Latest news with #underdog
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘King' Kyle Chalmers out to reassert dominance over princeling upstarts at swimming worlds
It is rare to find such a decorated athlete – one with a regal moniker, no less – who still thrives on being the underdog. Australia's Kyle Chalmers, 'King Kyle', has won just about everything there is to win in international swimming. Yet year after year he returns, somehow still the underdog, somehow ready to spring another upset. In recent days, at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, it has been more of the same. On Sunday, Chalmers anchored Australia's relay team to an unexpected gold in the men's 4×100m freestyle relay. On Thursday, he will go again in the individual event – the two-lap freestyle blitz, another opportunity for Chalmers to reign supreme. Arise, King Kyle, once more? The modern Chalmers story began nearly a decade ago, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Just 18, the boy from Port Lincoln qualified for the Games at trials alongside more-fancied compatriot Cameron McEvoy. Chalmers had pedigree – he had won three gold medals at the junior world championships a year before – but this was the blue riband event of the Olympic swim meet, with a stacked field. No one gave Chalmers a chance. And yet he shocked teammate McEvoy and the swimming world to touch first in a remarkable upset, the youngest male swimmer to win an individual gold since Ian Thorpe in 2000. In less than 48 seconds, an international swim star was born. The nine years that followed have been glittering. Chalmers has won seven Commonwealth Games gold medals, six world titles and eight more Olympic medals. Now 27, Chalmers has established himself as a mainstay of the Australian Dolphins, the leading light of the squad's male contingent. But somehow, Chalmers has always positioned himself as the underdog. In part it is because of the injuries that have plagued his career. From bulged discs to a degenerative spine, from shoulder problems to heart surgery, there has been a lengthy list of ailments. Chalmers has endured endless cortisone injections and plasma therapy; at one point he even hurt himself while lying on a couch (after a stint working as a landscaper, he said his body was not used to the rest). 'And that's just the physical side of things,' he said in Tokyo, acknowledging the mental challenges that come with such exertions. It may, in part, be explained by Chalmers always doing things his own way – contemplating swapping swimming for a career in the AFL, or working part-time as a tradie for much of his career. Certainly, in part it is his mentality. Chalmers thrives with his back against the wall, the doubt of others seems to fuel him. At the Tokyo Olympics, this reporter made a joking reference that the women had been carrying the Dolphins to glory – was it now the men's turn? To Chalmers, it was no joke. On Sunday, at the latest edition of the world titles, the Australian men's freestyle relay team were not expected to win gold. The Dolphins had won the event just once over the past decade; the Americans have been ascendant, winning the past three Olympic golds. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion But Chalmers always lifts for relays – it is no surprise a majority of his world and Olympic medals have been in team disciplines. It has so often been the scene of his heroic feats. And so again it was on Sunday; the Australians were third at the final changeover, before Chalmers powered home with a fearsome 46.53 split to finish over the top of the American rivals. King Kyle once more. But after the win, the underdog mentality was again on display. 'I think it's a huge upset, and we prove that time and time again,' Chalmers said. 'Every year you read the articles and people write us off. We have a point to prove and swim with a chip on our shoulder a little bit, to be honest with you.' How many six-time world champions, nine-time Olympic medallists swim with a chip on their shoulder? On Thursday, Chalmers will contest the final in his pet 100m freestyle event, after qualifying through the heats and semi-final on Wednesday. It is shaping up to be a blockbuster clash. Chalmers won gold at the last major world championships, two years ago in Japan, but the Australian was blown away by young Chinese rival Pan Zhanle at the Paris Olympics, who shaved almost half a second off his own world record. In Singapore, Chalmers will go head to head with Romanian prodigy David Popovici and America's Jack Alexy, who qualified fastest. Popovic is just 20; Alexy is 22. Despite only being 27, Chalmers is the field's elder statesman, contesting his fifth world championships. Pan, another member of the next generation at 20, is a surprise absence from the final, after a lacklustre semi-final showing. Despite Chalmers' glittering career, he has only once been world champion in the individual 100m freestyle – in 2023 – and once at the Olympic level, back in 2016 (silver in Paris behind Pan followed a heartbreaking silver in Tokyo, six one-hundredths of a second from victory). Will this be the moment King Kyle reasserts his dominance over a field of princeling upstarts? Could Olympic gold follow in Los Angeles in three years' time? Chalmers has even floated the possibility of swimming on to Brisbane 2032, particularly following the addition of the 50m butterfly to the Olympic programme. He may not be the favourite on Thursday night. But that has never stopped Kyle Chalmers before.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
DeSean Jackson, Delaware State predicted to finish at the bottom of the MEAC
