Britain’s Kat Matthews claimed silver at the World Ironman Championship, but compatriot Lucy Charles-Barclay was forced to pull out while leading as competitors battled sweltering conditions in Kona, Hawaiʻi.
Matthews benefited from the late withdrawals of Charles-Barclay and American Taylor Knibb to finish second behind Norway’s Solveig Lovseth, who claimed her first Ironman world title.
Charles-Barclay was leading after 10 miles of the marathon but visibly began to struggle as temperatures pushed 28C with 70% humidity.
She eventually pulled out with about nine miles remaining after consulting with her husband at the side of the road.
That seemingly left the path clear for Knibb to take the title, but the 27-year-old withdrew with four miles left, sitting down on the tarmac as Lovseth and Matthews ran past her.
Matthews finished strongly and completed the marathon in a course record two hours, 47 minutes, but it was not enough to reel in Lovseth.
The Norwegian crossed the line in a time of eight hours, 28 minutes and 27 seconds, with Matthews just 35 seconds behind for her third Ironman silver medal. Germany’s Laura Philipp was more than eight minutes further back in third.
“I worked really hard and I’m very proud of my finish,” said Matthews. “I’m happy for Solveig, she was incredible to watch. I had a very up and down day.”
The Ironman course consists of a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim, 112 miles (180 km) cycling and the final marathon, which is 26.2 miles (42.2 km), for a total distance of 140.6 miles.
Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s World Championships will reunify in 2026 after three years as separate events.
The Championships were split in 2023 to ease entry back-logs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The search for Shannon Matthews, nine, became a major missing person police operation and, after several weeks, she was found at an address in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
00:10, 13 Aug 2025Updated 00:16, 13 Aug 2025
Richard Edwards appeared on This Morning to talk about his work on the Shannon Matthews case
A man who investigated Shannon Matthews‘ disappearance has revealed the moment he knew the girl’s mum Karen was the person behind it all.
Richard Edwards, who was a local reporter at the time, appeared on This Morning yesterday to talk about his involvement in the case which saw a huge missing person police operation launched for the girl. She was found at her mum’s then-boyfriend Michael Donovan’s house in a plot to claim a £50,000 reward, and both Karen and Donovan were prosecuted and jailed.
The search lasted 24 days in February and March 2008, during which time people on the estate near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire eventually became suspicious of Karen. It dawned on Mr Edwards himself Karen could be responsible when a man approached him – as he worked late on the estate one evening for a local newspaper – and pointed at Karen’s house, insisting she had known along along where Shannon was.
Karen Matthews was found guilty of kidnapping her daughter Shannon(Image: PA)
West Yorkshire Police led the search for Shannon (Image: Getty Images)
Speaking to Emma Willis and Andi Peters on the ITV This Morning sofa yesterday, Mr Edwards said: “There was one particular night where to this day I’ve never known who this person was. It was a Sunday night, a few days before Karen was arrested…
“A car pulled up on the estate, I was working, it was late on the Sunday, it was dark and a guy got out and he said ‘Where’s that Richard Edwards from the Yorkshire Evening Post?’
“I thought I’ve done something to offend this fella, but I need to front up. I said ‘That’s me’. He came over, he was right at the end of Mooreside Road and he pointed towards the house, he went ‘She’s done it. She’s known where that little girl has been all along.’
“Then got into the car and drove off and I thought right… that was weird. That was on top of the other stuff I’d been hearing. And then three days later she was arrested.”
Following Karen’s conviction, her tearful mother June spoke to the Sunday Mirror(Image: Roland Leon)
The mum would later be charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice. She was jailed for eight years after a jury found her guilty of those offences.
But Mr Edwards still to this day – 17 years on – does not know who the man who approached him was. The journalist continued: “If he’s watching this and wants to get in touch with me just to explain who he is and just clear up that tiny little outstanding part of the story. I would love to hear from him because he didn’t tell me who he was, but he was right. He was right.”
Donovan was also jailed for eight years after the trial at Leeds Crown Court, after which he was convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Donovan died of cancer in hospital at the age of 54 last year.
The kidnapping of Shannon Matthews rocked the UK in 2008, and now a new documentary following the fake abduction plot will arrive on one of the world’s biggest streaming services
15:43, 12 Aug 2025Updated 15:44, 12 Aug 2025
The Hunt for Shannon Matthews will be released on Amazon Prime Video from Sunday 17 August
The kidnapping of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews dominated the headlines in February 2008 and created mass panic across the country. On a Tuesday evening, stay-at-home mum Karen Matthews reported her nine-year-old daughter missing to Dewsbury police, and West Yorkshire officials launched what became the biggest investigation in that area since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
After three weeks and three days, the search, which was also spearheaded by residents of the Dewsbury Moor estate, came to an end when Shannon was found alive in a flat in Batley Carr, just mere miles from her home. She was found at the home of Michael Donovan, the uncle of her mother’s then-partner Craig Meehan, who was convicted of possessing 49 indecent images of children in 2008 but was not involved in the kidnapping of Shannon and was never charged with any offences relating to the incident.
