Soft toys and a jagged edge: how Russia is circling the Winter Olympics

First came the reverberating cheers. Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands. But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles. For now.So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to win a medal

‘My DNA is in this car’: Lewis Hamilton revved up for Ferrari in new F1 season

Lewis Hamilton believes he is in the “best place” he has been at Ferrari, with a new car that carries his “DNA”.The seven-time champion failed to take a podium place for the first time and finished sixth in the drivers’ championship, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth in his debut season. By the end, he was clearly disenchanted, describing his first year at Ferrari as a “nightmare”.The Scuderia have looked promising in pre-season, and in Bahrain at the third and final test Hamilton, who has regrouped over the winter, presented a buoyant figure, optimistic about the forthcoming challenge.“I’ve gone through quite a bit and left everything, all of last year, behind me,” he said

Very good dog invades course but falls short of medal glory at Winter Olympics

A local dog has missed out on a historic cross-country medal at the Winter Olympics despite a lung-bursting surge in the homestretch.Nazgul, who according to NPR lives at a nearby hotel in Tesero, broke on to the course on Wednesday morning and sprinted for the line behind Croatia’s Tena Hadzic as she came to the end of the qualifying race for the women’s team cross-country sprint. Even if he had completed the entire race, Nazgul’s time would not have counted as he is male. And a dog.“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?” Hadzic said of her encounter with Nazgul, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog

Mikaela Shiffrin storms to stunning slalom gold to make Winter Olympic history

With one last chance to break her ­barren Olympic run stretching back eight years, Mikaela ­Shiffrin ­delivered in style. The 30-year-old American surged to victory in the women’s slalom on a sun-splashed Wednesday in the Dolomites with a two-run time of 1min 39.10sec, becoming the first US skier to win three Olympic gold medals.Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the reigning world champion and only woman to have beaten Shiffrin in her signature discipline this season, came in a yawning 1.50sec behind for the silver – the largest winning margin in any Olympic alpine skiing event since 1998 – while Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden took the bronze

Hull KR’s rollercoaster ride from the depths to chance of World Club Challenge glory

To appreciate the absolute highs, you perhaps have to first experience the ultimate lows: when Hull KR walk out for the World Club Challenge on Thursday, few will be better placed to say they have done that quite like their longstanding owner, Neil Hudgell.The Super League champions will aim to be crowned the world’s best rugby league club side for the first time when they take on the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos. To satisfy the unprecedented demand, they have taken ownership of the venue of their great rivals, Hull FC, for one night only – with 25,000 supporters, double the capacity of their Craven Park home, buying tickets in record time.It is a far cry from the many nadirs Hudgell has experienced during his 25-year ownership of the club. Rovers have languished in the sport’s second tier for lengthy periods during that time, coming close to financial ruin on more than one occasion

The Spin | Lancashire’s new second home brings renewed hope and old grumbles

The 2025 season for Lancashire’s men started full of cheerful high hopes. In the spring many, including a now bashful Spin, tipped them for immediate promotion back to Division One of the County Championship after being relegated in the last game of 2024 – as they had done in 2013, 2015 and 2019. It didn’t turn out like that.Two months later, hope had turned to heavyweight disgruntlement after a run of hapless performances. By the end of May, they were the only team in either division not to have a win under their belt