Sportshour

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive. In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games. Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome. In Episode 4 it's early 1996 and preparations for the Games are nearly complete. Just the torch relay, the symbolic journey the Olympic flame makes to the host city, carried by the great and good across the host nation. Despite everything, the flame was still set to pass through Cobb County. But Jon-Ivan Weaver and Pat Hussain weren't going to allow that to happen. Plus, we also discuss how far gay rights have come in the last thirty years, and how much further they still need to go. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta Organising Committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive. In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games. Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome. In Episode 3 we hear from Olympic legend Greg Louganis. In the early 1990’s there were few openly gay athletes, retired or active. Having only recently come out the Olympic movement wanted to recognise his bravery with an award. Louganis used his acceptance speech to condemn the decision to have the Games in Cobb County and added to the pressure to have them removed. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta Organising Committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets. Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive. In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games. Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome. Episode one looks at the history of the US South, the campaign to get the Games to Atlanta and help change perceptions of what the South was like. At the same time a conservative backlash against gay rights was forming in Cobb County. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta Organising Committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets. Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive. In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games. Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome. In Episode 2 we meet the driving forces behind the “Olympics out of Cobb” movement, Jon-Ivan Weaver and Pat Hussain and their life partners Diego and Cherry. They explain the lengths they had to go to, to have their voices heard. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta Organising Committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets. Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library

We’re live at Royal Troon at golf’s 152nd Open Championship. The course contains one of the most iconic holes in golf. The 8th hole known as the "postage stamp" it also contains the longest hole in all Open history, a whopping 623 yards. So what exactly does it take to win there? Germany's Sophia Popov knows, she's the last person to win an Open Championship at Troon when she Women's Open in 2020. Plus and as this year's winner is crowned, we’ll speak to someone who has eyes on a future Open title and he’s no stranger to sporting success. The former Super Eagle now looking for birdies. Peter Odemwingie joins us fresh from successfully becoming a PGA pro golfer. The World Orientation Championships have been taking place this week, Switzerland's Ricardo Rancan, part of the winning sprint relay team, on what it takes to navigate your way to the top of the podium Ahead of the Paris Games we look at what it takes to put on a memorable Opening ceremony. The highs and lows, the pitfalls and the pleasure. Photo: The Claret Jug on display (CREDIT: Mark Runnacles/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Having fled the Syrian Civil War aged just seventeen, Yusra Mardini competed in swimming for the first ever Refugee Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Five years later in Tokyo she had the honour of carrying the team flag at the opening ceremony. Now a goodwill ambassador for the UN, Yusra will be making a difference out of the pool in Paris, working as a reporter telling the stories of the current refugee athletes. She tells Caroline Barker why it’s maybe more important than ever to champion the athletes and shine an even bigger spotlight on them at this summer’s Games. Yusra also recounts her story when she fled Syria for Germany in 2015, including her extraordinary sea crossing from Turkey to Greece. We’ll be at Wimbledon with Jamie Broughton, who has been sniffing out the big stories off the court during the championships. He’s been on patrol with one of the dogs that helps to keep the All England Club safe. We hear from the Guru of the penalty shootout, Professor Geir Jordet, author of the new book “Pressure: Lessons from the psychology of the penalty shootout.” As a consultant for more than 60 teams, and a personal performance adviser to over 130 top flight players, who better than to find out the keys to success for spot kicks. There’s also the caffeinated tea that is causing a stir at the Copa America. Our Latin American Editor Mimi Swaby tells us why fans of Argentina, who play Colombia in the final, are so annoyed after the team were pictured drinking the Uruguayan brand on social media. And we talk to former ice hockey enforcer Kyle Clark, who is now an electric aircraft pioneer. His company Beta Technologies is looking to change the way we fly to a more eco-friendly way. He tells us how hockey inspired the name and how he’s looking to shape the future of aviation. Photo: Yusra Mardini of Refugee Olympic team warms up during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan (Credit: BSR Agency/Getty Images)

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive. In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games. Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta organising committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets. Coming soon. Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library

