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      in Athletics

      I nearly lost my finger in a freak accident but now I’m an influencer hoping to win gold at Paris 2024 Olympics

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      MOLLY CAUDERY will be jumping for joy at the Olympics if she can carry her red-hot pole vaulting form into Paris.And her dream of a medal this summer could come true less than three years after virtually losing her finger in a freak accident at home.Molly Caudery is the rising star of British athleticsCredit: GettyShe is on top of the world as the best pole vaulter in 2024Credit: PACaudery has overcome a series of injury battlesCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe loves to travel and soaked up the sun in South Africa in early 2024Credit: instagram @molly_cauderyBorn in Cornwall in March 2000, the new darling of British athletics is enjoying a simply astonishing rise – both on the field and online.Caudery, 23, hit the headlines with her silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – four years on from her fifth-placed finish as an 18-year-old on the Gold Coast in Australia.Incredibly, though, just eight months earlier, a shocking injury in her home gym almost ended her pole vault career before it got off the ground. Caudery, who sports a scar on her index finger, said: “I was doing snatching and, as I brought the bar down, my finger caught between where you rack it and the bar.READ MORE ON ATHLETICS“It was 90 per cent off. It was holding on by the skin on the side. “Three surgeries later, it is all good. But since then, I had two Achilles surgeries, which put me out for almost nine months. “That was a pretty big setback that I managed to come back from.”That final sentence is an understatement. Most read in AthleticsSince that Commonwealth silver, Caudery has literally jumped to new heights, setting two PBs on the same day to claim the British Championships title in July 2023.That gained her automatic entry into the Worlds the following month, where she came fifth with her new record of 4.75m. World’s sexiest athlete Alica Schmidt turned down ‘high six figures’ sponsorship deal despite earning £611 a monthThe Loughborough University sports science graduate backed that up as she claimed the UK Indoor title with a 4.85m.And with her PB now at 4.86m, she heads into the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow as the leading pole vaulter this season.So with Paris 2024 just around the corner, it is little wonder she is dreaming of a medal – just like her Team GB team-mate and Loughborough pal Holly Bradshaw, who claimed bronze in Tokyo three years ago.After all, Bradshaw jumped 4.85m for her bronze, with 4.90m the gold-medal height.Caudery added ahead of the Glasgow meet: “It’s every athlete’s dream to get an Olympic medal. “If I can just get to the final in Paris then you never know what is going to happen.“Every athlete has their timeline and mine was always 2028.Caudery dreams of bringing home a gold medal from ParisCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe pole vaulter is dating British high jumper Joel Clarke KhanCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe has racked up more than 205,000 Instagram followersCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe Cornwall star has been to Greece, the Canary Islands, Florida and The BahamasCredit: instagram @molly_caudery“But I know that what I’ve jumped so far could be pushing towards those medal areas, so I do think I need to re-evaluate. It’s crazy to think that that could put me up there.“To go from my PB being 4.60 at the beginning of last year to 4.86 already this year, it’s all happened very quickly for me.“I took so much confidence from last year and I’ve improved physically and mentally and I think that’s just taken me to the next step.“Coming into the season, a world indoors medal was not a clear target. But now I can’t shy away from the fact that I’ve been consistently jumping 4.80. “If I can keep doing what I’m doing, a medal could be on the cards and that’s exciting.”It is little wonder adidas snapped talented Caudery up early in 2024 as she put pen to paper on her first kit contract.The sportswear giants undoubtedly spotted the huge potential of their new client, too, given her sudden explosion of popularity online.Her combination of athletics posts, worldwide holiday snaps, glamorous selfies, bikini pics and doting content with her fellow British athlete boyfriend, high jumper Joel Clarke Khan, proves to be a winning formula. Caudery is relishing her red-hot form in the fieldCredit: PAHer current PB stands at a whopping 4.86mCredit: PAHer jump of 4.85m secured gold at the 2024 British Indoor ChampionshipsCredit: GettyCaudery needed surgery to save her left index fingerCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe x-ray shows the horrific damage done in her home gym in December 2021Credit: instagram @molly_cauderyCaudery has ticked off South Africa, Indonesia, Greece, the Canary Islands, Florida and The Bahamas – with the incredible photos going down a storm with supporters. Like her jumps, the followers count is going through the roof and now stands at a new PB of more than 205,000.And it shows no signs of letting up, either.The aspiring baker, keen traveller and part-time surfer – who has had to put her thrill-seeking skydiving on pause during her athletics career – is riding the wave and taking the fame in her stride, though. And while she denied suggestions she is also a model, reflecting on the social media stardom, Caudery said: “I don’t know where it really came from. “More recently, I’ve been posting a lot of pole vault videos and I’m getting like 10,000 more followers just from that. READ MORE SUN STORIES“’I think having that following is super important. People have said that athletics is not quite as big as it used to be. “So if I can inspire one person from the next generation, let alone the 200,000 or so who follow me, to be a part of athletics and keep it going, then that would be great.”Caudery ticked Indonesia off the bucket listCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe signed her first kit deal with adidas this yearCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyCaudery works hard in the gym and is reaping the rewardsCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe star loves baking and surfing in her free timeCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyShe has had to put her passion for skydiving on pause during her athletics careerCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyThe rising star knows she can inspire others to get into athleticsCredit: instagram @molly_cauderyHer holiday snaps rack up thousands of likesCredit: instagram @molly_caudery More

