Rory McIlroy had to be restrained by team-mate Shane Lowry as tempers boiled over after a dramatic end to the second day’s play at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
The world number two became involved in a heated exchange with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th green at Marco Simone and the arguments later continued in the car park.
Pictures emerged of McIlroy shouting and angrily pointing his finger at someone outside the clubhouse before being pulled away and pushed into a waiting car by Lowry.
Europe captain Luke Donald revealed McIlroy had felt a “line had been crossed” by LaCava as he celebrated Cantlay holing the lengthy putt that ultimately secured a vital fourballs point for the United States.
At the time, however, both McIlroy and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick still had putts remaining that could have halved the match.
McIlroy thought LaCava had stepped across his line as he celebrated by waving his cap in jocular reference to Cantlay’s hatless appearance.
There had been reports throughout the day that Cantlay had not been wearing a team hat in protest at not being paid to play, something he denied.
McIlroy took exception to LaCava’s actions and a row broke out between the pair which the watching Lowry also became involved in.
Donald said: “Obviously I was on 18 and I saw it unfold. When Patrick made that putt, Joe was waving his hat – there was some hat-waving going on throughout the day from the crowd, not our players.
“I talked to Rory and he politely asked Joe to move aside as he was in his line of vision, he stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat and I think Rory was upset about that.
“Rory felt the line was crossed on the 18th green. He is a passionate player – we all are in this event – and I will speak to him later about it.”
After the match but prior to the car park incident, McIlroy said the matter would merely add motivation to his desire to succeed on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman said: “Obviously they had a great finish and Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal, so hats off to them.
“They played a great match, yes, a few scenes there on 18 and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”
Cantlay was also asked about what occurred beside the 18th green after the match but gave little information.
“He is the best,” he said of LaCava, who is better known for his previous work with Tiger Woods. “That is all there is to say.”
Donald was not aware of what later happened in the car park when he spoke to media after a day which his European side ended lead 10.5-5.5.
Donald said: “I will talk with Rory when I get back. I didn’t see the incident personally, I saw the one on 18.
“We always try to play with passion and energy but play with respect and that will certainly be my message to the players.”
US captain Zach Johnson said: “What I saw on 18 was a phenomenal putt and a celebration by some of our guys.
“I saw passion and all of what is great in the Ryder Cup come out, and to my knowledge, based on what I was told, that was defused after the match so I’m told it is all good. That’s really all I know.”
Europe need just four points from the final day’s 12 singles matches to complete their revenge mission in Rome and regain the Ryder Cup.
Luke Donald’s side will also have plenty of extra motivation after the second day’s play ended with angry scenes on the 18th green which later continued outside the clubhouse at Marco Simone.
Rory McIlroy was annoyed that Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava initially refused to move from his eyeline as he waved his cap over his head in celebration of Cantlay’s birdie on the last.
McIlroy and team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick still had birdie putts of their own to halve the hole and the match, but neither was able to convert.
“I talked to Rory,” Donald said. “He politely asked Joe to move aside. He was in his line of vision.
“He stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that.
“The Ryder Cup is always passionate. We’ve seen that many times over the past.
“I will address all 12 of my guys tomorrow. I’ll give them the right messaging and they will be ready to play.”
The incident threatened to overshadow a record-breaking performance from Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, who had earlier thrashed Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7, the largest margin in any 18-hole match in the event’s history.
That sparked a 3-1 win in the morning foursomes and although the United States took the fourballs by the same scoreline thanks to Cantlay’s late heroics, Europe ended the day leading by 10.5 points to 5.5.
The United States have never trailed entering the singles on European soil and come back to win. The largest comeback of four points in any singles was achieved by the US at Brookline in 1999 and Europe at Medinah in 2012.
Cantlay was taunted by European fans all afternoon after it was reported that he was refusing to wear a team-branded baseball cap in protest at players not being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup.
But he and his team-mates had the last laugh, waving their caps above their heads after Cantlay birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th to partner Wyndham Clark to victory over McIlroy and Fitzpatrick and ruin McIlroy’s perfect record.
“It just doesn’t fit,” Cantlay told NBC regarding his hat. “It is as simple as that. I didn’t wear it in Whistling Straits. That is all it is.”
Donald felt his side were still in a “great spot” to secure overall victory, adding: “I think if you asked us to be at 10.5 after two days we would take it.
“There is always momentum shifts and I thought we were going to maybe snatch a 2-2 this afternoon but Cantlay birdied the last three holes. I have a plan (for the singles) and will relay it to the team.
