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      Tokyo Olympics football fixtures and results: Full quarter-final schedule including Team GB women, Brazil and Spain me

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      IF Euro 2020 wasn’t exciting enough, there’s plenty more football at the Tokyo Olympics.And Team GB have their women’s side BACK at the Games, where they are looking to go for the gold they missed out on at London 2012.
      Brazil took gold last time out at Rio 2016, after beating Germany in a penalty shoot-out in the finalCredit: Splash News
      Team GB’s women starred at the London 2012 Games but were knocked out in the semi finalsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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      The likes of France, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Germany will be competing in Japan as football makes it’s long awaited return to the Olympics.
      The Team GB women’s football team will be right in the mix as well.
      The tournament itself will start on Wednesday, July 22 – two days before the opening ceremony – until Saturday, August 8.
      Hege Riise’s women’s side are due to play Chile in the first match of the tournament in Group E, on July 21 before also playing Canada and Chile in their other initial group games, which will all be played at the Sapporo Stadium. 
      Team GB women’s Group E fixtures:

      Wednesday, July 21 – Great Britain 2-0 Chile – 8.30am UK (4.30pm Japan)
      Saturday, July 24 – Japan 0-1 Great Britain – 11am UK approx (7pm Japan)
      Tuesday, July 27 – Canada 1-1 Great Britain – 11.30am UK approx (7.30pm Japan)

      *Kick off times marked approximate are because games are clustered into sets of two, the Olympic organisers only give kick-off times for the early matches.
      What are the Olympic football groups?
      The men’s competition will consist of sixteen teams split up four by four per group and the women’s competition will consist of 12 teams split up in three groups.
      Men’s groups

      Group A: Japan, South Africa, Mexico, France
      Group B: New Zealand, South Korea, Honduras, Romania
      Group C: Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Australia
      Group D: Brazil, Germany, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia

      Women’s groups

      Group E: Japan, Great Britain, Chile, Canada
      Group F: Brazil, Netherlands, China, Zambia
      Group G: USA, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand

      The GB Women’s team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of England’s performance at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when they finished fourth in France.
      Defending champions Germany will not field a women’s side at the Olympics after they lost their World Cup quarter-final to Sweden.
      And unlike the men’s event – which is an under-23 tournament – the Olympics is one of women’s football’s biggest events, with no age restrictions.
      Olympic football fixtures in full
      Games in the same group are being played two at a time in various stadia, so second kick-off times are approximate.
      Wednesday July 21 – Women

      E: Great Britain 2-0 Chile
      E: Japan 1-1 Canada
      F: China 0-5 Brazil
      F: Zambia 3-10 Netherlands
      G: Sweden 3-0 USA
      G: Australia 2-1 New Zealand

      Thursday July 22 – Men

      C: Egypt 0-0 Spain
      C: Argentina 0-2 Australia
      A: Mexico 4-1 France
      A: Japan 1-0 South Africa
      B: New Zealand 1-0 South Korea
      B: Honduras 0-1 Romania
      D: Ivory Coast 2-1 Saudi Arabia
      D: Brazil 4-2 Germany

      Saturday July 24 – Women

      E: Chile 1-2 Canada
      E: Japan 0-1 Great Britain
      F: China 4-4 Zambia
      F: Netherlands 3-3 Brazil
      G: Sweden 4-2 Australia
      G: New Zealand 1-6 USA

      Sunday July 25 – Men

      C: Egypt 0-1 Argentina
      C: Australia 0-1 Spain
      B: New Zealand 2-3 Honduras
      B: Romania 0-4 South Korea
      A: France 4-3 South Africa
      A: Japan 2-1 Mexico
      D: Brazil 0-0 Ivory Coast
      D: Saudi Arabia 2-3 Germany

      Tuesday July 27 – Women

      G: New Zealand 0-2 Sweden
      G: USA 0-0 Australia
      E: Chile 0-1 Japan
      E: Canada 1-1 Great Britain
      F: Brazil 1-0 Zambia
      F: Netherlands 8-2 China

      Wednesday July 28 – Men

      D: Germany 1-1 Ivory Coast
      D: Saudi Arabia 1-3 Brazil
      C: Australia 0-2 Egypt
      C: Spain 1-1 Argentina
      B: Romania 0-0 New Zealand
      B: South Korea 6-0 Honduras
      A: South Africa 0-3 Mexico
      A: France 0-4 Japan

