John Ashdown

Dec 23, 2024 | theguardian.com | John Ashdown

Ben Stokes will undergo surgery in January and be out of action for at least three months with a torn hamstring, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced. The England Test captain was injured during the recent third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. An ECB statement said: “Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months after further assessments confirmed he has torn his left hamstring.

Oct 18, 2024 | theguardian.com | John Ashdown

ANDY IN BORDEAUXIt seems pretty likely that history will look back on the career of Andy Carroll (if at all) with a certain amount of puzzlement and confusion. Terrifyingly effective £35m goal trebuchet? Knack-prone serial flop? The final flourishing of the English Big Man? The great what-might-have-been of the Capello/Hodgson England eras? A wasted talent whose international caps only arrived because the alternative was Jay Bothroyd?

Sep 6, 2024 | theguardian.com | John Ashdown

Fin Graham has had his fair share of close finishes at these Games. In the velodrome he was edged out by his teammate Jaco van Gass in the C3 indidivdual pursuit. In the road time trial on Wednesday fewer than 20 seconds over those 28.3km separated him from a second medal. But on Saturday he finally came out on the winning side of a close call, taking gold in the men’s C1-3 road race in Clichy-sous-Bois by a whisker from France’s Thomas Peyroton-Dartet.

Sep 5, 2024 | theguardian.com | John Ashdown

Ben Sandilands stormed to a Paralympic gold medal and a new world record in the men’s T20 1500m at the Stade de France. The 21-year-old from Kirkcaldy surged home in 3min 45.40sec, beating the previous world record by 0.10sec and finishing more than four seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Portugal’s Sandro Baessa. The USA’s Michael Brannigan, the previous world record holder and Rio Paralympic champion, finished third.

Sep 4, 2024 | theguardian.com | John Ashdown

Zoe Newson had experienced the joy of bronze medals in London and Rio, then the pain of a fourth-placed finish in Tokyo, but on Wednesday in Paris the 32-year-old went one step further on the podium, winning silver in dramatic circumstances at La Chapelle Arena. On the first day of the powerlifting competition Newson attempted the final 109kg lift she needed for second spot but was initially adjudged to have fouled. She and her team appealed and, after a tense pause, the silver medal was hers.