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Injured Stones Out Until September, Says Man City’s Guardiola 

Football - Community Shield - Manchester City v Arsenal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - August 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones reacts after Arsenal's Leandro Trossard scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Community Shield - Manchester City v Arsenal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - August 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones reacts after Arsenal's Leandro Trossard scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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Injured Stones Out Until September, Says Man City’s Guardiola 

Football - Community Shield - Manchester City v Arsenal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - August 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones reacts after Arsenal's Leandro Trossard scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Community Shield - Manchester City v Arsenal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - August 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones reacts after Arsenal's Leandro Trossard scores their first goal. (Reuters)

John Stones will be out of action until after the international break due to an injury, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said, casting doubt on the defender's availability for England's Euro qualifier against Ukraine and friendly with Scotland next month.

Stones, 29, suffered a muscle injury during pre-season training and did not feature in wins over Burnley, Sevilla and Newcastle United.

The next international break is from Sep. 4-12, and Stones is set to miss the games against Sheffield United and Fulham scheduled on Sunday and Sep. 2, respectively.

Guardiola is facing additional injury concerns, with Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne sidelined for at least four months after suffering a hamstring injury during City's 3-0 win over Burnley in the opening game of the Premier League season.

Guardiola said he needs the remaining squad to step-up in the absence of key players.

"We will need everyone for this schedule and calendar. We have to come back how the people (City fans) come back. Stones will not be ready until after the international break," the Spaniard told reporters.

The treble winners have lost influential players such as Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez, who left after a trophy-laden spell to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.

Former City captain Ilkay Gundogan also joined LaLiga giants Barcelona, and Guardiola said "the club will have to take some important decisions about the squad" due to the unexpected exits and injuries.

City beat Sevilla on penalties to secure their first UEFA Super Cup title last week, and Guardiola said he is impressed by his players after a perfect start to the new campaign despite a hectic schedule.

"We already won one title, we are six points from six, score goals and didn't concede many chances against Burnley or against Newcastle...," Guardiola added.

"Rest and go for another one, for another game. When you have that, it's because the team is so special. Otherwise, we cannot do what we have done for many years. It's impossible.

"(The Newcastle game) amazed me and made me so happy because it's still okay - we have to do our best every day (and) they have done it. It was really, really good."

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Sports

Serena Williams Listed as Eligible to Return to Tennis on February 22

Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 2, 2022 Serena Williams of the US after losing her third round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 2, 2022 Serena Williams of the US after losing her third round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. (Reuters)
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Serena Williams Listed as Eligible to Return to Tennis on February 22

Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 2, 2022 Serena Williams of the US after losing her third round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 2, 2022 Serena Williams of the US after losing her third round match against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. (Reuters)

Serena Williams has been listed as eligible to return to ​tennis from February 22 by the sport's drug-testing body (ITIA), though it remains unclear whether the 23-times Grand Slam champion will make a ‌stunning comeback ‌to the ‌women's ⁠tour.

The ​44-year-old ‌raised eyebrows late last year after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool, though she denied at the time the move ⁠signaled she was preparing to ‌return to the ‍sport she ‍dominated for nearly two ‍decades.

She reignited speculation last month when she deflected questions about a possible return ​during an appearance on NBC's "Today" show.

The Women's Tennis ⁠Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Williams, who won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017, has not competed since the 2022 US Open.

Sports

Piastri on Similar Trajectory to F1 Champion Norris, Brown Says

May 25, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. (Reuters)
May 25, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. (Reuters)
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Piastri on Similar Trajectory to F1 Champion Norris, Brown Says

May 25, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. (Reuters)
May 25, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. (Reuters)

Oscar Piastri is on a similar career trajectory to Formula One world champion teammate Lando Norris and should have a shot at the title this season, McLaren boss Zak Brown said on Monday as they prepared to test in Bahrain.

The American told reporters on a video call that his drivers were raring to get going.

