In just a few weeks, all eyes will turn to Birmingham as the city hosts the Commonwealth Games.
Thousands of talented athletes will take to pools, tracks and courts in the hope of securing a medal for their country.
It’s an event that means a lot to Manchester, which hosted the Commonwealth Games back in 2002.
Those games saw venues including the Etihad Stadium, the Manchester Aquatics Centre, and the rest of Sportcity built here, and our city was cemented as a truly global city.
Bolton’s Jason Kenny
But then of course, we’ve always had a bit of a reputation for sporting greatness, and they don’t come much greater than Jason and Laura Kenny.
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Between them, the cycling greats have won 12 gold medals, and are Britain’s most successful male and female Olympians.
Jason and Laura were knighted and made a dame respectively earlier this year for their services to cycling, meeting Prince William side-by-side.
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Laura said of the honour: “What a truly wonderful day. When you step onto the track you know you are there to win a medal, but you don’t ever think about huge honours like this.
Jason and Laura Kenny receiving their knighthood and damehood.
“So when you are recognised it’s incredible and humbling. To be able to once again do it together makes it all the more special.”
Jason has now officially retired from cycling and has now taken on the role of men’s podium sprint coach with British Cycling.
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He said of his retirement: “It wasn’t an easy decision.
“I genuinely wanted to carry on to Paris, but I creak quite a lot these days and I always knew I wanted to go into coaching off the back of it, and this opportunity came along.”
Both Jason and Laura, who live in Cheshire, have committed time to mentoring other young athletes coming up in the cycling world.
Most recently, Laura has made her way even further into the hearts of the nation by talking openly and trying to break down the stigma surrounding miscarriage and baby loss.
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Tragically, she suffered a miscarriage while commentating at the track champions league last November, followed by an ectopic pregnancy just months later.
In those dark days, Laura said she turned to cycling as her ‘safety blanket’, adding: “I’ve always known I was tough, but sometimes life pushes you to an unbearable limit.
“If it wasn’t for Jason and Albie [their son] getting me through the day to day I’d have been broken.”
Speaking of her Instagram post, she later told OK! magazine: “The response I got was overwhelming – my Instagram went mental and I had thousands of messages from women and men who came to me saying they’d suffered in silence too.
“Six or seven athletes also came forward, which was comforting for me as I felt like less of a failure.
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“We shouldn’t be ashamed or scared when the number is one in five. That’s a massive number – yet we felt so alone.”
The Commonwealth Games will take place between 28 July and 8 August. Laura Kenny is competing for Team England.
If you’ve been affected by this story, contact Tommy’s, a miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth charity, at [email protected] or call 0800 0147 800.
About Manc of the Month
We all know that Manchester is home to some special people, some born here and others drawn here, and after a bumpy two years that effectively amounted to one big lockdown, it’s these special people that have inspired and led us through the tough times – so we decided to start a series that shines a light on those who should be celebrated.
Following on from our ‘The Mancs of the Year’ feature towards the end of 2020, Manc of the Month officially kicked off in July 2021, with Marcus Rashford MBE, Manchester’s mural king Akse P-19, the local chef feeding the region’s vulnerable families Mary-Ellen McTague, and Manchester’s groundbreaking new Council leader Bev Craig among previous honourees.
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Former Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to make his MMA debut very soon
Danny Jones
In another somewhat left-field turn of events in the sporting world, ex-Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to swap his boots for gloves as he prepares to make his MMA debut.
The retired Man United player and French international ended his playing days back in 2019 after a short one-year spell at West Ham, and has mostly worked as a pundit in recent years.
Evra, 43, stunned his millions of followers online and even more football and fight fans alike by announcing he would be trying his hand at combat sports earlier this week.
Hopping on social media to confirm the news, it’s fair to say he’s already relishing the challenge.
The former left-back made 379 appearances for the Red Devils, winning 14 trophies, but this will be his first in the European division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the second-biggest promotion in MMA after the UFC.