Karen Matthews had plotted the entire thing in an attempt to raise reward money whilst she made emotional pleas on television for her daughter’s safe return (Image: PA)
Karen, who had seven children by five different fathers, was found guilty of found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice sentenced to eight years in prison along with her accomplice, although by the time she was released early in 2012, he was already out.
Shannon, who had been drugged and tied up in the small flat, was immediately placed under police protection once she had been found and was given lifelong anonymity with a new High Court ruling. Now, the events of the entire plot have been re-explored in the The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, which viewers can watch on Amazon Prime Video from Sunday 17th August.
In the years since the bizarre case shocked Britain, the story has been told through several books and documentaries. In 2017, it was adapted into the BBC series The Moorside, starring Game of Thrones actress Gemma Whelan as the woman who was dubbed the nation’s worst mum, and Sheridan Smith as Julie Bushy, the kindly neighbour who headed up the communal efforts to find Shannon, completely unaware that it was all a hoax.
Julie Bushby, a former friend of Shannon Matthews who was played by Sheridan Smith in a BBC drama, will appear The Hunt for Shannon Matthews when it arrives on Prime Video on August 17(Image: DAILY MIRROR)
But TV insiders have insisted that this time round, the new documentary, which features new interviews with former friends and neighbours of Karen Matthews, will offer up a fresh perspective on the whole story, especially because such time has passed since the events took place. A source told The Sun: “The original case dumbfounded the nation when it happened and it took years before many could truly grasp what had happened.
“Shows like 2017, The Moorside which starred Sheridan Smith , tried to shed some light on the events but it continues to be a subject that stirs up an array of emotions. The creators of the new documentary hope that the passing of time and the benefit of distance might help lend some perspective on the story.”
It is the third in a series of recent true crime documentaries released by the streaming giant, the first of which was The Wimbledon Killer, which looked back on the murder of mum Rachel Nickell in the early 1990s, and the second was Surviving The Tunisia Beach Attack, which examined the shooting of 38 holidaymakers, more than a decade on from when the atrocity took place.
Try as one might to keep Nico Iamaleava under wraps, the media viewing sessions at UCLA’s football training camp shorter than the lifespan of a soap bubble, several trends have emerged.
The Tennessee transfer unquestionably has a strong arm. Every pass is thrown with purpose and usually on target.
The wiry 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore has a quick release. When he faced heavy pressure during the only team period open to reporters Saturday afternoon, Iamaleava smartly and swiftly completed a short pass when no better options were available.
The guy can improvise. Scanning the defense for a weakness, Iamaleava scurried up the middle for a touchdown, making the right decision on what appeared to be a run-pass option play.
All of this shows exactly why his arrival might have so drastically altered the team’s trajectory.
“He keeps living up to expectations every day,” wide receiver Mikey Matthews said. “He’s a really good leader, and he just pushes us every day as an offense.”
Coach DeShaun Foster said one of the things that has impressed him about his new quarterback is his determination to win, even during competitive periods involving one-on-one battles.
“You can kind of see his juice going,” Foster said, “and, you know, jawing a little bit with some of the guys on defense that he knows.”
If things had gone differently, Matthews might have teamed with Iamaleava at Tennessee. Unlike UCLA, which struggled to identify top high school talent under coach Chip Kelly, the Volunteers offered Matthews a scholarship out of Mission Viejo High. A tight connection between Iamaleava and Matthews had formed through seven-on-seven tournaments and high school games.
“We already had, like, built that connection just beforehand,” said Matthews, a transfer from California who posted career highs with 32 catches for 272 yards and one touchdown last season. “So when I knew he was coming here, it was just like a blessing, just happy to have him here and just knowing that he’s going to give me that rock whenever, and knowing that he’s going to throw that ball. So it was cool just to have him here.”
Matthews has an Xbox in his hotel room and a new roommate in defensive back Brett Barry — “That’s my dawg now,” Matthews said — to learn about. There are so many possibilities to keep the wide receiver busy late into the night.
His top priority is inactivity. All he wants to do when his final meeting of the day ends around 9:30 p.m. is see how quickly he can get into bed before waking up for the next meeting.
