Sportshour

For a long time, professional wrestling was the domain of men. Stars like The Undertaker and The Rock ruled the ring and our TV screens, but now it's the women of WWE who are making just as big an impact. Whilst a debate over what part wresting is a sport, or just entertainment, what can't be denied is the supreme fitness these athletes achieve in pursuit of their art, and the love they receive from millions and millions of fans all over the world. Newly crowned WWE's Women's champion Chelsea Green told Sportshour's Katie Smith about the subtle but important difference between Chelsea the person and Chelsea the persona in the ring, and how she's 'empowered' by starring in a male dominated world. Some people enjoy life on the edge and for highliners it’s an edge they cross – quite literally. Highlining involves walking on a line (think slack lining but higher up) anchored at two points high above a gap such as between mountains, buildings or bridges, while harnessed to a back-up safety line. It is both spectac

Former tennis professional Louise Pleming was travelling the globe as a tennis commentator and elite coach when her life took an unexpected turn. The Australian met Brian Turton whilst she was volunteering at a soup kitchen. Brian had always dreamt of a professional tennis career but instead he found himself living on the streets. Louise tells Sportshour’s Katie Smith how that chance meeting sparked a friendship which had a hugely beneficial effect on them both and many communities in Australia. It led to Louise setting up the charity Rally4Ever which uses tennis to help people get back on their feet.Who will playing in Super Bowl LIX is still to be determined but that journey starts later on Saturday with the play offs and "Wildcard Weekend". To get you in the mood we are going to head back more than 80 years ago, to a "Bowl" game with a difference. With D-Day looming, 50,000 people watched an American football game featuring NFL and Canadian Football League stars at White City in London in the game that bri

NBA star Victor Wembanyama playing one-on-one with fans in a New York park is something you would not expect – even more so when it was not basketball he was playing, but chess. Sportshour’s Katie Smith meets Dylan Rittman, one of Wembanyama’s chess opponents for an unlikely duel in the park.With the new world darts champion crowned, what impact is the sport having around the world? South Africa's nine-time World Championship participant Devon Petersen shares his thoughts and how he’s using darts to help young people with their maths.James Cooper ran a marathon every single day in 2024 for charity, so after 366 marathons in 366 days, how does he feel now the challenge is completed? It's the start of a new year so the time when many people may decide to make new year's resolutions, but trying to keep them is not always easy. Dr Kimberley Dawson, a professor in sport psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, shares her tips on achieving goals.And find out about the sport of Tiro en Braille which start

***This episode contains discussions and references to extreme violence, sexual violence and domestic abuse. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide: befrienders.org***Tracy Otto's life was changed forever one night in 2019. Back then she was a student at the University of Tampa and an aspiring fitness model. An unprovoked attack by her ex-boyfriend left her with horrific injuries - she was paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of her arms and hands, and the loss of her left eye. It was the sport of archery that helped Tracy get her life back on track. She tells us her story and about a magical Paris experience. Team GB's cyclist Neah Evans spilled the beans on the behind-the-scenes secrets of the Games. The things only athletes would know about! From life in the Olympic village to what goes on at the Opening Ceremony o

We come full circle on a story we first covered in 2016 when we visited the exercise yard at San Quentin State prison in California. It houses the highest number of death row inmates in America but also has a sport sporty program designed to rehabilitate those who hope one day to be released. Rahsaan Thomas was one of those to benefit from the scheme. Released in 2023 we catch up with him to see how he is getting on after 23 years behind bars and how he has already continued his sporting life by completing the New York marathon Team GB Hockey player Tess Howard tells us how after scoring the winning goal at the last Commonwealth Games, and that after it and with her “face and body plastered all over the papers” she "felt ashamed of herself". Knowing that she shouldn't be feeling like that, she set about making a significant change to the kit female athletes are allowed to wear in competition in her sport and women’s sport in general Those players involved in the tournament will have practiced for many years t

It's one of the sports stories of 2024. In November "Knight's Choice" squeezed home to win the Melbourne Cup by a nose. The 80-1 outsider was ridden by Irish jockey Robbie Dolan. Winning the so called "Race that stops a nation" made Robbie famous in Australia, or should that be even more famous! Because two years previous he was one of the finalists on the TV singing show The Voice! So, a little over a month since that famous victory, has Robbie had a chance to drink it all in?!When it comes to sport at Christmas, what comes to mind? Well there’s the traditional Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League and the Test match in Melbourne. But what about darts? Well the World Championship begins on Sunday at the Alexandra Palace in London with the new world champion crowned early in the new year. But if you don’t know your double top from your oche, never fear! Sportshour is here. The perfect guest to guide us through is Russ Bray simply known as "The Voice" Using dating apps can be very hit and miss! Sometimes n

