Jenny Jones - A Star in Sochi

So the Winter Olympics have returned. Normally they come, then they go and we’re just grateful to take home any sort of medal. Last time out in Vancouver we had to wait eight days for Amy Williams to surge home with a gold medal in the skeleton. Our only medal as it turned out. This time though, something is different.

This time we’ve travelled to a Winter Olympics with a number of genuine title contenders. Ranging from curling to speed skating to the skeleton, we have a number of competitors at the top of their sport. Yet, prior to the games, few could have predicted that Jenny Jones would win a bronze medal in the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle.

After watching her male compatriots Jamie Nicholls and Billy Morgan both make it to the final of the men’s competition, finishing 6^th and 10^th in the process, it was time for Jones to make her own mark. She took the lead after a second run of 87.25 but then had to wait anxiously as ten athletes aimed to topple her.

She slipped down to second, Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi scoring 92.50. Then she was beaten again, American Jamie Anderson scoring 95.25 to push her into bronze. With two competitors still to race it was out of her hands. The first competitor came and crashed out. One left. It was nail-biting stuff and probably wise that Jenny kept her gloves on. Anna Gasser, the last competitor, then also crashed out. It was a long and tense wait, but Jones had done it! She had won Britain’s first medal in Sochi and the first British medal ever won on snow at the Winter Olympics.

But who is Jenny Jones? Well Jenny was born and raised in Bristol, and didn’t get into snow sports until she was 17 when she undertook lessons at the dry ski slope in Churchill, Somerset. Her passion for snowboarding stemmed from a job working as a chalet maid in France the following year. Throughout her childhood she had actively engaged in both Athletics and Gymnastics so was naturally fit. This natural fitness combined with her raw talent meant that at just 19 she stormed to victory in her first British Snowboard Championship.

After this victory Jones’ knew she wanted to form a permanent career in snowboarding but struggled with funding due to the lack of support for winter sports in Britain. To fund her career Jones has held many part-time jobs including as a fencing instructor and cardboard inspector.  Yet hours of arduously examining cardboard paid dividends as Jones ended 2006 second in the World Snowboard Tour Rankings.

From here she was determined to cement her legacy, regularly competing in the Winter X Games, one of the most prestigious annual events in winter sport. She claimed the gold medal in both 2009 and 2010 and was unlucky not to complete the hat-trick in 2011 where she narrowly lost out to Enni Rukajarvi. A victory close to her heart occurred at the European Winter X Games in 2010 where she claimed a gold medal in Tignes, the town she had worked in as a chalet maid when she was younger.

And now here we are. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and a bronze medal wrapped gleefully around her neck. A feat made more impressive by the discovery that she considered retiring from the sport a few years ago before it was announced that Slopestyle would make its Olympic debut in Sochi and also that just three months ago she suffered heavy concussion after a huge fall in training.

She may not have won a Gold medal, but she is currently our Golden Girl. So rare is it that we can celebrate and enjoy Winter Olympic success and yet Jenny has delivered it after just two days. It is probably the first and last time we will see her at an Olympic games but she has left a lasting legacy. She will go down in the history books and perhaps more importantly, as Jenny herself said, she’ll be the answer to a few pub quiz questions from now on.

Evans Defeated in Zagreb

Dan Evans fell at the final hurdle on his quest for a maiden ATP Tour final as he lost in three sets to World number 12, Tommy Haas.

Having already upset Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jan Hajek on route, the British number two was aiming to add Haas to his list of scalps.

After claiming the first set 7-5, it looked like Evans had a real chance of advancing to the final in Zagreb. However experience ultimately conquered, the veteran German winning the next two sets 6-4 6-3 to progress.

Nevertheless, Evans will be extremely pleased with his performance in Croatia, which will see him rise around 20 places in the rankings to 124 after becoming the first British man in three years, aside from Andy Murray, to advance to the semi-finals of an ATP Tour tournament.

His upwards movement in the rankings comes just a week after James Ward also increased 19 places to 156th.

In the final Haas will meet Marin CIlic after the Croatian overcame qualifier Bjorn Phau 6-3 6-4 to reach his fourth final in Zagreb.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Evans Advances to Semi-Final

British number two Dan Evans battled through a three set match with German Philipp Kohlschreiber to cement his place in his maiden ATP Tour semi-final.

After being dropped from last week's Davis Cup, Evans was eager to prove himself and has taken full advantage of his lucky loser spot at this weeks Zagreb Indoors.

After losing in the final round of qualifying to Bjorn Phau, Evans was reinstated into the tournament after Radek Stepanek withdrew from injury.

Evans made the most of his lucky break, defeating Jan Hajek in his first round match before overcoming Michael Berrer in a third set tie-break in the next.

His quarter-final upset of Philipp Kohlschreiber is one of the finest results in his career so far and sets him up on a semi-final date with the 35-year-old veteran, Tommy Haas.

Evans successfully overcame Kohlschreiber in three sets, winning 6-4 2-6 6-4 and the victory will see him rise as high as 124th in the rankings.

