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Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
TNT Sports to show Ashes series in Australia for third successive time as England look to regain the urn down under
TNT Sports have won the rights to broadcast this winter's hotly anticipated Ashes. It will be the third successive Ashes series in Australia that TNT – or its forerunner BT Sport – have aired following the 2017-18 and 2021-22 tours. Sky Sports showed the 2013-14 series, but it is understood they had little interest in this winter's contest despite having the rights for all home England matches. TNT's line-up and production plans for the Ashes, which starts in Perth on November 21, will not be revealed until nearer the time. However, Mail Sport understands they will take a 'hybrid' approach, with presenters and pundits working out of a studio in the UK, but some experts on the ground in Australia. They are also likely to have their own commentary team, rather than rely on the feed from the host broadcaster as they have done in the past. TNT Sports have won the rights to broadcast the upcoming Ashes series in Australia TNT's Ashes deal means the subscription channel will be the home of England matches this winter, having already secured the rights for the white-ball tours of New Zealand in October and Sri Lanka in January. Their one-year contract with Cricket Australia also sees them broadcast every men's and women's international in Australia from August 2025 to March 2026. 'We are privileged to be able to bring every ball of this much-anticipated, iconic series to TNT Sports this winter,' said Scott Young, executive vice president at WBD Sports Europe. 'The Ashes transcends cricket. This winter, we will have two great sides led by two fantastic captains in Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes go toe-to-toe in one of sports biggest rivalries. It will be compelling, must-watch sporting drama at its finest.' England have not won the Ashes in Australia since they triumphed 3-1 in 2010-11. They have not even won a Test Down Under since that series, losing 5-0 in 2013-14 and 4-0 in both 2017-18 and 2021-22. The last Ashes in England in 2023 ended 2-2, meaning Pat Cummins' Aussies still hold the urn. Ben Stokes' side do not have another Test match before the tour Down Under, finishing their summer with a dramatic six-run defeat to India at the Oval on Monday to draw the series 2-2.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tia‑Clair Toomey‑Orr CrossFit: Meet the Aussie mum who has just been crowned the world's fittest woman for the eighth time - as she reveals her training secrets and the abuse she has to put up with
Tia‑Clair Toomey‑Orr has done it again. The Queensland ‑born superstar has cemented her place as the greatest CrossFit athlete of all time, taking out her eighth consecutive CrossFit Games title in Albany, New York. No one has ever matched the feat. It's double the men's record, and more than quadruple the number of wins any other woman has ever managed in the discipline. Her streak has lasted a decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Toomey‑Orr now boasts ten Games appearances and a place in sporting history that is unlikely to be matched in the near future. 'She is the greatest we have ever seen come through this sport,' the commentator declared as the Aussie accepted her medal. In addition to the trophy, she pocketed more than $430,000 in prize money. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TYR Sport (@tyrsport) But along with her remarkable record has come a steady stream of shocking online abuse. Social media lit up after her most recent win with both praise and poison. 'She's an absolute athlete and often doesn't get the recognition she deserves,' wrote one fan. Others were less kind: 'Except CrossFit isn't a real sport.' One user went further: 'Training for CrossFit is so stupid – I train to do not actually compete at any sport.' Some criticised her physique with the tired old line, 'She looks like a man.' Others made baseless doping accusations. 'If you can be openly on steroids then it's not a sport,' one troll posted. Her defenders clapped back: 'She gets tested more times than the quantum of your IQ.' Toomey‑Orr shut down the noise with just four words: 'Nothing left to prove.' For Toomey‑Orr, daily life is a balance between elite training and being a mum to daughter Willow. 'I tend to wake up around 6am when Willow wakes up, or sometimes Shane takes over so I can rest a little longer,' she said. Her morning starts with mobility work using the pliability app. By 9am, she and husband Shane are at the gym. Training runs until around 6pm before she heads home for some family time. Dinner is around 7pm, followed by Willow's bedtime routine. 'I love cuddling with Willow, so we usually wind down around 9pm for some mum‑and‑daughter time,' she said. While Toomey‑Orr's schedule changes with the season and the demands of competition, there are certain principles she refuses to compromise on. She begins each day with mobility work, devoting at least 15 minutes to stretching and joint‑opening movements that keep her supple and help prevent injury. It is something she credits as one of the major reasons she has been able to train and compete at the highest level for so long. Consistency is another pillar of her success, even on days when her commitments as a mother make it impossible to complete a full session. She will still carve out time to work on her fitness, confident that showing up every day in some capacity is what separates elite athletes from the rest. Just as important is her approach to nutrition. She fuels her body with a diet rich in vegetables and wholesome, nutrient‑dense foods that sustain her energy for the long hours she spends in the gym. There are no crash diets or short‑term fixes – just a disciplined commitment to eating in a way that supports performance and recovery. Together, these habits have created a foundation that allows her to push her limits without breaking down, and to keep winning when the margin for error at the top is razor thin. Mobility, she says, has been a game‑changer. It prevents injury, aids recovery, and keeps her consistent, even through pregnancy and postpartum training. She uses yin‑yoga inspired movements for reflection and self‑care. Since becoming a mother, that small window of quiet time has been more important than ever.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
'I needed to get myself together' - Fitzpatrick on finding form