      Friday July 30 – Women’s quarter-finals

      Canada vs Brazil – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
      Great Britain vs Australia – 10am UK (6pm Japan)
      Sweden vs Japan – 11am UK (7pm Japan)
      Netherlands vs United States – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)

      Saturday July 31 – Men’s quarter-finals

      Spain vs Ivory Coast – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
      Japan vs New Zealand – 10am UK (6pm Japan)
      Brazil vs Egypt – 11am UK (7pm Japan)
      South Korea vs Mexico – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)

      Monday August 2 – Women’s semi-finals

      Netherlands/United States vs Canada/Brazil – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
      Great Britain/Australia vs Sweden/Japan – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)

      Tuesday August 3 – Men’s semi-finals

      South Korea/Mexico vs Brazil/Egypt – 9am UK (5pm Japan)
      Japan/New Zealand vs Spain/Ivory Coast – 12 noon UK (8pm Japan)

      Thursday August 5 – Women

      Women’s bronze medal match – 9am UK (5pm Japan)

      Friday August 6 – Women and Men

      Women’s gold medal final – 3am UK (11am Japan)
      Men’s bronze medal match – 12 Noon UK (8pm Japan)

      Saturday August 7 – Men

      Men’s gold medal final – 12.30pm UK (8.30pm Japan) More

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      Helen Glover has emotional message for kids as mum-of-three suffers Tokyo 2020 medal heartbreak on inspirational return

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      HELEN GLOVER had a special message for her kids after her Olympic comeback ended in an agonising fourth place.The inspirational rower failed to make a medal-winning comeback on her return from becoming a mum.
      Helen Glover and Polly Swann finished fourth in the women’s coxless pair final at Tokyo 2020Credit: Getty
      Glover delivered a passionate speech to kids after she and Swann came up short
      The 2012 and 2016 pairs champ and new partner Polly Swann have always had their backs against the wall at the Sea Forest Waterway.
      New Zealanders Grace Prenderghast and Kerri Gowler, who have looked the class act from the start of the regatta, set a world and Olympic record in the semis yesterday.
      And as the Kiwi pair rowed away from the field again, Glover and Swann saw their bronze hopes fade and die as they could not haul back the fast-starting Canadian boat as Russia took silver.
      It was a dose of hard reality for Glover, 35, who took time out of the sport after her Rio gold with Heather Stanning, having three kids with TV presenter hunny Steve Backshall while her boat partner returned to her role in the Army.
      Addressing her children Logan, Kit and Willow, Glover added: “They’re sometimes up at this time in the morning so they might be watching now.
      “I love them so much, they’ve been my inspiration. I never saw myself getting back in a rowing boat until they came along. You can do anything you want to do.
      “Trying and failing is not a problem, as long as you try. All the parents who have supported me on the way, thank you for your messages.”
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      The three-time world champion only announced she was coming back to the water in January, making the task of landing a third successive Olympic crown unlikely.
      And so it proved although it was the Canadian boat, in lane one, who flew off the start.
      The Canadians led at 500m with GB third behind New Zealand and were still ahead of the same pairings at the half-way mark.
      But New Zealand, with both rowers also part of the eight, came through to take the lead in the third quarter of the race as Glover and Swann lost third place to the Russian boat.
      As Russia tried to hunt down the leaders, Glover and Swann were hoping that the Canadians would fade to allow them into the top three.
      It was not to be, with GB finishing a length and a half off the Canadians.
      Glover told BBC: “I’m pleased that we put everything on the line. We knew it was going to be a really big final to be in.
      “Getting here was a tough route. We knew that if we crossed the line having spent everything. Looking back on the way we got here, we’re pleased with that result. It shows a lot of our hard work.”
      And emotional Swann then remarked: “I think we always knew in the Olympic final people were going to go out hard.
      “We thought we might have a bit more of a buffer but it wasn’t to be.

