On this day in 1973, 15-year-old Australian swimmer Stephen Holland set a new world record for the men’s 1500m freestyle. He beat the previous record by 14.78 seconds.

Holland competed at his first and only Olympics in 1976, where he finished third in the 1500m. Before the Olympics, he had been encouraged to change his tactic from ‘hard all the way’ to ‘start easy and build through the race.’

4
The number of club matches for which British and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan has been suspended, following an illegal hit on Wallabies fly-half Tom Lynagh. The hit saw Sheehan’s elbow make contact with Lynagh’s head, concussing him. The incident wasn’t noticed by officials during the match, but Sheehan was put on report afterwards.

"Unsportsmanlike s**t and I don't deal with that. It's a respect factor. He's fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that's all I can say. Next time we line up, I'm going to win. That's all that matters."
American sprinter Kenny Bednarek, following a heated exchange with fellow sprinter Noah Lyles after the men’s 200m at the U.S. track championships. Lyles beat Bednarek and stared him down as the pair crossed the line. Bednarek then pushed Lyles after the finish. Earlier in the week, Bednarek beat Lyles in the men’s 100m, the event in which Lyles is the reigning Olympic champion.

Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina won a total of 18 Olympic medals (14 individual, 4 team). Latynina competed at three Olympic Games between 1956 and 1964. She held the record for the most Olympic medals for 48 years until American swimmer Michael Phelps eclipsed it in 2012.

🏏 India beat England by six runs in the fifth and final Test of the series between the two countries. The victory ends the series tied at 2-2 after the fourth Test was drawn. With four wickets in hand at the beginning of the final day, England needed 35 runs to reach the target of 374 and win the match. India’s bowling attack was too strong as Mohammed Siraj starred for the visiting side with three wickets. 

🏉 The Wallaroos squad for the Women’s Rugby World Cup was announced on Monday. Coach Jo Yapp has named a 32-player squad which includes the injured trio of Charlotte Caslick, Siokapesi Palu, and Brianna Hoy, with the hope being they will all be fit to play ahead of the side’s first match on 23 August. The squad also features 17 players who played in the 2022 tournament, where Australia was beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual runner-up England. 

🎾 Alexei Popyrin will not defend his Canadian Open title after losing to the number one seed, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, in the quarter-final. Popyrin won the first set in a tiebreak but went on to lose the next two. Tomorrow morning, the only Aussie remaining in the men’s draw, Alex de Minaur, will play a quarter-final against American Ben Shelton. In the women’s draw, Australians Maya Joint and Daria Kasatkina were knocked out in the Round of 64 and the Round of 32, respectively. The favourite to win is the sixth seed and reigning U.S. Open champion Madison Keys.

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The Melbourne Demons have sacked coach Simon Goodwin. 

Four years after winning the Grand Final, the Demons sit 12th on the ladder, with three matches remaining in this year’s AFL season.

Goodwin was told about his sacking on Monday evening, before he and club CEO Brad Green spoke to the media on Tuesday. 

Green said he had offered Goodwin the opportunity to coach the final three games of the regular season, but Goodwin chose not to.

Goodwin started as coach of the Demons in 2017 and led the club to its first premiership in 57 years in 2021. He had one year left on his contract. 

The Demons finished 14th last year and currently sit in 12th, out of finals contention.

Green said: “This is not about Simon’s coaching career... we just believe the club was looking for a new voice and a new leader to take this forward.”

Goodwin said he was “disappointed,” because “we’re a hell of a lot closer to turning our club and team into a contender than people think.”

Former Demons captain Garry Lyon told radio station SEN: “I’m absolutely stunned. I thought there would be a long review at the end of this year and then determine whether he coaches out his final year.”

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The Melbourne Storm has apologised for the cancellation of a Welcome to Country ceremony, which was supposed to be held on Anzac Day this year. 

The club cancelled the ceremony hours before it was scheduled to take place in the lead-up to the Storm’s Anzac Day clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs on 25 April. 

With the league’s Indigenous Round scheduled for this weekend, the club has said it will hold an Acknowledgement of Country. 

At the time of the cancellation, the club said "the board had not approved for it to be held on Anzac Day".

Earlier in the day, a Welcome to Country ceremony was booed at the dawn service held at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, who was supposed to perform the ceremony at the NRL match, said that she was told by Storm CEO Justin Rodski that the cancellation was about the booing earlier that morning and that the club had cancelled the ceremony to protect her. 

In May, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service withdrew its sponsorship of the club. The organisation said: "The decision made by the Melbourne Storm board demonstrated a lack of respect and cultural sensitivity towards Aboriginal people and communities.”

Yesterday, more than two months after Anzac Day, the club released a statement which read: "Melbourne Storm has been in ongoing communication with members of the Wurundjeri community following the events on Anzac Day and has apologised to the individuals, groups, and communities involved."

This weekend’s round of NRL is the first week of the league’s Indigenous Round, being held over two weeks this year. At the launch of the round today, NRL Boss Andrew Abdo described the initiative as: “A powerful demonstration of rugby league's ability to influence culture, to drive reconciliation, to empower Indigenous community and to educate the nation.”

Regarding this weekend’s Acknowledgment of Country, the Storm said: "As we continue to engage with the local community regarding connection to the club and cultural protocols, and out of respect for those involved, the club will recognise the traditional owners of the land through an Acknowledgement of Country on Thursday night for Indigenous Round."