“I’m going to put (out) some strong players and put some blue on the board early.”
Donald’s players had achieved that perfectly in the foursomes, the record win for Hovland and Aberg followed by victories for the powerhouse pairs of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
The only bright spot of the morning session for the visitors came when Max Homa and Brian Harman secured a first full point for the Americans, Homa chipping in for an eagle on the 16th to see off Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka 4&2.
Scheffler, who was pictured fighting back tears and being comforted by his wife Meredith following the crushing loss with Koepka, lobbied to be given the chance to make amends in the afternoon fourballs but was left out by US captain Zach Johnson.
That decision paid dividends as Hovland and Aberg ran out of steam in a 4&3 defeat to Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa, while Homa and Harman enjoyed their second win of the day, beating Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard 2&1.
Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre recovered from an early deficit to beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 3&2 before the late drama in the anchor match gave the United States a glimmer of hope.
Rory McIlroy had to be restrained after getting involved a heated exchange following the second day’s play at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
The world number two was pushed into a car as Europe team-mate Shane Lowry attempted to defuse what appeared to be an argument outside the clubhouse.
Pictures of the confrontation emerged after a fiery conclusion to Saturday’s fourballs session in which McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick were beaten on the final green by American pair Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark.
McIlroy apppeared to take exception at the time to the American team’s celebrations after Cantlay holed a lengthy putt.
Both McIlroy and Fitzpatrick still had putts remaining that could have tied the match.
Arguments reportedly ensued between McIlroy and Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava, with the watching Lowry also becoming involved. It is thought McIlroy may have been upset that LaCava stepped across the line of a European putt as he waved his cap in reference to Cantlay’s hatless appearance.
Reports had emerged during the day that Cantlay was not wearing a team hat in protest at not being paid to appear, something he later denied.
After the match McIlroy said the incident would merely add motivation to his desire to succeed on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman said: “Obviously they had a great finish and Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal, so hats off to them.
“They played a great match, yes, a few scenes there on 18 and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”
It appears the arguments resumed as the players left the course, however, with TV pictures showing McIlroy angrily pointing his finger at somebody out of shot.
Lowry then steps in to usher McIlroy towards a waiting car.
Cantlay was asked about what occurred beside the 18th green after the match but gave little information.
“He is the best,” he said of LaCava. “That is all there is to say.”
Europe will enter the final day leading 10.5-5.5.
Europe need just four points from the final day’s 12 singles matches to complete their revenge mission in Rome and regain the Ryder Cup.
Two years after suffering a record 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits, Luke Donald’s side made history for the right reasons as Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg thrashed Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7, the largest margin in any 18-hole match in the event’s history.
That sparked a 3-1 win in the morning foursomes and although the United States took the fourballs by the same scoreline thanks to some late heroics from Patrick Cantlay, Europe ended the day leading by 10.5 points to 5.5.
The United States has never trailed entering the singles on European soil and come back to win. The largest comeback of four points was achieved by the US at Brookline in 1999 and Europe at Medinah in 2012.
Cantlay was taunted by European fans all afternoon after it was reported that he was refusing to wear a team-branded baseball cap in protest at players not being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup.
But he and his team-mates had the last laugh, waving their caps above their heads after Cantlay birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th to beat Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick and ruin McIlroy’s perfect record.
“It just doesn’t fit,” Cantlay told NBC regarding his hat. ” It is as simple as that. I didn’t wear it in Whistling Straits. That is all it is.”
England recorded a 29-12 victory to do the double over Canada at the StoneX Stadium.
The visitors had to play over an hour with 14 players after Gabrielle Senft was sent off for a high tackle on Hannah Botterman in the 17th minute.
They trailed 10-0 at that point as Marlie Packer and Ellie Kildunne had scored tries in the opening 13 minutes for England.
Canada made a fight of it despite their numerical disadvantage but further tries from Maud Muir, Amber Reed and Jess Breach secured victory for the Red Roses.
Captain Packer, who touched down during the 50-24 win at Sandy Park last weekend against the same opposition, got the scoring started when she forced the ball over from a dominant driving maul.
Kildunne doubled the hosts’ score after 13 minutes following some good pressing, with a second conversion from Meg Jones unsuccessful.
After Senft’s dismissal, Canada reduced the deficit through a 26th-minute Sara Svoboda try.