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      in Athletics

      We’re twin sisters, 27, who both secretly battled same disease… now we’re plotting Olympic gold at Paris 2024 together

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      TWO TWIN sisters aiming to bring back Olympic gold for Team GB this summer have been battling the same disease since being 13.The 27-year-old Londoners Lina and Laviai Nielsen first started to dream of representing their country in the relay race together while chasing around the primary school field.
      Twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen are hoping to bring back the gold this summerCredit: Rex
      The success of the siblings is even more remarkable after the pair were diagnosed with the same diseaseCredit: Reuters
      That looked set to become reality when they were selected for Britain’s 4x400m team at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
      However, after a stress fracture in her foot ruled Lina out, it took another five years before the pair were chosen together again.
      But they were unable to compete alongside each other at the 2022 World Championships as Lina suffered a relapse of the multiple sclerosis that both sisters suffer from.
      Up until that point in their careers they had kept it secret after originally being diagnosed aged 13, but the flare-up prompted them to finally reveal their story.
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      Laviai is still yet to suffer major symptoms like her sister, and she told BBC Sport: “We’re still deciding not to take medicine because we’re not sure of the side effects.
      “We’ve always been pretty good with our diet and nutrition, but after Lina’s flare-up we’ve taken it even more seriously. So far it’s all gone well.”
      Despite those previous setbacks, the duo are hoping it will be third time lucky after being chosen together again for the World Indoor Championships this weekend in Britain’s 4x400m team.
      Laviai explained how they hope to not only make it to at least the final, but that she is desperate to compete over 400m hurdles and join her sister in a bid for Olympic gold at the Paris Games this summer.
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      And Laviai tried to put into words just exactly what it would mean if they were to stand together on the relay podium.
      She said: “We would definitely celebrate it greatly. It would be huge.”
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      Lina, who finally made her international debut in 2022, has now switched and made the 400m hurdles her primary individual event.
      She added: “There have been so many setbacks along the way.
      “It’s the nature of sport – it is cut-throat. Sometimes you need luck on your side.
      “Hopefully we’re all good this time round. It can’t get better than finally racing together in front of a home crowd.”
      The sisters are hoping it’ll be third time a charm at the World Indoor ChampionshipsCredit: Getty
      Laviai Nielsen pictured winning the 400m ahead of Lina in Birmingham this monthCredit: Rex More

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      in Athletics

      Glam British athlete Lauryn Davey branded ‘sexiest woman alive’ as she stuns in barely-there bikini

