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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 6, 2018 9:20:35 GMT 1
A slightly delayed return of the British Sporting Champions thread. Here is your one-stop shop to celebrate British sporting success on the world stage. And just in case 2018 doesn’t turn out to be a bonza year, feel free to re-live 2017, which most certainly was… 2017 British Sporting Champions thread
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 6, 2018 9:21:50 GMT 1
ROB CROSSOn 1st January 2018 Rob Cross beat 14 times World Champion Phil Taylor, to win the PDC World Darts Championship, the world’s most prestigious darts tournament. Cross had eliminated world #1, Michael van Gerwen in the semi-final. Aged 27, Cross only turned professional in 2017, and his rise up the world rankings to #3 has been nothing less than meteoric. He comes from Pembury in Kent, and is a qualified electrician.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 6, 2018 9:23:35 GMT 1
ENGLAND ONE-DAY CRICKET TEAMOK, the England Test cricket team was soundly beaten by Australia in the Ashes series. But in the One Day series, England were comfortably better in all respects, winning the series 4-1. The specific highlight was Jason Roy’s 180 in the first match. This was the highest score ever achieved by an England batsman in an ODI, and only the 8th time an Englishman has scored over 150. Roy now sits 1st and 4th on the all-time list.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 6, 2018 9:24:49 GMT 1
KYLE EDMUNDThis year I’ve decided to open up qualification for the thread a bit more widely, and to celebrate achievements which didn’t ultimately earn a medal. Starting the year ranked #50 in the world, 23 year-old Kyle Edmund beat 3rd seed Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria), 11th seed Kevin Anderson (South Africa), former world #18 Andreas Seppi (Italy) on his way to the semi-final of the Australian Open tennis tournament. He thus became only the 6th British man to reach an Open singles semi-final in the past 50 years, joining an exclusive club that also features Roger Taylor, John Lloyd, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Andy Murray.
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Post by Panda on Feb 13, 2018 18:30:19 GMT 1
If I may...? JAY AJAYI
Running back Jay Ajayi became only the fifth British player to win a Super Bowl ring when he was part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that beat the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII. He follows in the footsteps of defensive end Osi Umenyiora (now a BBC pundit) and Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes, who both won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, as well as wide receivers Scott McCready and Marvin Allen, who didn't play in the Super Bowl but won rings as members of the practice squad for the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
Ajayi, who moved to the US at the age of 7, was a 5th round draft pick for the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and rushed for over 1000 yards and eight touchdowns in his second season and was voted on to the AFC team for the Pro Bowl. In the NFL's annual top 100 players list, voted on by players themselves, he ranked #69. He was traded to the Eagles midway through the 2017 season helping them earn the #1 seeding in the NFC. In the Super Bowl, he ran for 57 yards on nine carries as part of a running back tandem with LeGarrette Blount.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 13, 2018 19:03:51 GMT 1
^^^ Excellent selection. Thank you for posting.