The post DeSean Jackson, Delaware State predicted to finish at the bottom of the MEAC appeared first on ClutchPoints. While DeSean Jackson's appointment as coach of Delaware State has provided a lot of positive momentum for the team, the MEAC's predicted order of finish certainly put things into perspective. Despite the monumental hire, the Hornets are expected to finish sixth in the conference. Howard University, who made the MEAC Championship in 2023, and Michael Vick's Norfolk State are the two schools above them at the fifth and fourth spots. Jackson spoke about the low ranking for his team with Shady McCoy on the ESPN+ broadcast of MEAC Media Day 'That don't bother me, man. At the end of day, I'm still modest with this, because at the end of the day, I know the work we're putting in. Regardless, I love the underdog. You know, I've been an underdog my whole whole life and I've been successful in my whole life.' He added, 'So coming into this, we won, what, two games and lost 22 over the…So, you know, I come into this situation…I'm good at the bottom right now., but I guarantee we ain't gonna stay there.' Perhaps Delaware State's low ranking in this season's preseason poll is because of the fortunes of the program before Jackson accepted the coaching position in December. Former head coach Lee Hull and athletic director Alecia Shields-Gadson departed from the program after the Hornets ended their 12th straight losing season. The university last won the MEAC title in 2007. Jackson made it clear in his introductory press conference in January that he expects his team to be competitive and even be in the mix for the Celebration Bowl. 'We ain't waiting. We want to be at the Celebration Bowl this year. We want to win the MEAC this year. Whatever was going on, we can't do that anymore. We've got to move forward and change that, starting on day one.' Jackson and his Hornets certainly have the motivation to prove everyone that's doubted them wrong. Related: Cowboys sign ex-Lions pass rusher while placing 2 stars on PUP list Related: LeSean 'Shady' McCoy makes huge Howard University error during MEAC Media Day
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'People love the underdog' - Cherries fans as far as the USA
Life-long Bournemouth fan David Cordell, who lives in the United States, spoke to BBC Radio Solent's Fern Buckley about the club's pre-season tour, and says it is a sign of how far the Cherries have are in the USA ahead of the Premier League Summer Series which they are competing in alongside other English top-flight sides."We have Bournemouth fans all over the country - we're not as big as Manchester United or Liverpool, obviously, because we haven't had the same success. But a lot of people choose Bournemouth because we are the underdog."We try to persuade people to join us, who don't want to support one of the big six clubs. We play in the same colours as Atlanta so we get a lot of supporters from there."To see Bournemouth becoming a regular Premier League team under a great owner is very lucky and I hope Bill [Foley] will take us to places we've never dreamed growing their fanbase: "We try to do some meet and greets. We have Steve Fletcher [former Bournemouth forward] coming to meet us before the game on Saturday and the club is organising a training session for fans in Chicago. It's good fun and really nice to get to know other the pre-season tour: "It would be nice to win some silverware, but this is all about preparation for the new Cherries play Everton in New Jersey on Saturday (21:00 BST), before then taking on Manchester United in Chicago on 30 July (02:30) and finally West Ham in Atlanta on 3 August (19:00).Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Five stories from Britain's best sporting underdogs
British sports fans have always loved an underdog, to root for a David when they're faced with a Goliath. Underdogs are athletes who have pushed down barriers, who achieved things they typically were not meant to achieve. As part of a new BBC Sounds podcast series, Sport's Greatest Underdogs, the BBC tells the story of five of Britain's best and how they managed to achieve sporting success against all the odds. Read their stories and vote for who you think is the best sporting underdog in our poll below. Listen: Sport's Greatest Underdogs Nicolas Hamilton In 2015, Nicolas Hamilton became the first disabled racing driver in the British Touring Cars series. But a year later he was out of the sport and had became a gambling addict. "I didn't feel valuable," Hamilton, the brother of seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis, said. "I wasn't racing and I wasn't getting sponsorship. My Dad is a multi-millionaire, my brother is a multi-millionaire, and they are going on this upward trajectory. "I felt very lost and lonely and I just stumbled across gambling." However, Hamilton, who has cerebral palsy, made his British Touring Cars comeback in 2019 and is currently competing in the 2025 championship. Read more about his story here. Listen: Sport's Greatest Underdogs - Nicolas Hamilton Beth Shriever BMX rider Beth Shriever became the first British athlete to win a gold medal in the sport at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The Essex cyclist had to contend with having her funding cut on the road to Tokyo. In 2017, UK Sport announced they would only fund male riders, based on results, and Shriever left the national set-up to go solo. She crowdfunded £50,000 to help her earn the chance to qualify for the Olympics. "I'm so grateful that people did donate and I was able to get to these places to qualify and get myself on that start line," she said. Listen: Sport's Greatest Underdogs - Beth Shriever Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards had only been ski jumping for 20 months when he qualified for the Calgary Winter Olympics of 1988, becoming Britain's first-ever competitor in the event. He took it up because Alpine skiing was too expensive, and his journey was one of pure determination as he borrowed kit, ate out of bins, and slept in his car to achieve his dream. While Edwards went on to finish last in the both the 70m and 90m events, he became a global and sporting icon. "I had so much fun getting to Calgary, that Calgary was my gold medal," Edwards said. "I'm very proud of what I've achieved. I broke boundaries, I pushed envelopes, and I did everything that people said couldn't be done." Episode released on BBC