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      BRITISH athlete Lauryn Davey stunned fans with her latest Instagram upload.The heptathlete is a British Olympic hopeful and is hopeful of making Paris 2024.
      Lauryn Davey posted this snap from her time away from the trackCredit: instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      She also shared behind the scenes pics of her trainingCredit: instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      She is currently undergoing warm weather trainingCredit: instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      And enjoyed the sea on a pebbly beachCredit: instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      She posted the photos alongside the caption: “Off track and on track bits from camp 🌿⚡️🌷🌞☁️ zero brownie points for guessing my favourite colour 🌱”
      Davey is currently in camp as she ramps up her preparation for the Olympics.
      The upload showcased what she’s been up to in terms of training and away from camp.
      The Welsh heptathlete is a vegan and preaches the benefits of the diet regularly.
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      That was referenced in the comments on her post with one fan calling her a “Green goddess”.
      Another wrote: “LAURYN 😭😭😭😭😭”
      A third commented: “Super cute!! You are glowing ✨”
      A fourth wrote: “You are Stunning 😍”
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      She also posed by the hurdlesCredit: instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      Davey regularly gives fans a look at her life away from the trackCredit: Instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      She has 26.5k followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      She regularly visits exotic locations
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      While a fifth said: “Sexiest woman alive”
      The heptathlete also studies veganism alongside her training at Swansea University.
      Five celebs that could have been professional athletes including mega movie star and a member of the royal family
      The Team GB hopeful regularly shares pictures of her budding medical profession alongside her studies.
      Lauryn is a fan of open water swimming
      She recently posed in a hot tubCredit: Instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      The stunning blonde modelled several bikinisCredit: Instagram @laurynlouisedavey
      Lauryn also posed on a boatCredit: Instagram @laurynlouisedavey More

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      in Soccer

      Norin Betani dead at 24: Zambia women’s player dies days before Olympics 2024 qualifier

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      A ZAMBIAN women’s football has died ahead of an Olympics 2024 qualifying match.Norin Betani, 24, passed away on Wednesday, February 21, as confirmed by the Zambian FA.
      Norin Betani has died at the age of 24
      Betani had been expected to travel with the team to Gahna for the qualifying match at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday.
      A statement from the Zambian FA read: “We regret to announce the death of one of our female players.
      More to follow…
      THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
      The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
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      in Athletics

      Olympics icon slams proposed rule change as an ‘April Fool’s joke’ as athletics bosses trial major new format

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      ATHLETICS ICON Carl Lewis has slammed proposals to change the long jump event, saying: Is it April Fool’s Day already?SunSport revealed on Monday that World Athletics bosses are trialling a new format where long jumpers use a ‘take-off zone’ rather than a take-off board.
      Carl Lewis has criticised the new proposals to change the long jump formatCredit: AFP
      Lewis won four of his nine Olympic golds in long jumpCredit: Reuters
      The governing body says that data collected during the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed that a THIRD of all attempts were recorded as no-jumps.
      The rule experiment will take place throughout this year in lower-level competitions and jumps will be measured from the front of the take-off foot within that zone.
      It will not be part of the Paris 2024 Olympics programme – the competition will remain the same.
      Should it prove successful, if it has the full backing of the top stars, then it could be implemented from 2026 onwards.
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      Lewis – winner of four successive Olympic long jump titles between 1984 and 1996 – is not a fan of the concept.
      The American, 62, said: “You’re supposed to wait until April 1st for April Fool’s jokes.
      “Actually, it wouldn’t change the distances that much. You would just see more bad jumps measured.”
      Lewis’s displeasure is also matched by Britain’s leading female long jumper, Jazmin Sawyers, who reckons there are more cons than pros with the idea.
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      The reigning European indoor long champion believes the potential positives are that every jump would count, there could be bigger jumps and it may prevent slipping on the board.
      Yet from her perspective, the negatives are the difficulties to implement it at grassroots level – given the computer technology involved – and the chance it may encourage some to cheat.
      Sawyers also feels there will be less drama, no more super-imposed measurements on TV, the crowd won’t be able to tell if it is a big jump and hitting the take-off board remains “an essential element of the skill”.
      She said: “I think there are a lot of reasons not to do it.
      “I appreciate they’re trying to do something. But this how I view it. I don’t think this particular innovation is a good idea.
      “I’d also just like to say: Can we stop messing with the long jump? Can we just leave it alone?
      “Maybe just try it on some other event. Try something else. I don’t think this is what long jump needs. The idea of speeding up the measuring – that’s great.
      “At the British championship last weekend, it was taking over a minute sometimes to get each result and it was really slowing down the pace of the competition.

