Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei has stormed to victory at the Tokyo Marathon, setting a new course record of two hours, 14 minutes and 29 seconds.
The 32-year-old finished more than two minutes clear of the field to secure a dominant triumph on the streets of the Japanese capital.
Ethiopia’s Bertukan Welde took second place in 2:16:36, with compatriot Hawi Feysa rounding out the podium.
Kosgei’s blistering pace sliced significantly off the previous mark of 2:15:55, established by two-time winner Sutume Asefa Kebede in 2024.
Olympic ambitions and nationality switch
The former world record holder is no stranger to success in the city, having claimed silver for Kenya at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games.
However, Kosgei has revealed she is now planning to switch allegiance and represent Turkey at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
“We have a lot of athletes in Kenya,” said Kosgei.
“I want some young generation to follow my step to join me in Turkey.”
Takele defends men’s title in photo finish
In the men’s event, Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele successfully retained his crown following a dramatic sprint finish.
The 23-year-old clocked 2:03:37 to edge out Kenya’s Geoffrey Toroitich, with both athletes credited with the exact same official time.
Alexander Mutiso Munyao was just one second adrift in third, completing an intensely competitive podium.
“I knew that the final stage would be decisive,” said Takele.
“Around 41km I wanted to wait and see what would happen and then I made my move right before the finish.”
Britain’s Lone’er Kavanagh has secured the biggest victory of his career by defeating former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno on just three weeks’ notice.
The 26-year-old produced a disciplined performance in Mexico City to earn a unanimous decision victory with scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.
Despite entering the octagon as an unranked underdog against the division’s number six contender, Kavanagh silenced the home crowd to propel himself towards the flyweight elite.
“I said before this fight – I live for legendary moments,” said Kavanagh.
“This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend. Two-time world champ. I’m a big fan. I watched him when I was a kid. To get to fight him is amazing.”
Seizing the opportunity
The Londoner stepped in to face the two-time title holder after original opponent Asu Almabayev was forced to withdraw through injury.
It marked an impressive return to form for Kavanagh, who was looking to bounce back from the first defeat of his professional career against Charles Johnson in August.
He established control early, utilizing precise leg kicks to keep the Mexican veteran at range.
A flurry of punches midway through the second round clearly troubled Moreno, signaling the Briton’s intent.
Composure under pressure
While Moreno found moments of success in the third round, his younger opponent regained momentum with further punishing kicks to the legs.
Kavanagh showcased excellent defensive grappling in the closing stages, neutralizing several takedown attempts to seal the win.
The result improves Kavanagh’s record to 10 wins from 11 fights, while handing Moreno a fourth loss in his last six outings.
Emanuel Navarrete produced a dominant display to stop fellow Mexican Eduardo Nunez and unify the IBF and WBO super-featherweight titles.
The 31-year-old outclassed his compatriot throughout the contest before the ringside doctor halted the action prior to the 11th round.
Navarrete’s victory at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, marked the 40th win of his decorated 43-fight professional career.
It also brought an abrupt end to Nunez’s impressive 19-bout winning streak.
Doctor steps in after punishment
Navarrete controlled the early tempo before landing significant damaging shots in the ninth round.
Those heavy blows forced the medical officials to inspect the challenger for the first time as the damage began to mount.
Following another one-sided showing from the three-weight world champion in round 10, Nunez was deemed unable to continue due to a severely swollen right eye.
“It’s difficult to see your opponent hurting in there, but it’s also really difficult to not continue and go on to win the fight,” said Navarrete.
“You never know what might happen in those last rounds.”
“He could catch you with a shot and it could be over, so I needed to continue doing my work.”
Unification path continues
Having added the IBF strap to his existing WBO crown, the path is now open for further major bouts in the division.
WBC super-featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster stands as a potential option for the unified king to face next.
WBA title holder Lamont Roach could also provide an opportunity for Navarrete to add more hardware to his collection.
Dasun Shanaka gave Sri Lanka hope with three consecutive sixes but failed to score off the final two balls as Pakistan held on for a narrow victory.
The Sri Lanka captain appeared to have turned the match on its head with his explosive hitting in the dying stages.
Shanaka displayed immense power to clear the boundary rope three times in a row, putting the pressure back on the Pakistani attack.
Shanaka’s late fireworks
It left his side requiring runs from the final two deliveries to complete what would have been a remarkable heist.
The right-hander’s blitz seemed to have demoralised the fielding side just as the game reached its conclusion.
However, the momentum shifted wildly once again during the decisive final moments of the contest.
Bowlers hold their nerve
Despite the onslaught, the opposition bowlers executed their plans perfectly at the critical moment.
The all-rounder was unable to make contact on the penultimate delivery, raising the tension for the final ball.
Pakistan eventually closed out the game to deny the Islanders a morale-boosting win.
Team GB’s Georgia Bell is set to have her World Indoor Championships bronze medal upgraded to silver after Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji was handed a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld an appeal by World Athletics regarding a missed test by the Ethiopian runner in March 2025.
Welteji had originally finished second in the 1500m in Nanjing, China, forcing the British athlete to settle for third place.
Welteji banned over missed test
Doping control officers attempted to conduct an out-of-competition test at Welteji’s home, but no sample was collected.
The athlete’s husband reportedly informed officials she was sleeping, leading to a failure to comply with testing protocols.
While a disciplinary panel initially overturned a provisional suspension citing a language barrier between the husband and officers, CAS determined the conduct was negligent rather than intentional.
Consequently, all results achieved by the 23-year-old since 25 February 2025 have been annulled.
