Sportshour

Indian tennis great Leander Paes joins us to reflect on his glittering career ahead of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Paes tells us he gave up on his dreams of making it as a footballer with FC Barcelona, when a coach told him he would need to relinquish his Indian passport in favour of a European one, in order to progress in the sport. He also reflects on his early struggles in tennis and how he met Muhammad Ali at the 1996 Olympics after he won a bronze medal at the Games.Zion Clark is an MMA fighter, wrestler and Olympic hopeful. The American was also born with a rare condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome, which left him without legs and after being given up for adoption, he spent his childhood in the care system. He joins us along with his mentor Craig Levinson to discuss his remarkable story.And – former England netballer Sonia Mkoloma tells us how excited she is about being a referee on the television sports entertainment show Gladiators. It's been a hit everywhere from

Erin Holcomb from the Portland Rescue Mission tells Caroline Barker how a pair of anonymously donated retro Nike Air Jordan 3s led to a $50,000 windfall for the charity.The gold and red sneakers were one of only five pairs made for film director Spike Lee, who wore a pair when collecting his Oscar for the movie BlacKkKlansman. The shoes sold at auction for more than double the original estimate of around $20,000.Preet Chandi joins us from the South Pole after she became the world’s fastest woman to complete a solo unsupported ski expedition to the South Pole. The British Army officer tells us she passed the time by visualising her upcoming wedding and explains how you go to the toilet in freezing temperatures in the wilderness.And – we hear from the BBC’s tennis correspondent Russell Fuller and Canadian professional tennis player Vasek Pospisil about how heavy tennis balls are contributing to player injury.Image: A photo of the gold Nike Air Jordan 3s which were donated to Portland Rescue Mission. (Photo by A

We look back on some of the most inspiring and moving stories we've brought you this past year.Hear baseball commentator Jerry Schemmel’s story of survival, loss and heroism after he was on board a deadly plane crash. Plus, Carter Crosland the American football coach born without arms or legs.Image: Members of the New England Patriots celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

We hear from some of the athletes that have made 2023 such an exciting and successful year for women’s sport. We’ll hear from the stars of the football and netball world cups and with the Olympics on the horizon we hear from those women posed to make their mark in the next 12 months.Image: Karla Pretorius (Vice Captain) of South Africa and Phillipa Yarranton of Wales during the Netball World Cup 2023, Pool C match between South Africa and Wales at Cape Town International Convention Centre Court 1 on July 28, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023 via Getty Images)

Boston defender Sophie Jaques and the founder of Black Girl Hockey Club, Renee Hess, tell us how they fell in love with ice hockey and how they’re working to make the sport more inclusive.Hess founded the organisation after discovering the sport as a fan but noticing there weren't many people who looked like her in the crowd. Jaques is now a board member of Black Girl Hockey Club and says she takes her position as a role model seriously. Jenni Forbes explains the Australian sport of Swish, which is also known as vision impaired table tennis. It is sometimes likened to a mixture of traditional table tennis and air hockey, and can be enjoyed by people with varying visual impairments.And, Women’s World Snooker Tour player Varshaa Sanjeev Kumar tells us about her passion for film making. She discusses making a film inspired by the story of her mother and how she would like to get into working behind the camera on sports broadcasts. (Photo: Sophie Jaques of the Ohio State Buckeyes poses for a portrait after winnin

Former Eagles player Connor Barwin discusses producing ‘A Philly Special Christmas Special’ – the latest charity record released by players from the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and special guests. Barwin tells us the late Shane McGowan endorsed the Kelce brothers reworking of Fairytale of New York and that he’ll do all he can to get Taylor Swift to feature on their next album.Dorna Longbut tells us about making a new career in Para Sport after her dreams of playing rugby league for Papa New Guinea were ended by a serious injury. At the time her mother was also being treated for cancer and following her death Longbut initially turned her back on playing sports.And – Finland's ambassador to the UK - Jukka Siukosaari - discusses the campaign to preserve a little-known venue for the 1948 London Olympics – the Finnish Sauna Baths.Photo: Jason Kelce #62 of the Philadelphia Eagles talks to brother Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after their game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 20, 2023 in Kansas City, Miss

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman discusses how he’s raising awareness of homelessness through his annual Sleep Out in aid of Covenant House, an organisation that helps young homeless people. Cashman says the issue is getting worse and he chats about some of the charity’s success stories.Lopez Sanusi tells us about his dreams of making it in the NFL and winning multiple Super Bowls after committing to Division 1 college Boise State just two years after taking up American Football. Sanusi was born in Ireland and grew up in Nigeria and the US. He says living in Nigeria turned his life around.Mark Waldon explains how a near-death experience with Covid-19 led to him becoming a champion arm wrestler. The 54-year-old grandfather talks us through his training regime and how he’s left walking like a Tyrannosaurus Rex following competitions.Image: New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman preparing for the annual Sleep Out. (Photo by Aaron Almendral)