But England crossed the whitewash again through Muir on the stroke of half-time, with Jones this time adding the extras to make it 17-5 at the break.
The Red Roses extended their lead further 10 minutes into the second half as Bristol’s Reed found a gap in the Canada defence and pounced over. Jones was again on target with the conversion.
Breach crossed over following a great run from Jones to put England’s victory beyond doubt – moments after replacement scrum-half Lucy Packer limped off.
Canada reduced the deficit through a converted Taylor Perry try late on but the Red Roses comfortably held on.
Sea Silk Road evoked memories of her illustrious sire after seemingly going out in a blaze of glory in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp.
It is 14 years since the great Sea The Stars brought the curtain down on his stellar career with success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – and while his William Haggas-trained daughter is not in that class, she saved her best performance for what is set to be her last.
Winner of the Pinnacle Stakes at Haydock earlier in the year, the four-year-old had since finished second in the Lancashire Oaks, fifth in the Yorkshire Oaks and third in the Prix Vermeille ahead of a third shot at Group One glory on her return to Paris.
Ridden confidently by Aurelien Lemaitre, Sea Silk Road looked to improve for the step up to a mile and three-quarters, quickening up smartly to leave her toiling rivals trailing in her wake.
“She’s a lovely filly and deserved to win a Group One. She looked like she needed the extra distance last time and has proved as much today,” said the winning trainer’s wife and assistant Maureen Haggas.
“She was a very immature three-year-old, which is part of the reason we kept her (in training) and she has now really grown into herself.
“She’s won a Group One so she can go off to stud now. When you’ve won a Group One, you can add to it but you can’t improve on it.”
Poker Face put the seal on a memorable two days for the Simon and Ed Crisford with a Group Two triumph in the Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein.
The father-and-son partnership had already landed the Group Two Rockfel Stakes with Carla’s Way and the Group One Middle Park with Vandeek at Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting and Poker Face got himself in the big-race winner’s enclosure with a comfortable win in the hands of Maxime Guyon.
“It’s been an incredible two days and I’m delighted for everyone involved,” said the Crisfords’ racing manager Liam Elvidge.
“It’s been the plan to come here for the Daniel Wildenstein with Poker Face, expecting the ground to be a little bit softer, but he’s put in a helluva performance.
“That’s his third win on the bounce after winning a Listed race at Pontefract and a Group Three at Deauville. To come here and win on Arc weekend is an amazing achievement.
“We will get him home to Newmarket and see how he comes out of the race before deciding whether to give him another run this year or wait for next year.”
Dermot Weld’s Harbour Wind was narrowly denied in the Qatar Prix Chaudenay.
The Nathaniel gelding claimed his third win from four previous starts in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown in late August, teeing himself up for a tilt at this Group Two prize.
Ridden by Chris Hayes, Harbour Wind was closing on the Christophe Ferland-trained Double Major throughout the final furlong, but the winning post ultimately came too soon.
Weld’s runner holds an entry in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot in three weeks’ time, but appears unlikely to to take up that engagement.
Weld said: “He’s run a very good race, they went pretty steady early on and it turned into a little bit of a sprint – maybe the winner got first run.
“We’re very pleased with the run and he’ll make into a lovely horse next year.
“That (Ascot) will be a bit soon, I’d say that’s it for this year.”
Horizon Dore continued his march towards a tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes with victory in the Group Two Prix Dollar.
Patrice Cottier’s star three-year-old arrived on a Group-race hat-trick after landing the Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud and most recently the Prix du Prince d’Orange at this track four weeks ago.
Just for a moment it looked like Frankie Dettori may have stolen a march on his rivals aboard Paul and Oliver Cole’s Jack Darcy, but Mickael Barzalona was waiting in the wings all the while aboard favourite Horizon Dore and swooped late to secure a cosy success.
Pauline Chehboub, racing manager for her family’s Gousserie Racing operation, said: “He has a huge talent, we have seen that since the start of the season. We are very lucky to have him.
“He has that very good acceleration that champion horses have. Mickael said he broke well and he did what he wanted.
“We want to get back our title in the Qipco Champion Stakes (having won it with Sealiway in 2021), I can’t wait to be there. See you in Ascot!”
Envoi Allen could not make a winning start to his season, as Easy Game continued his dominance of the PWC Champion Chase with a third victory in the Grade Two feature at Gowran Park.
Willie Mullins’ nine-year-old took the same contest in 2020 and 2022, but was not the favourite as Henry de Bromhead’s reigning Ryanair Chase hero Envoi Allen was making an early return to action.