      “The way we have attacked this project has been really exceptional and I couldn’t be prouder of her and what we’ve done together, it’s been a special ride.”
      But while Glover and Swann could have no complaints, there was pure heartbreak for the lightweight double scull of Emily Craig and Imogen Grant as they missed out on a medal by just ONE HUNDREDTH of a second.
      The pair led through the first 500m but looked to be rowed out by a Dutch attack and closing sprints from Italy and France.
      But as Italy pushed through in the final 50m, the Dutch, defending champions from Rio, literally stopped rowing two strokes from the line.
      It appeared that Grant and Craig had taken third, with the Dutch in despair, but a photo-finish went against the Brits by maybe three inches.
      And Vicky Thornley produced an excellent row to reach the final of the single sculls, although Emma Twigg of New Zealand of New Zealand looks unstoppable.
      Thornley, who won silver with Katherine Grainger in Rio, kept her form and composure to finish second behind the Kiwi in the semi and looks set to contest the silver and bronze medals with Russia’s Hanna Prakatsen and Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig.
      Emily Craig and Imogen Grant missed out on a bronze medal by by just one HUNDREDTH of a secondCredit: PA
      Team GB duo Craig and Grant were just pipped to the finish line by Holland
      Team GB swimmer James Guy break down in tears for second day in a row after latest gold at Tokyo 2020 More

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      Tokyo 2020: Team GB women’s football team will face Australia in quarter-final after topping group with draw vs Canada

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      TEAM GB will face Australia in the quarter-finals of the women’s Olympic football tournament after topping their group.A 1-1 draw against Canada was enough to finish above their opponents – and Hege Riise’s side could now face world champions USA in the final.
      Manchester City star Caroline Weir, 26, scored Team GB’s equaliserCredit: Getty
      Canadian winger Adriana Leon threatened to snatch top spot off the Brits when she opened the scoring in the second half.
      But a late equaliser from Scottish midfielder Caroline Weir saved Team GB against the 2012 and 2016 bronze medallists.
      Having already progressed, manager Riise made five changes – resting three-goal Ellen White and adding Fran Kirby to the bench after injury.
      Team GB gained the upper hand in the first half, with Georgia Stanway going close before Rachel Daly was denied by an excellent block from Ashley Lawrence.
      The Brits became sloppy after the break and were made to pay when Leon converted a neat ball from Lawrence in the 56th minute.
      Team GB pushed for an equaliser and got their reward five minutes from time when Weir’s 25-year effort deflected on it’s way in.
      On our day I definitely think we put out better performances the better the opposition. Our job is getting ready for the next game, one game at a time, but we absolutely believe we can get on that podium.Beverly Priestman, Canada Manager
      Speaking after the match, Riise said: “I believe strongly in this team, a great team always finds a way to come back and we did.
      “Closer to the finish we started to get some momentum, luckily we were good enough to get the goal.
      “It was an important goal. We top the group, we’re staying here and have a little bit more rest so we are happy.
      “There are always things you want to improve on, we have played three games against three good opponents and have performed better and better.
      “We haven’t been together that long so we’ll improve every game.
      “Overall we looked strong and confident and that will be important going forward.”
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      Previous Olympic winners in the Women’s Football

      Team GB’s draw with Canada means they will face Australia, who finished third in their group, in the quarter-finals.
      The winner of that tie will take on either hosts Japan or Sweden in the next round, with the latter recording a 3-0 victory against the US.
      The Americans are in the other side of the draw and must defeat European champions Holland if they are to face Canada or Brazil in the semi-finals.
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      Tokyo 2020: Alex Yee says he’s indebted to so many people after his sensational Olympic silver medal More

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      Team GB heavyweight boxer and former delivery driver Cheavon Clarke OUT of Tokyo 2020 after split decision loss

