Ulster will be without backs Michael Lowry, Aitzol Arenzana-King and Robert Baloucoune for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship game against Glasgow at Scotstoun (17:30 BST).
Full-back Lowry and wing Baloucoune suffered concussions in the Irish province’s 34-29 defeat by Edinburgh in their opening URC game of the 2026-27 campaign.
Winger Arenzana-King picked up a knee injury during the game in Belfast, from which Ulster emerged with two bonus points.
All three players started last weekend’s fixture, with Lowry captaining the side and scoring the first of Ulster’s four tries in a match which Richie Murphy’s side’s comeback fall short after they bounced back from a 34-5 deficit.
Glasgow began their season with an impressive 26-20 victory on the road at Munster.
Great Britain’s Beth Potter claimed silver at the World Championship Triathlon Series behind Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand of France.
The final event of the series took place in Pontevedra, Spain, where Potter needed a win to overhaul Beaugrand in the overall standings.
But she finished fourth, with team-mates Georgia Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh finishing second and third behind Beaugrand.
Beaugrand won comfortably, completing the 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run in one hour 50 minutes 52 seconds, which was over a minute quicker than Taylor-Brown.
Potter, who won the World Series at Pontevedra in 2023, remained in contention at the end of the cycle, but Beaugrand stretched clear of the three Brits in the second lap of the run and held firm.
It concludes a dominant season for Beaugrand, who has won all five of the World Championship circuit races she entered.
Taylor-Brown won the Czech Republic leg of the series earlier this month, which was her first win on the tour since 2023.
Championship titles are constructed on a bedrock of solid sessions interspersed with the occasional spectacular one – and Hain and Barnard’s efforts were the epitome of solid.
Resuming on 130-4, already five runs in front, they added 51 without loss in a morning session truncated by bad light.
Hain and Barnard did exactly what their team required, advancing steadily to lay the platform for a big lead and potential innings victory.
The Bears’ fifth-wicket pair continued to concentrate hard after lunch until, with the lead already 126, Barnard departed livid with himself at edging a big drive at a wide ball from Ben Green – just 12 shy of a century.
Chris Woakes chipped his second ball to mid-on, but Kai Smith and Manny Suthar enjoyed useful cameos before also falling to the persevering Hull.
They had accompanied the excellent Hain towards his century which was greeted by a standing ovation from the big audience, then Bamber added further useful runs before being bowled by a beauty from Patel.
Even then the Foxes’ frustration went on as last pair Hain and Olly Hannon-Dalby added 35.
Leicestershire opener Sol Budinger then came out firing, hitting 43 not out off 36 balls, But Bamber struck twice in three balls, trapping Sheridon Gumbs and then flattening Rishi Patel’s off-stump two balls late.
After a bad-light interruption, Woakes then pinned Steve Eskinazi lbw in the gloom to leave Warwickshire maybe only one strong session away from the title.
Ulster have handed starts to five of their summer signings for Friday’s United Rugby Championship opener against Edinburgh at the Affidea Stadium (19:45 BST).
They form part of a total of eight players in the matchday squad who are set to make their competitive debuts for the Irish province.
New forward additions Eduardo Bello, Eli Snyman, Ben Donnell and Martin Moloney are named in the starting team, with another new recruit, Jamie Benson, chosen among the backs.
Ireland wing Robert Baloucoune is back in the starting line-up, while last season’s top try-scorer Zac Ward is among the replacements, both players having been involved in Ireland camp over the summer.
Full-back Michael Lowry is named as captain.
After missing all of last season because of a knee injury, James McNabney makes his competitive return, starting at number eight.
Argentine debutant Bello joins Eric O’Sullivan and James McCormick in the front row, with Snyman and Donnell forming the second row.
In the back row, there is a debut for former Exeter Chiefs forward Moloney at open-side flanker, with McCann starting at blind-side.
Conor McKee and Jack Murphy make up the half-back combination, while ex-Harlequins back Benson and Ben Carson team up in midfield.
Baloucoune is selected on the right wing and Development back Aitzol Arenzana-King on the left.
Arenzana-King crossed for four tries in Ulster’s pre-season games against Edinburgh and Ospreys.
Development hooker Henry Walker, prop Keynan Knox and scrum-half Matthew Devine are named in a youthful bench.
Forwards Walker, Tom McAllister, Knox, Harry Sheridan and James McKillop, and backs Devine, Jake Flannery and Zac Ward are chosen as replacements.
