The ultra runner was pelted with stones and had a knife pulled on him during gruelling training runs in Ethiopia but the altitude camp proved perfect preparation for tackling his first 100-miler

British runner Tom Evans became the fastest non-American to complete the Western States 100 last month. His time of 14 hours, 59 minutes and 44 seconds also made him the fifth quickest athlete in history on the iconic ultra-distance course in California as he finished third in a race won in spectacular style by Jim Walmsley.

It was Evans’ debut 100-mile race but he took it in his stride after spending two months at a gruelling 2700m high altitude camp in Ethiopia where during some training runs he was pelted with stones and even had a knife pulled on him at one stage by a wary local.

“I’d do long runs typically on Wednesday and Thursday,” he says, on his training in East Africa. “I got up to doing two six-hour back-to-back, so 12 hours in two days. And I did an eight-hour long run at just under 3000m elevation.”

“I had a knife pulled out on me when I was running. You’re on your own and it is tough and a warrior environment. I picked up my pace and ran even harder”

Surely it was difficult to complete an eight-hour run at altitude and know that on race day in late June that length of time would only be just over halfway. “Yep, pretty depressing,” he agrees. “On that eight-hour run I had Zane Robertson (New Zealand marathon record-holder with 2:08:19) pacing me for the first two-and-a-half hours, which was awesome, and it was 96km in total and I was dead afterwards. In fact I was worried afterwards that my fitness wasn’t where it should be although I think that was just the altitude talking.”

Tackling such long training runs in Ethiopia brought with it various risks too. “I was going way off the beaten track to find new trails and good hills,” he says. “I had lots of stones thrown at me. I had a knife pulled out on me when I was running. You’re on your own and it is tough and a warrior environment. I picked up my pace and ran even harder.”

What happened when the knife was pulled? Did he square up to the man or start running? “I just increased my pace!” says Evans. “I don’t think he was planning on using it but it was kind of him saying ‘get out of here we don’t want you here’, which I can kind of understand but when you’re running and trying to better yourself then it makes the environment way more stressful.”

Ethiopia did have its benefits, though. “I stayed at Yaya Village (on the outskirts of Addis Ababa) and the rolling nature of Ethiopia with the elevation was perfect to prepare for Western States and no ultra runner has ever been to Ethiopia to prepare for a race like this,” adds the 27-year-old, whose all-round running ability was shown when he finished ninth in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Champs earlier this year.

The hard work at the Ethiopian camp culminated in a fine performance at Western States in a growing list of impressive achievements that includes victory in the 2018 ‘CCC’ 101km race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc week in France.

“Western States was my first 100-mile race in the most iconic and original 100 miler,” he says. “To run the fifth quickest time in the history of the race and the fastest international runner is great. I was never planning to run sub-14:30 like Jim (Walmsley, the winner) or Jared (Hazen, runner-up). The goal was always 15 hours. With only two years of running in my legs, to be able to mix it with guys who have been running for 10 years competitively, I’m over the moon and incredibly excited about the future.”

Shot putter Nana Gyedu wins hat-trick of English Schools titles as she breaks the championship record in Birmingham on Friday

Nana Gyedu sealed her third English Schools shot put title on the first day of the New Balance English Schools Championships at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. The London athlete threw 15.06m to win inter girls’ gold by more than a metre as she beat Divine Oladipo’s championship record of 14.92m.

It was one of the leading performances on an opening day of the 89^th English Schools Championships which was dominated by field events finals. “It feels good and it’s extra pleasing to break the championship record,” Gyedu beamed.

Cleo Agyepong also smashed a shot put championship record in the junior girls’ age group. The Kent athlete threw 13.19m to beat Hannah Molyneaux’s 2014 mark of 12.85m.

In pleasant but blustery conditions the jumpers were thwarted in their attempts to break records due to gusts of wind. They included Sam Brereton, who took his third English Schools title with 2.10m in the inter boys’ age group but did not manage to clear a 2.13m height that would have consigned Femi Abejide’s 2.12m championship record to the history books.

“It helps if the wind is behind, or none at all, but here it was a pretty bad headwind,” said the Cornwall athlete, who added that he’s given up playing in goal as a footballer in recent months in order to focus on athletics.

Sam Brereton of Cornwall wins his third #EnglishSchools high jump title with 2.10m but windy weather scuppers his chances of breaking the inter boys champs record of 2.12m held by Femi Abejide since 1981. pic.twitter.com/jokMYcDAY3

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 12, 2019

Elsewhere, winners included Sophie Ashurst, the daughter of 1986 Commonwealth champion Andy Ashurst, who took the inter girls’ pole vault with 3.80m in similarly blustery conditions on the back straight.

