Geelong gave my grandfather more disappointment than fulfilment. For me it is the opposite | Dean Sherr

My grandfather was a stoic man. Settling in the western Victorian town of Ballarat upon arrival as a child from a small town in Ukraine, he took up interest in the nearest VFL club, Geelong. Thus began a lifelong affinity with the Cats he would pass down to his four sons and eight grandchildren.Battle-hardened by a modest upbringing, the loss of his mother at an early age and the mental scars of his service in Kokoda, football became a comforting escape from everyday life. Too frail to get to games himself, his lounge room and pay TV were always open to watch games, where most weekends, I would join him

World Athletics Championships 2025: Nader pips Wightman to 1500m world gold after Kerr injury – as it happened

Jake Wightman was leading for most of the end but Isaac Nader, of Portugal, saw the gap and pushed himself on the line from the outside. Reynold Cheruiyot wins the bronze.Neil Gourley finishes tenth and Josh Kerr ends the race last.Here’s a report on that stunning men’s 1500m final.And our report on Katie Moon’s third pole vault crown …That wraps up today’s action, but tomorrow there’s Sydney McLaughlin in the women’s 400m hurdles final, the men’s javelin medals will be decided … and Keely Hodgkinson returns to the global stage, as she begins her hunt for a first world championship gold in the women’s 800m

USA’s Katie Moon rises again to claim third successive world pole vault gold

USA’s Katie Moon leapt to gold in Tokyo on Wednesday in a thrilling final to become the first woman to win three successive pole vault titles at the World Athletics Championships.Moon has fond memories of Japan – she won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This time she edged out compatriot Sandi Morris with a final successful leap at a season’s best 4.90m.Morris, a silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, placed second on 4

Super League faces 11th-hour challenge to ‘press pause button’ on expansion

Super League’s proposed expansion to 14 teams is at risk of an 11th-hour challenge from clubs amid fears it could jeopardise the future of rugby league as a professional sport.Hull KR and Hull FC voted against expansion at Headingley in July, but other clubs are now understood to have expressed doubts about the Rugby Football League’s plans and want to “press the pause button” until 2027.The concerns centre on the financial sustainability of a 14-team Super League and the RFL’s failure to share a detailed business plan with the clubs. The Guardian has learned that while the RFL leadership gave a presentation at an informal owners’ meeting before the vote in July, multiple requests from several clubs for a detailed financial analysis underpinning expansion have gone unanswered.No documents were provided at the formal shareholders’ meeting where the vote took place, and the minutes of that meeting have not been shared

‘I’m chilling’: Gout Gout passes first test as he qualifies for world 200m semi-finals

Few sporting debuts have arrived with as much hype, but Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout passed his first test at a major global meet by booking a place in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Tokyo.The 17-year-old handled the pressure under the bright lights of Japan’s National Stadium, powering home in a time of 20.23 seconds to grab the third qualifying place in the fifth of six heats.He finished behind Jamaica’s Bryan Levell and Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba, the only two athletes in the heat higher than his world ranking of 16.Gout started slowly and was quickly caught by Levell on his inside, but found his stride and comfortably claimed third in a time two-tenths off his personal best of 20

Grand Slam Track denies Michael Johnson earned $2m from scrapped series

Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track organisation has denied the former American sprinter has pocketed $2m from the series while athletes have gone unpaid, calling the speculation “categorically false” – and claimed he was facing financial losses himself.Johnson is facing the prospect of legal action from athletes, agents and the suppliers who helped to stage three GST meetings, with sources claiming they are owed as much as $19m (£13.9m). It is understood that two athletes claim they had to withdraw from buying a house when prize money was not paid, and many privately believe they will never receive their money.However a representative for the four-time Olympic champion has told the Guardian that, contrary to the speculation he had been paid $2m (£1