"He (Piastri) is now going into his fourth year. Lando has a lot more grands prix than he does so if you look at the development of Lando over that time, Oscar's on a similar trajectory," Brown said.

"So he's in a good place, physically very fit, excited, ready to ‌go."

LAST AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION ‌WAS IN 1980

Piastri, who debuted with McLaren in Bahrain ‌in ⁠2023, can become ‌Australia's first champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

While Piastri took his first win in his second season, Norris had to wait until his sixth. Both won seven times last year.

Brown said he had spoken a lot with the Australian over the European winter break and expected the 24-year-old, championship leader for much of 2025, to pick up where he left off.

He said the discussion had been all about creating the best environment for him and what ⁠McLaren needed to do to support him.

Brown said Piastri had spent time in the simulator and, in response to ‌a question about lingering sentiment in Australia that McLaren ‍favored Norris, "he knows he's getting a ‍fair shake at it".

"You win some, you lose some. Things fall your way, things ‍don't fall your way," added the chief executive.

PRE-SEASON FAVOURITE

Brown said Norris' confidence level was also very high.

"He's highly motivated and it's our job to give him and Oscar the equipment again to be able to let them fight it out for the championship," he said.

"If we can do that, I think Oscar and Lando will both be in with a shot."

Mercedes' George Russell is the current pre-season favorite after an initial shakedown ⁠test in Barcelona last month.

Norris can become only the second Briton to take back-to-back titles after seven times champion Lewis Hamilton, who won four titles in a row with Mercedes from 2017-20 as well as two together in 2014 and 2015.

The only other multiple British world champions are Jim Clark (1963, 1965), Graham Hill (1962, 1968) and Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971, 1973).

"I think there are some drivers that say 'I've done it. Now I'm done'," said Brown. "And then you have drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher who go 'I've done it once, now I want to do it twice and three or four times'."

He reiterated that both remained free to race and said decisions would be taken strategically as and ‌when they arose.

"We feel like we'll be competitive. The top four teams all seem very competitive. Very early days but indications that we will be strong," he added.

Sports

‘Don’t Jump in Them’: Olympic Athletes’ Medals Break During Celebrations

Gold medalists team USA celebrate during the medal ceremony after the Team Event Free Skating of the Figure Skating competitions at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, 08 February 2026. (EPA)
Gold medalists team USA celebrate during the medal ceremony after the Team Event Free Skating of the Figure Skating competitions at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, 08 February 2026. (EPA)
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‘Don’t Jump in Them’: Olympic Athletes’ Medals Break During Celebrations

Gold medalists team USA celebrate during the medal ceremony after the Team Event Free Skating of the Figure Skating competitions at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, 08 February 2026. (EPA)
Gold medalists team USA celebrate during the medal ceremony after the Team Event Free Skating of the Figure Skating competitions at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, 08 February 2026. (EPA)

Handle with care. That's the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broke within hours.

Olympic organizers are investigating with "maximum attention" after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on the opening weekend of the Games.

"Don’t jump in them. I was jumping in excitement, and it broke," women's downhill ski gold medalist Johnson said after her win Sunday. "I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but a little broken."

TV footage broadcast in Germany captured the moment biathlete Justus Strelow realized the mixed relay bronze he'd won Sunday had fallen off the ribbon around his neck and clattered to the floor as he danced along to a song with teammates.

His German teammates cheered as Strelow tried without success to reattach the medal before realizing a smaller piece, seemingly the clasp, had broken off and was still on the floor.

US figure skater Alysa Liu posted a clip on social media of her team event gold medal, detached from its official ribbon.

"My medal don’t need the ribbon," Liu wrote early Monday.

Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, said it was working on a solution.

"We are aware of the situation, we have seen the images. Obviously we are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem," Francisi said Monday.

"But obviously we are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that obviously in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment. So we are working on it."

It isn't the first time the quality of Olympic medals has come under scrutiny.

Following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, some medals had to be replaced after athletes complained they were starting to tarnish or corrode, giving them a mottled look likened to crocodile skin.