The week in sport
NFL's heaviest player, smelly tennis players, the Boston Marathon, massive World Cup proposal
Desmond Watson is pro football’s next very big thing: a 6ft 6in, 464lb (33st, 2lb) defensive tackle who is poised to become the heaviest player ever selected at the NFL draft, which takes place later this month. A native of Plant City, Florida, the state’s strawberry capital, Watson was the Gators’ big man on campus, a larger-than-life folk hero. When Watson arrived at college, he already weighed 440lb – or about as much as a upright piano. Watson’s legend grew once he cracked the team’s starting lineup the following year.
At Florida’s pro day, Watson showed NFL scouts the full range of that versatility and the extent to which it bends the rules of physics. Besides out-benchpressing every other draft prospect, Watson logged a 25in vertical and a 5.93-second time in the 40-yard dash – poor scores for most NFL hopefuls but impressive for someone of his size.
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Meet the fighting stars of wrestling through history. Who’s your favourite?
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It was this weekend in 1897: The first running of the Boston Marathon, the longest continuously running marathon in the world - it is even run through the two world wars to ensure its annual continuity.
The first Boston Marathon was 24.5 miles (39.4km), and was won by local John 'JJ' McDermott in a time of 2.55.10. Fifteen competitors entered this inaugural race. The course was extended to the standard marathon distance in 1924.
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Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men's World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
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Smelly.
Harriet Dart has apologised after requesting her opponent at the Rouen Open put on deodorant because she “smells really bad”.
The British No 4 was beaten 6-0, 6-3 by the French player Lois Boisson in the first round.
During a change of ends Dart asked the umpire: “Can you tell her to wear deodorant because she smells really bad?” Her comments were picked up by a courtside microphone and attracted criticism on social media.
“Hey everyone, I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret,” Dart posted on Instagram. “That’s not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility. I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today. I’ll learn from this and move forward.”
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Have you seen our new Springsteen magazine - celebrating 50 years of Born To Run and his imminent return to the UK. It’s full of great stuff and a must for any fan.
