Lee Velo Park Six-day cycling

Six-day event at Lee Velo Park

We were in for an intriguing night at the Six-day event at Lee Velo Park. In one of Britain's most iconic sporting venues, The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

Many of the world's top track cyclists were taking part in this six-day event including Great Britain's Mark Cavendish.

There were six events taking place, Madison, Elimination, Derney, Women's Omnium, 200m Time Trial and the Keirin.

The Madison was the first event of the evening. The race itself was fairly competitive, but it was the highly experience Belgian pair of Boussaer and Hester who won the event.

As for the event itself, the atmosphere was good in the sense that although there wasn't a full house, there were still enough spectators to create a reasonably good atmosphere.

It was a little disappointing to see that other than Mark Cavendish, there weren't any other British Olympic medallists such as Laura Trott who participated in Rio 2016 but was not participating in this event due to pregnancy.

The time trial event was also intriguing to watch as it was one of the more tactical events. I loved the way in which the cyclists plan their time trial and waited for the right moment to push the accelerator, it was almost like your waiting for something to give you a burst of energy to kickstart your ride.

What was also noticeable was the fact that some of the spectators were in cycling kit, which could suggest that they have a huge passion for cycling and were representing the sports identity as cycling fans.

I noticed that some of my peers were doing interviews with some of the spectators and cyclists. I thought that was something that I could consider doing in the future in terms of my live event reporting skills.

This gives you more to write about as a Sports Journalist as you can take in the views of other people who have been to this event and implement them into your own work.

Moscow 1980 1500m final

Co vs Ovett rivalry continues 

The 1980 Olympics were set for an epic showdown between two of the world's finest athletes.  

Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe were two of the many athletes representing Great Britain.

Despite dominating this event, Ovett and Coe had competed against each other in one race which was at the 1978 European championships.

The two athletes finished in second and third place.

Ever since their rivalry began, it had a huge influence in the English media due to the popularity of the sport being higher than anytime since athletics existed.

There were two events in Moscow, the 800m which Ovett won and the 1500m where Coe won.

Ovett and Coe were joint record holders finishing the race in 3 minutes and 32.1 seconds, with Coe having equaled Ovett's record in Oslo a fortnight ago. 

Ovett was the reigning European and World champion so he had the advantage over Coe in terms of success in this particular event.

Six days later, Coe and Ovett competed in the 1500m final where Coe was under immense pressure from the media. 

Races like the 1500m were usually considered to be tactical as opposed to an outright sprint, but for Ovett a bronze medal was on the cards.  

Ovett was also the fastest in the heats with a time of 3minutes 33seconds followed by Straub and Nemeth who did not make the final due to a slower time limit.      

Harry Weinstein story

Harvey Weinstein Story

The Harvey Weinstein story has developed a great interest to viewers as he has been accused by US actress Rose McGowan for a sexual assault incident on her.

However Weinstein has denied allegations of non-consensual sexual activity on McGowan.

The fact that the New York police and Scotland Yard are now reopening an investigation to see if he was involved in a similar case in 2004 is intriguing, especially with the story having already started a week ago.

On the other hand, statements from Weinstein's lawyers say that he denies sexually assaulting anyone.

However, due to police investigations and Oscar's bosses taking action against him, it may be difficult to receive a second chance, therefore he started counselling sessions in order to prove himself mentally stable to the police.

Cara Delevingne also shared claims for meeting Weinstein at a hotel in order to discuss about a role in an upcoming film but she claimed that Weinstein was apparently speaking about sex and asked her to go to his room.

Weinstein felt guilty for his actions and issued an apology statement 'I acted inappropriately and sincerely apologise.

The question is, will he be able to prove himself innocent in this case ?  

The story is still to be continued..

Bobby Charlton at 80

Bobby Charlton at 80

Sir Bobby Charlton by far was regarded as one of the world's best players of all time. This documentary looks back at what has been an incredible and highly successful career for the former England and Manchester United midfielder.

This programme also has a clear understanding of the way in which Bobby Charlton's career was built around football and it's society.
  

Having been brought up in Northumberland, no one expected him to have a highly successful career and achieve all that there is to achieve in both international and club football. particularly with his family being so poor at that time. This is why this documentary is so intriguing to watch, it's the history behind the success of English football.

What is also intriguing is the fact that this happened when it almost didn't, especially after that horrific plane crash in which he somehow managed to survive but unfortunately lost his best friend two weeks later. To have overcome all those emotional barriers and still have a phenomenal career is just incredible and shows what a true sportsman he was and shows the mentality he had as a player. .