Golf is a demanding and successful day job, but football is former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick's sporting passion - to the extent that he wants to work in the may happen one day but for now, digging his way out of the biggest slump of an otherwise glittering golf career has been the 30-year-old's has been a difficult and emotional process, but proof that he is back came with a career-best tie for fourth at last month's Open. He was the leading UK golfer that week on the Antrim coast and it was a fine way to end the men's major more so given where Fitzpatrick's game was when it began at April's Masters. The previous month he had missed the cut at the Players, parting company with caddie Billy Foster - with whom he won the 2022 US miserable early spring confounded expectations, after taking time to reset his career following a disappointing 2024. He felt ready to contend again, but his game remained in disarray."I just didn't have it," Fitzpatrick told BBC Sport. "I'd put in a tonne of work, my coaches had put in so much work and it just didn't happen."There's no stone left unturned for me, but it's hard when you're intending to hit a shot and missing it by quite a lot. I just didn't know what was coming."And that's when confidence hits an all-time low and you feel like you can't progress." By the end of the Masters, where he finished in a share of 40th place, the former world number six was 75th in the was not sure what to do to arrest the decline. And sometimes stuff happens away from the course as vicissitudes contributed to what had been previously unthinkable - splitting with Mike Walker, his coach and confidante since Fitzpatrick's mid works alongside fellow South Yorkshireman Pete Cowen and helped his protege win the US Amateur in 2013 before turning professional."My relationship with Mike is more important than golf really," Fitzpatrick said. "He's someone I've looked up to since I was 14 or 15."I could tell him anything and my respect for him is so high. At the same time I wasn't playing well and things probably needed to change."It's my job and I needed to get myself together."The week after the Masters, Fitzpatrick started to work with the Alabama-based coach Mark Blackburn."It was the first time I've ever had anyone look at my swing, or get a lesson off someone not named Mike Walker or Pete Cowen in 15 years," Fitzpatrick wanted to know his new pupil's physical capabilities and his level of flexibility. They soon discovered Fitzpatrick possesses unusually long arms."Which is not great for hitting irons because its harder to control the depth of the club, and you are going to hit it heavier more often than not," he said."The other thing was I don't have great shoulder flexion and because of that, as soon as I swing it too long I come out of posture and my swing is all out of whack."While finishing 11 under par at Portrush it was noticeable that before every shot Fitzpatrick would pull back his shoulders and push out his chest. "It's me trying to pinch my shoulder blades together," he said."It is basically to create the radius of my arms, which means I can just rotate there and I don't need to stretch or move my arms." The work is paying off. Fitzpatrick was eighth in May's US PGA at Quail Hollow, one of five top 10s since the Masters - including finishing fourth at the Scottish Open the week before Portrush, and a share of eighth at the Wyndham last he is looking to push to finish top 30 on the PGA Tour and grab a place in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. He currently lies 41st and competes in the first play-off event, the FedEx St Jude, which starts in Memphis this who he credits for helping him through the toughest stretch of his career, Fitzpatrick says: "My mum and dad and wife Katherine."She was constantly reminding me that I won the US Open; 'you're a great player, you're going to get it back'."It really is true, you've got to have the right people around you and I feel very lucky that I've always had that." Football tactics fascinate Fitzpatrick The other constant has been his love of football. This conversation began with Fitzpatrick seeking contact details for a tactical expert who had appeared on the BBC Sport website."People think its a joke but I love football way more than golf," Fitzpatrick smiled. "I'm obsessed with football. It's brilliant for me."I love supporting Sheffield United, over here in the States they show every game I could wish to see, which is amazing."Fitzpatrick has visited Premier League side Brentford and spoken face-to-face with the performance team at champions Liverpool to glean insights. His voice lights up while recalling the people he met and the chats that was like a sponge absorbing information. "How they use data, how culture is so important," he said. "Just fascinating."Finding little things that maybe we could take into golf - I feel like we've taken a lot from it."But not just golf. He claims there could come a day when he might switch sports."I don't know when I'll ever get time to do this, but I'd love to work in football if the opportunity ever arose in some way, shape or form," Fitzpatrick said."That's extremely wishful thinking, but I just find it so interesting to be part of. I love reading about it and everything about it."More pressing is a golf career that is back on the up. Along with trying to make it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, he wants to retain his place in Europe's Ryder Cup team for next month's trophy defence at Bethpage in New York."It is nice to play well at the crunch time; the play-offs and the Ryder Cup," Fitzpatrick said. "To be part of that would be very special again."He has played three Ryder Cups but his record of only one win in eight matches is a frustration, and poor reflection of the talents of someone with 10 tournament wins in his professional career."Despite my record I still want to be part of it to give myself a chance to improve on it," he he makes Luke Donald's team, Fitzpatrick will bring plenty of perspective to the European team."In the last 15 months there's been an extra effort to try and be a little bit more forgiving to myself and understanding my own psychology really," he admitted."My biggest thing I would take away from the slump is catching things earlier. I can't afford to get to that stage again."It was a tough time for me and the problem was it went on for so long. You can't afford to be behind the eight ball and you need to catch those things as early as you can, and turn them round as quickly as you can."Spoken like a golfer who might one day deliver half-time team talks.