I'd hoped to be adding another entry today, but, sadly it wasn't to be.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 16, 2018 8:49:12 GMT 1
DOM PARSONSA surprise, but fully deserved, Olympic bronze medal for Londoner Dom Parsons in the Skeleton. He was consistently fast on each of his four runs, and a crucial mistake in the final descent from one of the favourites promoted Dom from 4th to 3rd. Dom was 10th at the Sochi Olympics, and has only ever finished on the podium once in the World Cup, so this truly was a case of a British athlete performing at their very best when it really counted. Team GB's first medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics puts us 20th on the medal table, level with Kazakhstan and Spain. Parsons' medal is the first for a male British skeleton competitor since 1948 (John Crammond); although we are beginning to develop a good tradition in the event amongst the women (Alex Coomber bronze 2002; Shelley Rudman silver 2006; Amy Williams gold 2010; Lizzy Yarnold gold 2014). In fact, GB sits 2nd in the all-time skeleton medal table, behind only the USA.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 17, 2018 8:54:55 GMT 1
IZZY ATKINAnother unexpected but hugely deserved bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. 19 year-old American-born Izzy Atkin won the first ever skiing medal of any sort for Great Britain in the women's Ski Slopestyle. This is the event where you perform skateboard tricks as you ride rails, and tumble and turn in the air, on a pair of skis. The better known Katie Summerhayes finished 7th in the same event, the same position as she claimed in Sochi. GB has only bettered 2 Winter Olympic medals three times since the competition started in 1924. As I write this, we sit 21st in the medal table, level with Spain.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 17, 2018 16:56:17 GMT 1
LIZZY YARNOLD & LAURA DEASGold and bronze in the women's Skeleton. Thus:- Yarnold becomes the first ever British Winter Olympian to successfully defend her title. Yarnold becomes the first ever Skeleton competitor of any nationality to successfully defend their title. Yarnold & Deas become the first ever British Winter Olympians to share a podium in an individual event (obviously Torville & Dean, and other team sport medallists have shared a podium !). Yarnold, Deas & Atkin's medals make it the first time that Britain has ever won 3 Winter Olympic medals on the same day. Britain has already equalled its Winter Olympics best ever medal haul. Yarnold set a track record in her final run to claim gold.
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Post by paulgilb on Feb 17, 2018 23:41:48 GMT 1
19 year-old American-born Izzy Atkin won the first ever skiing medal of any sort for Great Britain in the women's Ski Slopestyle. Whilst that is true according to the record books, a mention should be given to Alain Baxter who finished 3rd in 2002 before being stripped of his medal (despite not taking any performance-enhancing substances).
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Post by paulgilb on Feb 17, 2018 23:45:24 GMT 1
Unless I am mistaken, I believe she is the first Brit to win more than 1 Winter Olympic gold.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 24, 2018 9:22:49 GMT 1
BILLY MORGANA bronze medal in the men's Snowboarding Big Air event at the Olympics for Southampton's Billy Morgan, means Team GB have now achieved more medals at these Winter Olympics than ever before. (There are more medals up for grabs than ever before as well, though). GB is currently 18th on the medal table, equal with Finland. At 28, Morgan was the oldest competitor in a high quality final. Each jumper has 3 attempts on the slope, with the best two counting. The judges award marks for take-off, twists & turns, height, and landing. Morgan fell on landing on his first jump, and scored a highly credible 82.5 with his second. He then attempted a front-sided 14 triple with mute and tail-grab on his third. He'd never previously pulled off this very challenging and complex jump in a competition, but with nothing to lose and an Olympic medal in his sights, Morgan topped his career with 87.5 points, and a bronze medal. He finished 10th in Sochi in the Snowboarding Slopestyle event. Not bad for someone whose first experience of snowboarding was as a 14 year-old on a dry slope.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 2, 2018 12:47:13 GMT 1
ED CLANCY, KIAN EMANDI, ETHAN HAYTER, CHARLIE TANFIELDYou'll have to look quite hard in the sports pages to find mention of Britain's latest track cycling achievement. Maybe it is because we've become so blasé about our domination of this sport. Maybe it is part of the fall-out from Sky's inept handling of the Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome "totally drugs free" drug use stories. Anyway, this quartet of mostly youngsters captained by the highly decorated Ed Clancy, have just won gold in the Men's Team Pursuit in Amsterdam, beating Denmark in the final.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 2, 2018 12:51:10 GMT 1
KATIE ARCHIBALD, ELINOR BARKER, LAURA KENNY (TROTT), EMILY NELSON
Silver for the women's team pursuit team at the same competition. Our experienced team was edged out by 5 hundredths of a second in the final, by the USA.
JACK CARLIN, RYAN OWENS, JASON KENNY, PHILIP HINDES, JOSEPH TRUMAN
And a silver for the men's team sprint team. So, that's two more silver medals for the Kenny household trophy room.
JACK CARLIN
Carlin picks up his second silver, in the solo sprint. He's 20 and from Paisley. Carlin is following in the footsteps of Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny in this event, and has to be another superb prospect.
