In short
The Sports Agents Podcast Episode Summary
Episode Title
Has anyone had a better year than Rory McIlroy?
Episode Description
In this episode, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman discuss the significant achievements in British sports for 2025, including the successes of the Lionesses, Red Roses, Lando Norris, and the Ryder Cup team. Clare Balding joins the discussion to reflect on the extraordinary sporting year.
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Key Themes and Discussions
Overview of 2025 in Sports
- England Cricket & Wolves fans: Acknowledgment of mixed feelings for fans of certain teams not experiencing the same success.
- Highlights of the Year:
- Lionesses: Back-to-back UEFA Women's Euro victories.
- Red Roses: Celebrated World Cup victory.
- Lando Norris: Triumph in Formula 1.
- Ryder Cup: Team Europe’s success against a tough New York crowd.
Guest
Clare Balding
- Hosting Sports Personality of the Year: Clare shares insights on preparing for the event and notable adjustments since COVID.
- Backstage Work: Discussion about the unseen efforts that go into producing televised sports events.
Notable Athletes Discussed
- Hannah Hampton (Goalkeeper)
- Key performance in the Euros, overcoming personal struggles, and significant contributions to the team.
- Chloe Kelly (Footballer)
- Reviving her career after a slump; notable for her penalty in the Euros and her significance in promoting women's football.
- Ellie Kildun (Rugby Player)
- Celebrated for her dynamic performances and impact off the pitch; contributes to the visibility of women's rugby.
Rory McIlroy's Journey
- Career Highlights: Discussion on Rory completing the Grand Slam by winning the Masters.
- Emotional Impact: Rory's sensitivity and connection to fans; parallels drawn with other sports figures who have experienced triumph after long struggles.
Other Sporting Highlights
- Contrasting Rivalries:
- Examination of tennis rivalries, particularly between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
- Major Performances:
- Comments on performances in athletics and individual sports.
Cultural Moments
- Karen Carney on Strictly Come Dancing: Clare praises her for transcending sports and promoting self-belief and vulnerability.
Looking Forward
- 2026 Winter Olympics: Gabby previews upcoming names to watch and the evolution of winter sports.
- Future Events: Discussion on upcoming World Cups and the challenges they face regarding pricing and accessibility.
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Key Takeaways
- The discussion underscores the rich tapestry of British sporting success in 2025, noting both triumphs and challenges across various sports.
- Highlighting the emotional narratives of athletes, the podcast emphasizes the importance of mental health and resilience in sports.
- The episode reflects on how sports personalities shape public perceptions and inspire future generations.
Listener Engagement
- Encouragement to share personal sporting achievements and engage with the podcast through social media and email.
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Conclusion The episode encapsulates a dynamic year in sports, spotlighting not just achievements but the stories behind them, illustrating the growing significance and visibility of women's sports, and engaging listeners with personal reflections and call-outs to engage with the content.
For further updates, listeners are encouraged to subscribe and follow upcoming episodes of "The Sports Agents."
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:02Gabby Logan:This is a Global Player original podcast.
0:05Clare Balding:So how did 2025 go for your team? If you're an England cricket fan or a Wolves diehard, well, I'm sorry I asked. But lots of British teams have won big trophies, not to rub it in. The Lionesses lifted back-to-back Euros and were cheered by 65 ,000 people on the Mall. Team Europe silenced a hostile New York crowd with Ryder Cup glory. and the whole Red Roses team celebrated on air with me after winning the World Cup, doing a kind of flash mob at the desk, which was quite something. From record-breaking moments to controversies that stole the back pages, 2025 gave us drama, triumph and stories that will be talked about for years to come.
0:44Clare Balding:A little later tonight, I'll be back on stage hosting Sports Personality of the Year along with Claire Balding and Alex Scott. But before that, Claire's agreed to join me on the pod to look back at another extraordinary sporting year. You've even sent us some of your personal crowning moments too. Welcome to The Sports Agents.
1:10Gabby Logan:The Sports Agents. With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. Claire Boulding, welcome to The Sports Agents. Thank you very much, Gabby Logan. I'm thrilled to be here. You're here not as a co-host today, because Mark unfortunately is presenting. No, no, don't elevate me to a position I do not deserve.
