Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed that 2016 might not be his final year in the professional saddle while Tom Brewster’s Scotland rink slip to fifth loss in a row at the World Champs. Here's our review of the last 24 hours:
Seven-time Olympic medallist Bradley Wiggins has not ruled out the possibility of continuing his racing career into 2017.
The 2012 Tour de France winner, who has returned to the track in search of an eighth Olympic medal in Rio this summer, had originally suggested he would retire at the end of the 2016 campaign.
Wiggins won the madison alongside Mark Cavendish at the recent Track Cycling World Championships in London and subsequently confirmed that would be his final Worlds.
But with his WIGGINS road cycling team offering flexibility as to which races to contest, the 35-year-old is tempted to postpone retirement for the foreseeable future.
“This is probably the last year, but I had visions of riding Dubai next year but I've not really made my mind up,” said Wiggins.
“We'll see how the year goes. It's nice being world champion again, and this was my last Worlds that's for sure.
“I'm certainly not going to do another Olympics but whether I continue racing domestically, help the young guys and enjoy my racing, I don't know.
“If me continuing helps the team get into races like California again, then I might squeeze another 12 months out. I say all this now but we'll see after the winter.”
Scotland’s hopes of making the knockout stages of the Curling World Championships are all but over after they slipped to a 9-7 defeat to the USA in Basel.
Having already been edged out of a close one by Switzerland – who won on an extra end – in their first match on Tuesday, skip Tom Brewster and his rink knew the evening clash with the USA was a must-win.
But they could not halt their slide, that has now seen them lose five in a row at these Championships, much to Brewster’s frustration.
“I thought we were playing well,” he said.
“It’s been a tough day and I thought we played better than both the teams that beat us.
“I thought we had them in the extra end but that’s just the way it goes. I thought the guys played great – maybe just a couple of bits where we’ve shown our inexperience. "But I really think we’ve played some great curling. We’ve just not had the rubs or the luck and there’s not much more you can say.”
Glandular fever ruined Jazz Carlin’s chances of competing at London 2012 but the Commonwealth champion swimmer insists all that is behind her as she prepares for the Rio Olympic trials next week. The reigning Commonwealth champion in 800m freestyle, Carlin claimed her first-ever world medal when she finished third in last year’s World Championships. Carlin will also be competing in the 200m and the 400m events when the trials get underway in Glasgow next week and the 25-year-old knows she will need to be at her best. "A lot of people say 'oh you're already going to the Olympics,' but you need to perform at the trials," she said. "The journey since 2012 has been a rollercoaster, "Unlike last time [in 2012] the preparation has been great and I've had a solid block over in Australia training outdoors with the warmth which gives you a great boost. "It's all about the Rio Olympics though, the trials are a stepping stone and I'm excited to get racing."
Few families up and down the country can claim to be under as much pressure as the Downie household at the moment, as this summer’s Olympic Games rapidly approaches. Sisters Becky and Ellie are both vying for a spot on the plane to Rio come August as part of Team GB’s gymnastics squad, and with just five places available in the women’s team, The duo are fully aware that dreams could be shattered for at least one of them. This is the culmination of three Olympiads for elder sister Becky, 24, after making her Olympic debut eight years ago in Beijing, before missing out on the opportunity to compete on home soil in 2012. For 16-year-old Ellie, it is brand new territory, but with bronze medals from both the World and European Championships, hopes are high for the new Downie on the block.
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Great Britain eventing team manager Yogi Breisner believes the time is right to start looking for his successor after confirming he will step down from the role following this summer's Olympic Games. Breisner took charge back in late 1999 and has overseen incredible success during his tenure with Great Britain winning four successive Olympic team medals, five European team titles and the 2010 world team crown. The 61-year-old is still focused on ensuring the Rio 2016 Olympics are a roaring success for Team GB but that will be his final competition at the helm. "Having decided after London 2012 that I would step down as eventing performance manager following the Rio 2016 Olympics, now is the time to start the process of appointing my successor," said Breisner. "However, my full concentration and focus remains on our preparations for Rio. "When I took up the position of performance manager in 1999, it was the early days of Lottery funding for equestrian sport. It is incredible to see how much it has developed since. "I have been privileged to have been part of that evolution and to have worked with some world-leading athletes, horses and practitioners during that time. "We have some very exciting British combinations available for selection for Rio, and I am really looking forward to the opportunity, once again, to work together with such a professional team."
Sportsbeat 2016