Today is World Book Day.

I think my favourite sports-related book is still ‘Open’ by American tennis star Andre Agassi.

What’s yours? I’d love to know.

P.S. It’s Thursday, do your footy tips!

200
The number of days Arsenal spent at the top of the Premier League this season before Manchester City overtook them. Erling Haaland's early goal against Burnley on Thursday (AEST) sealed a 1-0 win for Manchester City, lifting them level with Arsenal on 70 points and an identical goal difference of plus 37, with City ahead on goals scored. Since Mikel Arteta became manager in 2019, Arsenal have spent 539 days at the summit with no titles to show for it. In that time, City has spent 453 days at the top and won four.

"Per capita, we're the biggest losers in the world. Gambling has been normalised by gambling advertising to the point where three out of four young Australians now think that gambling and betting on sport is just a normal part of enjoying sport."
Independent ACT Senator and former Wallabies player David Pocock speaking to ABC Sport Daily about the Federal Government's planned changes to gambling ads. The Government’s plans include limiting gambling ads on TV to three per hour before 8.30pm, and banning them on social media for under-18s. Pocock said they are "infuriating" and don't go far enough, citing the wider changes recommended by a Parliamentary inquiry led by Labor MP Peta Murphy before she died in 2023.

Former number one NBA draft pick and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons hasn't played professional basketball since 2024. The Australian is now the owner of the South Florida Sails, a team in the Sport Fishing Championship, where groups of fishers compete to secure the best catches for points.

🏉 Carlton coach Michael Voss has described the public conversation about player Elijah Hollands as  "bordering on bullying". The 23-year-old was admitted to hospital after experiencing a mental health episode during the Blues' clash with Collingwood at the MCG last week. Carlton CEO Graham Wright confirmed the club was aware of Hollands' situation during the game. An investigation by the AFL and Carlton is ongoing. Voss defended the club's care and called for an industry-wide conversation about supporting players' mental health, saying the culture of the AFL can mean “we bully for outcomes”. If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

🏐 Netball Australia CEO Stacey West is stepping down after two and a half years in the role. It comes a week after the organisation announced a five-year broadcast deal with the Nine Network that will put a minimum of two Super Netball games per week on free-to-air from January 2027. "I hand over the reins at the dawn of a new era with the sport poised for continued success," West said. Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 CEO Mark Falvo will step in as interim CEO.

⚽ A special envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at this year's World Cup, according to the Financial Times. The move is reportedly an effort to repair ties between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after the U.S. President criticised the Pope’s response to the U.S-Israel war in Iran. Italy missed out on the tournament for the third time in a row after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in qualifying. Iran has said it is prepared to participate but has asked FIFA to move its matches from the U.S. to Mexico.

⚽ Chelsea have sacked manager Liam Rosenior after 106 days in charge following five consecutive Premier League losses without scoring, their first such run since 1912. The club confirmed his departure just four days before they play an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley. Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane will take charge on an interim basis until the end of the season. A statement from the club read: “Recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season.” Chelsea sit seventh, seven points off the Champions League places with five games to play.

Mocha lovers, this one's for you:

Dare – Australia's favourite iced coffee brand – has taken its number-one flavour and given it a serious upgrade. The new Dare Protein Mocha delivers 30g of protein in a 500ml bottle, with no added sugar and the same smooth cocoa taste you already know. No compromises, no flavour swap required.

Available now in Coles and selected retailers.

All four Australian women have been knocked out in the first round of the Madrid Open. 

The tournament is one of the biggest clay-court events on the calendar and a key lead-in to the French Open, which begins on 18 May.

Daria Kasatkina's difficult season continued with a loss to world number 98 Daria Snigur. Kasatkina lost in three sets after failing to convert four match points. The 28-year-old switched her allegiance to Australia a year ago and now has a record of four wins and eight losses for this season. 

She is set to drop to at least world number 83, her lowest ranking in 11 years. 

