Andy Murray confident ahead of Davis Cup after comfortably dispatching David Goffin at the Paris Masters and Mo Farah will kick 2016 off in front of a home crowd. Here’s our review of the last 24 hours.
Andy Murray is confident his blistering performance against David Goffin at the Paris Masters can serve him well when the Davis Cup rolls around.
Murray swept aside the Belgian in comprehensive fashion 6-1 6-0 in France and could meet him once again during this month’s Davis Cup final in Ghent.
The Brit wasted no time in getting down to business as he blitzed the first set in 25 minutes – breaking twice en route and winning the first 12 of 13 points.
Thursday’s win over Goffin gives Murray a 2-0 record over the Belgian – though if they meet in the Davis Cup it will be the first time the pair will have met on clay.
"It was good for me to get the chance to play him before the Davis Cup and see his game and the speed of his shots and where he maybe makes some mistakes from and things that he likes to do,” said Murray.
"Obviously with the result, that's a positive. I mean, mentally for me it's a positive win."
Mo Farah’s first test on the road to Rio will come in Scotland as the double Olympic champion prepares for his first race of 2016 at the Great Edinburgh International Cross Country.
Farah claimed 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals at London 2012 and repeated the trick at this year’s World Championships in Beijing.
But he will have a change of scenery for his first race of the New Year when he contests his first cross-country for five years.
The 32-year-old has plenty of experience racing the discipline having competed multiple times as a youngster and sees Edinburgh as a key building block ahead of the defence of his Olympic titles.
“It will be an important year for me in 2016 and I’m looking forward to returning to the Great Edinburgh Cross Country to kick off my season,” said Farah.
“For many years cross country was a key building block for the year ahead and I’m pleased to add it to my schedule for the first time since I ran in Edinburgh back in 2011.”
Double Olympic medallist David Florence insists his hopes of Rio gold have only been enhanced after coming through a demanding selection process.
Florence will lead a small but perfectly formed quartet of canoe slalom paddlers in Rio after edging out Olympic champion Etienne Stott and partner Mark Proctor for the right to race the C2 in Brazil.
A silver medallist from 2008 and 2012 he will make his third Olympic appearance competing in both the C1 and C2 – the latter alongside medal-winning partner at London 2012 Richard Hounslow. And 33-year-old Florence accepts his place as the standard bearer of the team, securing his place on the plane with a third career world title on home waters in London a few weeks ago.
"It was a massive challenge just to get to Rio," he said.
"There was loads of pressure on at the World Championships because it was at home and because it was a crucial part of qualifying, we've got guys who medalled at those championships and aren't going to Rio, which shows how hard it is.” Read more here.
Two-time Olympian Adam Pengilly will take on a mentoring role to the next generation of stars after being named as Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Pengilly competed in the men’s skeleton at both Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010, finishing eighth and 18th respectively and won World Championship silver in 2009.
The event follows the inaugural Games at Innsbruck 2012 and will take place from February 12-21 2016 with around 1,100 young athletes from 70 nations around the world competing across 15 sporting disciplines.
“I’ve been part of Team GB before but to be leading the team at Lillehammer 2016 is very humbling and a responsibility that I’m looking forward to,” said Pengilly. “It’s going to be a great Games. Lillehammer hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1994 which is regarded as arguably the best ever so I know it’s going to be a fantastic experience for the athletes.”