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      HEAVYWEIGHT Cheavon Clarke became Britain’s second casualty of the Games as he slumped to a majority defeat to Brazilian Abner Teixeira.Kent thumper Clarke returned to the sport after taking time out to work as a delivery driver.
      Cheavon Clarke, right, was dumped out of the heavyweight Olympic boxing in the last 16Credit: Reuters
      But he lost his way after taking the opening round with three of the judges.
      Teixeira frustrated the Brit with his spoiling tactics.
      And he was narrowly in front at the end of the second.
      Although Clarke tried to take the contest to his opponent, too many of his shots missed their target, allowing the Brazilian to claim a 4-1 victory.
      It was a sad end to what had been another promising GB day in the boxing ring.
      Top-seed Pat McCormack in the welterweights and flyweight Caroline Dubois won their opening bouts with comprehensive unanimous verdicts.
      McCormack, 26, whose twin brother Luke has already made a winning lightweight start, was simply far too good for Aliaksandr Radzionau of Belarus.
      His next opponent is Bobo-Usman Baturov of Uzbekistan.
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      Dubois, sister of heavyweight pro Daniel, was always in control against Kosovan Donjeta Sadiku.
      The Londoner had more problems with a slipping headguard than her Balkan opponent, taking every round with each judge.
      She now faces Rashida Ellis of the USA in the last 16. 
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      Clarke made a good start but eventually lost 4-1 against Brazilian Abner TeixeiraCredit: Getty
      The range of emotions in the ring were clear to see when the result was confirmedCredit: AP
      Team GB hero Tom Daley hopes Tokyo 2020 gold medal will inspire LGBT community to achieve their dreams More

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      Why is there no Team GB men’s football team when a women’s team are playing at Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

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      THE TOKYO OLYMPICS sees Great Britain field a women’s football team this summer, but there’s NO men’s side.Hege Riise, the Team GB head coach, named an 18-person squad for the games and they have already qualified for the quarter-finals.
      Team GB’s women were the first Brits to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as they beat Chile 2-0 in their football opener
      Why is there no Great Britain men’s football team at the Olympics?
      When London won the rights to hold the Olympics in 2012, Great Britain immediately began plans to enter a men’s team for the games.
      The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FA, however, expressed doubts over taking part over fears they would lose their Home Nations status which had been established by Fifa.

      Fifa president at the time Sepp Blatter assured all four nations that their individuality would not be lost, despite combining to create Team GB for the Olympics.
      A compromise was reached and only English and Welsh players took part for Team GB in London.
      Plans were put forward for a team to be created for the Rio Olympics in 2016, but they were once again rejected by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations.
      And subsequently, no efforts were made for a men’s team to enter the Tokyo games.

      Ryan Giggs captained the men’s Team GB side at the 2012 OlympicsCredit: PA:Press Association
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      But Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England says that potential success from the women’s team may spark up a revival for the men’s side.
      He said: “I would absolutely love to take a men’s football team to the Olympic Games.
      “I think the experiences that the women have had through the home country FAs hopefully will be that positive step and impetus for an open dialogue on men’s teams in the future.
      “Obviously the strength now that we can see in women’s football (means) we’d be very disappointed if, in France in Paris in 2024 and on to Los Angeles in 2028, we weren’t fielding competitive teams across all sports but in particular competitive teams in football as well.”
      However, even if the four football associations had agreed to a Team GB men’s side, they would not have qualified for the Olympics this year.
      The women qualified for the Olympic Games by virtue of England’s run to the semi-final of the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
      However, qualification for the men’s tournament was decided by performance in the 2019 Under-21 European Championship.
      And in that tournament, England failed to get out of the group stage after being beaten by France and Romania.
      As a result of their runs to the semi-finals of that competition, France, Romania, Germany and Spain are Uefa’s representatives at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. More

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      Tokyo 2020: Team GB boxing brothers Pat & Luke McCormack hope ‘jail craic’ Olympic cocoon can help them make history

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      PAT AND LUKE McCORMACK reckon the “jail craic” of Tokyo hotel life can help them make history.The boxing twins from Sunderland, 26, do not shy away from their bad boy pasts.
      Luke McCormack is ready to take on the Tokyo Games – and is fully focused on successCredit: Getty
      His twin brother Pat is also in Japan as they put their bad boy pasts behind themCredit: Reuters
      Pat admitted: “If you are around bad stuff you can get dragged into it.
      “Without boxing I definitely know my life could have turned out an awful lot worse. It’s kept me out of trouble.”
      Despite that, neither welterweight Pat nor lightweight Luke really trust themselves if they are let off the leash.
      So being confined to their training camp in Yokohama, and now the Olympic Village, is the only sure way they will not waste their chance to become the first British brothers to win gold.
      Luke said: “It’s got my head a little bit battered having to stay in all the time.
      “But if we were allowed to do whatever we wanted to do, after we finished training at six o’clock we’d be off and out.
      “It’s worked out better for us because you can’t make any mistakes.
      “When you come over here there’s a lot of stuff to do to get sidetracked. But in the hotel you’re eating right and going to bed early, at 9.30pm.
      “A late night can mess you up. We’re making the most of it.
      “When we’re in camp we call it ‘jail craic’ because we’re with each other all the time. So it’s just like jail craic.”