We speak to sports psychologist Doctor Carly Anderson who is the team psychologist for the US curling team including when the men won Olympic gold in 2018. She tell us about the mental toughness and the preparation needed to compete in an Olympics after US gymnast Simone Biles qualified for her third games. NFL player Jermaine Eluemunor has been playing in the NFL since 2017, but this season will turn out for the New York Giants. It was the team that made him fall in love with the sport when he watched them play on TV in his home town of London. This week he returned to the UK and tells Caroline about a camp he is running to get more kids involved. Caroline is joined by Met police officer turned boxer Rachel Bower on why she wants more women to take up the sport. Plus, we get cooking with Tour de France chef Owen Blandy. He tells us what food he cooks up a mountain and the strangest requests that he has had. We head to Wimbledon to preview the second week of action and hear how the famous Slazenger balls used at the event are kept in such pristine condition. Photo: Simone Biles of the United States on the podium with her gold medal after her victory in the Women's Balance Beam Final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships-Antwerp 2023 at the Antwerp Sportpaleis on October 8th, 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Noor Slaoui is another history maker at this year’s Olympic in Paris becoming the first equestrian rider from the Middle East or North Africa to compete in Eventing in the history of the Games. Growing up Morocco, Noor tells us about walking equine animals in the Atlas Mountains with her family in her childhood and how she has ended up in England’s horsing hub via France. Spurred on by the belief in her by her mother, Noor also tells us how she feels when she represents the region as a female athlete. Hear how a school in one of the most disadvantaged areas in London, just 10 kilometres from the home of Wimbledon, is making tennis more accessible. Under a programme set up by the charity Greenhouse Sports, tennis coach Tom Sippy has transformed the sporting complexion at Sarah Bonnell school in the heart of East London. Tom and student Manal explain how a scheme which started with holey nets and broken tennis courts has turned into an award-winning initiative. We’ll meet Caroline and Tinashe Gatimu, the mother and daughter rally team from Kenya trying to inspire unexpected passions. The pair are the first mother-daughter team to race at the World Rally Championship Safari, and 2024 marks the 71st edition of the Safari Rally in Kenya. Sportshour's Shabnam Younus-Jewell has been speaking to them about how they are encouraging more women to get into motorsport. Dynamo Victoria FC’s founder Alejandro Ramirez explains how Sir Alex Ferguson has shaped the ethos and the name of one of the most multicultural amateur football teams in Australia. With more than 30 nationalities across their men's and women's teams, we’ll hear about their success and the “cultural mosaic” that is Melbourne. Plus, we hear why Parkrun – the weekend running event with millions of participants worldwide - could now be on its way to Uganda. Parkrun MD for Europe and Africa Tom Williams joins us, as well as Josephine Ocaka, one of a group of Ugandans, looking to take the social running event to their home country. Photo: Noor Slaoui competes in the Aston Advanced 2022 with her horse Cash in Hand. (Credit: ROKH Global)

Kenya’s leading tennis player Angella Okutoyi continues to make history against the odds. The African Games champion tells Sportshour’s Caroline Barker about her struggles growing up – including living in an orphanage – to becoming the first Kenyan to win a tennis Grand Slam after winning the Wimbledon girls' doubles title in 2022. Australian para climber Sarah Larcombe shares how she used to hide her disability, but now fully embraces her amputation. The multiple international medallist is hoping para climbing’s proposed inclusion at the 2028 Paralympic Games will help the sport climb to new heights. Sportshour meets the football fan who has watched football in all 55 UEFA member countries and even came onto play in the final game himself after flying English eighth tier side Hadley FC to San Marino. Also hear the story of the Georgian footballer who is having an impact on European aviation, Tottenham Hotspur defender Amy James-Turner on playing for the planet and Anthony Hamer-Hodges, Principal at the London College of Contemporary Music, on football anthems. Image: Angella Okutoyi of Kenya celebrates winning a point against Carolina Kuhl of Germany during her first round Juniors match on Day 7 of the US Open Tennis Championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on September 04, 2022 in New York City (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)

