European and Commonwealth medallist runs 2:17.51 behind Bryce Hoppel as Donavan Brazier and Nia Ali also impress

Jake Wightman was among the record-breakers as the World Athletics Indoor Tour began in Boston, with the European and Commonwealth medallist clocking 2:17.51 to improve the British indoor 1000m best.

Wightman, who finished fifth in the world 1500m last year, placed second to USA’s Bryce Hoppel at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday night, with the Scot’s time bettering the British record mark of 2:17.86 which had been set by Matt Yates in 1992.

NCAA champion Hoppel had been third at the bell, sat behind leader Wightman and Spain’s world indoor medallist Saúl Ordóñez, but the American went past Ordóñez on the back straight before surging off the final bend to pip Wightman on the line.

It was Wightman’s first indoor 1000m race, with the 25-year-old having clocked 2:16.27 for his only outdoor race at the distance in 2018 in Stockholm.

Chris O’Hare was another Scottish athlete in action in Boston and the European indoor 3000m silver medallist won the Tommy Leonard Memorial Men’s Mile in 3:59.62 ahead of New Zealand’s Nick Willis with 3:59.89.

In his first race since his world 800m title win in Doha, Donavan Brazier clocked the second-fastest ever indoor 600m time behind his own record of 1:13.77, running 1:14.39 and winning by almost six seconds.

His fellow American Demek Kemp won the 60m in a PB of 6.50 as Jamaica’s multiple world medallist Asafa Powell finished fifth in 6.71 and Britain’s Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was sixth in 6.73. In his first indoor race since 2016 and following injury, former world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell ran 6.84.

USA’s world champion Nia Ali won the 60m hurdles final in 7.94 after clocking 7.99 in the heats, with British record-holder Tiffany Porter running 8.21 after an 8.24 heat as she continued her comeback after almost two years away from racing and following the birth of her daughter in July.

The Oceanian indoor 1500m record was broken by Jessica Hull, with the Australian’s 4:04.14 gaining her a win ahead of Germany’s world 5000m bronze medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen with 4:04.38. Ciara Mageean improved her own Irish indoor record with 4:06.42 in third.

World indoor medallist Bethwell Birgen of Kenya clocked 7:44.21 to beat Edward Cheserek in the 3000m, with Britain’s Jamaine Coleman running a PB of 7:58.95 in fifth, Jonny Davies clocking 8:00.98 in sixth and Adam Craig running 8:01.81 in eighth.

USA’s Elle Purrier won the 2-mile race in a PB of 9:29.17 ahead of South Africa’s Dominique Scott in 9:31.98 and 2017 world steeplechase champion Emma Coburn in 9:32.81.

American Gabby Thomas won the 300m in 36.52, while GB’s Amy Allcock clocked 38.45. Dutch sprinter Lisanne De Witte was the 500m winner in 1:10.50, with USA’s world 400m hurdles silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin having been a late withdrawal as a precautionary measure after feeling a little stiff after travelling.

Spain’s Pablo Torrijos leapt 16.75m to take the triple jump win, while high jump victory was secured by USA’s Amina Smith with a 1.89m clearance.

Results can be found here.

More information on the seven-meeting 2020 World Athletics Indoor Tour, including dates, disciplines and scoring details, can be found here.

Wasps captain Joe Launchbury has been ruled out of England's opening Six Nations match with France next weekend because of a knee injury.

The 28-year-old forward sustained the injury in the Challenge Cup defeat by Bordeaux-Begles a week ago and will not be available for the trip to Paris.

He hopes to be fit for the Calcutta Cup match with Scotland on 8 February.

Launchbury was part of England's World Cup squad last autumn but made only one appearance, against the USA.

Eddie Jones and his Six Nations squad have held a World Cup debrief at their training camp in Portugal guided by Andrea Furst, the team psychologist.

England reached their first World Cup final for 12 years with a superb 19-7 win over three-time champions New Zealand, before losing 32-12 to South Africa.

Bath flanker Sam Underhill said the players needed to "unpack anything that might be there" from the final but look back positively on their time in Japan.

"The aim ultimately is to learn from the World Cup and be at peace with it. There has got to be an end point to that surely," the 23-year-old said. "The overriding message from the review was that it was a brilliant experience."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 47th annual RPM Workshops will once again be a part of Speedweeks in Florida on Feb. 10-11 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort.