As for the other Aussie women in the draw, Talia Gibson went down to Colombia's Emiliana Arango in straight sets, Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Hungary's Dalma Galfi, and Kim Birrell fell to Hungary's Panna Udvardy.

Attention turns to the men's draw, which features three Aussies. Fifth seed Alex de Minaur faces Spanish wildcard Rafael Jodar in the second round after a first-round bye. Alexei Popyrin takes on American qualifier Martin Damm with 23rd seed Jakub Mensik looming in the next round. Adam Walton plays Spanish wildcard Martin Landaluce with 13th seed Karen Khachanov as a potential second-round opponent.

Enjoying the newsletter?

If you are, why not share the love with your friends? We’d love your help in getting the word out there.

Send them this link to sign up.

At around 10am on Tuesday morning at St Ives Showground in Sydney's north, Tim Kacprzak watched Jack Hanley walk toward him. Hanley had stopped running and could barely walk. He shook Kacprzak's hand and told him he was done.

That exchange effectively marked the finish of the 2026 edition of the Sydney Backyard Ultra - an event where runners complete a 6.7-kilometre loop every hour, on the hour, until only one person is left standing. 

An ultra marathon is any race longer than the traditional 42.2-kilometre marathon distance, and the backyard format pushes that concept to its extreme.

After the handshake, Kacprzak went on to complete one final loop alone to officially be crowned the winner. This year's edition broke the world record for the most participants at a backyard ultra, with 645 starters lining up on Saturday morning. 

By Tuesday, that field had been whittled to two.

Kacprzak, 41, completed 75 loops and just over 500 kilometres. Hanley, in only his second backyard ultra, had matched him step for step across the final nine hours before his legs gave out. 

"I always had the goal, start a loop and finish a loop," Hanley told The Daily Aus, speaking from Noosa where he was recovering. "And if I don't finish the loop, that's when I know I'm done."

Three days of running on almost no sleep produces effects most athletes never encounter. Faster runners might finish a loop in 40 minutes, giving them roughly 20 minutes to eat, receive treatment from their support crew, and attempt to sleep before the next one begins. 

Kacprzak told TDA he used a hypnotherapy app during those windows to guide himself into deep rest. By night three, he began hallucinating. To him, the app's audio started slurring and saying things he had never heard before. 

"The first time it happened, I actually thought my son had stuffed something up with the phone," he said.

Meanwhile, Hanley said he managed roughly an hour of sleep per night and felt lightheaded during some of his overnight loops. Competitors often describe breakthrough moments deep into a run where the pain suddenly lifts and they feel almost unstoppable. Kacprzak said his first 40 hours were the worst he had ever experienced at a backyard ultra, but then something shifted. 

"When you finally let go," he said. "When you let go of trying to fix things."

Footage of Hanley smoking a cigarette around the 72-hour mark went viral during the event. A full-time smoker for close to 12 years, he said he rationed himself to one every 12 hours as a reward system. 

"That's just who I am," he said. "You can do both things. You can run and smoke." 

He added: "I've given up everything else, but I haven't been able to give up the cigarettes yet."

Kacprzak was quick to praise Hanley as a person and a competitor, calling him a "lovely guy" and saying what he achieved in only his second backyard ultra was remarkable. 

He did have a small gripe with the smoking in the moment, though. 

"All the training that I do and everything that I do is in respect for the opponents that I come up against," he said. "That's how I show my respect, by being at my best."

Both athletes found ultra running through personal turning points. Hanley discovered it during COVID after battling addiction and mental health challenges. He now runs a mental health charity called Miles4Smiles. 

"The way it made me feel and what it did for my mental health was pretty much the thing that kept me going," he said. 

Kacprzak started running to lose weight for a friend's wedding and found the mental challenge kept pulling him further. He describes ultra running as a metaphor for life.

"There's so many ups and downs," he said. "You actually just have to sit in that puddle of tears and understand that this is where I'm at right now. But those moments don't last."

Both runners have qualified to represent Australia at the backyard ultra world championships in October.