Easy Game (3-1) made the running under Paul Townend with Mouse Morris’ Gentlemansgame in his slipstream and Envoi Allen tracking in third.
As the two-and-a-half-mile contest unfolded there was no change in that order and Easy Game claimed a length-and-a-half victory from Gentlemansgame, with Envoi Allen some way back in third.
“He’s been an unbelievable horse for us. That’s my 10th win on him now,” said Townend.
“The ground was a bit of a worry but when I had a walk around on it I was pleasantly surprised with the way it had taken the rain.
“He just keeps on delivering. We had race fitness and were able to dictate it, but he showed in Listowel a couple of runs ago that he can come from behind too.
“I think the opposition kind of presumes he’s going to make the running now as well. He enjoys jumping and it’s working so we’ll keep doing it.”
Ano Manna was dramatically disqualified from the Tote.ie Handicap at Killarney after it was discovered that the horse was not Ano Manna at all, but another horse altogether.
Johnny Feane had entered Ano Manna for the what was the third race on the day at 3.05 and the horse carrying her owner’s silks and ridden by Leigh Roche duly won with ease as the 7-2 favourite.
However, an objection was lodged by the stewards under Rule 262, which relates to a horse’s identity coming into question.
An inquiry established the ‘winner’ was in fact Feane’s other runner at the meeting, Indigo Five, who had been incorrectly saddled. Ano Manna was therefore disqualified and declared a non-runner. Indigo Five was also declared a non-runner in the 5.20 race, as he had already run.
Senior stipendiary steward Liam Walsh said: “Ano Manna never ran so it is declared a non-runner and from a betting point of view, is declared a non-runner. The inquiry is not over yet and we have to get through the nuts and bolts of the issue.
“It takes time to verify the sequence of events but once the events are established, the raceday stewards have the power to demote, disqualify or declare a horse a non-runner for a breach of these rules.”
He added: “Mr Feane came in and it transpires they saddled the wrong horse, so their other runner Indigo Five is now a non-runner as it already ran.”
As he prepares for his final ride in the race, Frankie Dettori reflected on a kaleidoscope of memories from three decades of riding in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, labelling his 1995 triumph on Lammtarra as his greatest.
But the Italian would not let the ink dry on that revelation without recalling Golden Horn in 2015 as his best ride in the race widely regarded as the greatest in the world.
Dettori drew a blank on his three mounts on the eve-of-Arc-day card, but from the sanctuary of the weighing room looked back into the race’s archive and extracted the name of Lammtarra.
He recalled: “To win the Arc is every jockey’s dream, and so the best memory of my winners has to be the first and that was Lammtarra. He was inexperienced but very good, and we don’t know how good he might have been.
“But the ride that gave me a lot of personal satisfaction was on Golden Horn. I did something out of the box in that, I went out on my own and it worked to perfection. He was a very good horse, and especially on that day which is a special memory for sure.”
His mount in his Arc swansong is the John and Thady Gosden-trained mare Free Wind, carded to start as around a 20-1 outsider.
The rider is taking a realistic approach to her match up with older and younger males without totally eliminating the possibility of an earning display from the George Strawbridge-owned five-year-old.
He added: “I’ve won on her three times, but I’m realistic because she’s had her problems and is coming back. She’s a Group Two winner and she’s worked well and has a good draw. But it’s still a big ask.
“If she gets a place I will be delighted – if she won it would be totally amazing and I’m not sure how I would react.”
Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Astro King pounced late to land the bet365 Cambridgeshire under top-weight at Newmarket.
The six-yar-old gelding was a 20-1 chance under Richard Kingscote and travelled on the inside as the 34-strong field split into several groups down the Rowley Mile.
At one stage the race looked to be happening on the other side, but as Greek Order, the smooth-travelling 5-2 favourite, accelerated down the centre as a gap finally came for Harry and Roger Charlton’s hotpot, he took with him the Kubler challenger.
In the final strides the two locked horns and it was Astro King that just put his head down to seal a valuable triumph by half a length under the burden of 9st 12lb.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens praised James Roby and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook after the long-serving duo marked the final home game of their respective careers by fashioning a 16-8 play-off win over Warrington.
Roby in particular, making his record 550th appearance for the club, milked the applause of the home fans after a hard-fought win that sends Saints to Catalans in the semi-finals on Friday, and keeps alive his dream of wrapping up his career with a fifth straight Grand Final win.