The event already has a stellar lineup up of speakers and presenters set for promoters who attend the annual workshops to garner ideas and continue developing and growing their businesses while having the opportunity to network with a variety of colleagues and exhibitors that touch every corner of the short track racing industry, continues to grow.

Lucas Oil and Sunoco Race Fuels are offering tracks registering and attending the RPM Workshops a unique opportunity. The first 50 tracks to register for the [email protected] Workshops are being offered two suite passes per track to experience the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona driven by General Tire on Saturday, Feb. 8, the Grand Opening to Speedweeks activity at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

[email protected] attendees are encouraged to register early and secure their credentials to this event. Full details on credential pickup and the day’s schedule will be released to those eligible to attend the event on Feb. 1.

In addition to the hospitality, FOX Sports announcer Mike Joy, will greet and address promoters prior to the start of the ARCA Menards Series race following his television his duties for the day. Joy, who is appearing on behalf of Sunoco Race Fuels, has a rich history in short track racing, with roots planted back to his journey through New England short track racing, to becoming one of the most recognized voices in the history of the sport.

When the [email protected] Workshops begin on Feb. 10, another unique promotion of the Workshops will return due to the tireless efforts of 23rd Auto Racing Promoter of the Year Larry Kemp.

Kemp has assembled an ensemble of prizes from Eldora Speedway (Tony Stewart & Roger Slack); K&K Insurance; Hoosier Racing Tire; Ken Schrader; Speed Sport TV & Speed Sport News; Sports Insurance Specialists; RACEceiver; Race Track Wholesale; Simes Graphics Designs and Dave Argabright.

The top prize is four reserved tickets to and four NASCAR Garage passes (must be 18 years old/non-transferable/not good for grandstand admission) and one campsite for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway on July 29-30.

The grandstand tickets have come directly from track owner, Tony Stewart’s personal holds. Giveaways and prizes will be raffled off by random draws throughout the [email protected] event.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mixed fortunes found the Acura Team Penske squad during the opening hours of the Rolex 24 Saturday at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

It was a positive start for the No. 6 Team Penske Acura DPi entry shared by Dane Cameron, reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud and Juan Pablo Montoya, who found themselves leading at the four hour mark over the No. 77 Mazda Team Joest RT-24P and No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi.

It wasn’t all roses for the second Team Penske Acura DPi however.

In the only major incident during the opening hours of the race, Helio Castroneves, in the No. 7 Team Penske Acura DPi, crashed in the bus stop after contact with the No. 55 Mazda driven by Harry Tincknell.

The duo were running third and fourth overall and in the DPi class at the time of the incident. The No. 7 entry went to the garage for repairs while the No. 55 was given a drive through penalty for avoidable contact.

The No. 7 spent more than 30 minutes in the garage area as the Penske crew repaired the car, eventually sending Castroneves back on track more than 20 laps down.

Porsche has been in command of the GT Le Mans category, with the Porsche factory cars running first and second throughout the opening stages of the race.

The No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR – 19 shared by Laurens Vanthoor, Earl Bamber and Mathieu Jaminet was leading at the four hour mark, followed closely by the sister No. 911 Porsche driven by Nick Tandy, Matt Campbell and Fred Makowiecki.

Porsche was also in control of the GT Daytona class, with the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Dennis Olsen, Zacharie Robichon, Lars Kern and Patrick Pilet leading by a comfortable margin early in the race.

The LMP2 class has thus far been controlled by the No. 52 ORECA LMP2 07 of PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. The driver crew of Ben Keating, Simon Trummer, Nick Boulle and Gabriel Abury led the class by more than 20 seconds after four hours.

Matthew Wolff's swing used to get scrutinized when Wolff was a junior golfer, but if there's anything he's proven so far during his young PGA Tour career is that the ends really do justify the means.

Wolff struggled Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open and carded an opening 76, but bounced back with a second-round 66 to make the cut. The former Oklahoma State product began his third round on the back nine and made the turn in exciting fashion.

A perfect ending to cap off a 1-under 35 opening nine at Torrey Pines. Two early bogeys saw Wolff moving in the wrong direction on Moving Day. But he erased one of the dropped shots with a birdie at the par-4 15th.

The eagle moved Wolff to 3 under on the week, but still seven back of the lead.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Madelene Sagstrom shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, Sagstrom birdied four of the first eight holes and also birdied the par-4 15th in a bogey-free round. The 27-year-old Swede had a 15-under 201 total. She opened with a 72, then shot a 62 on Friday to take the lead.