      That the twins’ banter has an edge is not in doubt. They are, unquestionably, instinctively hardcore party animals.
      But both can fight, too, part of a crack squad that has the quality to exceed the five medals — including golds for Anthony Joshua, Luke Campbell and Nicola Adams — won in London 2012.
      Pat is world No 1 and favourite for gold, with team captain Frazer  Clarke calling him “the standout  fighter” in the squad.
      Luke is up against Indian army officer Manish Kaushik tomorrow morning.
      He has what it takes in his division, after missing out on selection in Brazil   — although there was an upside.
      Luke recalled: “It was tough not to make it to Rio but I knew my time would come.
      “I always knew I would make it to Tokyo. I’ve improved probably ten times.
      “When Pat came back, everybody thought I was him. So I was getting free drinks every weekend. It was cush.”

      Pat, though, has an Olympic score to settle, still convinced he was robbed in his last 16 clash against Cuban bronze medallist  Yasniel  Toledo last time out.
      He said: “If I can win the Olympic gold I know I will become a big name 100 per cent because of what the sport means.
      “It’s the biggest stage an amateur can get, with the world watching. It’s your chance to become a hero.
      “I know I belong at the very top level. I’ve done my apprenticeship and had my bad decisions and I’m looking to bring the gold home.
      “Being the No 1 seed makes me feel better because I’m meant to win it.
      “I was seeded No 1 in the Europeans and got gold and No 2 in the world when I got silver so I want to be No 1 seed because I know I can meet that.
      “I’d rather be the No 1 seed, expected to win gold, than the underdog who had to pull out a big win.”
      Although maybe, just maybe, not against his fiercest rival of all.
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      Luke added: “If we’re playing a game against each other there’s a high level of competition.
      “We’re not really allowed to spar much because it gets out of hand. It always did when we were younger.
      “But when it comes to boxing, there’s no rivalry. I want to see him win and he wants to see me win.”
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      What to expect from Team GB at the Tokyo Olympic games More

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      Fran Kirby OUT of Team GB Olympics clash with Japan but should be back for final group game in Tokyo

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      CHELSEA star Fran Kirby has been ruled out of Team GB’s group clash against Japan today – but SHOULD return for the final match with Canada.Women’s footballer of the year Kirby missed the opening win over Chile with a knock sustained in pre-tournament training at Loughborough.
      Fran Kirby is recovering from a knock sustained by the Tokyo Olympics football tournamentCredit: PA
      Coach Hege Riise is set to make changes on the left side with Demi Stokes replacing Rachel Daly at the back and Nikita Parris coming in for Lauren Hemp.
      Riise said: “Fran is back in training, slowly but we have to be sure we don’t push her.
      “We don’t want to risk her when there are so many games left to play.”
      Scotland’s Kim Little will take the rotating captaincy from Steph Houghton after pulling the midfield strings against Chile.
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      Little, one of just three non-English players in Riise’s 22, said: “It’s just exciting to play with new players and a different team and to see what we’re capable of. 
      “We all bring different qualities and combining them, with our speed or technical ability, will always come together when we’re put in a pressurised environment where we can thrive.
      “As players, whenever you come into a new team you just try to bring your best self as much as possible. 
      “So I wouldn’t say it’s something Caroline Weir and myself spoke about because we’ve both played with a number of the players in different circumstances over the years. It’s just quite natural.”
      Riise believes the empty stands inside the Sapporo Dome will work to GB’s advantage against the hosts, held 1-1 by Canada in their opener.
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      A draw would be enough to guarantee a knock-out place but the Norwegian coach is looking for more.
      She added: “Every time we step on the pitch we aim to win.
      “When you have fans cheering it gives you more energy.