Wellens said: “There was a big fanfare in the ground today and a huge amount of love for two blokes, and the biggest compliment I can pay them is that they are a little bit embarrassed by it all.
“It just shows how humble and down to earth they are. They deserve every superlative and tap on the back that they get.
“They are two incredible people who have been a massive influence on this team and this club.”
Saints were required to draw on all the duo’s experience after failing to make the most of a dominant first half in which Lewis Dodd’s try and four points from the boot of Mark Percival were all they had to show for their efforts.
A try from Connor Wrench within two minutes of the restart, following a yellow card for Alex Walmsley, set Wire on the way to improbably clawing level, but Saints regrouped and Tommy Makinson’s effort on the hour helped them home.
“It was frustrating that we didn’t nail a couple more of those first-half chances and that’s something we want to improve on because in the big games the opportunities are few and far between,” added Wellens.
“But after Warrington scored then Alex was sin-binned the momentum shifted and that’s when the resilience of the group really showed up.
“In tough moments in big games, that’s when they’re going to come up and you’ve got to overcome them, and that’s the most pleasing thing about today.”
Wellens’ counterpart Gary Chambers blamed small errors for his side’s defeat but believes incoming Warrington head coach Sam Burgess will have plenty of quality to work with next season.
Chambers, who took on the interim role after Daryl Powell’s departure early last month and managed to nudge his ailing side into the play-offs, cautioned against wholesale changes in the close-season.
“It doesn’t need ripping up – it just needs some tinkering with,” said Chambers, who will revert to his role as Wire’s director of rugby when Burgess arrives next month.
“There’s enough positive things for him to work with. It’s the small things now, and he’ll look at those and address those.”
Chambers bemoaned Saints’ marginal gains that enabled the hosts to withstand Wire’s comeback early in the second period.
“There was plenty of effort but you can’t do some of the things we did in these kinds of games and expect to get a result,” added Chambers.
“It was the finer details of the whole thing. To win these kinds of games you’ve just got to get a little bit more clinical.
“It was a game I expected us to go out and win and we did compete but we just came up a little bit short.”
Europe’s record-breaking pair of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg were brought back down to earth as the United States attempted to launch a fightback in the Ryder Cup.
Hovland and Aberg thrashed world number one Scottie Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka 9&7 in the second day’s foursomes as the home side moved to within five points of retaining the trophy in Rome.
But it was a different story in the afternoon fourballs as the Scandinavian pair lost 4&3 to Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa, the latter having missed a short putt on the 13th to secure an even more comprehensive win.
Max Homa and Brian Harman were also on course for their second win of the day as they led Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard by three holes with four to play, with the bottom two matches much closer.
Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre were one up on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth after 11 holes, while Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood were all square with Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark.
Koepka and Scheffler had been five over par for the first three holes in their record 9&7 defeat, the largest margin in any 18-hole match in the event’s history.
Scheffler was pictured fighting back tears and being comforted by his wife Meredith as the enormity of the loss sank in, the previous biggest margin being 7&6.
The PA news agency understands Scheffler lobbied to be given the chance to make amends in the afternoon fourballs but was left out by US captain Zach Johnson.
The only bright spot of the morning session for the visitors came when Homa and Harman secured a first win of the contest, the former chipping in for an eagle on the 16th to see off Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka 4&2.
However, moments later McIlroy and Fleetwood completed a hard-fought victory over Thomas and Spieth, the Northern Irishman holing the winning putt from 12 feet on the 17th to secure his third point.
“Last night we talked about enjoying what we did yesterday but coming out and showing no mercy today and the way Ludvig and Viktor started off set the tone,” McIlroy said.
“I’m delighted to get another point on the board for Europe.”
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton also had to work hard to secure their second victory together when they lost three holes in a row to Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to be pegged back to all square.
However, Hatton’s birdie putt on the 16th edged them in front again and Rahm then came agonisingly close to making a hole-in-one on the 17th.
Cantlay responded with an excellent tee shot of his own, but Schauffele’s birdie attempt from three feet caught the edge of the hole and span out.
That made the overall score 9.5 to 2.5 and meant Europe needed just five points from the remaining 16 for victory.
The energy was palpable as the National Powerlifting Association of Jamaica Limited (NPAJ) National Deadlift Championship 2023, sponsored by GraceKennedy Money Services, unfolded on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at the Fit Farm Fitness Center.
The championship showcased some of Jamaica's most formidable powerlifters, but one name shone brighter than the rest - Roxroy Campbell.
