Australian athletics has capped a huge year with Nicola Olyslagers and Bruce McAvaney both taking home honours at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco.

Olyslagers was named the female field athlete of the year after winning both the indoor and outdoor world titles and breaking the Oceania record. The 28-year-old is also the first Australian recognised at the prestigious ceremony since Sally Pearson won world athlete of the year in 2011.

Legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney was also celebrated, receiving the President’s Award for his decades-long contribution to the sport.

The night’s top awards went to American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as women’s world athlete of the year and Swedish pole vault great Mondo Duplantis as the men’s winner.

27 
The consecutive number of matches the AFLW’s North Melbourne Kangaroos have won. The Kangaroos recorded their 27th straight win on Saturday night, defeating the Brisbane Lions 56-16 in the league’s Grand Final. It marks the first time a team has won back-to-back titles in the AFLW’s history. The Roos’ Eilish Sheerin was named the player of the match after kicking two goals and recording 28 disposals.

“It justified the red card. How it happened and why it happened, whether it was provoked, I’m not sure. But the optics weren’t great. That’s definitely not the way we would have liked to end the game.”
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus speaking after South Africa’s 73-0 victory over Wales in Cardiff on Saturday (local time). South African lock Eben Etzebeth was given a permanent red card in the final minutes of the game for eye gouging a Welsh player. The 34-year-old now faces a suspension. If the eye gouge is deemed intentional, the ban could last anywhere between 12 weeks and four years. For Wales, the result was the first time they had been held scoreless at home in 33 years.

On this day in 1956, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser won Olympic gold in the women’s 100m freestyle at the Melbourne Olympics. In the process, she set a new world record of 1 minute and two seconds. Fraser went on to win gold in the same event at next two Games in Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964).

🏎️ Chaz Mostert has claimed his first Supercars championship after finishing second in the final race of the season in Adelaide. Mostert, racing for Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU), only needed a solid result after rival Broc Feeney spun on the opening lap, ending his title hopes and dropping him to 20th. Matt Payne won the race, but Mostert’s runner-up finish was enough to secure Ford’s first championship since 2020 and cap a remarkable finals surge. The 33-year-old becomes the 28th driver to win Australia’s premier touring car title, delivering WAU its first crown since 2002.

🏏 The Sydney Sixers have moved back into the Women’s Big Bash League top four after a six-wicket win over the Sydney Thunder at North Sydney Oval. Chasing 175, Ellyse Perry starred for the Sixers with 77 runs not out and helped her side cruise home with five balls to spare. The result effectively locks the Thunder out of the finals. Earlier, the Adelaide Strikers kept their own campaign for a finals spot alive with a tense last-over victory against the Brisbane Heat. The result also meant that the Heat remain winless this season.

⚽ The Matildas cruised to a 5-0 win over New Zealand in Gosford on Friday to open their two-match series in dominant fashion. Amy Sayer and Hayley Raso struck early before Ellie Carpenter, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry added second-half goals in a commanding performance. Coach Joe Montemurro made several changes to the starting side following last month’s loss to England, but Australia controlled the match from the outset. Sam Kerr was not included in the starting squad due to calf tightness. The teams meet again in Adelaide on Tuesday.

⛳ Spanish golfer David Puig won the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane, becoming the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros to win the event. The 23-year-old pulled away early in the final round with three straight birdies and finished 18 shots under par, two shots clear of China’s Ding Wenyi. Marc Leishman was the best-placed Australian, tying for third at 15-under, while Min Woo Lee finished fifth and Adam Scott seventh in a strong showing for the local contingent.

🏉 Australia’s men’s and women’s rugby sevens sides fell short in their respective finals at the Dubai Sevens, with both being beaten by New Zealand. The Australian women, unbeaten in Dubai across their past five tournaments, were outplayed 29-14 as New Zealand surged to a 17-0 half-time lead. Heidi Dennis scored twice late, but Kiwi Jorja Miller’s performance sealed the result. In the men’s final, Maurice Longbottom opened the scoring before injury halted his impact, and New Zealand held firm for a 26-22 win.

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Rebel rugby competition R360 has delayed its planned 2026 launch to 2028, a decision that leaves some players in limbo and drew a response from Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys.

Here’s what to know.

R360 officials confirmed the shift on Friday, emailing players and agents before releasing a statement saying that the league’s launch has been postponed from 2026 to 2028. 

Former England centre and the face of R360, Mike Tindall, said: "The decision to shift our launch to 2028 is a strategic decision based on timing. Launching under compressed timelines would not meet the standards we set for R360, nor would it deliver the long-term commercial impact that the sport deserves.”

R360 boss Stuart Hooper explained the rationale was to launch at "maximum strength," ensuring greater “commercial certainty” and a “more favourable environment” for players. The delay means R360 has formally terminated all contracts provided to recruits.

The postponement leaves former Parramatta Eels winger Zac Lomax without a contract after he secured an early release from his lucrative four-year Eels deal this year. 

Under the terms of his exit from rugby league, Lomax cannot join a rival NRL club until the end of 2028, when his Eels contract was originally due to expire. If he does wish to return to the NRL, he requires permission from his former club.

V'landys, who had previously warned players about the league's financial backing, said he was not surprised and questioned R360's flawed revenue model. 

He confirmed that Lomax and fellow released Melbourne Storm player Ryan Papenhuyzen are "absolutely" welcome back to the NRL, adding it was "sad they were hoodwinked by this mirage that was R360."

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Oscar Piastri delivered one of the strongest weekends of his career in Qatar, but a strategic error from his McLaren team allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take the win. 

The result significantly tightened the Drivers’ Championship standings, and leaves three drivers vying for the Formula 1 title in a high stakes finale in Abu Dhabi.

Here’s what to know.

Piastri was the strongest contender through the majority of the Qatar event. The Australian topped Friday practice, took pole position, won the sprint race, and led the initial laps on Sunday with pace that Verstappen could not match. His performance was his best since his Dutch Grand Prix victory in August. 

However, that momentum broke on Lap 7 of Sunday’s race when a safety car was deployed, which means all drivers must limit their speed until an accident is cleared. Every team except McLaren chose to pit under the caution and the choice to stay out proved costly. 

By the time Piastri made his mandatory second pit stop, he was 17 seconds behind Verstappen. The gap was too large to overcome, and the error turned a potential McLaren one-two into a second and fourth-place finish.

McLaren boss Zak Brown told F1 TV post-race: "We made the wrong decision. Feel terrible for Oscar and Lando. Oscar was absolutely impeccable all weekend, so we let them down. You win and lose as a team but definitely not a great moment.”

On the podium, Piastri said: "We didn't get it right tonight. I drove the best race that I could… I tried my best. It just wasn't to be tonight. I think in hindsight it was pretty obvious what we should have done. I'm sure we will discuss it as a team."

Verstappen told Sky Sports: "I didn't expect to win today, that's for sure."

Verstappen’s win elevates him to 396 points. Norris still leads the championship with 408 points, maintaining a 12-point advantage. Piastri sits third with 392 points.

For Piastri to become the first Australian world champion since Alan Jones in 1980, he must win the race in Abu Dhabi and hope his teammate Norris finishes outside the top five (sixth or lower).