The feature on Daniel Falode in the current issue of AW magazine was well timed too as the London athlete won the inter boys’ triple jump gold by more than a metre with 15.27m into a headwind.

Further winners on this ‘field finals Friday’ included javelin thrower Lizzie Korczak, who threw 47.70m to win her third consecutive title as she beat Harriet Mortlock in a close inter girls’ contest, while Sam Mace took the senior boys’ hammer with 63.12m, Charlotte Payne the senior girls’ hammer by three metres with 57.53m and Serena Vincent won the senior girls’ shot by half a metre with 14.55m.

Toward the end of a long first day, there was also a championship record in the heats of the inter boys’ 4x100m as Essex clocked 41.58 to beat London’s 2010 best of 41.85.

Dutch star runs 4:12 as Laura Weightman just misses British best to finish runner-up at Herculis EBS meeting

The women’s mile world record was broken on an incredible evening of action at the Herculis EBS meeting in Monaco on Friday.

It’s safe to say that few expected the global mark to fall in the ‘Brave like Gabe’ mile – it seemed almost impossible when the pacemaker Olha Lyakhova led through 800m in 2:08.20, which was well down on the advertised 2:05.

Sifan Hassan, though, looked strong and buoyed by her recent European 3000m record in Stanford, she ran the third 400m in 61.93 and passed 1200m in 3:10.13.

At this stage Gudaf Tsegay was trying to hang on but she faded as the Dutch athlete powered away on the last lap and, with a strong last 100m, she took 0.23 off Svetlana Masterkova’s 4:12.56 set in Zurich in 1996.

Hassan covered the last 409m in 62.20 and her last 800m was 2:03.

“It’s amazing to run a world record that way,” she said after her 4:12.33 run. “I knew I could run fast but the first 800m was a bit slow so I was not thinking world record so I was surprised when I crossed the line. A world record gives you confidence and I want to double over 1500 and 5000 in Doha.”

Finishing fast in second was an equally delighted Laura Weightman and she ran 4:17.60 to narrowly miss Zola Budd’s 4:17.57 British record.

It comes after her own impressive 3000m performance at the Pre Classic, where she moved to No.2 on the UK all-time list with 8:26.07.

“I just thought, get your head down and run as hard as you can,” said Weightman.

“I’m absolutely delighted to run 4:17. It is a big PB and I’m over the moon for Sifan to set a world record. She’s amazing and it’s special to share with her.”

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford set a Canadian record 4:17.87 in third, while Britain’s Melissa Courtney was 12th in 4:27.76.

The men’s 1500m was a strange race in that even though pacemaker Bram Som ran a perfect first lap of 55.08, it was not fast enough for world leader Timothy Cheruiyot who pushed past and encouraged second pacemaker Michael Kibet to lead past 800m in 1:51.28.

The pace slowed on the third lap though and it was Jakob Ingebrigtsen who led through the bell and 1200m in 2:48.75.

Cheruiyot assumed control and though not looking as dominant as in Lausanne, he pulled away to win in 3:29.97 with Ingebrigtsen just missing his recent European under-23 and under-20 record with another top-class 3:30.47.

Ronald Musagala set a Ugandan record in third in 3:30.58 just ahead of a delighted Charlie Da’Vall Grice, who took three seconds off his PB with 3:30.62.

That moved him up to fourth all-time amongst Britons behind Mo Farah, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe and ahead of fellow former Brighton resident Steve Ovett.

Only five athletes have ever broken 1:42 at 800m and Nijel Amos did it for the second time as he won in a superb 1:41.89 to break his own meeting record and take 1.7 seconds off the world lead.

The pacemaker Harun Abda blasted past 200m in around 23.5 and 400m was a staggering 48.70 with Amos close by.

The Botswanan was ahead at 600m in 75.22 and held his form well enough with a 26.6 last 200m.

Ferguson Rotich Cheruiyot set a PB 1:42.54 in second with Amel Tuka finishing fast for third in 1:43.62.

Jake Wightman was well off the excessive pace but finished well and his reward was a UK lead of 1:45.08.

The steeplechase was a cracking race and also saw a world lead and in fact the top five bettered the previous world lead.

The 1000m mark was passed in a near world record tempo of 2:37.74 but the pace slowed to a disappointing 5:24.84 at 2000m.

On the last lap Benjamin Kigen looked in control and entered the straight with a good lead but he faded and he was caught by a fierce kick from Soufiane El Bakkali who won in 8:04.82 from Kigen’s 8:05.12.

Getnet Wale lost his world lead but did improve his Ethiopian record to 8:05.51 and there was a shock Spanish record for Fernando Carro who ran 8:05.69.

The field events saw some fantastic performances too.