      “Against Canada, they conceded early and struggled to get into the game so maybe their confidence has gone down.
      “We have done a lot of work on and off the pitch on set-pieces because it can be a big thing for us. 
      “But we also have to be more ruthless than we were against Chile.” 
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      Tokyo 2020: Dina Asher-Smith hopes to take ‘moral leadership’ baton from Marcus Rashford and England

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      HAVING watched the heroics of England’s footballers at the Euros, Dina Asher-Smith is now ready to inspire the nation at the Olympics.Team GB have been lifted not just by the Three Lions’ run to the final, but also by the words published on their social media accounts.
      Dina Asher-Smith is ready to star at the Tokyo OlympicsCredit: Getty
      The Brit wants to express her voice, like Gareth Southgate and Marcus RashfordCredit: Reuters
      Star sprinter Asher-Smith is hotly-tipped to become just the TENTH British female champion in track-and-field.
      Yet away from the starting blocks, the sprinter is part of a new generation of athlete activists who want to win medals and change the world at the same time.
      It is similar to what England and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford did, taking on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and helping feed starving children.
      Asher-Smith, 25, said: “What Marcus and all the other players have been doing is fantastic.
      “It made me so proud to watch them and see how they conducted themselves.
      “They did fantastically throughout the Euros and England surpassed all of our expectations in the nicest way. They performed fantastically.
      “They’re a credit to our nation and are showing a really good sense of moral leadership.
      “As sportspeople we are really proud, and definitely as a Brit, as a black Brit, I was really proud of them during the Euros.
      It would be entirely selfish not to give back when you’ve had so many opportunities in your career.Dina Asher-Smith
      “I thought they represented our nation and our communities incredibly well.
      “Definitely social activism is something I’d love to increase. You do have to give back.
      “It’s an essential part of being not only an athlete but also somebody who had an opportunity.
      “The only reason I am here today is the goodwill and hard work of other people in teams and throughout my community.
      “It would be entirely selfish not to give back when you’ve had so many opportunities in your career.
      “I’m really proud of how the footballers have done that increasingly through the year and proud of how they conducted themselves at the Euros.”
      England might have fallen short in the Wembley final, losing on penalties to Italy, but the 374-strong Team GB squad can certainly continue the feelgood factor in Tokyo after 18 months of Covid hell.
      Asher-Smith said: “I’m so unbelievably excited to be here. I feel like I’ve been capping my excitement for over a year because it’s been postponed and pushed back.

      “It feels like it’s been a long time in the making. I’m really excited to go and put a really good series of runs together.
      “The Olympics are the pinnacle of our sport. It’s what so many of us have dreamed of since we were babies.”
      Lost amid all the cynicism and scepticism — not to mention the growing number of positive Covid tests — is the fact that the Olympics on their day, when gold medals are won, can encourage people to get fit and active.
      Asher-Smith said: “The next fortnight has a great potential to inspire an entire generation of young women.
      “We do have significant drop off rates of young women when they hit their teenage years.
      “I really hope the next fortnight shows that you can make a viable career out of this, being a sportswoman in whatever sport you want to do.
      “It’s fun, it can change your life, you can develop lifelong friendships, you can lose weight, it’s good for self-esteem, your mind and your mental health.
      “This is a great platform and showcase for the sports we all love and I hope I can do you all proud over the next two weeks.”
      UNIQUE CHALLENGE
      Slowly but surely the jetlag is getting out of Asher-Smith’s system as she adjusts to the eight-hour time difference following eight hours of unbroken sleep.
      The tight hamstring that put her out of the Gateshead Diamond League this month is fine but left her feeling grumpy for a few days.
      The Londoner will run in the 100m, the 200m — in which she is the current world champion — and the 4x100m relay.
      Yes, it will be in front of empty stands and for the first time her proud parents Julie and Winston will not be there to watch.
      For so many reasons it will be an Olympics like no other, but for Asher-Smith it is still a time to shine in front of billions.
      She said: “Honestly, I just like a challenge.
      “I like the events, I love the spectacle. I love the championships and I love the vibe.
      “When people talk about this other stuff — the poster girl — whatever, it’s cool. But I don’t pay attention to the noise, the chatter and the predictions.
      “At Heathrow loads of the British Airways people said to me, ‘Are you nervous?’.
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      “No, what’s there to be nervous about? Obviously this is on a different scale but I line up for a race and I’ve done that since I was eight and I’m very, very good at it.
      “There’s absolutely nothing to be scared of. I love a show, I love a stage.
      “I love putting together a great performance when it matters, when the lights are really on. That’s just part of me.”
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