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‘INNER EXCELLENCE: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life’ is the title of a book written by Jim Murphy which has rocketed up the Amazon bestseller list from 523,497th to number one.

The reason? Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Antonio Brown was filmed reading it on the sideline during his side’s playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers over the weekend. 

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t mind. He told a local radio station: "Some guys pray in between, some guys mediate in between. A.J. reads in between. Whatever these guys need to do to put their mind in a place where they can play with great detail and great effort, I fully encourage them to do that."

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Stat of the day

21
The number of runs Australia’s women’s cricket team won their second Ashes ODI against England by. After Australia were bowled out for 180 in the first innings, England was in a position to win the match and level the series. However, a strong bowling performance which included four wickets from Alana King and three from Kim Garth stopped England in their tracks. The third ODI of the women’s multi-format Ashes series will be played on Friday. It will be followed by three T20 matches and a single Test match.

Quote of the day

“After sailing a few metres, I heard a cry for help and looked at the girl who was drowning, I promptly approached her with the kite, tried to calm her down and asked her to climb on my back, she was quite tired and powerless”.
Brazilian Olympian and kite surfer Bruno Lobo in a post on Instagram. The 31-year-old, who competed at last year’s Paris Olympics, was kite surfing off the coast of São Luís in Brazil when he heard a cry for help from a woman struggling to stay afloat. Lobo rescued the woman and has received widespread praise for his efforts.

Random fact of the day

Indian badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy holds the record for the fastest badminton shot ever recorded, at 565 km/h. The shot was recorded under controlled conditions at a racket factory in Japan on 14 April 2023. 

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In case you missed it…

🏈 The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs is set, with eight teams remaining in the competition. On one side of the bracket, the Houston Texans (seeded 4th) will play two-time defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs (1) and the Baltimore Ravens (3) will play against the Buffalo Bills (2). On the other side, the Washington Commanders (6) will play against the Detroit Lions (1) and the LA Rams (3) will come up against the Philadelphia Eagles (2). Every match will be hosted by the higher seed and the winner will earn a place in their side’s championship.

⚽ Matildas star Sam Kerr has attended a pre-trial hearing in a London court on charges of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer. Kerr, Australia’s top all-time goalscorer, pleaded not guilty to the charges last March. The charges relate to an incident in January 2023. The 31-year-old’s trial is set for 3 February.

🏏 The Hobart Hurricanes are on top of the Big Bash League ladder after beating the Melbourne Renegades by four wickets last night. The Hurricanes, led by Matthew Wade (36 runs) and Nikhil Chaudhary (36 runs) successfully chased down the 154-run target set by the Renegades with two balls remaining in the match. The Renegades, who are bottom of the league ladder, are unlikely to make the finals with two matches remaining in the regular season.

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De Minaur sails through opening round

Alex de Minaur has lived up to his credentials as the eighth seed at the Australian Open, winning his first-round match against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets (6-1, 7-5, 6-4). The 26-year-old will face American qualifier Tristan Boyer in the second round tomorrow.

What happened

The Demon got off to a strong start, closing out the opening set in just 26 minutes. The next two sets were more hard-fought, but de Minaur looked comfortable working hard.

He said after the match: "The body feels great - it's been a long time since it's felt this good and I'm just, more than anything, relieved. I'm happy to move. I'm happy to slide around the court, burn my shoes. It's a good sign."

De Minaur’s next opponent, Tristan Boyer, secured his spot in the second round with a gruelling five-set victory over Argentina’s Frederico Coria (6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1).

The two other seeded Australian men at the tournament, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson, have been less successful. Popyrin was beaten in his first-round match against France’s unseeded Corentin Moutet in four sets (6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6). Earlier this afternoon, Thompson fell to Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets (3-6, 2-6, 4-6).

Aussies in action tonight

After 5:00 pm in John Cain Arena, Ajla Tomljanović will play twelfth seed Diana Shnaider for a place in the third round. In the following match on the same court, Thanasi Kokkinakis is up against 15th seed Jack Draper.

During the evening session on Margaret Court arena, wildcard Talia Gibson faces a tough challenge in Spanish eleventh seed and former world number two Paula Badosa.

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Could the LA wildfires impact the 2028 Olympics?

Over the last week, wildfires have devastated Los Angeles. At least 24 people have died, 100,000 have been evacuated and entire suburbs have been burnt to the ground.

As firefighters continue in their attempts to contain the fires, the damage caused has prompted questions about whether or not the city will be able to host the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

More than 80 venues in the city are scheduled to host the various events of the Games in 2028. As of Tuesday, none of these venues had been damaged by the fires.

The challenge

The Olympic Games will span 17 days, and the Paralympics another 13. The events will cost the city an estimated$US7 billion ($AU11.3 billion). Alongside the challenge of organising the event is the mammoth task of accommodating millions of visitors. It’s estimated that Paris hosted over 11 million visitors during the two weeks of last year’s Games.

It has not been suggested the Games (or any other major sporting events in the coming years) be cancelled. However, as former LA City Council member Mike Bonin told the New York Times, “It calls into question the city’s ability to deliver the Olympics”.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is confident that the city will be ready to host major sporting events in the coming years. He told NBC “My humble position, and it’s not just being naively optimistic, [is] that [the Games] only reinforces the imperative [of] moving quickly, doing it in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation”.

While the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will be a priority for LA in the years to come, the city will have to strike a balance between preparing for the Games and focussing on rebuilding infrastructure and taking care of residents.

A former member of the LA County Board of Supervisors told The New York Times: “This should be a great event for the city and the world to see the city. But what we cannot allow to happen is for the Olympics to take away the government’s attention from the most important thing, which is to rebuild after the fire.”

The impact of climate change

Los Angeles is no stranger to hosting sporting events of the largest scale. The city hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984, and the FIFA men’s World Cup final in 1994. However, in the time since those events, the weather in California has grown increasingly volatile. Up until two years ago, the state had endured an intense period of drought. That was followed by wet conditions which led to the quick growth of vegetation. A return to drought conditions last year made this vegetation susceptible to wildfires.

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, climate change has increased the frequency of these ‘whiplash’ conditions, by between 31 and 66 per cent since the middle of last century.

A message from Deakin University

Life beyond the field – turn your love of sport into a career!

A fresh year tends to provoke some questions around what you really want to do. Whether you're itching to work with the pros or want to make a difference behind the scenes, Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences has the tools to help you get there.

Choose from a range of subjects including coaching, anatomy, nutrition, psychology and access Deakin’s world-class facilities (like their MCG-sized AFL oval, clinical exercise centre and climate chamber and more).

Looking back…

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