Poland’s Piotr Lisek dominated as he carried on his great form to win the pole vault with a 6.02m world lead and meeting record leap to go 10th all-time and he had some good attempts at 6.06m.

Seven athletes jumped 5.82m or higher with second going to European champion Armand Duplantis, who jumped 5.92m, with Olympic champion Thiago Braz matching that with his best jump for a few years.

Multi world and Olympic champion Christian Taylor won a superb triple jump with a meeting record 17.82m to gain a narrow win over world leader Will Claye who jumped 17.75m.

Sydney McLaughlin looked a future world record-setter as she destroyed the field in the women’s 400m hurdles to win in a world-leading 53.32.

Over a second back Ashley Spencer (54.46) and former world champion Zuzana Hejnova (54.55) completed the top three.

The 100m hurdles world record-holder Kendra Harrison looks to be rounding into top form as she finished strongly to win in 12.43, overhauling Danielle Williams, who ran 12.52. World leader Janeek Brown (12.40) was fourth in 12.71.

Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo dominated the 200m to win in 22.09. World leader and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was a well beaten second in 22.44 with world champion Dafne Schippers third in 22.45.

Justin Gatlin won the men’s 100m in 9.91 to surprisingly defeat Noah Lyles who ran 9.92.

Laura Muir was never really in the battle for first in the non-Diamond League 800m but she did improve her PB from 1:58.69 to 1:58.42 to go sixth all-time in the UK.

The pacemaker Chrishuna Williams went through 400m alone in 56.12 without any care on what was happening behind her with the pack around two seconds back.

Ajee’ Wilson pushed on through 600m in 87.37 but could not shake off Jamaican Natoya Goule with Muir around five metres back.

The American held her form well but only won by a metre in a season’s best 1:57.73 from Goule’s 1:57.90.

Muir battled down the straight to hold off her fellow Scot Lynsey Sharp, who easily had her best run of the year with 1:58.76.

There was a very chaotic 400m.

Kahmari Montgomery clearly false started and a recall gun went off but the outside three lanes did not hear initially and while Davide Re and Anthony Zambrano realised every one else had stopped, Jonathan Jones did not and he completed the race in a reported and unofficial 44.6.

Five minutes later the rerun happened but without an obviously very fatigued Jones and Zambrano but curiously with Montgomery as seemingly the officials were distracted and let him run.

Steven Gardiner won in 44.50 from 400m hurdles star Abderrahman Samba’s 45.00.

Andreas Hofmann continued his winning ways with a javelin victory in 87.84m while Mariya Lasitskene continued her dominance in the high jump with a 2.00m victory.

The previous evening, world leader and world champion Yulimar Rojas dominated the triple jump to win in 14.98m as Liadagmis Povea was second with 14.71m.

Results can be found here.

Rafa or Roger?

The two tennis greats prepare to meet each other at Wimbledon for the first time since 2008 in Friday's semi-final.

But how much do you REALLY know about Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - not just on the court, but off it?

Test yourselves here with a quick-fire quiz.

Like to try some more quizzes, then give these a goes:

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – In lieu of the recent rain outs plaguing the Midwest, the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League has scheduled five new events.

The series will travel to Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill., on July 26, followed by a trip to Macon (Ill.) Speedway on July 27.

Later in the year, on Oct. 4-5, the series will travel to Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway. Lastly, on Oct. 19, the tour will visit I-30 Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., for a co-sanctioned event with the POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget League.

The POWRi Engler Machine & Tool 600cc Outlaw Micro League will join the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget league on Oct. 5 at Jacksonville Speedway and Oct. 19 at I-30 Speedway.

The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League has lost nine events this season to rainouts.

NAPLES, Maine – Pro All Stars Series President and Oxford Plains Speedway owner Tom Mayberry has announced that former Oxford Plains owner Bob Bahre will be the Grand Marshal for the Oxford 250.

Bahre purchased Oxford Plains Speedway in 1964. He ran it with his brother, Dick Bahre, until they sold it in 1987.  It was under Bob Bahre’s leadership that the Oxford 250 made its debut. It began in 1974 as a 200-lap event before being expanded to 250 laps the following year.

Bob Bahre and his family made many improvements to the track under his ownership. He is known as a successful businessman in the Oxford Hills area and beyond.

“We are extremely honored that Bob will be this year’s Grand Marshal, 55 years after he took ownership of the track,” said Mayberry.

Following his time at Oxford Plains, Bahre went on to build New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

The 46th annual Oxford 250 will be held on Aug. 23-25 and nearly 50 PASS super late models are currently entered.

LOS ANGELES -- The celebration was cut short for a member of the World Cup champion U.S. women's soccer team after she discovered someone had burglarized her hotel room in Los Angeles.