Erin Matson reflects on leading the North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey team to the NCAA national championship in her first year as head coach. The 23-year-old had previously won four titles as a player and tells us about their celebrations, being compared to Michael Jordan and proving the doubters wrong. Sierra Leonean sprinter Hafsatu Kamara discusses representation and being a role model. She was one of only four athletes to represent her country at the Tokyo Olympics and recalls a father in Sierra Leone reaching out to her at the Rio Olympics to tell her how much she had inspired his daughter. Alex Witty explains how experimenting at University led to him making training shoes from discarded Formula 1 tyres. The trainers he’s created have soles made from combined race tyre rubber and recycled natural rubber.Image: Head Coach Erin Matson of the North Carolina Tar Heels is lifted up by her team after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats for the national title during the Division I Women's Field Hockey Cha

Sweden rugby union captain Amanda Swartz tells us about growing up as a competitive figure skater and why she decided to switch sports. The Leicester Tigers player is keen to change perceptions of female rugby players and combines playing for the club, with working in their ticket office.Will Greenwood and his wife Caro discuss the pain of losing a child and the work they do to support research into premature births. Their first child Freddie passed away after being born prematurely and Caro then experienced problems during her pregnancy with Archie. At the time, Will left England’s squad at the World Cup in Australia to be at his wife’s side before she told him to return to the group. He was then part of a World Cup winning team and their second child was born later.Grace Jale tells us about reconnecting with her Fijian roots. The Perth Glory forward made history at the Women’s World Cup by becoming the first player of Fijian descent to be called up by New Zealand. She says it was a huge moment for her exten

Taehoon “Andy” Ki, tells us how he fell in love with Scunthorpe United after discovering them when playing Fifa Online 3 and about his recent trip to watch the English non-league side play. Ki made the 14 hour journey to Glanford Park in October amidst fears it could be the club’s final ever home game. He also discusses his extensive football shirt collection, reveals who his footballing hero is and tells us how he keeps up to date with the club from over five thousand miles away.Australia’s Jessie Smith chats to us about the impact Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) has had on her life and the adjustments she has made to continue competing in dressage. CRPS is known as one of the most painful conditions in the world where a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain.And – Great Britain’s Julia Davis tells us about competing in an ultra-marathon with a difference. She recently finished third in the 100 kilometre Kullamannen race in Sweden, which is named after a mythical immortal knight wh

Jamie MoCrazy tells us how she’s rebuilt her life and become an advocate for survivors of brain injury after almost being killed in a skiing accident. MoCrazy was seriously injured when attempting a trick at freestyle skiing’s World Tour Finals in Canada in 2015. She has since returned to the mountain to get married and is back skiing.Professional mixed martial artist and former footballer Aaron Aby discusses being an athlete with cystic fibrosis, exceeding medical expectations and overcoming stage 3 testicular cancer. Aby’s parents were told he was unlikely to live beyond his teenage years but that didn’t stop him becoming a promising footballer, who played in Wales youth teams with Aaron Ramsey, before switching to Mixed Martial Arts. Caroline Marks tells us how her family helped her reach the top of surfing, why she’s inspired by Simone Biles and how she has unfinished business at the Paris Olympics. The American prodigy became a World Champion for the first time earlier this year.Image: Jamie MoCrazy ba

Chuck Goldstein tells us how a 5G connected football helmet is helping him communicate with his deaf quarterback in a way which was unthinkable before. Goldstein is head coach of a team of deaf and hard of hearing players at Gallaudet University and he believes the technology could reduce potential injuries and allow deaf players to potentially make a career in the sport.Ciara McCormack explains her plans to put players at the centre of everything she does following her takeover of Treaty United in Limerick. The former Republic of Ireland defender says the country saved her following the abuse she encountered in Canadian football.And Neil Jones tells us how winning the National Lottery set him on a path towards captaining England’s pool team. One of the first things Jones bought with his winnings was a pool table.Image: Image: Gallaudet University quarterback Brandon Washington wears a special augmented reality visor, allowing to visualise football plays. (Credit: AT&T/Gallaudet University)

Tom Willis was born without arms and recently completed a 15-year journey to throw out a ceremonial pitch at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums across the USA. He discusses how he pitches a baseball, the inspiration for his Pitch for National Awareness tour and how changing perceptions of people with disabilities is important to him. Tom’s philosophy is "I want people to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can't”.Andrew Edwards explains how falling in love with cricket as a child has helped him with his autism. Edwards tells us all his worries slip away when he’s watching a test match, how loud music at T20 games affects him and how the very clear rules in cricket can make the sport appealing to people who are neurodiverse.And – Sydney Giants star Nicola Barr tells us how she got interested in environmentalism and her fears for the future of elite and grassroots sport. Barr recalls her friends shoe melting on the tarmac because of the high temperatures in Sydney.Image: Tom Willis continues first-pit