      “It made it a bit more boring. When it could have been a bit more exciting.
      “The idea of speeding up the measurement is great. I don’t think you will be able to do that if you bring in this take-off zone.”
      The Stoke leaper, whose personal best is seven metres, added: “We removing an essential element of the skill of long jumping. Part of the skill is that you have to hit the board.
      “If you remove that, it changes the event completely. I don’t think you can then compare the old records to the new records. It just becomes a different event when part of the skill isn’t hitting the board.
      “So much of the drama of the event is whether somebody will hit the board or not. It’s whether they were this close.
      “Was it a foul? Was it not a foul? That drama is removed and really we’re doing something different.
      “Yes, we’re still just jumping into sand. But the idea that we are trying to hit a certain mark is part of the skill.
      “If runners didn’t have to go at the gun and they could go whenever they felt like, and we just took the fastest time, it’d be just a time trial.
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      “It would be a different event. I think this will make it a different event.
      “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the long jump. I think having the board is part of the drama.”
      Carl Lewis ranked in the top five sportsmen of the 20th centuryCredit: EPA More

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      in Athletics

      Olympics athletic event may never look the same with plans to trial radical new format

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      THE LONG jump competition will undergo a radical change – as athletes take a leap of faith into the future.World Athletics bosses are trialling a new format where long jumpers use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.
      World Athletics chiefs are planning major changes in the long jump eventCredit: Keith Campbell – The Sun Glasgow
      Trials will start taking place in the lower competitionsCredit: Getty
      Long jumpers will use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.Credit: Getty
      Data collected during the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed that a THIRD of all attempts were recorded as no-jumps.
      The rule experiment will take place throughout this year in lower-level competitions and jumps will be measured from the front of the take-off foot within that zone.
      If the tests are successful – and if the competitors fully embrace and love the concept – then it could become permanent for the event from 2026 onwards.
      Jon Ridgeon, 57, a former British athlete and now CEO of World Athletics, said: “We’re looking at all of the disciplines, particularly the field events, and going: ‘Right, how do we make them better?’
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      “At the World Championships in Budapest last summer, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps where athletes stepped over the front of the take-off board.
      “Well, that doesn’t work. That’s a waste of time. So we’re testing at the moment a take-off zone rather than a take-off board.
      “We’ll measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit.
      “That means every single jump counts. It adds to the jeopardy and drama in the competition.
      Most read in Athletics
      “At the same time we’re working out ways we can get instant results so you don’t have to wait 20-30 seconds before the result pops up.
      “How can we speed up the whole competition? It’s a whole range of innovation we’re looking at based on hopefully robust data.”
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      Britain have had three Olympic long jump champions – Mary Rand (1964), Lynn Davies (1964) and Greg Rutherford (2012).
      The men’s world record is 8.95 metres set by American Mike Powell in Tokyo in 1991 while the top women’s mark of 7.52 metres was established in 1988 by Russian Galina Chistyakova.
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      Ridgeon – who won 110 hurdles silver at the 1987 World Championships in Rome ahead of Colin Jackson – accepts that the traditionalists may not be happy.
      Especially as the event was part of the 1896 Olympics for the men while women starting jumping at the 1948 London Games.
      Speaking on the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast, he said: “We’ll spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes.
      “If it doesn’t pass testing, we’ll never introduce it.
      Measures have to pass testing
      “So, we aren’t going to introduce things on a whim because one of us thinks it’s a good idea.
      “Yes, it’s going to be based on good data. Yes, we’re going to test it really well.
      “If you have dedicated your life to hitting that take-off board perfectly and then suddenly we replace it with a take-off zone, I totally get that there might be initial resistance.
      “As long as it is based on good testing and good data, I think eventually it’ll work through.
      “It will not be without its controversy. You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy. But I think it’s worth doing.
      “Ultimately this is about not this year, but making sure we have got a sport that is hopefully fit for purpose for another 150 years.”
      In the summer of 2026, World Athletics will introduce a new global competition that will run in the years where there are no World Championships or Olympic Games.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      This World Cup of Athletics will be staged with countries pitted against each other in semi-final and final stages. The host city will be announced this year.
      + Listen to the whole interview which is part of the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast More