In the other semi-final Marin Cilic will take on qualifier Bjorn Phau as both completed easy two set victories to progress.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Sports Ladder (28th January - 3 February)

UP - Team GB - For the first time since 1986 Great Britain have made it through to the quarter final of the Davis Cup after an outstanding display on the clay courts of San Diego. Despite a loss in the doubles the British contingent won all three singles matches to claim an unassailable 3-1 lead. The highlight was inevitably a superb five set victory for James Ward over Sam Querrey.

UP - Seattle Seahawks - Not only did the Seahawks win this years Superbowl but they crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8 on a cold night in New Jersey. The pre-match discussion revolved largely around the Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning who once again choked in a playoffs match. He has now lost 12 of 23 post-season games. Inconsistant.

UP - Atletico Madrid - Has La Liga turned from a two-horse race to a three-horse race? It certainly seems so! Atletico Madrid are currently leading La Liga for the first time since 1996 and with both Barcelona and Real Madrid slipping up at the weekend Atletico now hold a three point lead at the top. The in form Diego Costa has arguably been the best player in Spain this year.

UP - Women's Tour de France - Good news for female cycling as they finally have an event in the Tour de France. On the final day the women will compete in a one day race to Champs Elysees. Described as a "game changer" for womens cycling who have not had a Tour de France even since 2008. Perhaps we could have a double British winner?

UP - Zac Purchase - Worth mentioning the retirement of double Olympic medalist Zac Purchase. Purchase, 27, won a silver medal during his home Olympics in 2012 as well as a gold medal four years earlier in Beijing. A fantastic rower and an outstanding Olympian I wish him well in the rest of his career.

DOWN - Kolo Toure - Oops. Not the finest game of Kolo Toure's career. A horrific moment as he single-handidly gifted West Brom a point by passing the ball straight to Victor Anichebe. A moment of madness which Liverpool cannot afford if they wish to get back into Europe. Toure has hardly set the world on fire since his move from Manchester City and will need to do a lot more to prove himself to the fans now.

DOWN - Andy Flower - Despite spending months claiming he would not step down Andy Flower has gone more or less full u-turn and resigned this week. Probably for the best after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash. The resignation came after new managing director Paul Dowton decided he wanted one coach to cover all formats instead of different coaches as it is at the moment. Looks like this flower hasn't blossomed.

DOWN - Kim Kallstrom - On Deadline Day in the summer Arsene Wenger signed Mesut Ozil to the delight of Arsenal fans. This January Deadline Day he signed Kim Kallstrom on loan to slightly less delight. This small quantity of delight completely disappeared the next day when it emerged he will be out for around a month after arriving at the club injured, even though he managed to complete his medical. Awkward.

DOWN - Barcelona and Real Madrid - It is extremely rare to find a weekend where Barcelona lose a League match. It is even more rare to find out where Real Madrid also fail to win. Yet that is exactly what happened this weekend as they collected just one point between them, leaving Atletico Madrid as the solo front runners. Could there be a new winner for the first time in ten years?

DOWN - Sebastian Vettel/Red Bull - You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would suggest Sebastian Vettel has not been the best driver in Formula One over the last few years. However, this weeks pre-season testing would suggest that perhaps his reign is coming to an end. Issues with the reliability of the car have left him and the team leaps and bounds behind their rivals before the season starts in March.

GB Advance To Davis Cup Quarters

Andy Murray's four set victory over Sam Querrey ensured Great Britain reached the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup for the first time since 1986.

GB needed only four rubbers to finish the tie, winning the three singles matches to hold an unassailable 3-1 lead.

By defeating America, Leon Smith's men have now ensured they will take part in the World Group First Round again next year and avoid the possibility of a play-off.

The tie started strongly as Britain won both of the opening singles rubbers. Andy Murray put Britain into the lead with a convincing win over debutant Donald Young. Young was drafted in to replace the injured John Isner but proved no competition for Murray. The Scot wrapped the match up quickly, winning 6-1 6-2 6-3.

The second rubber proved to be pivotal, as the 175th ranked James Ward upset America's Sam Querrey in a five set thriller. Ward battled back from two sets to one down and a break down to eventually win the final set 6-1.

The American team gave themselves a chance with victory in the doubles on Saturday. The Bryan brothers overcame Colin Fleming and debutant Dominic Inglot in a four setter. The American pair grabbed the opening two sets before Fleming and Inglot pulled one back. However, the British pair could not repeat the comeback of Ward, losing the final set 6-1.

This left Andy Murray the task of overcoming Sam Querrey, one he accomplished with relative ease. The first two sets were shared as each player won a tie-break but Murray stepped  up a gear in the third winning it comfortably 6-1. He then needed just one break of serve to claim the fourth set and book Great Britain's place in the quarter-finals.

The victory means that the British team will now face Italy in the quarter-finals after they overcame a dogged Argentinian side to claim a 3-1 victory.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Sports Ladder (20th - 27th January)

UP - Stan Wawrinka and Li Na - It's a funny old game tennis. Going into the tournament as the 8th and 4th seeds respectively and yet few would have bet on either of these two winning, such is the dominance of players like Djokovic, Nadal, Williams and Azarenka. So it was certainly refreshing to see two 'surprise' victors at this years Australian Open, especially Wawrinka who beat Djokovic and Nadal on route to becoming the first man outside the 'Big Four' to win a Slam since DelPo in 2009.