Nasa Hataoka of Japan was second after 67.

Danielle Kang and Sei Young Kim were 12 under. Kang had a 65, and Kim shot 67.

Celine Boutier (67) and Cydney Clanton (69) were 11 under.

The tournament is the first official event in Boca Raton since the 1989 Oldsmobile LPGA Classic.

Hometown player Jaye Marie Green was tied for 13th at 7 under after a 70. Lexi Thomson, also from the area, was another stroke back after a 69.

SAN DIEGO – We’re 54 holes in and Tiger Woods’ 83rd victory is still within reach. So, we got that going for us, which is nice. Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from another trip around Torrey Pines after the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open:

• The final tally was 69, but Tiger was 4 under after the first nine holes after birdies on Nos. 1, 3, 6 and 9. It was something special at the time. He played the final nine holes in 1 over par, which seemed like a big, fat bummer, but the back nine played two shots more difficult than did the front.

• There was a massive fog delay in the morning. A lot of starts and stops for Tiger’s morning warm-up routine. He said, “When we were warming up I kept delaying it until the fog set in and I just went to the car and turned the heater on.”

• There were many good shots. Many. But the two best shots of the day both resulted in par, which is why they were so meaningful. After birdies on Nos. 1 and 3, Tiger chipped in for par on the fourth hole. Then, seemingly leaking oil on the par-5 18th hole, he made a 15-footer for par after short-siding himself in the back bunker.

Tiger on No. 4: “That was huge. Got off to a quick start and salvaged it with a nice little chip.” Nice. Huge. Chip.

• The lone bogey of the day came on the par-4 11th hole. It wasn’t bad, but it was unnecessary. Tiger was 55 feet from the hole and left the first putt 6 feet short and missed it. Although the final few holes were no picnic, this bogey killed all of the front-nine momentum.

• Tiger’s final stats for the round: 7/14 fairways, 13/18 greens and 27 putts.

• Plenty of work for Tiger in Sunday's final round, as he sits five shots behind leader Jon Rahm. World-beaters Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau are all ahead of him on the leaderboard.

• The last word regarding Tiger’s chase for No. 83: “I’m going to have to shoot a pretty good round tomorrow. I’ll have my work cut out for me. I’m going to have to go out and post a number and hopefully it’ll be good enough.”

Notre Dame has released 2020 cornerback signee Landen Bartleson from his national letter of intent after Bartleson was arrested in connection with a gun store robbery in Danville, Kentucky.

Bartleson had signed with Notre Dame in the early signing period in December, but head coach Brian Kelly released a statement Saturday saying Bartleson would not be joining the program following his arrest.

"After reviewing all of the facts available to us and speaking with the Bartleson family, we informed them that Landen will no longer be welcomed as a member of our football program," Kelly said in the statement. "This incident is very much out of character for the man we have come to know and we wish Landen and his family well."

Danville Police posted a statement on its Facebook page saying the alleged crime took place Thursday night and police responded the following morning. Investigators determined Bartleson, along with two other suspects, entered a gun store after smashing a window and then removed multiple weapons.

Two juveniles were charged, but Bartleson is being charged as an adult since he is 18 years old, and all three are charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief and receiving stolen property over $10,000.

The third charge is in relation to theft of a 2015 Lexus NX200T, that investigators linked to the three suspects, including Bartleson.

All nine firearms and the motor vehicle were recovered by authorities, and Bartleson was transported to the Boyle County Detention Center.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- If the players participating in the Pro Bowl are a true representation of the rest of the league, NFL owners are going to have a fight on their hands during negotiations to potentially add a 17th regular-season game to a new collective bargaining agreement.

Only a few of the players polled at Pro Bowl practices at ESPN's Wide World of Sports this week were receptive to the idea of a 17th game, with most against the idea because of safety concerns.

Defensive end Calais Campbell, the Jacksonville Jaguars' union rep, said he's talked to a lot of players over the past several months and his feeling is that the 17th game could be the biggest sticking point in CBA negotiations and it's going to take a lot of haggling to make it work.

The current collective bargaining agreement between NFL players and owners expires after the 2020 season.

"When I talk to the guys, I don't think many people want to do it," Campbell said. "Really, you talk to guys and I don't think anybody wants to do it. It's going to be very, very tough. I know the ownership's really hard on it. We're definitely talking, trying to figure out what we need to do, how we can make this thing work.

