, Reid immediately says, 'Keep winning! We're trying to make some changes to the way we play, to move the sport forward, and it's just to continue that work and uncover new ways of winning those matches and those titles.' Vodafone, Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, is working with long term ambassadors Alfie Hewett OBE and Gordon Reid OBE as part of its latest brand campaign, which celebrates connecting friends this summer on The Nation's Network.

Wimbledon 2025: Which Brits are still in?
Wimbledon 2025: Which Brits are still in?

BBC News

time16 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Wimbledon 2025: Which Brits are still in?

Wimbledon 2025 is well and truly underway and it's been a very eventful first week of tennis on London's famous grass courts. This year's competition started with 23 British players competing in the men's and women's singles, the most in nearly 20 years. But despite high hopes for success on home turf, only one British player still remains in the running for the Wimbledon singles title. Cameron Norrie made it through to the quarter-finals after beating Chile's Nicolas Jarry in an intense five set match on Sunday. British number three Norrie started out strong with a two set lead, but Jarry fought back securing two sets of his own, leading to a fifth set was a fierce battle for both players, lasting a gruelling four hours and 27 final result was 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3. "Honestly, I don't know," Norrie said when asked how he'd gotten through the round. "Nico did an unbelievable job of sticking with me. I had to keep fighting." Norrie's win came just a few hours after fellow British player Sonay Kartal, who was the final home player in the women's singles, was beaten on Centre Court by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (7-3) 6-4. "I think I have definitely had a bit more attention on me this week from people recognising me to fans around the grounds to my social media. It's kind of blown up a bit," 23-year-old Sonay said."The better in tournaments I do, I guess the more exposure I get. I think it will naturally come. But I'd say that people have gotten to know me a little bit better this week." Meanwhile, British number one Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon journey came to an end on was beaten 7-6 6-4 by top seed and world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Norrie is currently ranked 61st in the world after struggling with an injury last season, but is now one more victory away from getting to the semi-finals once again, following his last advancement to the final four in he'll first need to beat world number two and defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz. Spain's Alcaraz extended his career-best winning streak to 21 matches by beating Russian player Andrey Rublev in their fourth-round match on for British success will also come in the doubles and wheelchair tournaments - Alfie Hewett had an amazing Wimbledon last year and will be hoping to repeat his success this summer.

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