Good evening!

Australia’s newest world champion is Peta Bradley. The 29-year-old from country NSW was one of over 750 athletes from 48 countries competing in the International Ice Swimming Association World Championships in northern Italy on the weekend. In water temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius, Bradley won gold in the women’s 1000m event.

Ice swimming events are held in water temperatures of 5 degrees or lower and require swimmers to wear regular bathers (although they can wear a cap). One of the goals of the International Ice Swimming Association is to see the sport held as an event at the Winter Olympics.

P.S. The Aussie men’s Test team’s first match against Sri Lanka is underway, and Australia are batting first. Travis Head has already belted 50 runs off 35 balls.

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Stat of the day

57.7 million 
The average size of the TV audience that watched the NFL Conference Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It was the second-largest audience for a non-Super Bowl game in 37 years.

Quote of the day

"Winning the Masters, winning an Olympic medal and another away Ryder Cup, they are my three goals for the rest of my career." 
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy in an interview with BBC Sport. The 35-year-old, who has won every major except for the Masters, will begin his 2025 PGA Tour season this weekend at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. McIlroy is one of the most decorated golfers on tour, but a major title has eluded him since his victory at the 2014 PGA Championship.

Random fact of the day

Dutch football player Vivianne Miedema holds the record for the most goals scored in the Women’s Super League, England’s premier women’s football competition. Miedema, who played for Arsenal from 2017 to 2024 and now plays for Manchester City, has scored 84 goals in the league. 

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In case you missed it…

🏉 Rugby Australia has announced the Wallabies will take on Fiji in their only fixture ahead of the three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions in July. The match against Fiji is scheduled for 6 July in Newcastle. The last time the Wallabies played Fiji was at the 2023 World Cup, where they suffered a major 22-15 upset. 

🏟️ A spectator at a high school athletics carnival in the U.S. has died after he was hit by a hammer throw, which cleared the fence and flew into the stands. The event was being held at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. In a statement, the Chancellor of the University, Jennifer Sobanet, said: "We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved." The man has been identified as 57-year-old Wade Langston. Langston, the father of a competitor, was reportedly hit while trying to shield his wife and son.

🏏 England’s men’s T20 cricket side has kept its five-match series against India alive, winning the third match by 26 runs. Despite being on the losing side, Indian spin bowler Varun Chakravarthy was named the Player of the Match for his superb bowling, which saw him take five wickets and concede just 24 runs. India now leads the series 2-1 ahead of the fourth match in Pune on Friday (local time). 

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Afghanistan women’s cricket team to play together for first time since 2021

Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team will compete for the first time since 2021. The team, which has not played since the Taliban took control of the country, is made up of players living in Australia as refugees.

Details

Afghanistan will play against a side put together by Cricket Without Borders, an organisation seeking to create opportunities for young women through cricket. The T20 match will be played at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.

Under Cricket Australia’s policy, Australia will only play Afghanistan if the two countries are drawn against each other in international tournaments. The Australian men’s team is set to play Afghanistan in next month’s Champions Trophy ODI tournament.

What they said

Captain of the Afghanistan side Nahida Sapan said: "We have big hopes for this match, because this match can open doors for Afghan women, for education, sport and future. We don't want this to be our first and last match. We want more matches. We want more support."

Cricket player Benafsha Hashimi said: "It's really good that we're opening the door, at least have a match that tells all the world around that we are here and we have Afghan women who are really interested in playing cricket."

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A crucial matchday in the Champions League looms with plenty to play for

The first stage of this year’s Champions League is nearly over, with the final matchday kicking off tomorrow at 7:00am (AEDT).

As it currently stands, 25 of the 36 teams in the competition will be playing to advance to the next phase.

New format

The format this season has seen the introduction of a League Phase, where each of the 36 teams from across Europe plays eight matches (four home, four away) against eight different teams from four seeding groups. Tomorrow’s fixtures are the last of the League Phase.

The top eight teams after the League Phase earn automatic qualification to the Round of 16, while the bottom 12 teams will be knocked out.

The 16 teams ranked from 9th to 24th will enter a Play-off Phase. The 9th to 16th ranked teams will play two matches against one of the teams ranked from 17th to 24th. The winner of this two-legged play-off will advance to the Round of 16 and face a top-eight team.

Clear favourites

Liverpool and Barcelona are the only clubs guaranteed to stay in the top eight and earn automatic qualification regardless of tomorrow’s result. Liverpool has won all seven of its matches so far and will play Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, who sit in 19th. Barcelona lost their first match to Monaco but have won all six matches since. Tomorrow, they will play seventh-placed Italian club Atalanta.

Last year’s champions

The champions of the 2023/24 Champions League, Real Madrid, are currently in 16th, having only won four of seven matches. The Spanish club have not been at their usual best this season, failing to fire in some unimpressive defeats. With last week’s 5-1 win over Austrian club Salzburg, Real Madrid secured at least a play-off spot, and a win tomorrow against 13th-placed French team Brest might see them earn automatic qualification in the top eight.

Pre-season favourites risk elimination

2023 Champions League winners and pre-season favourites Manchester City need to win their final match against Belgium’s Club Brugge to avoid being eliminated from the first phase of the competition. Man City is in 25th place with just two wins and two draws from their seven matches, while Brugge is in 20th with three wins and two draws.

A message from Deakin University

From day one to game day

Unlike traditional programs, Deakin’s Sport Science degree takes a comprehensive approach that integrates physical, psychological, and technological aspects of sport performance.

With strong partnerships to local and national sporting bodies, Deakin provides unique opportunities for real-world research and practical experience. So, if you want to immerse yourself in the dynamic world of elite athletic performance, Deakin is where your journey begins.

Whether you dream of working with elite AFL teams, Olympic athletes, or pioneering sports technology, Deakin equips you with the knowledge, skills, and industry connections to turn those aspirations into reality. This isn't just a degree - it's your launchpad to becoming a game-changing sport science professional.

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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