“Once I’m done with meetings,” Matthews said, “I’m brushing my teeth and going right to sleep. I’m tired.”
It would be easy for fatigue to set in as the Bruins approach the final week of training camp in Costa Mesa. A schedule rife with practices, meetings and recovery — not to mention bonding events such as a beach day and karaoke — has left players sinking deeply into their hotel beds.
But there’s an upside to so much football for players who embrace every X and O. Matthews said the wide receivers were staying after every practice to catch at least 100 passes from a ball-launching machine.
“We all love football,” Matthews said, “so it’s not like we’re complaining, and while we’re doing this, while we’re doing that, it’s everyone just locked in, heads down, and we’re all just grinding.”
As the Bruins approached the final week of training camp, Foster said he wanted to know who had fully grasped the nuances of the way the team wanted to run things.
“Who really knows the playbook in and out, you know?” Foster said. “Let’s get the coaches on the side and let’s start getting into more scrimmaging and stuff like that.”
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Linebacker Jalen Woods said a Saturday afternoon practice spanning nearly 2½ hours might have been the longest of camp, just part of Foster’s efforts to simulate a game-like environment with three weeks left before the season opener against Utah on Aug. 30 at the Rose Bowl.
“I feel like for us to be ready for a game,” Woods said, “like, we need these long practices.”
The bonding has also had its perks. Foster identified freshman defensive lineman Robert James III, who will be sidelined indefinitely by a lower-body injury, as the team’s best singer. Players have also performed other impromptu requests in an effort to bond.
“It’s beneficial that we do stuff like skits, and stuff like that, like doing funny stuff here and there to show everybody’s personality on the team,” Woods said. “Just a side that we don’t see, like on the football field. So, it’s basically like getting to know your teammates, and I feel like it’s going to pay dividends in the long run, trying to make a push for a championship.”
Etc.
Safety Key Lawrence suffered an apparent right leg injury early in the practice session and had to be helped off the field and into the trainers’ area. … Foster said offensive linemen Courtland Ford and Reuben Unije, who were limited in practices earlier in the week, were managing “a little bit of wear and tear.” Offensive lineman Yutaka Mahe, recovering from a lower-body injury, is on schedule to return soon, Foster said. … As of Friday, UCLA’s new practice fields on campus remained a big pile of dirt. Foster said the team had plenty of options, including Drake Stadium and the intramural fields, if the new practice fields were not completed by the time players returned to campus next weekend. … Wyatt Mosier, a redshirt sophomore linebacker, has been awarded Nick Pasquale’s No. 36 as a tribute to Mosier’s ability to embody the spirit of the late wide receiver. Foster said he wanted “somebody that was gonna come out here and leave everything on the field, and that’s the way that Wyatt practices.” … As a thank-you gesture from UCLA in response to recent wildfires, first responders can get $4.73 tickets for the season opener.
Rupert Matthews has been Leicestershire’s PCC since 2021
The police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, giving the party its first PCC.
Rupert Matthews has held the position since 2021 and served as an MEP for the East Midlands for the Tories between 2017 and 2019.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, he said the “dark heart of wokeness” needed to be cut out of the criminal justice system.
“The self-serving, self-entitled liberal elite who have let our country down time after time are now on notice their day is almost done,” he said.
“Be they Conservative or Labour governments, everyone knows our politicians have failed us all. They have let this country down. They have let the British people down. Enough. Now is the time for Reform.”
Analysis
By Henry Zeffman, chief political correspondent, BBC News
Rupert Matthews is hardly a big figure in the national Conservative Party.
But his defection will still cause some anxiety. It adds to the sense that at the local level – the bedrock of any political party – the institutional Conservative Party is fraying, and that the energy on the right of British politics is with Reform UK instead.
For Reform, after they gained control of 10 councils in the local elections in May, gaining their first police and crime commissioner is another local government milestone, and a useful office from which to make arguments about what they claim to be Britain’s “lawlessness”.
That said, there is a risk for Reform in acquiring too many ex-Conservatives that they incorporate too many of the politicians who they claim have left Britain in a mess.
Matthews was re-elected as PCC in May 2024, beating Labour’s Rory Palmer by 860 votes.
Announcing the defection on Monday, Farage told the conference: “He’s twice been elected as a Conservative but today he comes across to us as our first police and crime commissioner.”
He added: “Welcome on board.”
The switch could consolidate Reform UK’s power base locally, with the party having led Leicestershire County Council since May.
Labour accused Farage of “swelling the Reform ranks” with “the ghost of Tory past” and said his party offered “anger, but no answers”.