As far as we know, Evra has little to no background in fighting of any discipline, even if he was used to the more physical side of the game as a defender.
Writing via X on Friday, 25 April, the 2008 Champions League and ’09 Club World Cup winner, said: “I’m officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe. They will pick my opponent… They asked who I wanna face. I said: Luis Suárez.
“I’ll pay out of pocket. He can even bite me.”
Suárez, still playing at 38, was not only found guilty of at least three instances of biting other players but was famously charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra back in 2011, with the two sharing a strong feud ever since.
Now, since the Uruguayan striker is still playing professional football over in the MLS, alongside the one and only Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, we wouldn’t hold our breaths.
Nevertheless, it seems as though he will be fighting someone on 23 May, once an opponent is selected in the coming weeks.
Evra has been training with Cameroonian-French mixed martial artist and friend, Cédric Doumbé, a former kickboxing specialist and now an established fighter in the welterweight class.
Joking aside, although there are a lot of controversial moves that are legal in MMA, biting isn’t one of them – not that it ever stopped the former Liverpool forward in the past.
Speaking in an official press conference, Evra said: “I’ve performed on the world’s biggest stages, won every major trophy in football, but PFL Europe Paris will be an incredibly special night for me.
“I’ve been training alongside the best in the world for years, and they’ll also tell you I’m ready for this. I’m going to put on a show at the Accor Arena on 23 May, so come watch the spectacle.”
As out of the blue as it may seem, he obviously isn’t the only former athlete to have swapped one sport for another after calling time in their first career.
In fact, he’s not even the first United player to change lanes.
Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earns new contract after impressive season
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women’s goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce has signed a brand-new contract with the club following an impressive campaign in the Women’s Super League.
The American international, who earned her international debut for the USWNT earlier this month and has kept 13 clean sheets in 19 WSL games so far this season, hasn’t just been one of the most impressive Man United players this year but one of the best in female football full stop.
Faced with the not-so-insignificant challenge of having to replace former club icon and Lionesses number one, Mary Earps, who left the club last summer, Tullis-Joyce has more than risen to the occasion and quickly become a fan favourite.
Having played an integral role in another impressive domestic display from the Reds, including a third consecutive FA Cup final for Marc Skinner’s side, securing her signature for a few more years was pretty much a no-brainer.
Penning a new three-year contract with United Women, this new deal sees the number 91 extend her stay at Leigh Sports Village until 2028.
With just nine goals conceded all season, fans will be hoping that’s until 2028 at the very least.
Speaking via the official club announcement, Phallon said: “I am really grateful to have this opportunity to continue the exciting journey we are on. All of us in the team have ever-growing dreams of what we can achieve together.
“We want to keep making history and I am so proud to keep wearing the Manchester United badge.”
The 28-year-old stats speak for themselves.
USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce is having an impressive season with Man United 😤🧱
It was only back in February that manager Skinner, who also recently extended his stay at the club, proclaimed her as “one of the world’s best”; meanwhile, the club’s interim head of women’s football, Matt Johnson, described her a “exceptional” both on and off the pitch.
He went on to add that “This [new deal] shows the ambition of the club that we can retain one of the best goalkeepers in the world here at Manchester United.”
With a healthy catalogue of highly athletic shot-stopping like this to her name and making a half century of saves in goal for MUWFC, it’s no surprise, really:
With other important players such as Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner and Jayde Riviere having also signed new deals until 2028, Man United Women are looking to rebuild a strong core following some big departures in the last couple of years.
The men’s team, on the other hand, looks to be facing numerous obstacles.
As mentioned, the Women’s FA Cup final against an ever-dominant Chelsea side is taking place next month (18 May, 1:30pm), and a fantastic performance from Phallon Tullis-Joyce will no doubt be key in deciding who goes home with the trophy.
Daisy Jackson -
24th June 2022 