In sport, it is great to see a coach having an impact on a player's performance, especially if it happens week in and week out. That's where former United assistant coach Jimmy Murphy had a huge influence on Bobby's success.

Murphy described Sir Bobby as his golden apple in the sense that the team was built around him being the focal point. What stands out for me is his passion and respect for the game especially after Manchester United's victory against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup, which was the first match post the plane crash. He also rated him as being one of the worlds top players alongside players like Pele. That for me is a bold statement to make because you are comparing one player in one decade to another player in another decade, which can be difficult to prove at times.

Bobby Charlton had tremendous respect for the Owls and felt sympathy for them as they didn't stand a chance of beating his United side.

In terms of building relationships with his teammates for both club and country, Duncan Edwards was rated as one of Sir Bobby's best friend. He was traditionally a left half but he could play in all different positions if necessary.

One of Bobby Charlton's memorable moments was playing alongside one of his two brothers, Jack  at the 1966 World Cup. This was because he felt a family connection with them and had  a great understanding amongst each other. This is what I feel is emotional in the sense that if I were playing in the same team amongst my siblings, it would probably inspire me as well as them to perform to the best of our abilities

With Charlton in the team, England were almost unbeatable, especially going into the World Cup. in which the did not lose a single game and only conceded two goals to West Germany in the final. It was a golden era for English football in which Sir Bobby was the mainstay of that fabulous 1966 World Cup team.

I was slightly surprised to see that they didn't at least show a clip of England's 1966 manger Sir Alfred Ramsey as I'm sure he must have had some part to play in Bobby Charlton's career, especially at the World Cup.

England Secure World Cup 2018 Qualification

Kane's Late Winner Secures England's place at Russia 2018

Gareth Southgate's England secured their place in next summer's World Cup in Russia following an injury time goal from Spurs striker Harry Kane.

Sitting petty at the top of group F in the qualifying stages, Gareth Southgate and England were just one victory away from securing their place in next summer's World Cup.

Southgate chose to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Kane being the focal point, Slovenia on the other hand went with the orthodox 4-4-2.

The first half was a fairly tight contest with limited chances for both teams, Ten minutes into the match, Slovenia had their first chance to score via a 22 yard free kick which was well saved by England's no,1 Joe Hart.

14 minutes later, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was brought down just outside the penalty area for a free kick for England. Kyle Walker stepped up to take it but failed to hit the target. This was the last chance of a tightly contested first half.

Nine minutes into the second half, Slovenia made their first substitution when Andraz Sporar was replaced by Valter Birsa.

The Three Lions had a great opportunity to score in the 62nd minute where Marcus Rashford attempted to scoop the ball over Slovenian keeper Jan Oblack, but the Manchester united centre forward could only watch it sail over the bar.

These missed opportunities from England added more frustration for Southgate who decided to replace Liverpool winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin for Manchester United's Jesse Lingard.

In the 66th minute, Kane tried his luck from outside the penalty box which made the ball sail just wide of the post.

Slovenia made their second substitution when striker Roman Bezjak was replaced by Jan Repas.71st minute, this was followed by another change 7 minutes later when off went Rajko Rotman to be replaced by Tim Matavz.

in the 83rd minute, Slovenia had a great opportunity to score but Joe Hart once again proved that he was by no doubt England's no:1 goalkeeper by pulling of a great double save to deny Slovenia a 1-0 lead.

Their was also some light entertainment for the spectators to enjoy when an intruder unexpectedly made his way onto the field but thankfully the security guards managed to track him down and escort him of the pitch.

The fourth official indicated a minimum of 6 minutes added time in which Kane scored what was likely to be the winner as he headed in a ball via a cross from Walker in the 93rd minute.

Southgate's men managed to see out the rest of the added time to steer England home to a 1-0 victory and guarantee a place in next summer's world cup.

Amar Patel 

Windies stun England

Windies stun England

Shai Hope stars with the bat as West Indies pull of a stunning 5-wicket win over England in the 2nd Test at Headingley, Leeds.

Having comprehensively beaten the West Indies by 209 runs in the first day/night test in England at Edgbaston, most cricket fans especially in England were hoping to see the team wrap up the series at Headingly.

The West Indies on the other hand had other ideas, especially having played so poorly in the first test.

When new England skipper Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat on a cloudy Friday morning and a reasonably flat pitch, most people especially England fans were expecting a huge first innings total on the board.