Continued rise for British star
The retrospective disqualification means Bell climbs to second on the podium, adding another accolade to a stellar period in her career.
The 1500m specialist previously claimed bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, setting a national record of three minutes 52.61 seconds.
Australia’s Georgia Griffith is also set to benefit from the ruling, moving from fourth place to take the bronze medal.
Welteji will remain banned from competition until 30 June 2027.
Tadhg Beirne has warned Ireland against complacency following their historic victory over England as they prepare to host Wales in the Six Nations on Friday.
The 34-year-old lock maintains that Andy Farrell’s side must prioritize improvement over reflection despite the euphoria of their recent triumph at Twickenham.
Ireland return to action in Dublin (20:10 GMT) seeking to build on the momentum of that comprehensive 42-21 success.
“A better performance against Wales is what we’ll be chasing,” said the Munster forward.
“You can’t just pat yourselves on the back and think it’s going to happen again. You have to focus on what went well, bank it, and then also focus on what to improve on.”
The second row believes relying on past glory is a dangerous trap in tournament rugby.
“There’s no point saying that was a good performance, we’ll just do it again next week. It doesn’t work like that,” he added.
“You have to work incredibly hard to get those performances and it’ll be no different next week.”
Expecting a reaction
While the defending champions were dominant in London, Warren Gatland’s Wales arrive in Dublin desperate for a result.
The visitors were denied a first championship win since 2023 by Scotland in a tight encounter in Cardiff last week.
Beirne believes recent scorelines have been misleading regarding the threat posed by the struggling Welsh side.
“Wales, much like us, are improving game on game,” said the British and Irish Lion.
“A lot of the scorelines against the teams they’ve played against have probably not painted them in the best picture in terms of how well they played in parts of those games.”
He expects the visitors to draw strength from their near-miss against the Scots.
“They’re chasing better 80-minute performances and they were very close to getting the win against Scotland. I think that performance will give them a lot of confidence coming in against us.”
‘Incredibly sad’ times for Welsh rugby
Friday’s fixture holds significant personal resonance for Beirne, who revived his career during a transformative two-year spell with Scarlets.
Having lifted the Pro12 title with the Llanelli-based region in 2017, the Ireland international expressed sympathy regarding proposals to reduce the number of Welsh professional sides.
Plans are currently being discussed to cut the regions from four to three amid a financial crisis.
“I feel incredibly sad for all those individuals who have families and everything at home and it’s going to create a lot of pressure for those guys,” he said.
Beirne admitted that financial uncertainty was present even during his tenure in Wales.
“I do remember when I was there, there were whispers of the same thing happening,” he recalled.
“It just seems a little bit more serious at this point.”
Jiri Prochazka will face Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light-heavyweight title at UFC 327 after Alex Pereira relinquished the belt.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the 205lb championship bout will headline the event at the Kaseya Center in Miami on 11 April.
The announcement confirms that Pereira has vacated the strap, following the Brazilian’s previous suggestions that he intends to move up to the heavyweight division.
Pereira’s reign ends
White did not explicitly comment on the circumstances surrounding the former champion’s decision to end his title reign.
Pereira’s representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding his immediate future.
The kickboxing specialist leaves the division at the summit, having defended the title three times in 2024.
Prochazka seeks redemption
Prochazka, a former holder of the belt, famously vacated the title himself in 2022 after suffering a severe shoulder injury.
The Czech fighter fell short in two attempts to reclaim the crown against Pereira, suffering second-round knockouts in both 2023 and 2024.
However, the 32-year-old has re-established his contender status with consecutive finishes against Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr since that last defeat.
Ulberg’s rapid rise
Ulberg enters his first UFC title fight in excellent form, currently riding a nine-fight winning streak.
The New Zealander, who trains alongside former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, secured his opportunity with a first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes in September.
After losing his promotional debut in 2021, the 34-year-old has remained unbeaten inside the octagon.
A growing number of nations have vowed to boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Paralympics in protest against Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their national flags.
Finland and the Czech Republic are the latest countries to confirm they will skip the event in Verona next week.
They join Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, and the Netherlands in refusing to attend the curtain-raiser for the Games.
The diplomatic row threatens to overshadow the start of the winter showpiece, which runs from 6 March to 15 March.
Controversial IPC ruling
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made the decision in September 2025 to allocate 10 combined slots to competitors from the two nations.
Critically, this ruling allows them to participate with their national anthems and flags, rather than as neutrals.
This contrasts sharply with the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games held earlier this month, where athletes from the region competed without national symbols.
Many National Paralympic Committees, particularly from Europe and host nation Italy, have voiced strong disagreement with the stance given the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Nations clarify positions
While the Czech Republic initially cited scheduling conflicts for their absence, they have since reversed their stance to declare a formal boycott.
However, not all absences are politically motivated.
Great Britain and Canada will miss the ceremony due to logistical challenges rather than protest.
Their athletes are scheduled to compete in Alpine skiing the following day in Cortina, which is approximately 250km away from the ceremony venue in Verona.
Organisers promise visibility
Despite the boycotts, the IPC remains committed to ensuring all qualified participants receive recognition during the broadcast.
Craig Spence, the IPC’s chief brand and communications officer, addressed the situation regarding the protesting nations.
“The IPC is not aware of any other nations choosing not to participate or to boycott the ceremony.”
Craig Spence, IPC Chief Brand and Communications Officer
Spence confirmed that organisers would film content featuring athletes who do not attend in person to ensure they have strong visibility.
The Games are expected to feature a record turnout, with more than 600 athletes from over 50 countries awaiting final confirmation.