Campbell, the reigning NPAJ Male Deadlift Champion for 2022, once again proved his mettle, defending his title with sheer determination and raw power. His lifts were nothing short of remarkable, displaying strength that left the audience in awe.
His first lift was an astounding 286.36 kg (630 lbs.), setting the stage for an unforgettable competition. With the crowd's support ringing in his ears, he continued to rise to the challenge. His second lift was a colossal 295.45 kg (650 lbs.), solidifying his dominance. However, it was his third lift that had everyone holding their breath; though unsuccessful at 309.09 kg (680 lbs.), he earned 39.35 GL Points, showcasing his unrelenting spirit.
The Powerlifting Voice had the privilege of sitting down with Roxroy Campbell, who graciously shared insights into his journey and the championship.
“My training program changed for every powerlifting meet. When it's for a deadlift meet, my coach and I mainly focus on that area. For this deadlift meet, I honestly didn't get the preparation I wanted due to the gym league finals two weeks in advance of this meet," he said.
Campbell also offered insight into hos mental preparation for the challenge ahead.
"My mental state is where my strength really is. My technique is visualizing, or better yet, manifesting that this is mine, that I'm medaling or getting a PR. Also, I know people are cheering for me, and that too puts me in a mental space to stay focused and go hard," he said.
As far as challenges go, Campbell’s were mainly financial.
"We all do face challenges in every aspect of life. My main ones are financial challenges to eat healthily, buy supplements, better yet, gym gear like knee sleeves, etc. That's where my main challenges are. Otherwise, from that, nothing gets to me. I stay focused and ignore the bad energies," Campbell said.
He also outlined some memorable moments from the championships.
"Yeah, I would be lying if I said there wasn't. I mean, this is the deadlift where everybody goes hard. I kind of knew I was going to win my 93kg weight class, but overall was my biggest challenge. As I stated earlier, I wasn't fully prepared; I was a bit tired from the gym league. I really wanted to pull 700 lbs. because I knew I could. But my biggest opponent came from the 105kg class. I wasn't at my best, and I know Steffon also got 700 lbs. in him too. Not getting my third lift, which was 680, put a little fear in me, but we have to settle for what our body can produce on that day. Still grateful for my numbers," he said.
Finally, Campbell sent a message to aspiring powerlifters.
“My advice I would give to aspiring powerlifters is: don't fear anyone, don't hate on anybody, show respect to those that were there before you, even after you. It's okay not to get the results you really wanted on the day of the meets. Also, work hard; the gym is something that is all about hard work and discipline. But do listen to your body when it's telling you how it feels; don't ever ignore that. My future plans are to become the best powerlifter that ever walked this planet, and represent my country at higher levels. But this too really depends on my financial status. I do really want to take this to another level, but money does play a big part in everyday life," he said.
Vandeek demonstrated his class with a tremendously impressive victory in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Havana Grey colt came into the race unbeaten having landed a Nottingham maiden, the Richmond at Goodwood and the Prix Morny throughout the year.
He was the heavily-backed 5-4 favourite under James Doyle and left the stalls a touch slowly before being tucked in behind rivals in the early stages of the race.
When a gap appeared Doyle guided him through it and from there he accelerated readily to leave the whole field behind him and triumph by two and a quarter lengths from Task Force, with River Tiber a head further back in third.
Ireland will continue to monitor the fitness of absent prop Cian Healy following encouraging progress in his recovery from the injury which caused him to be left out of Andy Farrell’s Rugby World Cup squad.
Healy was certain to be included in Farrell’s 33-man selection for France before suffering a calf problem against Samoa on August 26 in his country’s final warm-up match.
The vastly-experienced Leinster loosehead, who will turn 36 next Saturday – the day Ireland complete their Pool B fixtures against Scotland in Paris, posted a positive update on social media, saying his rehabilitation was “ahead of schedule”.
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Ireland team manager Mick Kearney believes Healy “would be a great addition” for later in the tournament, although he could only be called up if another player departed injured.
“The medics and S and C (strength and conditioning) would be in regular contact with Cian and I’m sure other players back home to see how their fitness levels are,” said Kearney.
“It’s great to see Cian back training and training well.
“Possibly later in the tournament, if we get an injury, Cian would be a great addition, if he was fully fit.
“I would say it’s good to see him back training but it will require an injury to another player for Cian to be able to come in.”