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      in Boxing

      Manny Pacquaio BANNED from boxing at Paris Olympics as little-known rule ruins legend’s dream

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      MANNY Pacquaio will not be competing at Paris 2024, after the International Olympic Committee upheld their rule on the age limit.Pacman, who hung up his gloves in 2021, had aspirations of competing at this year’s Games at the age of 45.
      Manny Pacquiao won’t be competing at Paris 2024Credit: Getty
      The boxing event is set to be held at the illustrious Roland Garros tennis complex.
      But the Philippines legend won’t be there due to a little known ruling.
      The IOC, which oversees Olympic boxing after de-recognising the International Boxing Association governing body, confirmed on Sunday that they wrote to Olympic officials in Philippines explaining the age limit for boxers will stay at 40 years old.
      The age limit was raised from 34 to 40 back in 2013.
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      That would have allowed Pacquiao to compete at Rio 2016, although he chose to be a senator in his homeland instead.
      Although it was believed he wanted to try and win a medal at Paris 2024, it was unclear if Pacquiao would have tried to fight at the qualifiers that start this month in Italy and conclude in Thailand in May.
      Reports suggested the Philippines Olympic body were keen to get Pacquiao in as a “universality” entry.
      These are free passes, effectively, that are allotted to countries with fewer athletes at the Games and struggle to have others qualify on merit.
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      However, past sporting success for the Philippines has meant that request wasn’t granted.
      “Universality places are not allocated to (teams) with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Olympic Games,” the IOC said.
      I fought Manny Pacquaio and Canelo but my toughest opponent was ‘the drunken master’ who’s record didn’t show his skill
      “This is the case for the Philippine Olympic Committee.”
      Pacquaio’s remarkable career came to an end in 2021, after 72 fights.
      He won a staggering 12 world titles at a record eight different weight divisions. More

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      in Soccer

      I’m a former PSG star… fans should BOO Lionel Messi at Olympics after he ‘took the P**S’ during two years in France

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      FORMER Paris Saint-Germain winger Jerome Rothen has urged France fans to BOO Lionel Messi if he plays at the Olympics this year.Messi, 36, joined PSG in a blockbuster transfer from Barcelona in 2021 and spent two years with the Ligue 1 side.
      Lionel Messi is yet to decide if he will join the Argentina squad for the OlympicsCredit: EPA
      Jerome Rothen has urged fans to boo him if he does decide to playCredit: Getty – Contributor
      During that time he scored 32 goals, provided 35 assists in 75 appearances and won two league titles.
      However, former winger Rothen has claimed that he didn’t show any respect to France.
      Towards the end of his spell with PSG, Messi led his country to the World Cup final – where they went on to beat France.
      Rothen has accused the forward of “parading with Argentina” after the final.
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      Speaking on his talkshow, Rothen s’enflamme, the Frenchman said: “We should not forget what he has not given.
      “As a French and a Parisian, seeing him parading with Argentina? Guys, if there is any way to dispute the fact that Messi took the p**s on us for two years, boo him.
      “He said it would be a disaster to live in Paris and that he hasn’t received the welcome he feels he was owed. Nonsense. 
      “He was above the Eiffel Tower like Neymar was. Every French folk showed him respect when he arrived. You expect respect in return and it never arrived.”
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      Following his World Cup triumph with Argentina, Messi was given extra time away from PSG duties.
      However, he was greeted with a mixed reception from fans upon his return.
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      Rothen continued: “When he was given off days, he never experienced Paris to the fullest and his performances never lived up to what we hoped for from him…
      “We heard he was not celebrated accordingly after winning the World Cup. You beat France in the final! He shouldn’t have expected to see the red carpet rolled out for him.”
      Messi is yet to decide if he will join Argentina’s squad for the Olympics in Paris this year.
      Javier Mascherano has urged him to join the Under-23s for the games. More