1:27Clare Balding:No, special guest, special star guest.
1:29Gabby Logan:Because let's explain where we are exactly and which building we're in. Okay, we're in Dock 10 in Salford, which, have you noticed, has had a makeover. And this floor is now salmon pink and the floor where our dressing rooms are. Olive green. Olive green.
1:41Clare Balding:Bold. Yeah. Don't you think? I've noticed because I'm here every week, Claire, doing much of the day. Okay, sorry. I haven't been for a year. And this is where Sports Personality has been hosted for the last five years since COVID because we haven't been out in those big arenas. And it's slightly changed the way things happen over the two days for us, hasn't it? In terms of the rehearsals and the time we spent here. But we still, I think, would surprise people how much work goes on behind the scenes before we actually go on air at seven o 'clock on Thursday night.
2:07Gabby Logan:Oh yeah, loads. And you sort of have to, I've just spent the last, you know, couple of days watching back Rory McIlroy's win in the Masters because I watched it at the time. I'm a massive golf fan, but I'm interviewing him. And there were just little things I wanted to, Just watch almost without commentary to see if I notice things. I want to know what he remembers. Who are you interviewing? So I'm interviewing Chloe Kelly. Lovely. And Ellie Kildan. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. We've had some fun interviews down the line in years gone by and indeed some fun trophy presentations because Andy Murray always found it difficult to make it to sports.
2:43Gabby Logan:Because he was always somewhere in lovely like Florida. He was in Miami. He was usually in Miami doing his strength training. So we've had some moments there. But then he did attend the year that they won Team of the Year for Davis Cup.
2:53Clare Balding:Because he's a team guy.
2:54Gabby Logan:He's a team guy. Exactly. And I think the same is true of Rory McIlroy. And I think that's why he's definitely coming, because the European Ryder Cup team is up as well.
3:01Clare Balding:Andy, we should just say, one year there was a famous time where he was holding the trophy, thanking everybody for the year he just had as he just won. And a lady walked behind him without her bikini top on. Indeed.
3:15Gabby Logan:I think that was before the days where you could rewind. thank god and then the other time was lennox lewis was presenting him the trophy that's right yeah and and didn't so andy had to say do you want to give it to me um and yeah but andy's
3:30Clare Balding:the only person who's won it three times yeah he's the record holder yeah so maybe to balance
3:34Gabby Logan:things out we should probably talk through the six we will let's talk through so let's start
3:38Clare Balding:you talk me through hannah hampton chloe kelly ellie kildun so hannah hampton let's start with Hannah because we know the story of Hannah's tournament at the Euros and her incredible saves that through the tournament managed to get England to the next round and you know just really heroic goalkeeping but I think there's a lot more to Hannah than just that tournament we saw Mary Earps win sports personality of the year a couple of years ago for her performances in the World Cup and also her performances off the of the football pitch in terms of her campaigning with Nike and And, you know, she had a real year, didn't she, where she transcended her sport.
4:14Clare Balding:And actually the story of Hannah getting into this shirt has involved Mary, you know, and Mary this year has spoken about being sidelined for Hannah. And that was a bold decision by Serena Vigman when you look back and think about it.
4:26Gabby Logan:But also struck in the film that we'll show in the programme, both Hannah and Chloe Kelly talk about the fact that they fell out of love with the game. And in both senses, there's that, you know, coming back into it and then having the year of all years. Do you have any concerns at all about that becoming a more common theme or is it just a fact of life?
4:48Clare Balding:Maybe it's the journey of women's sport as well, because I think it is still so much in its infancy, professional women's sport, isn't it? And balancing everything in life, social media, pressures outside, how you deal with what Hannah Hampton will focus on first. the disappointment for her was that she was told to kind of you know change a few things about the way she was behaving in camp and she alluded to this in our film didn't she and and that made her very upset and her mum was the one who who pushed her kind of to keep going in the sport and she had to take a good look at herself didn't she and I think that's really hard for anybody in life but I think sport is so cruel isn't it in terms of you know you are exposed and and people talk and you You know, when there's a vacuum, they fill it with nonsense sometimes.