But it was not to be as England were skittled out for a below par first innings score of 258 due to some terrific bowling from the West Indies, especially their new ball bowlers Kemar Roach who achieved figures of 4-51 and Shannon Gabriel who took 4-51.

All-rounder Ben Stokes was the only light to shine in England’s first innings scoring a century of 188 balls along with a handy knock from Root who scored 59 of 188.

At the start of West Indies first innings, England’s leading wicket taker James Anderson got England off to a good start by taking 3 early wickets for 24 runs, leaving the score at 35 for 3.

It was then up to Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope to dig the West Indies out of trouble and they did so with a partnership of 246 runs. Shai Hope was the star of the innings scoring 147 of 343 balls along with Brathwaite who got 134 of 249 balls. 

It was a demoralising time for England in the field, especially when ex-England skipper Alistair Cook dropped Hope early in his innings at first slip of the bowling of Stuart Broad.

This was the turning point in the match for the West indies who made England pay for their missed opportunities in the field.   

In England’s second innings, Cook and Mark Stoneman got off to a solid start with an opening partnership of 58 runs of 21.5 overs before Cook was caught behind off West Indies keeper Shane Dowrich for 23 off 63. Stoneman was the next man to go when he chopped one onto his stumps after scoring his maiden test fifty from 124 balls.

Newcomer Tom Westley’s tough start to test cricket continued when he was once again caught behind of the bowling of West indies skipper Jason Holder.

Root, Dawid Malan, Stokes, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes were the main contributors in England’s second innings with scores of 72, 61, 58, 84 and 61. This set up a target of 321 for West Indies to chase down.

In their quest to chase down these runs, the West Indies got off to a solid start with an opening partnership of 41 runs between Brathwaite and Kieron Powell.  England’s second highest wicket-taker Stuart Broad picked up the first wicket of Kieron Powell who was caught at gully by Stokes.

Four overs later, Kyle Hope was the next man to go where he was run out by Broad for a duck.

Once again it was then down to the two centurions from the first innings to dig the West Indies out of trouble, and they did so with a partnership of 144 runs in 40.3 overs.

England were desperate for a breakthrough, so Root turned to Moeen Ali and he did not let him down by removing Brathwaite who was looking to drive against the spin and ended up edging the ball to Stokes at first slip.

Roston Chase was the next man in and looked solid for his 75-ball 30 before being brilliantly caught at mid on by substitute fielder Mason Crane of the bowling of Woakes.

With the West Indies inching ever so near Jermaine Blackwood looked like he was on a mission to quickly finish of the game for the West Indies.

He certainly looked as if he was doing so with his blistering 41of 45 balls but ended up going for one to many high-risk shots and was therefore stumped by Johnny Bairstow of the bowling of Ali.

However, just like the first innings, Shai Hope showed his composure and finished off the game with a gutsy 118 not out.

For his magnificent display of batting for the West Indies, Hope was named man of the match.

Hope also became the first batsman from the West Indies to score a century in  both innings of first-class match at Headingley.

This also was the third highest run chase to be achieved in a test match in England.

So this means that the series is level at 1-1 as we head into the third test at Lords. Can England bounce back or are we in for another thrilling display from this young West Indies team?  

GB Spoils Bolt's party

GB Spoils Bolt's Party

Mitchel Blake and co shocks the world winning 4x100 for GB due to Bolt's hamstring injury 

Mitchel Blake helped Great Britain make history by winning the 4x 100m race for the first time in the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

This was officially Usain Bolt's last competitive race and thousands of people were gathered at the London Stadium to watch the Jamaican sprint king bow out in fine style.

But it wasn't just Bolt who had his eyes on prize, he was up against some fierce competitors  such as Great Britain's Adam Gemili.

Coming into this event, Bolt seemed to be struggling with a sore hamstring but chose to take part in the race. This clearly proved to be a pivotal decision, especially when he pulled up at the start of the final leg.

This gave a opportunity for Nathanial Mitchel-Blake to steel a gold medal for team GB, which he did in style.

This was a sad day for athletics and world sport, to see the fastest man on the planet end his career like that is just painful and hard to take.

On the other hand this must be a proud moment for British sport as team GB have done the unexpected by winning their second gold medal in 13 years.

After the race, Gemili praised his team coach Christian Malcolm for the team's performance during the championships "Christian as a former athlete has had the experience and he knows how to approach us,".  

"He knows what to say and when to say stuff. We get a lot of freedom, so having someone with his sort of knowledge in the sport, it's brilliant." 

USA and Japan also had a great relay finishing in 2nd and 3rd place.