Initial prognosis on Healy’s injury suggested he would be sidelined for between five and 10 weeks.
The lower end of that estimate was reached on Saturday, two days after an Instagram video showed the 125-cap front-row forward working hard in the gym and running on the training pitch.
Healy, whose place in the squad was taken by Munster’s Jeremy Loughman, captioned the footage with: “It wasn’t easy getting here, but happy the body still knows how to recover ahead of schedule.
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“Looking forward to getting back to it and will be forever grateful to those who got me to this point.”
Ireland are on the cusp of the quarter-finals following wins over Romania, Tonga and defending champions South Africa.
Head coach Farrell has so far been fortunate with injuries and had a full complement of players training on Saturday ahead of next weekend’s pivotal Stade de France showdown with the Scots.
Nevertheless, contingency plans are in place.
“There was a lot of conversations with the provinces during pre-season as to how we would keep the players fit that are not in the World Cup squad,” said Kearney.
“And you saw that there’s a mini interprovincial series going on at the moment. Leinster played Ulster the other night and Munster played Leinster as well.
“Whether it be Jamie Osborne or Gavin Coombes, Kieran Treadwell, there’s guys that are getting regular game time which is brilliant because initially I think the provinces might have said ‘we may not start playing pre-season games until a little bit later’.
“So it’s really good from our point of view that these guys are getting game time and will actually be match fit if they’re called in, which is always a possibility.”
James Roby’s glittering St Helens career will extend by at least another week after the four-time defending champions shrugged off a second-half fightback by Warrington to seal a 16-8 win that keeps their hopes of a fifth straight Grand Final triumph alive.
The 37-year-old Roby bade farewell to his home-town fans in his record 550th appearance for the club as Saints made hard work of their elimination play-off before Tommy Makinson’s zippy 58th-minute try ultimately shoved them home.
It means Saints will head to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons in their play-off semi-final next Friday night and Roby, who was withdrawn to a standing ovation with 15 minutes remaining, can still dream of one more night of Old Trafford glory.
Saints had chiselled out an 8-0 half-time advantage on the back of Lewis Dodd’s opening try but despite hardly handing Warrington a look-in, they threatened to spectacularly blow their lines early in the second half as Connor Wrench levelled then Alex Walmsley was sent to the sin-bin.
Drawing on all their experience, Paul Wellens’ men weathered the storm and Makinson’s try, followed by a Mark Percival penalty with seven minutes remaining that stretched Saints’ lead beyond six, effectively confirmed their progression.
For Warrington, who had blazed to the top of the fledgling Super League table under former boss Daryl Powell, it was a disappointing end to a season that had combusted so spectacularly even clinging on to the final play-off slot had seemed a notable achievement.
Wire scarcely got a look-in in the opening period, and will have been relieved that only Dodd’s converted try, superbly served up by a Curtis Sironen pass, and Percival’s penalty were all the hosts had to show for their efforts.
It hardly seemed likely that Saints’ missed opportunities – a Makinson kick palmed into touch by Williams, Percival’s fumbled pass from James Bell, and a 70-metre surge sparked by sparked by Jack Welsby that came to nothing – would come back to haunt them.
But Warrington were back in the game within two minutes of the second half when Wrench wriggled past William Hopoate in a previously resolute Saints defence and survived a stumble to make it to the try line, Stefan Ratchford squeezing a difficult conversion.
Saints were reduced to 12 when Walmsley went high on Jordan Crowther, and the hosts briefly threatened to unravel after two more penalties for illegal tackles culminated in Ratchford improbably booting Wire level after 54 minutes.
But Saints dug deep to regain the ascendency, re-taking the lead just before the hour-mark when Welsby’s swivelling off-load helped Makinson dart over before Percival’s second conversion took them six clear.
Wire’s fading hopes were not helped when Joe Bullock was yellow-carded for swinging an arm at Matty Lees, and Percival’s late penalty put the seal on a harder-than-necessary win for the defending champions.
Porta Fortuna came out on top for Donnacha O’Brien in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
A 9-2 chance under Oisin Murphy, the Caravaggio filly gravitated towards the centre of the track and travelled in the outer of the two groups throughout the six-furlong Group One.
The field spread across the course in the closing stages and from the middle Porta Fortuna – winner of the Albany at Royal Ascot – was able to accelerate past her rivals to emerge victorious by a length and a half.
Mike Forshaw has described effort and hard work as Wales’ “bread and butter” as they build towards the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Wales were the first team to secure last-eight status, which they achieved following a record 40-6 victory over Pool C rivals Australia.