5:31Clare Balding:And so she's had to ride through those kinds of stories and come through it, being a hero on the pitch, but also growing as a person off it. And Chloe, as you mentioned there, she almost, you know, was this time last year not playing football for Manchester City. Arsenal gave her a chance. She said, come and play in the new year. And she had to really perform for a few months there to get herself back in contention with England. And then wins, obviously, a Champions League, you know, with Arsenal that season and goes on to be the hero again in a Euros, you know, which to have that experience twice and to step up and in her own style, take that hitch kick penalty and send, you know, people going crazy all over sports, all over the place.
6:10Gabby Logan:actually i noticed i was in london and i was at the theater this is for the semi-final and it went to extra time and we were driving back i said to alice let's not take the bus which is normally what i like to do all the tube but she doesn't really but she's saying that to be a woman of the people no i actually you know no i actually do it's one of the early dates and i said we can take the night bus home and alice said absolutely not but i do in the day i love taking the bus you get a really good view if you're top anyway never mind um so we were hopped in an uber because I wanted to watch it on my phone.
6:43Gabby Logan:And there's quite a delay. And we heard this massive roar from one of the pubs in the Victoria area. And I thought, oh my God, we definitely just scored. And then of course, it's ages before it comes through. And then it was the rebound penalty. It was that one. And I thought, this is so different to hear a really big roar from a pub in London for women's sport. It's just that felt so gorgeous. And then actually, you know, I think her style, Chloe Kelly and everything about her elevates her. And that is why people, you know, they know her, she's different, and she was crucial.
7:17Clare Balding:Yeah. And she did have that moment, as you alluded to as well, where she was thinking, this could be it, you know, at City when things weren't going right. And there was a really lovely line actually in her VT that I've seen just a bit earlier today about how she had to kind of have a talk with herself whether it was time to move on and do something else and or was she going to you know give herself kind of one more go and and that she's more proud almost of her as what she's done off the pitch as a person even though football is really important to her and I think it's getting that balance for any sports person is is so important so and then the other person I'm interviewing is Ellie Kildun who obviously she didn't actually get the world player of the Year nomination this year.
8:01Clare Balding:That was Meg Jones from the Red Roses. However, her Six Nations performance was phenomenal. She has been World Player of the Year the year before. But also, I think what she does off the pitch, how she has attracted so many fans to the game. She is responsible for, you know, her and Meg Jones together, responsible for the kind of sale of cowboy hats going through the roof. You know, she's just got so much joy. And the way she celebrates, you know,
8:26Gabby Logan:the whole lasso thing. the fact that she's so distinctive in the way she plays, but also how she looks, her speed, her dynamism on the pitch, and she plays with pure joy.
8:36Clare Balding:Yeah, she's so talented. She's a real athlete. She could probably have played four or five different sports, I think, in terms of her physical attributes. She's just such a great athlete, so quick. And England lost her in the middle of that tournament because of concussion, you know, and so there was a sliding doors moment there. What if, because England have got such strength in depth that had they lost her for the rest of the tournament, there was always somebody ready you know going to step up and take her place but it felt it would have been a real injustice to what she has done for the sport in the last couple of years I think in terms of transcending it and people knowing the name for her not to have had that moment with that team because they are such I mean they're nominated for team of the year they are a real there's a togetherness there that's incredible so yeah we've got a 50-50 split on the list so the three men Luke Littler is the youngest he's only 18 since last year when he finished top three and
9:24Gabby Logan:one young sports personality of the year he went on to win the world championships became number one in the world loads of victories and on the circuit and again he's one of those people who definitely reaches outside you know the month in which darts is high profile he's bigger than that he's got so many kids playing darts and using it to help their arithmetic in particular i mean he's interesting he's still he's still i think and i will ask him this his parents give him a weekly allowance it's only 50 quid you know he's earned millions already and he is a phenomenal talent but it's come so fast and he seems to be just the same so that's i mean he's he's really interesting really talented he got into a bit of um trouble didn't he recently well he didn't
10:11Clare Balding:personally but manchester united fans didn't like it that he was given ticket away tickets by the club it's not his fault no he's a big united yeah yeah and actually he's got a connection with Lando Norris because Lando took him on a hot lap around Silverstone drove him yeah so Lando
10:25Gabby Logan:Norris who just recently needed to finish on the podium in Abu Dhabi to win the world title did that and it was so lovely the interviews he gave afterwards he was so overwhelmed with emotion and I loved that and I think polar opposite to Max Verstappen as well yeah he was ice king isn't he and I love Lando Norris I think he's he's a really you know you you feel very connected to him and And I think his parents have been a massive part of that. You know, his mum always talks about all the kids. I mean, they're massively proud of Lando as well, but it's not like he's special. But he came through go-karting in this country.