Sounds on 30 July. Nicola Adams Double Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams grew up in a male-dominated boxing world but never gave up on her teenage dream of one day competing at the Olympics. But when the sport debuted at the 2012 Olympics, she took her chance and went on to win gold, followed by another gold four years later at the Rio Games. "The funding wasn't there, a lot of us were still working and trying to fund being athletes as well, which was really difficult," Adams said. "When we'd go away and we wouldn't even have our own competition gear, we'd have to wash it for the other person to wear for competing the next day. "It was just such a different comparison to when you looked at when the guys went away. They'd have everything. "They'd have somebody go out a week before, get the hotel set up. They'd have all the rooms on the same floor. They'd make sure all the fridges were stacked, but then we couldn't even get our own separate competition gear." Episode released on BBC Sounds on 6 August. Leicester City Leicester City were the 5,000-1 outsiders who shocked the footballing world to win the Premier League title in 2016 for the first time in their 132-year history. A year earlier they were bottom of the table, having been promoted from the Championship and struggling to adapt to life in the top flight. But they turned things around under manager Nigel Pearson to avoid the drop, and when Claudio Ranieri was appointed in the summer of 2015 the club's winning run continued into the new season, and did not stop. They won 23 of their 38 matches, despite one of the smallest playing budgets in the league, to pull off what remains as one of the greatest unexpected sporting stories of all time. Two-part episode released on BBC Sounds on 13 August.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Five stories from Britain's best sporting underdogs
British sports fans have always loved an underdog, to root for a David when they're faced with a are athletes who have pushed down barriers, who achieved things they typically were not meant to part of a new BBC Sounds podcast series, Sport's Greatest Underdogs, the BBC tells the story of five of Britain's best and how they managed to achieve sporting success against all the their stories and vote for who you think is the best sporting underdog in our poll below. Nicolas Hamilton In 2015, Nicolas Hamilton became the first disabled racing driver in the British Touring Cars a year later he was out of the sport and had became a gambling addict."I didn't feel valuable," Hamilton, the brother of seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis, said."I wasn't racing and I wasn't getting sponsorship. My Dad is a multi-millionaire, my brother is a multi-millionaire, and they are going on this upward trajectory."I felt very lost and lonely and I just stumbled across gambling."However, Hamilton, who has cerebral palsy, made his British Touring Cars comeback in 2019 and is currently competing in the 2025 more about his story here. Beth Shriever BMX rider Beth Shriever became the first British athlete to win a gold medal in the sport at the Tokyo Olympics in Essex cyclist had to contend with having her funding cut on the road to 2017, UK Sport announced they would only fund male riders, based on results, and Shriever left the national set-up to go crowdfunded £50,000 to help her earn the chance to qualify for the Olympics."I'm so grateful that people did donate and I was able to get to these places to qualify and get myself on that start line," she said. Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards had only been ski jumping for 20 months when he qualified for the Calgary Winter Olympics of 1988, becoming Britain's first-ever competitor in the event. He took it up because Alpine skiing was too expensive, and his journey was one of pure determination as he borrowed kit, ate out of bins, and slept in his car to achieve his Edwards went on to finish last in the both the 70m and 90m events, he became a global and sporting icon. "I had so much fun getting to Calgary, that Calgary was my gold medal," Edwards said. "I'm very proud of what I've achieved. I broke boundaries, I pushed envelopes, and I did everything that people said couldn't be done."Episode released on BBC Sounds on 30 July. Nicola Adams Double Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams grew up in a male-dominated boxing world but never gave up on her teenage dream of one day competing at the Olympics. But when the sport debuted at the 2012 Olympics, she took her chance and went on to win gold, followed by another gold four years later at the Rio Games."The funding wasn't there, a lot of us were still working and trying to fund being athletes as well, which was really difficult," Adams said."When we'd go away and we wouldn't even have our own competition gear, we'd have to wash it for the other person to wear for competing the next day. "It was just such a different comparison to when you looked at when the guys went away. They'd have everything. "They'd have somebody go out a week before, get the hotel set up. They'd have all the rooms on the same floor. They'd make sure all the fridges were stacked, but then we couldn't even get our own separate competition gear."Episode released on BBC Sounds on 6 August. Leicester City Leicester City were the 5,000-1 outsiders who shocked the footballing world to win the Premier League title in 2016 for the first time in their 132-year history. A year earlier they were bottom of the table, having been promoted from the Championship and struggling to adapt to life in the top flight. But they turned things around under manager Nigel Pearson to avoid the drop, and when Claudio Ranieri was appointed in the summer of 2015 the club's winning run continued into the new season, and did not stop. They won 23 of their 38 matches, despite one of the smallest playing budgets in the league, to pull off what remains as one of the greatest unexpected sporting stories of all episode released on BBC Sounds on 13 August.