UP - IBF - Groves vs Froch. It's the rematch that everyone wants to see and thankfully the IBF have stepped in to say that a rematch must occur within 90 days due to "inappropriate stoppage" by referee Howard Foster. Foster controversially ended the match with Groves in the ninth round after Groves was well ahead on points.  Froch needs it to defend his title and Groves will want revenge after the last bout. Fiery.


UP - David Moyes - Is last week the turning point for Moyes' season? Okay so they may have lost the worst penalty shoot-out in the history of football. But finally Moyes has signed a player which fans can be happy about. Somehow Moyes has managed to secure the signing of Juan Mata. Admittedly not a position they really needed more players after Rooney and Kagawa but an excellent signing nonetheless.


UP - France Handball - Hipster choice of the week. On Sunday France celebrated winning the European Handball Championship with a crushing 41-32 over Denmark to cement their reputation as the greatest handball team in history. It may not be a heavily followed sport over in the UK but there can be little doubt that it is a fast-paced and exciting one that certainly deserves more coverage.


UP - UoN - I delayed this weeks ladder by one day so I could hopefully include the University of Nottingham (my Uni) beating Nottingham Trent in the opening event of this years Varsity; the ice-hockey. At 3-0 down within 8 minutes I was on the verge of publishing what I already had but something told me not to. A stunning 4 goal comeback from Uni led to a 4-3 victory for the second year running. Looks like I made the right choice in waiting.


DOWN - Gareth Bale - The initial media buzz around Gareth Bale has slowly died down despite the Welshman having an excellent season so far. However this week Bale was the victim of a poor tackle in a match against Granada, resulting in a full-blooded boot to the balls. Luckily he has not suffered any lasting damage but is being rested for tonight's Copa Del Rey quarter-final. Click on the image on the right to wince at the tackle.


DOWN - Formula One Cars - Its slowly returning after the Christmas break and this week saw the reveal of the new generation of Formula One cars. And what an ugly bunch most of them are. The new 'anteater' nosecone is simply horrible as it protrudes from the front of the car. Luckily some teams have avoided using them but it looks like they are set to stay for now.


DOWN - Bowls - Now I know bowls can be considered a bit of a dull sport, but the videos that emerged from this weeks Indoor World Championships were a little bit embarrassing to say the least. The first shows the compare attempting to get a rather perplexed crowd clapping along to Happy by Pharrell Williams whilst the second shows 'Barry from Eastenders' singing to the crowd. Very strange.


DOWN - Andy Murray - Whilst Andy Murray did not necessarily play badly on his return from injury, his quarter-final loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open has left him nearly 10,000 rankings points away from world number one. However, with Wawrinka winning in Melbourne it gets even worse as Murray drops to sixth in the world, his lowest ranking position since 2008.


DOWN - Manchester United Penalties - I briefly mentioned them earlier but they were so bad they need to be spoken about again. The very fact that the penalty shoot-out finished 2-1 to Sunderland after ten penalties shows how truly shocking they all were but Manchester United's were something else. Jones, Welbeck, Januzaj and Rafael all missed with Fletcher the only saving grace.

Murray Falls in Rankings Shake-Up

As the curtain falls on this years Australian Open we have been treated to the first winner since Juan Martin Del Potro's US Open in 2009 who isn't one of the so-called 'Big Four'; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Perhaps more interestingly though, Stanislas Wawrinka's maiden Grand Slam title has well and truly splintered the dominance held between these four over the last five or six years as the updated rankings were released today. His victory moves him up to a career-high ranking of third and he becomes the highest seeded Swiss player, a feat previously held by Roger Federer since 2001. Meanwhile, Federer tumbles to eighth, his lowest ranking in twelve years.

Nadal and Djokovic maintain their place occupying the top two spots but Nadal's runner-up spot has meant a gap of nearly 4,000 points has opened up between the pair. Despite a disappointing second-round defeat, Del Potro moves up to fourth whilst David Ferrer drops two places to fifth.

However, it was a hugely unsuccessful tournament for the British trio of Andy Murray, Laura Robson and Heather Watson. Murray's quarter-final loss to Roger Federer means he falls to sixth, his lowest ranking since 2008. With no Grand Slam's or Masters tournaments until March, it seems unlikely that he will begin climbing again for a number of months.

In the women's rankings, first-round losses for Robson and Watson meant neither were able to defend significant ranking points earned the year before. Robson slips ten places from 48th to 58th whilst Watson, who missed a large section of last season through glandular fever, tumbles to 161st, her worst ranking in a number of years.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, Australian Open victor Li Na moves up to third in the rankings, only eleven points away from number two seed Victoria Azarenka. Serena Williams holds onto top spot whilst Maria Sharapova falls to fifth.

The big mover was beaten finalist Dominika Cibulkova, who leaps eleven places to thirteenth. Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard continues her ascendancy, breaking into the top twenty for the first time after reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne. Sloane Stevens falls five places to eighteenth whilst Venus Williams tumbles to 49th.

Published on SEaT Capital.