On this day 72 years ago, Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.

The 25-year-old British medical student clocked 3:59.4 at Oxford University's Iffley Road track on 6 May 1954. Bannister’s run is considered one of the most monumental sporting achievements in history. 

In his memoir, Bannister wrote: "I leapt at the tape like a man taking his last spring to save himself from the chasm that threatens to engulf him. My effort was over and I collapsed almost unconscious. I felt like an exploded flashlight.”

When’s the last time you felt like an exploded flashlight? Or a plastic bag, drifting through the wind?

1.33 million
A record 1,338,544 people have entered the ballot for the 2027 London Marathon, organisers confirmed. The figure breaks the previous world record of 1,133,813 set in last year's ballot and marks an 18% increase. Ballot places will be decided by a random draw in July, with successful applicants joining the field on 25 April 2027. This year's race had 59,830 finishers–  the most of any marathon in history.

"I think at some point we will boycott it. I feel like that's going to be the only way to fight for our rights."
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has raised the prospect of a player boycott at tennis' grand slam tournaments unless players receive a bigger share of revenue. Speaking at the Italian Open in Rome, the four-time Grand Slam champion said players deserved a higher percentage of tournament earnings. The 2026 French Open prize pool of €61.7 million ($AU100.7 million) represents 15% of the tournament's projected revenue, according to a joint statement released by leading players earlier this week. The players are pushing for that share to rise to 22% by 2030.

Malaysia is the most-medalled nation in Olympic history to never win gold. The country has claimed 15 medals (eight silver and seven bronze) across badminton, cycling, and diving, but has never had an athlete stand atop the podium. Malaysia has competed at every Summer Games since Melbourne 1956 (apart from boycotting Moscow 1980) and made its Winter Olympics debut at PyeongChang 2018.

🎾 Australian Talia Gibson is through to the second round of the Italian Open after defeating former top-20 player Martina Trevisan (6-4, 0-6, 6-3) in Rome on Tuesday (local time). The Western Australian joins Maya Joint and Alex de Minaur in the round of 64. She'll next face an Australian Open rematch against Russian world number 20 Diana Shnaider, who eliminated Gibson in Melbourne in January. Aleksandar Vukic, Alexei Popyrin, Daria Kasatkina, and Ajla Tomljanovic are all still to play their first-round matches.

⚽ Arsenal have reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years, and just the second time in the club’s history. The English Premier League leaders beat Atlético Madrid 1-0 in London, with Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal of the second leg. Arsenal won the semi-final 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg in Madrid finished 1-1. They will either face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain or German side Bayern Munich, who play the second leg of their respective semi-final tomorrow morning (AEST), with PSG leading 5-4 on aggregate after a thrilling opening leg in Paris. 

🏉 An Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test between the Wallabies and All Blacks is expected to be locked in for 2027. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, New Zealand Rugby's board is set to greenlight the historic clash on Thursday. Brisbane is the early favourite to host, with Sydney and Melbourne ruled out due to existing NRL and AFL Anzac Day fixtures. The match would kick off the first three-Test Bledisloe series since 2021, with the trans-Tasman rivals set to meet four times in 2027. One of those meetings will come during the pool stages of the 2027 World Cup. 

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The AFL has fined Carlton $75,000 after the club allowed Elijah Hollands to remain on the field while he was experiencing a mental health episode.

Here is what to know.

On 16 April, Hollands experienced a mental health episode during Carlton’s Round 6 loss to Collingwood at the MCG. The 24-year-old appeared disoriented on the field and finished the match with one disposal, but was not benched until late in the final quarter. He was hospitalised four days later.

The league announced yesterday afternoon that the club had brought the game into disrepute by failing to remove Hollands earlier. The investigation found “sufficient visual cues, performance data and knowledge of the player’s individual circumstances” warranted earlier intervention. 

The findings were made against Carlton as a club, not against any individual. The $75,000 fine will be donated in full to youth mental health service Headspace. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said: “This is bigger than one club and bigger than one night. If there is a lesson in this, it is that our duty of care continues to evolve – and that must include mental health.”

The league has also announced a series of mental health reforms. They include mandating that all AFL and AFLW clubs appoint a full-time psychologist, expanding mental health literacy training across football departments. It will also establish industry-wide ‘psychological fitness to play’ guidelines.

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LIV Golf has hired a New York investment bank to find new investors, after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced last week it would end its financial backing of the breakaway circuit after the 2026 season. 

Here's what to know.

Through the PIF, international media reports Saudi Arabia has spent more than $US5 billion ($AU7 billion) into LIV since its 2022 launch. At the same time, the league has lost millions per year. 

With Saudi Arabian funding now set to end after this season, LIV CEO Scott O'Neil told reporters on Tuesday that private investors could buy stakes in the league's 13 franchise teams, its core asset. 

He said: “These teams will have extraordinary value. And that's where, if you're an investor and you're listening to this or reading this, that's ​where you're going to get your value."

O’Neil’s comments came a day after it was announced LIV had hired an investment bank, Ducera Partners, to help the league source new investors. 

The funding cut has left top players weighing their futures. Two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose contract expires this year, said this week he would focus on growing his YouTube channel and “play tournaments that want me” if LIV folds. 

Spaniard Jon Rahm, LIV's two-time defending individual champion, said he had several years left on his contract and didn't "see many ways out" of it, though he admitted he was "not really thinking about it" yet.

Australia's Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion, captains the all-Australian Ripper GC team alongside Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, and Elvis Smylie. PGA of Australia chief executive Gavin Kirkman said this week he would meet with Smith and his management at the end of May, and signalled the 32-year-old may be "rethinking" his LIV decision. Smith has reportedly earned more than $US51 million ($AU71 million) on LIV since signing for a reported $US100 million ($AU139 million) in 2022, but his form has slumped. 

LIV resumes its season this week at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington D.C. It marks the circuit's first event in the U.S. this year and its eighth overall at a Trump-owned course. The current LIV season runs through August.