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The London Marathon is this Sunday, and among the 59,000 runners, 73 will be attempting Guinness World Records

Archie Hunt is going for the fastest marathon dressed as Captain Underpants, his little brother’s favourite book character. 

Jonathan Acott, a six-time cancer survivor, is running it in a full suit of armour (which weighs 27kg). 

Megan Sullivan is chasing the record for fastest marathon with a hip replacement, and Ryan Walkett will look to become the fastest marathoner dressed as a drag queen. 

Finally, an actor playing Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig will be running 42 kilometres in full costume for the National Deaf Children's Society. 

A recent episode of Peppa Pig (if you haven't been keeping up) was about him training for it. 

If you’re running this weekend, I’d love to hear from you!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

114
How many years it's been since Chelsea lost five league matches in a row without scoring. Their 3-0 defeat to Brighton overnight extended a run stretching back to early April, with losses to Newcastle, Everton, Manchester City, and Manchester United. The last time it happened was 1912. Meanwhile, Leicester City's 2-2 draw with Hull confirmed their relegation to League One, the third tier of English football, just 10 years after winning the Premier League at 5,000-to-1 odds.

Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez reacts following the side’s latest defeat (Getty)

Quote of the day

"I think the AFL hears that, but I don't think there's going to be a Mental Health Round anytime soon."
AFL journalist Tom Morris, speaking on Channel 7’s ‘The Agenda Setters’ about calls for a dedicated men's mental health round in the AFL. The conversation escalated last week after Carlton's Elijah Hollands was hospitalised following what the club described as a "mental health episode" during Thursday night's loss to Collingwood. Geelong's Bailey Smith used his post-match interview on Friday to call on the AFL to act, saying: "It's about time the AFL get a men's mental health round." Smith has been open about his own struggles, revealing last year that he spent four weeks in a psychiatric facility while recovering from a knee injury. St Kilda already hosts an annual "Spud's Game" in honour of the late Danny Frawley, but there is no league-wide round dedicated to mental health.

Geelong’s Bailey Smith is one player who has made calls for a mental health round (Getty)

Random fact of the day

On this day in 1969, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston sailed back into Falmouth, England, after 312 days alone at sea, becoming the first person to complete a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. He was one of nine sailors who entered the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968, and the only one to finish. 

I’ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed it…

🏀 The NBL has locked in a two-year broadcast partnership with Channel 9, giving fans two live games per week on free-to-air television from next season. The deal includes finals coverage and a weekly highlights show, and comes off the back of what the league called a record-breaking season for attendance and digital audiences. The NBL's free-to-air home was previously Network 10.

🏉 Both teams have been named for Women's State of Origin Game 1 in Newcastle on April 30. Queensland named five debutants in a side without retired halfback Ali Brigginshaw and injured five-eighth Tarryn Aiken, with Sharks playmaker Chantay Kiria-Ratu set to partner Lauren Brown in the halves. NSW welcomed back prop Millie Elliott, who missed last year's series while pregnant, and named Dragons fullback Teagan Berry to debut in place of the unavailable Emma Verran. The Blues won the series 2-1 last year.

🏀 Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year for the first time, receiving 96 of 100 first-place votes. The league’s reigning Most Valuable Player led the league with 175 points scored in clutch time (defined as the final five minutes of close games). Denver's Jamal Murray and Minnesota's Anthony Edwards were the other finalists.

New research from RMIT University has found that the surge in girls' soccer participation following the Matildas' 2023 World Cup run is delivering mental health benefits for teenage players. The study, conducted with a Geelong-based club and funded by VicHealth, found that a sense of team belonging was closely linked to positive wellbeing outcomes. It also concluded that the quality of coaching mattered more than the level of competition.

Together with Dare

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Available now in Coles and selected retailers.

I’ve got 1 minute

The Lions Tour was a huge success for RA(Getty)

Rugby Australia posts record profit following Lions tour with “generational opportunities” still to come

Rugby Australia (RA), the nation's governing body for rugby union, has posted a record $70.6 million profit for 2025 – more than double the record set when Australia hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

Why the record high results? 