11:01Gabby Logan:Again, he's pretty young. He's only in his 20s. And he made it happen against somebody who's pretty ruthless in Verstappen. And I think, you know, one of the lines I was listening to the Five Live commentary, which was absolutely brilliant, and Damon Hill was part of it. and Damon said that Lando and Lando's story has made him fall back in love with Formula One and he was wanted to be there to witness it and Lando's mum came over because Damon was standing there and gave the most lovely interview and you just realise this you know with so many sports people they achieve the ultimate dream and yes it's important to them but actually more than that it's the people they're doing it for and it's when Lando talked about his parents and his and his siblings that he got emotional and that I think is probably true for Rory McIlroy more than anyone because it's taken such a long time to complete the Grand Slam you know you compare his story and and his roller coaster of a career with those on the list that have succeeded and done so young yes Rory had huge success as a youngster yes he was breaking course records at the age of 16 and was predicted to be a major winner, a multiple major winner.
12:11Gabby Logan:But it's taken him all this time to win the Masters at Augusta, to complete the Grand Slam, to then have that wonderful celebration at the Irish Open, to then be part of the European Ryder Cup team. And he's a very emotional guy. You see it all with Rory. You know, he is, and he attracts a lot of attention, some of it negative, because of that. And dealing with the crowd and the abuse that he gets, you know, particularly on American soil, and ramp that up by a million at the Ryder Cup. I think he's pretty sensational. It reminds me a bit of when AP McCoy won the Grand National and then won Sports Personality of the Year.
12:48Gabby Logan:It was as much a lifetime achievement award as it was a sports personality for that year. And I sort of feel the same about Rory McIlroy. I kind of think there's everything he's ever done in his career topped off by what he's done this year.
13:02Clare Balding:I'd like to look at some of the other sporting moments of the year that have kind of stood out for you outside of our contenders now?
13:09Gabby Logan:I'm going to go really left field here. And it's not technically a sporting moment, but given that the Strictly Come Dancing final is this weekend, I would like to, in my head, nominate Karen Carney for one of the great performances of the year by a sportsperson. And although she's a retired footballer, she becomes the first footballer ever to make the final of Strictly. I think what she's done, and again, there's an emotional thing here. she talked about it when she you know got it was a perfect score did craig only give her a nine he might have done because he's funny like that but her waltz where she said i let myself go i let myself be vulnerable and she's talked really interestingly about self-belief and about dealing with criticism i think there's a lot of what she's brought to strictly is a sporting mentality and my god she's good and she's so lovely kaz she's such a gorgeous down to earth constantly thanking other people and I know that's not technically a sport but a lot of people will watch that a lot of people will learn a lot from her and I really hope she goes on to win it I think she's fabulous but but being in the final for her is a win and the sports that you predominantly
14:15Clare Balding:cover I I was looking through the sporting year thinking I've always enjoyed kind of great rivalries in tennis and I'm loving the Alcaraz-Sinna rivalry and I and I'm what I love as well is that we're going to have it for quite a few years to come this is not a flash in the pan it feels these two you know these two are going to be at it again and i love the fact that they are such contrasting
14:34Gabby Logan:characters you know sinner very much like bjorn borg very you know emotionally controlled and god he works really hard and he's super talented and he's tall and lean and you know he can reach for things and he has this sort of stretchability a bit like a bit like djokovic and alcarat for me is is passionate you know plays the amazing shots and and i love the energy and olay at the end of it yeah look at that look what i just did and he loves it and they are the perfect pairing i really enjoy that and i think yeah lucky lucky lucky times in tennis yeah i thought igor spiontech's performance obviously in the final at wimbledon was utterly dominant although quite disappointing
15:15Clare Balding:if you'd queued and waited for tickets for years for that final i was there and it was less than an hour I mean to double bang on in a final is just an awful experience but credit to Anissa Mova to
15:24Gabby Logan:come back and make the final of the US Open and I thought also the interview that she gave on court was so was so brave because you know not every sport asks the runner-up to do that other that
15:36Clare Balding:was the World Athletics Championships this year oh yeah but of course Great Britain didn't win a gold and I think that's why there isn't an athlete on the list had had Keely Hodgkinson or Georgia Hunter Bell got over the line first, then one of them would probably be...