Allie Long tweeted on Thursday it happened after the team was honored at The ESPYS on Wednesday night.

Long wrote "someone stole my wedding ring, cash and the key to my favorite city." She's referring to the symbolic key that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gave the players following a ticker-tape parade on Wednesday.

After the @ESPYS show someone stole my wedding ring, cash and the key to my favorite city after just receiving it from my hotel room. Do you make copies @NYCMayor ? I would love a new one.

— Allie Long (@ALLIE_LONG) July 12, 2019

In the post, she asked de Blasio if they make copies because she "would love a new one." de Blasio says he will send her a replacement key to the city.

So sorry to hear it, Allie. Hang in there. Don't worry about the key. Like any good New Yorker, we keep a spare for our neighbors! We got you covered. https://t.co/B5xqZPMZnU

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 12, 2019

KABC-TV reports the LAPD is reviewing video from the hotel where Long was staying.

Barcelona have signed Antoine Griezmann after they deposited the Atletico Madrid forward's €120 million buyout clause with La Liga.

Griezmann, 28, is expected to arrive in Barcelona over the weekend, where he will pen a five-year contract with the Spanish champions before joining preseason training next week. The deal also includes an €800m release clause.

- When does the 2019-20 La Liga season start?

The France international becomes Barca's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Frenkie de Jong and Neto. Griezmann's release clause dropped from €200m on July 1 and sources told ESPN FC at the time that the Blaugrana were working on a deal for the attacker.

However, they delayed triggering the clause immediately in the hope they could negotiate a deal with Atletico which would allow them to pay the fee in instalments. The two clubs met in Madrid last Thursday but it quickly became apparent that Atletico would not accept a payment plan.

After Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed the meeting had taken place, the Rojiblancos released a strongly worded statement criticising both Barca and Griezmann's actions.

Atletico condemned Barca for approaching Griezmann while the La Liga title was still being contended between the two teams and demanded the player return to the club for training. He didn't and was subsequently fined.

The drama may not end here, however. Atletico claim they are due €200m, not €120m, because they feel the agreement between Barcelona and Griezmann pre-dates the release clause decreasing.

Sources at the Catalan club have told ESPN FC they are "relaxed" about Atletico's threats, adding Griezmann did not sign a pre-contract agreement before July and that they have not breached any of FIFA's regulations.

ESPN FC first revealed in March that Griezmann was looking to leave Atletico. Barca were reluctant to move for him initially due to the way he turned them down via a documentary called "The Decision" last summer.

Following an internal debate, though, with Bartomeu and coach Ernesto Valverde both advocates for the signing, they decided to reactivate their interest in him.

Griezmann announced in May that he would be leaving Atletico this summer but it was not until July, when his release clause dipped, that Barca confirmed they wanted to sign him.

Real Sociedad, Griezmann's former club, are in line to pocket €24m from the deal due to a 20 percent sell-on clause inserted when they sold him to Atletico in 2014.

During five years with Atletico, Griezmann, a World Cup winner with France last summer, scored 133 goals in 257 appearances. He also won the Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup in that time.

Tickets for Sunday's World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's are being offered for resale with a mark-up of thousands of pounds, despite the ICC warning it will cancel tickets purchased via unauthorised outlets.

The ICC provides its own platform on which unwanted tickets can be sold on, and has repeatedly made clear its dissatisfaction with secondary ticketing sites offering seats at vastly inflated prices.

On Friday morning, two seats in the Compton Stand were on sale on StubHub for £16,584.80 (US$20,776) each - more than 50 times their face value of £295. Several other packages were being touted at prices of £3000-4000 (US$3700-5000).

The ICC has previously counselled those with unwanted tickets not to use unauthorised resale sites: "The only way fans can guarantee their ticket will be valid is to buy it from the Official Ticket Re-sale Platform, which allows fans unable to attend the remaining matches to sell to other genuine fans at face value," a spokesman said earlier in the week.

"Anyone purchasing tickets from an unauthorised source, either online or in person, faces the risk of being left out of pocket and unable to enter the venue."

Tickets for the final were originally sold in Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, ranging in price from £395 (US$495) to £95 (US$120). The ICC site offers fans until midday on Saturday to put unwanted tickets up for sale.

There had previously been concerns about the possibility of low attendance for the semi-final between England and Australia at Edgbaston - although in the end the ground was very near full - with many tickets having been bought in advance by India fans expecting their side to play there. A similar situation could affect the final, after India suffered a surprise defeat to New Zealand at Old Trafford.

England and New Zealand will contest the World Cup final, with both teams looking to lift the trophy for the first time. The game will be broadcast free-to-air in both countries, after the respective host broadcasters made arrangements to lower their paywalls.