Sarah Shephard

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Shephard

"Lying gives flowers but does not bear fruit," wrote Fenerbahce's on-loan winger Allan Saint-Maximin on an Instagram story last month after his manager Jose Mourinho accused him of being overweight. The words appeared beneath a screenshot of the former Newcastle United player's body composition measurements, which showed his weight (84kg) in March matched his weight in 2022 when he was a starter for Newcastle - and was 1kg lighter than when he was starting for Fenerbahce in 2024.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Shephard

If you've noticed players chewing gum during a game, you might have wondered why. Did they have a particularly potent chicken Kyiv for lunch? Are they using it to help ease nerves? Do they have a cunning plan to stick it to the sole of Mohamed Salah's boot in an attempt to slow him down? No. The most likely answer is they are chewing caffeine gum.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Shephard

Lauren Price scored a unanimous points victory over Natasha Jonas inside a raucous Royal Albert Hall on Friday night to become the unified welterweight champion and hold the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight world titles. Before the fight, the 30-year-old Welshwoman said she would be "too good, too quick, too young" for Jonas, 10 years her senior, and so it proved on a night that could be Jonas' final outing as a professional boxer.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Shephard

It's a Monday morning and two-weight world champion boxer Natasha Jonas is facing her first battle of a busy training day. This one is with her nine-year-old daughter, Mela. "She was fuming because I didn't give her egg on toast for breakfast," smiles Jonas. "She'd said Nutella but actually wanted egg. Obviously, I should have known that."The Athletic is spending the day with the 40-year-old Jonas as she prepares for a very different opponent.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Shephard

A number of Premier League players - including Arsenal's Kai Havertz and Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson (above) - have suffered hamstring injuries in recent weeks. With the help of Matt Konopinski, director of physio and performance at Rehab 4 Performance, The Athletic breaks down exactly how such injuries occur, how long players can expect to be sidelined, and the risk of reoccurrence. This is an updated version of an article originally published in January 2023. What is it?