-13 M Elvira (Spa), F Celli(Ita); -12 J Veerman (US), A Del Rey (Spa) JJ Spaun (US)
Selected others:-11 R McIlroy (NI), A Scott (AUS); -10 S Bairstow (Eng), M Wallace (Eng), R MacIntyre (Sco); -9 J Smith (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), A Rai (Eng); -7 R Fisher (Eng), S Lowry (Ire); -6 A Fitzpatrick (Eng); -5 D Law (Sco), J Rose (Eng), E Ferguson (Sco), T Hatton (Eng)
Rory McIlroy left himself two strokes behind the third-round leaders heading into the final day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Northern Ireland’s world number two made a superb eagle on the 18th to stay in contention with a 72, leaving him on 11 under.
Spain’s Manuel Elvira and Italy’s Filippo Celli share the lead after both made birdies on the final hole to leave them 13 under.
But there is a congested leaderboard with 20 players within four strokes of the lead.
Alejandro Del Rey, JJ Spaun and Johannes Veerman are one shot behind with an exciting finish in store on Sunday.
McIlroy is attempting to win a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title and can boost his hopes by securing the second Wentworth title of his career.
“There are a lot of people around the leaders,” he said after another round in blustery conditions.
“I think the conditions over the last couple of days are the reason why no-one has got away from the pack, just because it has played so tricky and difficult.
“I’ll probably try not to look at the leaderboards on the front nine, and if I need to play a little bit more aggressively on the back, I’ll do it.”
A relentless Yorkshire bowling performance put a significant dent in Somerset’s County Championship title challenge, the hosts consigning the pre-game Division One leaders to a hammer blow defeat at Headingley.
Somerset – chasing 287 – started day four on 73-3, quickly slipped to 79-6 and were later bowled out for 101 just before 12:00 BST to lose by 185 runs.
A third defeat of the season, and a second against Yorkshire, means that Warwickshire now lead Division One by 11 points from second-placed Somerset, who have never won this title. Nottinghamshire will also be in the mix come next week’s final round even if they lose against Sussex later on Friday.
For the mid-table White Rose, they claimed their fifth win in 13 games and backed up May’s success at Taunton. New ball seamers Ben Coad and Ben Cliff starred today, Coad finishing with four wickets and Cliff three.
Outstanding Cliff ended with career best match figures of 11-105, the 13th best match analysis in his county’s first-class history.
Cliff and Coad struck in the space of five balls inside the day’s opening half an hour, putting Yorkshire on course for a 19-point haul to Somerset’s three.
They removed not out batters Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell as Somerset lost two wickets for the addition of only three runs – 76-5.
Lammonby was squared up and caught behind off Cliff for 32 before Abell looped a catch up to backward point off the shoulder of the bat against Coad.
And when Coad struck again almost three overs later, at the end of the 39th, Somerset were in significant trouble, with James Rew caught at second slip on the drive.
Yorkshire came into day four knowing they had the edge, but one wicket they were desperate for was that of Craig Overton, who had broken their hearts back in July here with a stunning 79 not out off 30 balls in the Vitality Blast quarter-final.
Cliff got him caught behind pushing forwards in the 42nd over for five, also trapping Lewis Gregory lbw three balls later.
At 88-8, it was all but game over under an overcast Headingley sky but not quite matching the gloomy Somerset outlook.
The Overton and Gregory wickets were Cliff’s 10th and 11th in the match following his eight in the first innings.
Like Overton, Migael Pretorius had scored a first-innings fifty. But George Hill had him caught behind, leaving Somerset at 92-9.
Matthew Revis then wrapped things up by yorking Jake Ball, with day four lasting only 82 minutes in all.
Somerset face Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton in the final round of fixtures, which starts on Thursday, while Yorkshire can continue to play the role of spoilers when they travel to face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
Whereas players in sports like football earn a salary based on a contract with the team that employs them, and athletes in individual sports like tennis and golf can earn a great deal from prize money at major tournaments, athletics competitors rely much more heavily on personal sponsorships and endorsements.
That is because they are paid no direct annual salary, and the only standardised prize money on offer is $50,000 (£37,000) for winning gold in one of the 48 track and field events at the Olympics.
That prize money was only introduced at the 2024 Games in Paris, and is paltry compared to the potential millions in winnings on offer in other major sports.
Some nations – including the USA – also choose to pay athletes who win medals from their own resources, but Britain does not.
Instead, athletes are awarded funding and grants by UK Sport, with the majority of the money coming from the National Lottery.
UK Sport ranks athletes by how likely they are to win medals at major events, and gives more funding to those whose chances it believes are better.
Athletes typically use that funding to pay for training camps, equipment, travel and, in some cases, personal support staff like physiotherapists, nutritionists and chefs.
So why would athletes be instructed to wear national team kit at the Ultimates?
The Ultimate Championship is billed as three fast-paced evenings with a record $10m (£7.4m) prize pot on offer for the biggest stars in athletics.