15:48Gabby Logan:But Mondo Diplantis is very much on the list again for international... With his continuation of... World sports star.
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15:54Clare Balding:Yeah, world sports star. And he won it last year? Yeah, he did. And probably will do very well again this year, I think, because he, for some reason, people really have a soft spot for him. I don't know, and Polval, of all the athletic disciplines...
16:07Gabby Logan:I love him. I think he's great. And I think they love the fact that he just goes up in tiny margins.
16:11Clare Balding:Yeah, I mean, he'd probably go up in half a metre, but he's not stupid. He knows what he's doing there. Absolutely. Yeah, so he's an athlete who obviously, again, has dominated. Melissa Jefferson of the USA, though, with her 100, 200 in relay as well, was an incredible performance. And then there's an athlete from New Zealand called Geordie Beamish, who you probably haven't heard of, who in the steeplechase, he was on the deck. He fell over, as happens in the steeplechase quite a lot. There's a brilliant photograph of an athlete spiking his head because, you know, he'd fallen down. He was being run over, gets up, gets himself into the final and wins New Zealand's first ever gold on the track in a world championships.
16:52Clare Balding:And it's not just because I'm a Newcastle fan, Claire, that the name Geordie Beamish indicates to me his family have heritage from the northeast. And he wears black and white New Zealand. But I just thought he deserved a special mention because he literally got himself back up off the deck and won gold.
17:07Gabby Logan:I need to make a steeplechase segue to Willie Mullins. Brilliant. Thank you. having 1-2-3 in the Grand National and the winner being ridden by his son Patrick and Willie Mullins, I mean, and dominated Cheltenham once again for the Irish and, you know, just an amazing, I mean, he is an extraordinary trainer, but I thought that was really something. We'll chat more about the sporting highlights
17:28Clare Balding:of 2025 after the break.
17:30Gabby Logan:The Sports Agents.
17:35Gabby Logan:The Sports Agents.
17:36Clare Balding:With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. and your personal sport do you have anything that you've done this year from a sporting
17:46Gabby Logan:point of view that um oh god well i helped a team drag a wooden horse up a hill in celebrity traitors and then i and then i pulled the lever too soon because i didn't need that was your sporting disappointment yes it was it makes me feel empathy though for those that do something stupid and you know on a serious note for the first time in your life you've just realized no I had that empathy before but now I know how hard it is to do the right thing when you're physically stretched yeah to make a decision in that you know and to think clearly under pressure
18:18Clare Balding:I like I like that that it's taken the train to bring you to that Joe Marla making the final is that a sporting achievement as well you know is that up there with Karen he's come from nowhere in terms of the you know the way he manoeuvred himself himself through that show and I think also
18:32Gabby Logan:what you do when you have that platform Chris Hoy was talking about this so well and I want to mention that his documentary is on straight after sports personality of the year so nine o 'clock Thursday night um he and Sarah have have let the cameras in and Sally Nugent's done the most beautiful job she she is a really talk about empathy she is a really empathetic interviewer and I think that will be incredibly moving but but Chris Hoy talked about when you have a platform and people are listening to you what do you use it for and joe marler will talk about and has talked a lot about men's mental health and again going back to karen carney having that platform and talking about self-belief and how you find your confidence again and how you let yourself be be vulnerable almost that's her superpower i think and my personal i didn't do very much this
19:18Clare Balding:year i did a big cycle around ireland and stuff with kenny but through you i got to enjoy lois racing in the Magnolia Cup because she trained, of course, with Andrew and Annalisa was so amazing as well. We went down and we did a sports agent down at Kings Clear and obviously she had such a great time there that she's still riding out for a yard near us over Christmas. And yeah, so thank you for that. That was such a great day. Also, personally, loved watching my team Newcastle United win a trophy at Wembley winning the Carabao Cup. Big Dan Byrne, you know, the local hero on the day and also this year for him getting into the England squad and everything else that he's done.
