Blossoming talentJapan’s Rugby World Cup success was improbable. Can it keep it up?Impressive upsets have happened before. Building on these victories will be trickierOct 20
Climate change stops playTyphoon Hagibis offers a glimpse of sport’s stormy futureSome extreme weather events are becoming more severe. Organisers need to adaptOct 14
A leg upEliud Kipchoge’s historic sub-two-hour marathon will carry an asteriskArtificial running conditions and special shoes helped him breach athletics’ last great barrierOct 13
A long drawAgainst expectations, this year’s Ashes were a slow-burning classicTwo similarly weak sides produced several low-scoring but tense matchesSep 17
Boks cleverChester Williams stood against South African rugby’s racismThe World Cup winner helped to tackle prejudice in the sport, but inequality persistsSep 16
Net exportersSouth American football clubs are missing out on European richesThe continent is receiving fewer eye-catching transfer fees, despite producing as many stars as everAug 31
The new BradmanSteve Smith’s batting shows that sporting genius can be learnedNature makes gifted athletes, but nurture turns them into all-time greatsAug 17
Toppling the top twoMan City’s and Liverpool’s rivals have copied their transfer strategyThe Premier League’s big clubs are increasingly buying young players from smaller teamsAug 10
Not up to the TestThe Ashes will feature the weakest pair of cricket teams in decadesEngland and Australia are well-matched, but rely on several mediocre playersJul 31
More than just a gameWhy New Zealand’s other All Blacks matterThe Maori All Blacks are a source of rugby-playing pride in a community that has struggled economicallyJul 18
A thin edgeHow England won the Cricket World CupFlexible tactics, outstanding performances, canny selection and a big slice of luck all helpedJul 18
Northern Irish Rory-altyCan Rory McIlroy win on his home turf?The crowd at The Open will pull for Rory McIlroy. But does he deserve to be the favourite?Jul 17
Two GOATs lock hornsNovak Djokovic wins the most thrilling men’s tennis match everHis epic victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon had more crucial points than famous matches of yesteryearJul 16
Bend it like RapinoeAmerica’s victorious World Cup team may be its best everBut Europe’s rapidly improving women’s teams could catch them in the next decadeJul 8