The condensed schedule and focus on star names is designed to appeal to viewers on television and social media – the latter likely playing a role in the focus on short, sharp bursts of action which can capture attention online.
Most viewers of athletics are used to watching athletes compete while wearing national kit at the Olympics and World Championships. Put simply, the use of a national kit makes it easier for the casual viewer to quickly spot who they should be rooting for and feel invested in the action.
But Kerr’s comments have highlighted the fact that something which may well improve the viewing experience can be felt as a direct financial negative by the athletes themselves.
With the next edition of the Ultimate Championship set to take place in September 2028, shortly after the Olympics in Los Angeles, the battle between brands and country could continue to heat up.
The Americans won both the 100m and 200m at the Ultimate Championship that saw elite athletes win $150,000 each.
Americans Kenneth Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden have claimed the sprint double to close off an action-packed weekend in Budapest that saw elite track and field athletes crowned inaugural Ultimate Champions and pocket $150,000 in prize money.
Bednarek stormed to victory in a 19.52s world lead – the season’s best performance globally – ahead of Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (19.76s) and American Courtney Lindsey (19.79s) as Jamaican sprint legend and Ultimate Champion ambassador Usain Bolt gave his nod of approval from the stands on Sunday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
A day earlier, Bednarek finally emerged from the shadow of compatriot sprinter Noah Lyles to claim the 100m crown in 9.85s and edge out world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica (9.90s) and USA’s Ronnie Baker (9.93s).
It was a repeat of the Tokyo World Championship double for Jefferson-Wooden, whose 21.47s world lead time made her the third-fastest woman in 200m history as she eased past compatriots Gabrielle Thomas, the Olympic champion (21.77s) and Kayla White (21.93s).
In the 100m, Jefferson-Wooden’s time of 10.62s held off Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia (10.74s) and compatriot Sha’Carri Richardson (10.76s), who clinched her world title in the same stadium three years ago.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden repeated her double from the Tokyo World Championships when she won the 100m and 200m sprints in Budapest Matthias Schrader/AP]
Earlier on Sunday, Jasmine Jones opened the final day of competition with a shakeup in the women’s 400m hurdles.
The American clocked 52.45s to edge out Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova (52.68s) and compatriot, world leader, and favourite Anna Cockrell (53.09s), who settled for third after an almost unbeaten season. Teammate Dalilah Muhammad graciously retired from track and field with a fourth-place season’s best of 53.11s.
Reigning javelin king Rumesh Pathirage launched a monstrous 91.09m final throw for the win to continue his unbeaten streak this season.
The Sri Lankan’s throw proved too much for Grenada’s Anderson Peters (86.18m) and third-place Julian Weber of Germany (85.89m), while world champion Keshorn Walcott was disappointed with yet another fourth-place finish (82.41m).
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi literally soared to new heights with a 2.37m clearance that amazed the crowd – and himself – well after USA’s JuVaughn Harrison jumped 2.30m for second in the men’s high jump and Mexico’s Erick Portillo cleared 2.26m for third.
Gianmarco Tamberi’s 2.37m jump was a world-leading mark this year [Matthias Schrader/AP]
Josh Kerr of Great Britain kept the 1500m win predictable (3:29.35) after Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (1:41.91) flipped the script on 800m world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:42.44), who settled for third behind Canada’s Marco Arop (1:42.28) in a stunning finish.
Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw dominated to claim the women’s 5,000m (14:30.36) while Saly Sarr of Senegal (15.06m) stole the triple jump spotlight from world leader Thea Lafond (14.47m) after the Dominican failed to perform in the Hungarian capital.
Crowd favourite Mondo Duplantis opened the show on Friday with a casual 6.20m jump to reign supreme in the men’s pole vault, although close friend and rival Emmanouil Karalis of Greece continued to close the gap between world number one and two with 6.15m for second.
Over on the women’s side, it was an emotional win for USA’s Sandi Morris when she cleared 4.90m for her first global outdoor title.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen shifted gears to dominate the men’s 5,000m in a comeback like never before (12:59.24), leaving USA’s Cole Hocker (13:00.05) and Parker Wolfe (13:00.13) in his trail.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway crosses the line to win the men’s 5,000 metres final [Denes Erdos/AP]
The Americans predictably dominated the hurdles as Masai Russell clocked 12.22s in the women’s 100m hurdles to cap off an unbeaten season while Diamond League champion Ja’Kobe Tharp dazzled with 12.94s in the men’s 110m hurdles.
Other predictable wins came from Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou in the men’s long jump (8.35m), Switzerland’s Audrey Werro in the women’s 800m (1:55.88), Brazil’s Alison dos Santos in the men’s 400m hurdles (45.98s), Dominican Marileidy Paulino in the women’s 400m (49.07s) and male counterpart Collen Kebinatshipi with a 43.39s Botswana national record.
