Good evening!

The Australian women’s cricket team are at the crease in Perth facing India’s bowling attack. It is the third and final One-Day International of the series between the two countries.

Having already won the first two matches and sealed the series victory, the Aussies will be looking to complete a series whitewash. At the time of writing, Australia has scored 81 runs and lost four wickets - all taken by Arundhati Reddy.

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Stat of the day

24.02
The record time American Gretchen Walsh swam in the women’s 50m butterfly at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest. The 22-year-old eclipsed a 15-year-old world record previously held by Sweden’s Therese Alshammar.

Quote of the day

“No one has ever done this with a knee replacement before, so honestly I don’t know how far I can take it. But so far it’s been incredible. The response has been incredible. And I can tell you I am having so much fun going fast again.”
American skier Lindsey Vonn following her return to professional skiing after retiring in 2019 and undergoing a partial knee replacement earlier this year. The 40-year-old has 18 years of professional experience, having won three Olympic medals, eight world championship medals and 82 World Cup races. 

Random fact of the day

British statistician David Spiegelhalter has estimated that mountaineering is the most dangerous sport. Spiegelhalter found that there is a 1% risk of death on every climb. By comparison, a marathon was estimated to be 1000 times safer.

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In case you missed it…

🏀 Caitlin Clark has been named the TIME Athlete of the Year. The 22-year-old basketballer, who plays for the Indiana Fever, was also voted the WNBA Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie since 2008 to be selected in the All-WNBA first team. Clark also set records for most three-pointers by a rookie as well as a league record for most assists in a season. Clark can also take some credit for the growth of the league, which saw a 48% jump in year-on-year attendance. 

🏎️ Cadillac, the new American team set to join the F1 in 2026, will use Ferrari gearboxes and power units. The Cadillac team, part of U.S. automotive manufacturer General Motors, is expected to build its own engines at a later date. Ferrari’s Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur said: "It's great to see the commitment of another American team, backed by one of the most highly respected marques in the motor industry, at a time when Formula 1 is increasing in popularity in the United States.” Ferrari also supplies current American team, Haas, with its engines.

⚽ After six rounds of the Champions League, Liverpool remain the only undefeated team in the competition. The English Premier League club secured their sixth victory with a 1-0 win against Italian club Girona. Mohammed Salah scored from the penalty slot to record the sole goal of the match. Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, believes there’s still room to improve. He said: “I’m really pleased with the five games, the way we played. I am far from pleased about the performance tonight.”

🐶 New Zealand has announced a ban on greyhound racing in the country to protect the welfare of dogs used for races. Racing Minister Winston Peters announced the plans to ban greyhound racing following three industry reviews conducted over the past decade. The industry will be dismantled over 20 months to enable the rehoming of dogs and a transition period for workers. An estimated 2,900 racing greyhounds will need to be rehomed following the closure of the industry. The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals called the ban “a win for the dogs”. Meanwhile, Greyhound Racing New Zealand called it a “devastating blow" to the industry. 

🏊 Australian swimmer Lani Pallister set a new Australian record of 3:53.73 in the women’s 400m freestyle at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest. However, the 22-year-old’s record-breaking swim was not enough to win gold as Canada’s Summer McIntosh set a new world record of 3.50:25, forcing Pallister to settle for silver.

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Former England rugby player Tom Voyce feared dead

Former rugby union international Tom Voyce is presumed dead after English authorities found his car in the River Aln in Northumberland, England. Voyce played for the England national team nine times and made 220 appearances in England’s Premiership Rugby competition.

What happened

Northumbria Police were alerted on Sunday that the 43-year-old had not returned home after spending Saturday night with friends. It is believed he tried to cross a flooded ford in his car before the vehicle was swept downstream. The car has been recovered but authorities could not locate Voyce.

What they said

England Rugby posted on X: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this extremely challenging time.”

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our teams…secured the car to the bankside. NFRS has since been stood down by the police. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing person at this incredibly difficult time.”

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Three-time Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis pleads guilty to lesser charge after wife’s death

Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis is facing up to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to a lesser charge relating to the death of his wife Melissa Hoskins. The 32-year-old Hoskins, also an Olympic cyclist, died in hospital after being hit by a car being driven by Dennis in December 2023. Dennis will not be held legally responsible for Hoskins' death.

What happened

Dennis, 34, pleaded guilty to creating likelihood of harm. The previous charges against him - dangerous driving causing death and an aggravated charge of driving without due care - were dropped in the Adelaide Magistrates Court following an agreement between both sides’ lawyers.

The new charge could see Dennis jailed for a maximum of seven years and without a driving license for five years.

Context

Hoskins was struck by a car allegedly driven by Dennis on 30 December 2023. The 32-year-old sustained serious injuries and died in Royal Adelaide Hospital. Hoskins was a two-time Olympic track cyclist who competed at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.

Dennis competed at three Olympics (2012, 2016, 2021) in both road and track cycling events. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Dennis won a bronze medal in the men’s road race. He also became the seventh Australian cyclist to wear the yellow jersey on the men’s Tour de France after winning the first stage in 2015.

What they said

Dennis’ lawyer Jane Abbey told the magistrate: “What is agreed that will happen today is that… the original charges will be dropped… this charge does not charge him with any responsibility for her death”.

What’s next

Dennis will be sentenced on 24 January. He is currently on bail.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: like the front of my hand
Useless clue: Cole Palmer

A message from Deakin University

How well do we understand the impact of heat on female athletes?

A recent study sheds light on a significant gap in sports science: the underrepresentation of women in research on heat adaptation. The authors reviewed existing studies and found that most focused on male athletes, leaving unanswered questions about how female physiology responds to extreme temperatures.

As global temperatures rise, this oversight could have serious implications for athletes’ performance and health. The research calls for a shift in focus to ensure that female athletes receive the same level of scientific support as their male counterparts. Read more here.

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