The surge was largely driven by last year's British & Irish Lions tour, the most profitable in the event's history. Total revenue topped $260 million, with seven Wallabies Tests drawing an average crowd of 53,308 – a record outside a home World Cup year.

The result marks a major financial turnaround for the sport.

In 2024, RA was still carrying debt from an $80 million loan taken out in 2023. That has now been fully repaid ahead of schedule, with $31.4 million in cash reserves remaining. 

CEO Phil Waugh said the organisation was delivering on its promise to reset the game's finances, saying that "a period of resilience has transitioned to an era of opportunity."

"Generational opportunities" ahead

Looking ahead, Australia is set to host both the men's and women's Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029, which RA chair Daniel Herbert described as "generational opportunities." 

At the grassroots level, senior club participation is now above pre-Covid levels, while the number of accredited coaches rose by 17% last year. 

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Kyle Flanagan will not start for the Dragons this weekend (Getty)

Dragons’ saga continues as new coach Dean Young benches the former coach’s son

The upheaval at the St George Illawarra Dragons has continued, with new interim coach Dean Young benching halfback Kyle Flanagan on his first day in charge.

Flanagan is the son of former head coach Shane Flanagan, who the club fired on Monday. 

Context

The club sacked head coach Flanagan and general manager of football Ben Haran after seven straight losses to start 2026. Assistant coach Michael Ennis also departed. Dean Young, a 2010 premiership winner with the club, was named interim coach.

On Tuesday, Young moved Kyle Flanagan, Shane's son, to the bench for Saturday's annual Anzac Day clash against the Sydney Roosters. Highly rated 20-year-old halfback Kade Reed is set to make his NRL debut in the No.7 jersey.

Kyle Flanagan

Kyle Flanagan debuted at the Sharks under his father in 2018 before stints at the Roosters and Bulldogs. He joined the Dragons in 2024 as a utility but was thrust into the starting side after the exits of Junior Amone and Ben Hunt. 

Flanagan played every game last season even as questions grew over whether Lachlan Ilias should have been preferred in the halves. From the bench, Flanagan's role this week would be to cover the halves and hooker.

Young said: “I've got a really good relationship with Kyle. I spoke to him about the reasons why... and he’s on board for whatever the team needs.”

He told reporters his first three moves on being named Dragons coach were to tell his wife “to buckle up,” apologising to his children “about what’s going to happen next,” and going straight to Reed’s house to tell him and his parents that he would be starting the next match. 

“I thought it was important that his parents understood the reason why I’m giving him the opportunity. I wanted him to know that I believe in him and that his parents fully knew that I’m in there for the long haul with him, and he’s a big part of the future,” Young added. 

How did it get here?

Shane Flanagan was appointed ahead of the 2024 season with high hopes after coaching the Sharks to a premiership in 2016. The Dragons finished 11th in his first year but fell away in 2025. 

Big-name signings like Clint Gutherson, Damien Cook, and Valentine Holmes haven't delivered. Including last season's final four games, the club has now lost a club record 11 matches in a row.

What you thought

In yesterday's poll, nearly 80% of you said the sacking was the right call. One reader kept it simple: "11 straight losses is too many." But another disagreed: "Not him, blame the players."

Looking back…

NBA Playoffs (First Round)

Who: 76ers v Celtics
Result: 76ers won 111-97
(Series tied 1-1)

Who: Trail Blazers v Spurs
Result: Trail Blazers won 106-103 (Series tied 1-1)

Who: Rockets v Lakers
Result: Lakers won 101-94
(Lakers lead 2-0)

English Premier League

Who: Brighton v Chelsea
Result: Brighton won 3-0

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

NBA Playoffs (First Round)

Who: Magic v Pistons (Magic lead 1-0)
Time: 9am Thursday

Who: Suns v Thunder (Thunder 1-0)
Time: 11:30am Thursday

Where to watch: ESPN (via Disney+, Kayo, Foxtel), NBA League Pass

English Premier League

Who: Burnley v Manchester City
Time: 5am Thursday

Who: Bournemouth v Leeds
Time: 5am Thursday

Where to watch: Stan Sport

TDA asks

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