Australian motorcycle racer Tayla Relph’s interest in motorsport made her a target of bullying at school and she began travelling around Australia in a van with her family whilst following the motorcycle racing calendar. Now Relph is lining up alongside 25 other women - from 18 different countries – as the first all-female motorcycle circuit-racing series at world championship level gets underway. Sportshour’s Caroline Barker speaks to Relph ahead of the first race in Italy. Allison Hill shares how she fell in love with running during the pandemic and how that led to her creating Hill Run Club in Toronto, Canada. It’s a story of community, friendship and grief with the club boasting over 500 registered members. Born in Germany, European champion boxer Abass Baraou moved to Togo, before returning to Germany. He’s since lived in the UK and now in Miami and he tells Sportshour’s Sophia Hartley about his globe-trotting story, the racist abuse he faced in Germany and how he's edging closer to a fight for the world title. And – NFL Fan of the Year and US comedian Tom Grossi returns to Sportshour to share his latest challenge of visiting five countries and seven international NFL stadiums in 10 days, passing a $1 million raised for charity in the process. Image: Tayla Relph riding for TAYCO Motorsport during testing ahead of the inaugural FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship season. (Credit: Click Diversity)

Sportshour hears about an incredible act of generosity. Rob Adcock was set to be the first person to attend a game in every round of the Champions League without visiting the same country twice. With nine countries visited and just the final in England to tick off, he gave away his ticket – which cost more than $2,500 – to a Borussia Dortmund fan for free. Caroline Barker speaks to both Rob and the Borussia Dortmund fan, Raphael Kopp. Austria’s Valentina Cavallar explains why she has made the switch from rowing - a sport she competed in at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - to professional cycling and how she’s hoping to be on the start line at this year’s Le Tour de France Femmes. British endurance runner Susie Chan shares her running adventures which have taken her all around the world, but reveals how her love for running came later in life and has helped her through some of her toughest moments. And – with the NBA finals getting underway, Sportshour looks at whether a simple pat on a player’s back from their teammates can improve their chance of scoring a free throw? The University of Basel's Christiane Büttner tells us more about what their research has found. (Image: Borussia Dortmund fan Raphael Kopp outside Wembley Stadium holding up his ticket on the UEFA app ahead of Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid. Credit: Rob Adcock)

Dame Kelly Holmes was the first British woman to become a double Olympic champion winning the 800 and 1500 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Despite the jubilation, it was not a moment of happiness but a period of fear. A fear that she might be outed as being gay. Revealed publicly just two years ago this month, Dame Kelly tells Caroline Barker about her renewed joy in life after coming out as gay. She explains the terror of hiding her sexuality in the British Army, where being gay was illegal until 2000 and how her story has inspired others to reach out to her. Kelly also talks about how being able to be herself has given her the confidence to do pantomime and what she wants to do next to help others. With the Paris Olympics the first Games with equal men and women participation in sailing, World Sailing is bidding to increase female representation in the sport at all levels with a new report. Who better to explain the development of that than trailblazing Olympic gold medallist Jo Aleh, who will go to her fourth Olympic Games this summer? She'll tell us about the powerful women in the sport, her experience of gender equality in coaching and her journey to Paris. Award winning journalist Joe Posnanski tells us why we should love baseball and divulges his equation for what he thinks makes a great sporting moment. He also shares a few of his favourite moments from the sport’s history picked from his new book “Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments”. We’ll also find out how the iconic Champions League final music was made ahead of the biggest club game in football. PHOTO: Kelly Holmes during The British Diversity Awards 2024 at Grosvenor House on March 20, 2024 in London, England. (Credit: Getty Images)

Taiwan badminton player Chou Tien-chen was keen to make sure he was in the best shape possible ahead of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games. What should have been a straightforward full medical examination saw him diagnosed with early stage colon cancer. After taking a second doctor’s opinion to undergo surgery, Chou is now back playing on the world stage. He’ll explain why he kept the news from his fans and even his friends for almost a year and why he hopes his story will inspire others to undergo early cancer screening. Lacrosse won’t be making an appearance in Paris but will be brought back into the Olympic Games for Los Angeles in 2028. As one of the fastest growing sports, it will celebrate a landmark moment in September with its first ever Women’s Box Lacrosse World Championships. Eleni Megoran will represent Australia at the Championships and tells us about how big this is for the sport and for women. Eleni also shares how she’s seen as a “cool” teacher and a trailblazer with her students in her job as a teacher. We check back in former South African Netballer Vanes-Mari du Toit about her record breaking swim in the Himalayas. She was part of the Mad Swimmers team, who swam in a new body of water found at 6405 metres above sea level on Everest. She explains how the hike and swim were and why we need to take note.. Cuban weightlifter Ramiro Mora Romero tells us about making the Olympic Refugee Team via the circus and an army barracks. Now the British record holder in the 89kg, 96kg and 102kg weight categories ahead of Paris, explains how he has fulfilled a long term promise of making an Olympic games to his parents, who died when he was young. Image: Chou Tien-chen punches the air when competing at the 2024 Thailand Open. (Credit: BWF/Badmintonphoto)

