The weekend saw two first-time contenders take victory in two very different sports.

At the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday, Caitlin Adams won the women’s race in a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 26 seconds. It was the first time she had ever competed in a marathon. That’s not to say Adams wasn’t already a great athlete — she represented Australia at the World Cross Country Championships in 2019.

On the other side of the earth, at the World Conker Championships in England, Matt Cross became the overall World Conker Champion as a first-time competitor. Conkers is a traditional British children’s game where players take turns striking each other’s horse chestnuts on strings until one breaks.

After winning the men’s competition, Cross defeated women’s winner Mags Blake to become the conker-er of the world. 

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The men’s tennis world ranking of Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot, who won his first ATP title at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. Vacherot defeated France’s Arthur Rinderknech (who also happens to be his cousin) in three sets in the final, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The 26-year-old said: "It is unreal what just happened — I have no idea what is happening right now. I am not even dreaming, it is just crazy." Vacherot defeated world No.11 Holger Rune and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic on the way to the final and is now ranked 40th in the world. Meanwhile, Australia’s top-ranked player, Alex de Minaur, fell to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-final.

“Our forefathers and mothers were chiefs who kept order, peace, and balance among our tribes. As we play on the world stage, the PNG Chiefs will carry that same spirit – the strength of unity in diversity.”
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape announcing that the PNG rugby league set to enter the NRL in 2028 will be named the Chiefs. The name was announced before the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII defeated PNG’s Prime Minister’s XIII 28-10 in Port Moresby. Earlier, Australia’s women's PM XIII defeated their PNG counterparts 50-0. 

In 2021, Brisbane golfer Mick McLoughlin set a Guinness World Record by playing 2,001 holes of golf in seven days. In the process, he raised more than $300,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities. This week, McLoughlin is chasing another golfing record, attempting to chip more than 10,392 golf balls in 24 hours and again raising funds for sick kids and their families.

🏀 The Las Vegas Aces have cemented their dynasty, completing a 4–0 sweep over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals with a 97–86 victory in Game 4. A’ja Wilson led the way with 31 points and nine rebounds, securing her second Finals MVP and the Aces’ third championship in four years. The win caps off a dominant season for Las Vegas, which has now won 25 of its past 28 games. 

🎯 Eighteen-year-old darts star Luke Littler has won his first World Grand Prix title, defeating world No.1 Luke Humphries 6–1 in Leicester. Littler was flawless in deciding legs, winning each of the first four sets from 2-2 and coming close to a nine-dart finish. He said: “It’s not the easiest tournament to win. This week has been so tough, but now I’ve picked the trophy up, it’s one I can tick off and there’s not many left.”

⛳ Australian golfer Minjee Lee has finished third at the LPGA Shanghai, five shots behind world number one Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who beat Japan’s Miname Katsu in a five-hole play-off. The result dents Lee’s hopes of claiming Player of the Year, as Thitikul extended her lead with a second win of the season. Lee’s result was her seventh top-five finish of 2025 with six tournaments left in the season, including next month’s Tour Championship in Florida.

🏐 Australia’s netball Diamonds wrapped up a 3-0 series sweep over South Africa with a 65-42 win in Adelaide. Sophie Garbin led the scoring with 29 goals, while debutant Hannah Mundy made history, becoming part of the first mother-daughter duo to play for the Diamonds. Mundy’s mother, Shelley O’Donnell, made 84 appearances for the Diamonds between 1990 and 1999. The world champions remain unbeaten in 49 Tests against the Proteas and now face New Zealand in Friday’s Constellation Cup opener. New Zealand are the current holder of the Constellation Cup after winning last year’s four-match series 3-1. 

⚽ The Socceroos have further strengthened their credentials ahead of next year’s World Cup after beating Canada 1-0 in Montreal on Friday (local time). 19-year-old Nestory Irankunda scored the only goal of the match in the 71st minute, stealing the ball from Canadian defender Niko Sigur and deftly kicking the ball past goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. The result is Australia’s seventh straight victory, and the side has still not been beaten in 11 matches under coach Tony Popovic. The Socceroos now travel to Colorado, where they will take on the U.S. national team in another international friendly on Wednesday (AEDT). 

🏉 Carter Gordon is returning to rugby union after a short NRL stint, signing a three-year deal with Rugby Australia to rejoin the Queensland Reds. Gordon was at the Gold Coast Titans but only made his debut in the final round of the season after he was sidelined with a cerebrospinal fluid leak. The 24-year-old has also been included in the Wallabies’ spring tour squad by coach Joe Schmidt, which was announced earlier today. Other inclusions in the Wallabies spring tour squad are potential debutants Aidan Ross and Kalani Thomas. The Wallabies will begin their five-Test spring tour against Japan in Tokyo on 25 October. 

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Matt Payne and Garth Tander have won one of the wildest Bathurst 1000s in memory, finishing second on the track but first on corrected time. 

Here’s what to know. 

James Golding crossed the line first but was hit with a five-second penalty for contact with Cooper Murray, handing the win to Payne and Tander. The Grove Racing pair had started 18th, with 23-year-old Kiwi Payne claiming his first Bathurst title and 48-year-old Tander joining the all-time greats with his sixth.

The race was chaotic from start to finish, with heavy rain, fog and multiple crashes turning Mount Panorama into a survival test. Championship leader Broc Feeney and pole-sitter Brodie Kostecki both crashed out, while Ryan Wood’s breakdown opened the door for Payne’s late charge. 

Payne said: "The last, I don't even know how many stints, were just crazy. The track was really challenging, even towards the end it was getting really foggy up on the top and we couldn't really see anything. There were a lot of curveballs thrown at us but we kept it on the black stuff."

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Australia has continued its unbeaten run at the Women’s Cricket World Cup with an impressive three-wicket victory over India. Captain Alyssa Healy recorded her first century as skipper to help Australia over the line. Here’s what to know. 

Australia chased down 331 to beat India by three wickets in Visakhapatnam, setting a new record for the highest successful run chase in women’s one-day cricket.

Healy led the way with 142 from 107 balls while Ellyse Perry (47) returned to the field after leaving earlier with cramps to hit the winning runs. Annabel Sutherland was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5-40 on her 24th birthday to help restrict India’s total.

India’s innings was built around Smriti Mandhana (80) and Pratika Rawal (75), but regular wickets through the middle overs stopped them from pushing past 350. Australia reached the target with six balls to spare. 

The win continues a strong start to Australia’s campaign for an eighth World Cup title. The side has had victories over New Zealand and Pakistan, while the match against Sri Lanka was abandoned due to wet weather. Healy’s return to form has been timely, while Sutherland’s bowling and late-innings control have been major positives.

The team’s depth has also been important, with lower-order batting contributions from Perry and Kim Garth proving decisive in tight situations. Australia’s bowling attack has adapted well to varying conditions, and their fielding has again set the standard.

Australia has three more group stage matches remaining. Healy’s side will take on Bangladesh on Thursday before matches against England and South Africa next week. A semi-final spot now looks likely, but the upcoming fixtures will test their consistency and squad management.

The only other unbeaten side at the tournament is England, which has won all three of its matches against South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. 

Tonight’s match will see South Africa take on Bangladesh. The first ball is at 8:30pm. You can watch the Women’s Cricket World Cup on Prime Video.