19:57Gabby Logan:Actually, I'd love to mention Hull KR, who did the treble in Rugby League and were the real sort of star team in so many ways and great stories, great performances, and that is a rare thing to pull off. Are you still president of the Rugby League? I'm not actually. No, I did two years and I did the World Cup.
20:13Clare Balding:But you still keep your eye on it.
20:14Gabby Logan:Keep my eye on it. I certainly do. Arsenal's women winning the Champions League. Yep.
20:19Clare Balding:So they're all amazing achievements. There's so much going on, they can't kind of all get on the list.
20:23Gabby Logan:No, so the team, for the first time this year, the team prize is open to a public vote. And I'm really keen on this. I was one of the people pushing for it. But I suspect you were as well, because I want the public to decide who had the most impact on them. So Europe winning the Ryder Cup. The Lionesses winning the Euros for back-to-back, you know, trophies in that. And the Red Roses winning the World Cup. And I went, you were there being mobbed by the team. I was up in the stands as a fan watching the final of the World Cup alongside women who had played rugby back in the day. And they were so emotional, even before the match kicked off, to see that stadium full and to see women's rugby union being taken properly seriously.
21:09Gabby Logan:And that so many people appreciated that. And for England to win it on home soil, I'm just so thrilled. That's a very competitive moment.
21:16Clare Balding:I've been very, very lucky in my career to be at some incredible moments and achievements. I was almost brought to tears because I looked over and Maggie Alfonso was properly, tears were dropping off her face. And I looked around and I looked at the crowd and you could see those women, even the ones that didn't have the kind of, you know, the expensive seats and weren't being looked after by the RFU. But you could see those women who've looked to rugby as a sport they wanted to be part of, but didn't have a way in. And it just choked me. And it was pure joy as well. There was this combination of real emotion and pure joy.
21:46Clare Balding:It was just a day that I was grateful to be there and will never forget.
21:50Gabby Logan:But it shows the growth of women's team sports, that there are two teams there in that final three. Interestingly, I was with Tracy Neville not so long ago,
21:59Clare Balding:and she was saying, of course, the... Netball has won it.
22:01Gabby Logan:They won Team of the Year.
22:02Clare Balding:Yes, they did, but she's saying netball is finding at the moment that their athletes are being poached by these other successful team sports. Because it used to be netball or nothing, didn't it, for our generation of young girls wanting to play team sports because there was very little, you know, hockey, there's very little professional team sport. But because young, promising female athletes can play lots of team sports now, the ones that are offering them a route to career success, having, you know, actual financial kind of earnings. Cricket's another big one because obviously with the hundred, there's all the...
22:32Clare Balding:So netball's got a kind of recruitment issue where it's going, hang on, we need you to stay in this sport. But that's maybe a podcast for another day that we can discuss. A couple of listeners, shall I bring them to you now? Yes, please do. We've got a listener from Instagram called Claire, whose personal achievement was cycling across Switzerland. Joyous. I mean, that's hilly. Yeah, that's a beautiful thing to do. I know, but that's hard, Gabby. That's really hard.
22:56Gabby Logan:It is tough, Claire, yeah. You know, cycling across the Netherlands.