A cozy, unbothered Yaroslava Mahuchikh rested in her sleeping bag in between jumps that saw her add another high jump title to her collection at 1.99m ahead of Nicola Olyslagers of Australia.
Meanwhile, the women’s javelin saw a clash of old and new as Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi set a national record (68.92m) en route to reclaiming the throne, while Chinese teen sensation Yan Ziyi retired hurt but claimed her first silver of the season with 68.05m.
Larissa Iapichino of Italy claimed the long jump crown (6.90m) just hours after her grandmother died, while Germany’s Merlin Hummel claimed a shock win in the men’s hammer throw after world and Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg simply could not perform on the day.
The “best of the best” in athletics are preparing to compete in the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship that gets under way in Budapest this weekend.
The three-day competition will see 26 Olympic champions from Paris, 26 world champions from Tokyo last year, and this season’s top athletes battle it out to be crowned the best in track and field.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Many return to the stomping ground in the Hungarian capital after successes at the 2023 World Championships, while others have racked up global titles after breakout performances throughout the year.
Here’s Al Jazeera’s all-to-know guide to the meet:
Who, what, where and when at the Ultimate Championship?
The Ultimate Championship is an invite-only competition featuring the Olympic gold medallist, World Championship gold medallist, Diamond League winners, and the best performers of 2026 based on the World Rankings qualification system.
It runs from September 11-13 in Budapest and will become a biennial feature in World Athletics’ calendar. The sport’s global governing body chose 2026 to launch the event in between the World Championships, and, in Olympic years, use it to round out a highly competitive season.
Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, an ambassador for the event, said it was “great to see track and field going in a different direction”.
“It’s going to be great to see the best of the best,” the eight-time Olympic gold medallist said at a news conference on Thursday before the event.
“This was one of my greatest things. I’ve always lived to compete against the best and I would thrive in this moment.”
The former sprinter Usain Bolt, now 40, still holds the world record in the men’s 100m and 200m [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]
What is the Ultimate Championship prize pot?
The $10m prize pot will see winners of each event bag a record $150,000.
That’s more than double the $70,000 given at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, and three times what was awarded by World Athletics to Olympic champions in Paris. Second place takes home $75,000, third place $40,000, all the way to $2,000 for 16th-place finishers.
Relay teams will split $80,000 among themselves, followed by $40,000 and $24,000 for second and third place, respectively.
The Ultimate Champion also walks away with global “bragging rights”, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said before the event as he explained its significance to the sport.
What’s new at the Ultimate Championship?
For one, there are no medals. It’s part of World Athletics’ “reimagining of awards” that replaces the traditional accolade with a customised trophy for the Ultimate Champions based on individual tokens.
All events will be direct semifinals or finals rather than starting off as heats. Athletes competing in the men’s and women’s 200m will select their preferred semifinal heat and lane based on their seed order.
A tie for first place in a vertical jump will be decided by a jump-off rather than be shared, while athletes in throwing events will have four attempts down from the typical six, that too in the 8:8:6:4 model.
The mixed 4×100-metre relay will feature in Budapest after its debut at the World Relays earlier this year, with each quartet competing in national kits.
Why is Ultimate Championship getting criticism from a few athletes?
A number of events have been excluded from the Ultimate Championship, including shot put, triple jump, women’s hammer throw, and discus throw, as well as long-distance track events like 3,000-metre steeplechase and 10,000-metre.
World Athletics said its decision was based on viewership and priority for faster-paced events.
Olympic discus champion Matthew Denny and former world champion and two-time triple jump champion Pedro Pichardo were among the athletes who lamented the decision on social media.
Denny, current world number two, explained that the prize money “can change a career and a life” and implored World Athletics to reconsider its stance on public interest driven by its own statistics.
“Innovation should not come at the expense of opportunity.”
World record watch
These athletes are already the creme de la creme in their field and are most likely to set a world record, based on this year’s performance:
Men’s Pole Vault: None other than Sweden’s Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, who has broken the world record 15 times and most recently this March.
Men’s 800m: World lead Emanuel Wanyonyi has repeatedly threatened fellow Kenyan David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 set at the London 2012 Olympics.
Women’s 800m: Audrey Werro is fresh off her 1:53.70 set on home soil at the Zurich Diamond League in August. The Swiss’s time is third all-time and dangerously close to the 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.
Men’s 400m hurdles: Brazil’s Alison dos Santos recently smashed the record in Zurich, five years after Norway’s Karsten Warholm clocked 45.94 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Women’s 100m hurdles: Zurich magic extended to the women’s 100m hurdles as USA’s Masai Russell stormed to a 12.09 to cap off 12 straight wins this season.