India versus Pakistan is one of the biggest fixtures in world sport, but what is it that makes this rivalry so significant? Sportshour’s Shabnam Younus-Jewell hears from both sides during a discussion exploring the sporting, political, religious and cultural impact on cricket’s fiercest fixture. Joining Shabnam for is "Cricket with an Accent" podcast host and Indian Saqib Ali with regular contributor to the cricket podcast scene Zainub Razvi and Assad Hasnain of the "Pace is Pace Yaar" podcast who are both supporting Pakistan. All three guests have moved to North America, but distance hasn't dulled their cricketing intensity over the differences and similarities of the two nations.Plus... The incredible challenge that adventurer and Antarctic explorer Sam Cox will attempt next month - a record breaking, solo crossing of Antarctica, completely unsupported. The former soldier tells us about the training and challenges that lie ahead of him - and how long he might take to conquer the frozen desert, all alone...P

India versus Pakistan is one of the biggest fixtures in world sport, but what is it that makes this rivalry so significant?Sportshour’s Shabnam Younus-Jewell hears from both sides during a discussion exploring the sporting, political, religious and cultural impact on cricket’s fiercest fixture.Joining Shabnam for is "Cricket with an Accent" podcast host and Indian Saqib Ali with regular contributor to the cricket podcast scene Zainub Razvi and Assad Hasnain of the "Pace is Pace Yaar" podcast who are both supporting Pakistan. All three guests have moved to North America, but distance hasn't dulled their cricketing intensity over the differences and similarities of the two nations.Image: Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed (C) plays a shot as India's KL Rahul (L) looks on during the Asia Cup 2023 super four one-day international (ODI) cricket match between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 11, 2023. (Photo by ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rudie van Vuuren holds a unique double. He is the only man to play in a Rugby World Cup and a Cricket World Cup when he represented Namibia in both competitions in 2003. As the two competition play out in 2023 He's been recalling the good and the bad of the tournaments he played in exactly 20 years ago Photo: (L) Rudie van Vuuren taking part in the 2003 Cricket World Cup for Namibia (R) Rudie van Vuuren taking part in the 2003 Rugby World Cup for Namibia (CREDIT: Getty)

Canadian goalkeeper Rylee Foster discusses signing for Wellington Phoenix two years after a near-fatal car accident left her with seven fractured bones in her neck. Doctors feared she would never play football again and for a time she had to wear a “halo” device. Foster believes she’s a braver person for all she has been through and tells us about her recovery and the significance of her 10:16 tattoo.Brazilian weightlifter Monique Araujo tells us how competing for a refugee team at the recent IWF World Championships has helped save her life. She fled her home country after being targeted due to her sexual orientation.Plus, Jo Butterfield describes how she’s continuing to train for the 2026 Winter Paralympics, while undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The wheelchair curler – who won Gold in the Club throw at the 2016 Summer Games - is aiming to become the first athlete from Great Britain to win Gold in a Summer and Winter Paralympics.Photo: Rylee Foster celebrates after the Barclays FA Women's Championshi

Zimbabwean UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo tells Sportshour’s Caroline Barker how his story of struggle led Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to buy him a house.As a 16-year-old, Gorimbo became a self-confessed diamond thief in the dangerous fields of Marange following the death of both of his parents. He then moved to South Africa and took up mixed martial arts before landing a contract with the UFC. Facing a must win fight, Gorimbo woke up with flu and after buying medicine was left with just seven dollars in the bank. He won the fight and a screenshot he posted of his bank account led to a meeting with “The Rock”.Estonian open water swimmer Merle Liivand chats to us about breaking world records, collecting garbage from the ocean as she swims and being thought of as a real-life mermaid. And - we hear why it has been a significant week for the Marshall Islands on the road to having a national football team, from their technical director, Lloyd Owers.Image: Themba Gorimbo steps on the scale for the official weigh-in at

England played Scotland this week to celebrate the 150th anniversary of football's oldest international fixture. As is tradition when England play away, sections of Hampden Park in Glasgow were adorned with the flag of St George. For the diehard fans they're a display of patriotism, but for artist Corbin Shaw they're the basis of his work. Instead of displaying the names of English football teams, Corbin's flags have phrases like "Soften up, hard lad" as he aims to challenge the sports aggressively macho culture. He's been telling us about how his families life-long love of Sheffield United has inspired his work Peter Gould, a businessman from England went on holiday to Jamaica and fell in love with the island and it's people. So Peter moved there and invested his time and money into creating the Mount Pleasant football academy. The senior first team won the Jamaican top flight title and recently sold Trivante Stewart to Salernitana this becoming the first Jamaican to play in Serie A.What if exercise could l

The Rugby World Cup is underway. From when William Webb Ellis first picked up and ran with a football in 1823 and the sport of Rugby was born, to now, and the playing for the trophy in his name. Alix Popham proudly represented Wales at two World Cups, including the last time it was held in France. Undoubtedly the pinnacle of any sporting career with memories to last a life time. Sadly not for Alix... Because now, aged just 43, he lives with early-on-set dementiaWhen Arcangelo crossed the line first in the Belmont Stakes earlier this year, it was a hugely significant moment in horse racing. The first time a triple crown race - one of the most prestigious in the sport - had been won by a female trainer. Jena Antonucci is her name and as Arcangelo approached the finish line her excitement could be heard by all those around her.What did you do last weekend? Watched some TV? Go out shopping? Maybe a stroll in the country?! Well that's just not enough for some people... Particularly ultra endurance marathon runne