Japan or Argentina now await them in the knockout phase, although their one remaining group game against Georgia in Nantes next Saturday will see them guaranteed to progress as group winners if they triumph.
While Wales have scored 11 tries in the tournament so far, their defence – Forshaw’s specialist area – has been a dominant factor.
They have made 506 tackles in three matches, while four players – Jac Morgan, Gareth Thomas, Will Rowlands and Taulupe Faletau – are all among the competition’s top 20, individually.
“We’ve had a lot of tackling practice haven’t we?” Wales assistant coach Forshaw said.
“You have got to give the boys a bit of credit. I think at the weekend (against Australia), the first 20 minutes was up to around 75 tackles, compared with Australia’s 20-odd.
“Sometimes we are going to have to defend, we are going to be under the pump.
“I understand that in this competition because there are good teams, but I would like to see us playing a bit more, having a bit more even-stevens of a game where we get a bit more time to express ourselves with the ball.
“But when we have not got the ball, it is about that switch of transition and how good we can be. I always say the defence is the start of our attack.
“The biggest thing I like coaching is effort. We have to work hard and that is the bread and butter for us at the moment. These lads have been brilliant.
“If you are under 10 penalties (conceded) in this game and you are under 10 turnovers (conceded), you more or less win the game.
“We were accurate, but I don’t want to get too carried away. We have got to repeat that.”
Wales’ players have returned to the training pitch following four days off and all attention is now on Georgia, a team that toppled them in Cardiff last November.
Whether head coach Warren Gatland makes changes remains to be seen, but it cannot be ruled out as Wales prepare for the World Cup’s business-end.
Forshaw added: “The last couple of days, I’ve watched their (Georgia’s) games and I think they can be dangerous.
“I think they throw the ball around well. They’ve got a very dangerous full-back. They have some heavy forwards around set-pieces. They get into your five-metre channel.
“It is how we manage that game. We won’t be taking them lightly, that is for sure.
“We’ve got a selection meeting on Sunday evening. I’ve got a couple of ideas, I’m sure that Warren has got a couple of ideas and some of the other staff.
“If I’m totally honest with you, I’m not sure on that question on what we will do with the team, but one thing is for sure, we will be a strong team.”
Rogue Millennium will bid to give connections another day to remember when she lines up for the Prix de l’Opera Longines at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
The Dubawi filly made dreams come true when landing the Duke of Cambridge Stakes for trainer Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery at Royal Ascot in June and ran a brilliant race to finish second to Tahiyra in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown when last seen.
She now heads to France for the third time this season after a course and distance effort in Prix Allez France in April, where she finished third behind India and Mqse De Sevigne.
The former has won since in a German Group One and the latter has landed two French contests at the same grade, form that bodes incredibly well for Rogue Millennium’s return to both the track and the trip.
Clover said: “Rogue Millennium is in stall eight and she seems in really good form.
“Fingers crossed she can go well, that was a lovely run behind Tahiyra in the Matron and I’m looking forward to seeing her back up to 10 furlongs.”
Of her prior trip to Longchamp he added: “It’s strong form I’d say, Mqse De Sevigne has won two Group Ones and India won again about a week ago.
“This is a step up from that but I am excited to see her go further and run over 10 furlongs again.”
A key rival is Christopher Head’s Blue Rose Cen, winner of a string of Group races earlier in the term as she took both the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks.
Beaten in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, she was also out of luck when tried at a mile and a half in the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp.
She now reverts to a mile and a quarter for what is likely to be the final race of her campaign.
“She’s running in the Opera and I think that’s pretty much going to be the end of the season for her,” Head said.
“She’s going back to the 2,000 (metres), she’s a very interesting filly.
“She has had a tremendous season and we can’t wait to see her on the Arc de Triomphe weekend.”
Aidan O’Brien will be represented in the race by Jackie Oh, a Galileo filly last seen finishing second to Lumiere Rock in the Blandford Stakes at the Curragh.
The trainer said: “She was second at the Curragh last time, if any ease in the ground comes that will suit her.
“We thought that she was a little bit unlucky, she got back a little bit, but we’re looking forward to this race.
“She has form on better ground, but her performance would probably be a little bit better with ease in it.”
Lumiere Rock is in action again for Joseph O’Brien, whereas Al Husn is another fancied runner for Roger Varian after her Nassau victory ahead of Blue Rose Cen.
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