As flooding in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul continues to cause devastation, Shabnam Younus-Jewell speaks to Brazilian surfer Pedro Scooby who is among a number of sportspeople from the country helping those affected. Gaz Choudhry explains why he switched the wheelchair basketball court for the theatre stage. The two-time Paralympic medallist has recently been performing in 'Grenfell: In The Words of The Survivors' in New York, which tells the story of the Grenfell Fire that killed 72 residents of a tower block in London in 2017. Twelve months ago, the Netherlands didn't have a women's rugby league team but now they're targeting a spot at the Rugby League World Cup for the first time. We’ll meet the three Australian born sisters – Nicole, Jessica and Claire Kennedy – who are hoping to help get them there. And - we’ll find out about the sport of pickleball after it was announced India will launch the first-ever professional league. Image: Aerial view of flooded houses of the Guarujá neighbourhood, located in the extreme south of Porto Alegre, on May 14, 2024 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. After several days of heavy rain, Porto Alegre and many other municipalities in Rio Grande Do Sul are flooded due to the swelling of the rivers. (Photo by Jefferson Bernardes/Getty Images)

Would you move heaven and earth to change your life? No? Well how about just your living room? When times got tough, New Yorker James Grammer found solace in sport, in particular the ancient Japanese sport of Sumo. But initially there was nowhere local to compete. While the parks were fine in the summer, the traditional sumo loincloth would be a bit chilly in winter ! So James turned his apartment into a Beya, the name for where Sumo wrestlers train. He’ll tell us the joys and drawbacks of sumo wrestling at home and his ambitions going forward as well as why he has been so keen on big contact sports growing up. Iranian born film director Milad Alami moved to Sweden as a child refugee and his latest movie OPPONENT uses the sport of wrestling to highlight the challenges encountered by refugees across Europe. Milad draws on his own experiences to tell the story of an Iranian wrestler who worn down by the asylum process seeks out the one thing he knows and starts to train with the Swedish wrestling team. He tells us why he chose wrestling, why he wanted to highlight the challenge of refugees fitting into a new country and how important it was for him to cast real refugees in the film. We’ll get the inside track on horse racing’s oldest racecourse, the Roodee – more commonly known as Chester Racecourse. Sportshour reporter Richard Padula finds out why former Ballon d’or winner Michael Owen is so enamoured with the sport and the course. On Eurovision Grand Final day, BBC Sport’s music aficionado Pat Nevin casts his ear across the fancied songs for this year’s competition. Croatia are strong favourites but are they Pat’s? Plus, what links American footballer Brandon Mebane, Footballer Douglas Luiz and Formula One Driver Daniel Ricciardo? The answer – Bellydancing and to mark World Bellydancing Day, we’ll get a tutorial from Heather Eggins from Belly Dance Heaven. Photo: Sumo wrestlers practice in James Grammer's apartment turned sumo Beya in New York. (Credit: James Grammer)

Caroline Barker speaks to Jake Peacock on how he wants to entertain and inspire the world through his achievements in the Muay Thai ring. Peacock, who was born with one arm shorter than the other, was bullied at school and still receives negative messages on social media, but he says his greatest satisfaction comes from inspiring people. From free classes and sharing equipment to the Olympic Games, Samantha Catantan is the first Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympics in 32 years - and the first woman. Her qualification came after a significant injury setback and she’s not the only Catantan sibling with an Olympic dream. Double Olympic rowing champion Heather Stanning has recently completed Marathon des Sables, a six-day footrace over 250km in the Sahara Desert. Is the “toughest footrace on earth” her toughest challenge yet? And, 4 May is also known as 'Star Wars Day' so to mark the day Sportshour finds out more about the Stars Wars inspired sport of lightsaber duelling with France’s Celine Marie Mercier. (Photo: Jake Peacock after winning on his ONE Championship debut against Kohei Shinjo in Bangkok in April 2024. Credit: ONE Championship)