22:59Clare Balding:They're made of tough stuff, our listeners. Rory winning the Masters and my son's playing on the same rugby, senior rugby team for the first time, says Naomi. So, you know, as a parent of kind of sporty kids, I know what she's done about there. It must be lovely seeing both your sons run out kind of on the same team, wasn't it? That's what the Curry family have all the time, don't they? And of course, the Barrett family of New Zealand know that feeling, don't they? There are so many more moments of the year that have been mentioned. Diogo Jota, of course, which we will mark tonight, his passing has been one of the saddest moments in sport this year, for sure, in terms of a whole city's grief
23:33Gabby Logan:and the impact on a team. Exactly, and actually think about what Liverpool has been through, both with what happened at the victory parade and that case having just you know come out in court but also I think Jota Jota's death has really hit that team and I you know you sort of look at how how long it's going to take for them to find the positive performance level and of course that's what's affected Mo Salah
23:59Clare Balding:as well of course it has yeah every individual and we did a podcast just a couple of weeks ago where we spoke about that and collective grief and how you can't time when you're going to have a wave of emotion. And actually Andy Robertson's interview when Scotland qualified for the World Cup, talking about Diogo Jota was telling, I think, in what should have been a real moment of joy for him, he was reflecting. And actually we should mention Scotland qualifying for a World Cup because it's been a while, 1998 the last time. And that maybe moves us on just very briefly at the end of this lovely chat, Claire, to have a quick gander into 2026, shall we?
24:33Clare Balding:you will be very much at the forefront of the winter olympics yes i'm heading out what should
24:38Gabby Logan:we all be looking out for milano cortina is where we're going uh in italy which would be lovely i'll be up in the mountains the names i think you need to know from a team gb perspective for the winter olympics and mia brooks kirstie muir zoe atkins and charlotte banks and they're all really young and they are a combination of borders and slope stylers and they do they kind of bring a real performance level to what they do and and the winter olympics has changed so much yes there are still the traditional you know the men's downhill the women's downhill are your you know your major league events and blue ribbon events but they've embellished it with the various sports from the x games so you've got the sort of high end um so a bit like skateboarding coming into the olympics you know you've got your half pipe you've got your aerials you've got all this stuff big air which i love and I really enjoy the combination of those the events that might only take a couple of seconds but they've got to be perfect seconds so less than a minute and then you've got the long drawn out curling which you get totally engrossed in and every shot seems significant and it's all about patience and accuracy and sustaining performance over hours and hours and day after day so yeah I love the Winter Olympics and I love the fact that in the middle of you know what's quite often a grey February, you can be taken to the mountains in Italy.
25:59Gabby Logan:What will your highlights be in 2026?
26:01Clare Balding:Well, I always love doing the Six Nations. Always a great way to kind of kick off the bigger tournaments. We've got Commonwealth Games as well. We have. Before that, we've got the small matter of a World Cup, which at the moment is looking a little bit farcical, isn't it? It's looking like it could be one to remember. We've just heard in the last 24 hours that some ticket prices will be reduced so that people who aren't billionaires can afford to go. But it's only like 400 tickets a match.
26:28Gabby Logan:Exactly.
26:28Clare Balding:I think it's causing, rightly, a lot of noise. And I hope that enough noise will be made that people kind of realise this is not the way you put on a global sporting event. When you compare the prices to Qatar even, everything is up by at least a third.
26:44Gabby Logan:But aren't we also very worried about temperatures?
26:46Clare Balding:Like it's going to be super hot, isn't it? It will be. Some stadiums are air-conditioned and undercover and have got climate control in them. Some of the matches have been moved late into the evening. but I think it's more politically what's going on around this tournament which is going to make it one, two. Big year as well for cricket.
27:02Gabby Logan:The Women's T20 World Cup is here in the UK.
27:05Clare Balding:Yeah, it is and hopefully we'll have a lovely summer of cricket and they can pull some performances out of the bag, the England women's cricket team. It's not been going so brilliantly of late for them, has it? I mean, there's just so much to sports all the time, isn't it? Let's be honest. It's 24-7, 3-6-5.
27:21Gabby Logan:I'm going to watch the darts all over Christmas and New Year. Are you going? I haven't yet secured a ticket Oh I'd like to see a traitors table I'd like to see you all go together That's a good shout That would be fun Are you on a traitors whatsapp group? Do you have a I'm not actually no Oh everybody else is I'm joking No no they are You're right No I don't know anything about the traitors But yes I would like Did you have that Stephen Fry's mad for his darts actually That would be really fun He'd love to go Did you have that Joe would like to go I think And I'd love to go Friends for life experience Yeah oh Ruth Codd and I stay in touch a lot.