MARK STEWART
Bronze in the men's points race. The 22 year-old Scot is a newcomer to the British team, and clearly one to watch.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 3, 2018 9:00:23 GMT 1
KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSONThere's something about British multi-event superstars. Mary Peters, Daley Thompson, Denise Lewis, Kelly Sotherton, Jessica Ennis, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Of course they combine fabulous strength with agility and speed. But, without exception, they all seem to be genuinely friendly, grounded individuals. I'd be delighted to spend time with any of them. After a series of unfortunate disappointments, yesterday Katarina Johnson-Thompson won her first global gold medal, in the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. (She had previously won the European Indoors in 2015, the European Under 23s in 2013, the World Juniors Long Jump in 2012, and the World Youths Heptathlon in 2009). The Liverpudlian is the current British high jump record holder, setting the record at the Rio Olympics, where she finished 6th. She was 5th in the 2013 and 2017 World (outdoor) Championships.
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Post by rubcale on Mar 3, 2018 12:08:59 GMT 1
Wonderful news.
It would be great if this kick-started a rise to greater things.
She has always promised so much only to fail to deliver on the greatest stage - her nerve seemed to go.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 4, 2018 8:41:17 GMT 1
KATIE ARCHIBALD & EMILY NELSONGold at the Track Cycling World Championships in the Madison. This is the very exciting, but slightly confusing, event where the two riders keep handing off to each other with a sling-shot hand grab, so that one of them is racing while the other one is resting. Archibald, from London, is only 23 but already has 1 Olympic gold, 1 World gold, and 10 European golds, plus an MBE to her name. Nelson, from Lichfield, is just 21, and this is her first major title, having picked up her second World Championships silver two days ago.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 4, 2018 8:50:28 GMT 1
LAURA MUIR
Silver in the 1500m and bronze in the 3000m at World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba won gold in both events, and Netherlands' Sifan Hassan picked up the other silver and bronze. This would have saved the people organising the flags for the medal ceremony some effort.
SHELYANA OSKAN-CLARKE
Perhaps a story of persistence here, as 28 year-old Londoner Shelyana Oskan-Clarke picks up her first world medal - a silver - in the 800m. A beaten semi-finalists in the last Olympics and last World Championships, Oskan-Clarke was one of the co-captains of the GB squad in Birmingham.
EILIDH DOYLE
Bronze in the 400m, which is a great result for someone who specialises in the hurdles.
AMY ALLCOCK, HANNAH WILLIAMS, MEGHAN BEESLEY & ZOEY CLARK
High drama in the 4x400m relay, where the British quartet finished the race in 4th place. They were then promoted to bronze following the disqualification of Jamaica who had a runner out of position for the baton change. Within minutes GB had also been disqualified, for barging, handing bronze to Ukraine. But GB appealed, and eventually had their medal reinstated.
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Post by Shireblogger on Mar 5, 2018 8:22:41 GMT 1
ANDREW POZZIGold in the 60m Hurdles at the World Indoor Championships, just 22 miles from his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Pozzi won gold in the European Indoors last year, and climbed on to the top step at a global event for the first time yesterday. Pozzi is coached by Malcolm Arnold, who was also Colin Jackson's coach.
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Post by rubcale on Mar 5, 2018 23:07:33 GMT 1
Slightly off-topic but for the first time since 27 February 2006 Andy Murray is no longer the #1 British male tennis player.
As of 04 March that accolade belongs to Kyle Edmonds, now ranked a career high #24 in the world.
We all know the troubles behind Andy's fall down the rankings and can ony hope he can recover from injury and reclaim some of his brilliant talent.
After his magnificent performance in reaching the Australian Open semi-final where he lost to Cilic is hoping Edmonds has been unable to play through a hip injury which he carried in that semi final but is hoping to be able to return to competitive play very shortly.
Fingers crossed that the run to the A/O semi is not just a flash in the pan but the beginning of a sustained period at the top of the men's game.
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