"It's going to be a process, but 17 [games], that's very tough."

It would take significant concessions from owners for the players to consider a 17th game.

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey suggested dumping all, or the majority of, training camp.

"At the end of the day, it's more paychecks. But at the end of the day, your body gets worn down," Casey said. "Your body goes through a whole lot through this sport. Honestly, if you add more games, you take away something else. If they take away more practices, I guess, more camp, I'd play more games.

"Get rid of those camps and we can do [more] games, baby."

Casey was partly joking because he knows there's no way teams will do away with training camp, but it does show that eliminating one preseason game -- which is one of the things being considered -- isn't enough to get players to agree to an additional game during the regular season.

More money, expanded game-day rosters, an additional bye week, expanded playoffs, guaranteed contracts and a higher percentage of the revenue split between owners and players are among the potential inducements that the league could offer to the players.

"Most of the starters don't play in that last [preseason] game anyway, so if you take away that one preseason game, you're not taking away anything for us," Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda said. "You're just adding a game. I'm not for the extra game. I think the game's long enough. It's physical enough, tough enough on people's bodies to play 16 games and also playoffs, so I'm just not for that.

"I understand that it's going to be hard to stop it, but I'm not for increasing the games at all."

Ravens safety Earl Thomas said he's not sure what kind of package the owners could offer that would make players seriously consider approving a 17th game, but Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper said a second bye week would have to be included.

"I don't have the answers, but I think if the NFL says they care about player safety and tell the parents of kids in youth football how much they care about player safety, then it doesn't make sense to play football without more rest," Hooper said. "So it'll be interesting to see if their actions align with their words.

"... I mean, the NFL is coming under a lot of player scrutiny -- there's a lot of former players taking their own lives and having a lot of issues -- and their answer now is to play more football and have more traumatic brain injuries. If they care as much as they say they do publicly, I feel that they should add another bye week."

An increased risk of injuries was an overwhelming concern of nearly every player asked -- especially among linemen, who are involved in contact every play. Teams averaged 63.5 offensive plays per game in 2019, according to Pro Football Reference, so an additional game would mean roughly 130 more snaps.

"Player safety should be at the forefront of what they're doing," Hooper said. "Because more and more players are put in adverse medical situations and do horrific things. It makes football look bad. And the answer isn't running into each other for another week. So again, I don't have all the answers. I'm just willing to give some insight on the things that I see that I think could be changed. Again, if they want more money, meaning another game, they should add more rest as a part of it."

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter said players want a longer offseason. After the regular season ends in late December, voluntary workouts ramp up all over again in April and are followed by OTAs.

"I would say they need to give us a longer offseason, shorten down OTAs," Hunter said. "If they're gonna do that, make OTAs less weeks -- and give us more bye weeks during the season -- that would be OK with me.

"They've gotta take something away, because the season just ended for me last week. I got 14 weeks until I'm back to football again. The [regular] season is like 16 weeks [plus a bye], plus the preseason -- that's 21 weeks. And then you come back in the offseason for OTAs -- that's another three months -- so 14 weeks is not enough."

Perhaps no players would be impacted more by a 17th game than rookies.

Their first NFL season begins from the moment they either finish their senior season or declare for the draft. There are all-star games such as the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game, two months of training for the NFL combine, pro days and a grueling schedule of team visits and workouts. After the draft (or after signing as an undrafted free agent), there are rookie minicamps, organized team activities, mandatory minicamp, training camp, the preseason and the regular season.

Teams also require rookies to remain at the facility for several additional weeks once the veterans are dismissed after the mandatory minicamp.

Their heads are spinning as they try to learn a new offensive or defensive system, figure out the proper way to prepare for games and take care of their bodies. Some guys obviously handle things better than others, but adding another game to the rookies' plate would be "a bloodbath," Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said.

Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen, who led all rookies with 10.5 sacks, agreed.

"We're the ones that are the future, and I feel like if they don't consider us, if they don't consider the rookies' bodies and minds, that's how guys get lost," Allen said. "I guess they say they're going to pay us more, but my body, my mind comes before money. I think about my family. I think about myself. That means a lot. Mental health is really a serious thing and I feel like that can play a part into that.

"... You've got all those different things. It's not just the season. You've got OTAs. You've got minicamp, training camp. You've got preseason. You've got all the things, and then rookies don't have time [to adjust]."