***This episode contains discussions and references to suicide. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide: befrienders.org*** Depression, health issues and the impact of the covid pandemic are familiar to many the world over. Canoeist Esti Olivier has been through it all and now has her eyes firmly fixed on competing at the Olympics in Paris. She tells us the highs and lows of the past few years of her life including missing out on the Tokyo Olympics. The moment she booked her place in Paris is one you’ve probably never heard before. Michael Anton Monsour is a club owner hoping to change the way sport looks at head injuries - by prevention. His club, Manchester ’62, who play in the top division in Gibraltar, made history with all 10 outfield players wearing protective headgear in a match. Michael is hoping to make as big a global impact as the club his team are named after - Manchester United – and tell us why the issue of head injuries is so important to him. Star player Ahmed Salam also tells us what it’s like to wear the headgear during games. Darcy Budworth tells about the “alley-cat” race series Take The Bridge that she founded. The races held in the dead of night in some of the worlds biggest cities, have a start point and an end but the route is up to you. The only rule is that you have to make the checkpoints dotted around the city selected. Nine years after its creation, Darcy tells us why it was important to her to bring the fun back into running. And the London Marathon’s “wine guy” drops in. Wine specialist Tom Gilbey went viral on social media, when he tested his palate every mile of the London Marathon, guessing which wine he was being offered. He tells us why he did it and gives Caroline a wine-tasting lesson. Photo: Esti Olivier takes part in a Canoe Sprint race. (Credit: Sean van der Westhuizen)

***This episode contains discussions and references to extreme violence, sexual violence and domestic abuse. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide: befrienders.org*** Tracy Otto is on the verge of representing the Team USA at the Paralympics in Archery for the first time. But representing the United States in Archery was not what Tracy thought she would be doing five years ago. Back then, in her early 20s she was a student at the University of Tampa and an aspiring fitness model. But one night would change her life forever. In 2019, a brutal attack by an ex-partner left her paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of her arms and hands and the loss of her left eye. She describes that night, the impact on her life and how she is hoping to use the Paralympics to empower herself and others. The ironman triathlon is one of the most gruelling events in world sport. It covers over 200 kilometres with a swim, a bike ride and a run. But how about making it just that little bit more difficult ? Australia's David Lowry has been doing just that. He tells us about trading the traditional slick and aerodynamic road bike for a BMX version in memory of his brother Damien, who he lost to suicide. And he wants to ask the all important question – R U OK? We also hear from 83-year-old Kiko Rutter. He will be running the London Marathon, raising money for a mission hospital close to his heart but on the other side of the world. The hospital on Vella Lavella, one of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific was ran by his father ran over 80 years ago. Kiko wants to continue his good work to make sure those most in need are provided for. And how far can you swim? How about how high? Seven “mad swimmers” will be looking to break an unwanted world record of the highest altitude swim in a new body of water found in the Himalayas. Former South African netball star Vanes-Mari du Toit is one of those attempting the feat at 6450 metres and tells us why it’s another alarming sign (Photo: Tracy Otto. Credit: Tracy Otto)

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Bára Votíková tells Sportshour's Caroline Barker about how she balances her football career alongside being one of the Czech Republic's best known and most followed content creators. She tells us about using her social media platforms to advocate for gay rights, and how she deals with the haters. New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney is about to take a leap of faith ahead of the Paris Olympics. Since winning bronze at the 2016 Games in Rio, the 27-year-old has suffered many years of injury frustration. However 2024 brought silver at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow - her first international podium finish in six years, since taking Commonwealth silver on the Gold Coast. She tells us about life on the road with a massive stick! When French midfielder Aurelien Tchouemeni was asked earlier this season by his team Real Madrid to play a match for them in central defence, all he needed to help him prepare for the game was a virtual reality headset in his living room. But, does the technology really work and how can it help improve players skill set? Sportshour’s Andy Jones tried the new tech out to see if he could go from his messy living room to just plain old Messi. Photo: Barbora Votikova, celebrates the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter Final First Leg match between Bayern Munchen and Paris Saint-German March 22, 2022 (Credit Arthur Thill ATPImages/Getty Images)