27:55Gabby Logan:We're always in touch. And Celia I love. And I haven't seen Joe. Is Joe coming to sports?
28:02Clare Balding:I think Joe is just about the busiest man in the world right now. No, he's not at Spotty. We do have some... We've got Henry Pollock coming tonight. And Tom Curry. I'm interviewing Henry and Tom Curry. And Marcus Smith as well. So we have to go off and start our rehearsals. Oh, gosh, we do. Yeah, we have to go get mic'd up. Get ourselves on set, which is always an exciting moment, isn't it? What are you wearing?
28:23Gabby Logan:Gold, actually. I probably should have asked you this before I packed my one and only outfit, which I ordered online, and then I was really surprised that it actually fitted me. So I'm wearing it, and it's velvet. It's just teal. But then I noticed there are like, I don't know whether one of the cats scratched it, because on the trousers there are like claw marks, but I figured nobody will notice.
28:43Clare Balding:Excellent. Well, we will go rehearse and have a lovely time doing that. We hammer out our questions and work out what we want to say to our interviewees, weren't we a little bit later on as well and i still get quite nervous don't you coming out in
28:57Gabby Logan:front of that crowd responsibility yeah i feel it's the walk out at the beginning and also last year you had to know you was it last year you dug me in the ribs say go on announce it because i you you know we go three two one you forgot to announce i actually was about to forget to announce and the winner is please reveal chris i think chris hoy was reading out wasn't it yeah and uh chris can you tell us the winner but luckily you do genuinely like you knew when i was about to cough earlier you do actually know me well enough to know she's she's forgotten to say this i'll just give her a quick i'll just give her a quick dig in the ribs that's teamwork exactly it's a
29:31Clare Balding:great night it's one we both look forward to throughout the year and i think the show will please people hopefully but remember it's all down to you you've got to have your say so you know don't be complaining on friday if the person you wanted to win doesn't win and you didn't vote
29:44Gabby Logan:that's what i say exactly no vote no shout that doesn't make sense but you know it doesn't rhyme
29:49Clare Balding:quite but yeah thank you so much for coming on claire and um hopefully um you'll come back sometime next year and join us again anytime you like thanks let's go to the sumo with the
30:02Gabby Logan:royal ab at all that's what i'd like to do you loved that episode didn't you hadn't listened to the episode but i like the idea of going to the sorry sorry sorry yes i did sorry sorry
30:11Clare Balding:claire drank so much truth serum in the room she can't just do she can't just do a little pretend
30:16Gabby Logan:for audio. No, no, no, no. Go back to your very long, I hope you'll come back again soon. I hope you're going to come back again soon. I would like to go to the Sumo with you at the Royal Albert Hall if they'll have us. That would be great. Let's book it in. OK. I'm so using the first one. The Sports Agents.
30:37Gabby Logan:The Sports Agents. With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.
30:43Clare Balding:Thanks for sending in your highlights of 2025. Keep getting in touch, thesportsagentsatglobal.com on email, or you can message us on social media or via the link in the episode description. Make sure you subscribe or follow so you don't miss Friday's weekend edition. We're going to be talking to British boxer Ben Whittaker about the crazy fight between two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua and YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul. Next Tuesday, we're going to be looking back on this year on the podcast. You can always catch up with our past episodes from the year on YouTube, Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts.
31:16Clare Balding:And then after that, we're going to take a break for Christmas. But don't worry, we'll be back on New Year's Day. Thanks for listening.
31:22Gabby Logan:The Sports Agents. With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.
31:30Gabby Logan:This has been a Global Player original production.
From the publisher
How did 2025 go for your team? If you’re an England cricket fan or a Wolves diehard, we're sorry. But lots of British teams and individuals did win big trophies (not to rub it in!) from the Lionesses, to the Red Roses, Lando Norris' F1 triumph and Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.
Ahead of hosting Sports Personality of the Year, Clare Balding joins Gabby to look back at another extraordinary sporting year.
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