2024 has been a monumental year for Australian Rhydian Cowley. He won bronze alongside team mate Jemima Montag at the Paris Olympics in the inaugural walking mixed team relay.He was also named the BBC Green Sport Award's World Athlete of the Year using his platform to spark debates about climate change and how it's affecting not only sport but the whole planet. Fuelled by homemade jam and some bird watching, Cowley reveals his unusual combination of passions.It's fair to say that Irish tennis player Conor Niland could be best described as a journeyman. He never reached the world's top 100 and never progressed beyond the first round of a grand slam. And in the world of professional tennis there are far more like Conor than there are Roger Federer or Serena Williams'. Connor's new book "Racket" tells the story of those players who travel the world in the hope of climbing the rankings, where the prize money barely covers their expenses. Photo: Rhydian Cowley of Team Australia competes during the Mixed Marathon

Hallucinations, crashes, and just 10 minutes sleep – Badlands ultra cycle race is not only a test of endurance but also the ultimate relationship test for the 2024 pairs winners. Danni Shrosbree and Bradley Shenton completed the gruelling 800km (497 miles) route, through the Andalusian mountains in Spain, in 53 hours and 30 minutes. The couple faced temperatures of up to 40C, bike damage, and they tell Sportshour’s Caroline Barker how they only stopped for two five-minute power naps.Earlier this week the Player of the Year awards for Rugby Union were announced South Africa's Pieter du Toit won the men's award, for the second time in his career, and the Women's award went to Ellie Kildunne. Ellie was top scorer as England won the Six Nations Grand slam earlier this year and at just 25 has been telling us about how her career on the pitch has developed, and also what she gets up to off the pitch!Here's a quiz question for you. Who is the youngest player to score in the top flight of English football? The record

We’re used to celebrating the achievements of para-athletes on the track, but endurance running is still in its infancy. South African born Jacky Hunt-Broersma is changing that. She is at the forefront of amputee ultramarathon and trail running. A cancer survivor, she loves pushing the limits of what is possible. She has already run 104 marathons in 104 days and is now attempting to run from Las Vegas to Los Angeles (venue of the next Paralympics). She tells us of the unique challenges she must face to run extraordinary distances and change perceptions of what para-athletes can do. We go behind the scenes of life in the Premier League with physio Derek Wright. Up until recently Derek served as the Newcastle United physio, a role he held for more than 30 years. Recently retired, he tells us what it’s really like in the dressing room on match day, how he aided more than just the players’ physical health and which manager always called him Dennis, despite the fact he was named Derek.How much do you earn? It’s an

Toulouse’s six European titles make them the most successful club in European rugby, and if you were to say the French club were out of this world, then you would be right. The city considers itself the aerospace capital of Europe and it turns out one of the club’s secrets to success has been to mix the methods and practices of those training to go into space adapted to the sports field. Sportshour's Chris Bockman finds out more.Former jockey Karen Wiltshire has a powerful and unheard story to tell about being at the forefront of changing participation in sport. Before her no professional female jockey had ever ridden a winner in British Flat racing when she guided The Goldstone to victory in 1978. Her journey there had seen her manhandled physically and harangued mentally and is all detailed in her book "No Place for a Girl"Can table football last in an age of digital information? Derek Air has just written a booked called Land of the Giants: My Journey Through the World of Table Football. It's essentially

How do you channel the passion, determination and fortitude to achieve something knowing you've lost friends doing the same thing? Professional skier Cody Townsend has lost many friends on the mountains he’s skiing down as he attempts to climb and ski all the routes detailed in the book, “The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America”. They're some of the most dangerous slopes on the continent and he’s documented the 46 he’s completed so far in a video series – but although the videos have stopped, that doesn’t mean the challenge attempt is finished. Townsend tells Sportshour’s Caroline Barker about the risks, the rewards and the rules he sets himself when he skis... an experience he wouldn’t trade, even for Olympic gold. Photo: Cody Townsend skiing down a mountain with rockfaces on either side. (Credit: Summit Lunch Productions)

In 1989 Donald Trump put his name to a cycle race hoped would rival the Tour de France. This is the story behind the Tour de Trump. We hear what it was like to share the podium with Trump from the winner of the first race Dag Otto Lauritzen. Go behind the scenes with race organiser Mike Plant and hear about the legacy the race left from Peter Nye author of Hearts of Lions: The History of American Bicycle Racing... and why the race no longer takes place.Presented by Caroline Barker Produced by Joel HammerPhoto: Donald Trump at news conference at the DuPont Plaza in Wilmington Delaware, promoting his "Tour de Trump" bicycle race to be held in May 1990. (CREDIT: Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News via Getty Images)

With the World Series underway we hear from one man hoping one day to grace baseballs top table. After a life changing boating accident that saw one of Parker Byrd's legs amputated, the college baseball player fought back to become what is believed to be first NCAA Division I baseball player to play with a prosthetic leg. Parker Byrd told his inspirational story to Sportshour's Caroline BarkerDid you know that motorsport has an Olympics?! That's what the FIA Motor Sport Games claim to be. In just it's third year the competition has been taking place in the Spanish city of Valencia this week. We hear from Team GB captain Chris Froggatt and from one of the youngest competitors, 11 year old Manuel Cardona and his dad Ricardo. Remember the name!The trio of women who are about to get to know each other VERY VERY well! Jess Rowe, Miriam Payne and Lottie Hopkinson-Woolley are preparing to row across the Atlantic together!UFC Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was born in Germany to Georgian refugees. And after sp

As the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship heats up as the drivers head to Austin for the United States Grand Prix, it will also be a significant weekend for F1 broadcaster Jennie Gow. She tells Sportshour’s Caroline Barker how she has had to learn to write and speak again after a stroke in December 2022 and shares her love for F1 ahead of the release of her new book ‘How to Read F1’.Ultra-endurance bike rider Lael Wilcox chats about her journey around the world after setting the new world record for the fastest woman to circumnavigate the globe by bike and also reveals how she missed a message from tennis legend Billie Jean King.Adriana Brownlee shares what it means to become the youngest ever female climber to summit the world’s tallest mountains at the age of 23 and why it all stems from a piece of primary school homework she did when she was eight.Zdeno Chara explains why he has no plans to slow down even after retiring from professional ice hockey. After 24 seasons in the NHL, he is now ready to take on one

World champion speed skater Elise Christie represented Great Britain at three Winter Olympics, but after announcing her retirement from the sport she worked three jobs and slept in her car. She tells Sportshour’s Caroline Barker how the content creation site Only Fans has helped her take back control of her life and what’s next after ruling out a return to the ice for the 2026 Winter Olympics with either Great Britain or Belgium.If you have been impacted by Elise's story then help available in the UK can be found at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Help and support outside the UK can be found at befrienders.org.Will more professional footballers become referees? Former Trinidad and Tobago international Chris Birchall played with David Beckham at LA Galaxy and against England at a World Cup, but after retiring from professional football, he's now a qualified referee. To mark International Referees' Day, he explains how he’s part of a programme that could take past and current players all the way to the Premier League as

Ed Moses won 122 consecutive races including two Olympic gold medals over a nearly 10-year span in the 400m hurdles, but how did he become unbeatable? Sportshour’s Caroline Barker speaks to the double Olympic champion about his dominance, his then-revolutionary 13 strides and how an introduction from Morgan Freeman has finally brought his life to the screen. For the first time in the 173-year history of the America’s Cup, there will be a standalone women’s event in 2024. Canada’s Isabella Bertold had swapped sails for pedals to become a professional cyclist, but she explains why she’s back on the water as captain of Concord Pacific Racing team and leading a campaign to champion women's sport. Former Australian international swimmer Kurt Herzog shares his life after elite sport and how he’s working in Indigenous communities to bring neglected public pools back to life. Plus, find out more about the sport of blind baseball with Great Britain’s Grant Mallabar.Image: American athlete Edwin Moses, wearing

From sneaking out of her house to play football to becoming a trailblazer for others, Sportshour’s Caroline Barker speaks to Jackline Juma who has become the first female head coach in the Kenyan Premier League. The FC Talanta head coach has already made a winning start, and she's hoping her role will inspire more women and girls to follow their footballing dreams.British triathlete Kat Matthews reveals what it has taken to get back on the IRONMAN World Championship podium, two years after a near-fatal crash whilst training for the same event in 2022. Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever may have been knocked out of the WNBA play-offs, but the basketball star’s impact extends way beyond the court. Former Icelandic basketballer Helena Sverrisdóttir has proof of that after she hosted a watch party in Iceland. Plus, hear from Samson Ndayishimiye, President of the Rwanda Cycling Federation, as Africa gets ready to host the World Road Cycling Championships for the first time in 2025, and there’s all the flicks and tric

When Jack Eyers decided to have his leg amputated at the age of 16 he was advised against it... but Jack was done with living in pain. What he didn't realise was that after his amputation a new world of opportunity would open up that has taken him from the Hollywood Hills to the cat walks of Milan and now to the Paralympic podium in Paris, where last month he won silver in the para canoe. Jack tells us about his remarkable storyWe preview the new WSL season in England with BBC Sports senior women's football reporter Emma Sanders including new managers and players on the pitch... and chat to Dani Gonçalves co founder of 'Fantasy WSL' about all the new managers and players of it. Plus Former USWNT goalkeeper Jillian Loyden on helping develop the next generation of keepers on and off the field though her Keepers Institute.Photo: Silver medallist Jack Eyers of Great Britain celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's Va'a Single 200m - VL3 Final on day eleven of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralym

the UltraTrail du Mont Blanc is a unique challenge of endurance racing through the mountains of France on foot. It's made up of three races including the brutal 101 kilometre "Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix" or the 'CCC'.Earlier this month, and fresh from returning from a serious knee injury, American Hayden Hawkes crossed the finish line to win. It was exactly seven years since he first tasted victory in the race, and he hasn't looked back since.Photo: Hayden Hawkes of the United States celebrates as he wins the 50k race during the UTMB World Series Canyons Endurance Runs 2023(Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images for Canyons UTMB)

Live from Paris with all the action and stories from the 2024 Paralympic Games.PHOTO: Matt Stutzman of Team United States during the Men's Archery Individual Compound at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Credit: Buda Mendes/Getty Images)