Advertisement

The first Tokyo Olympics, pre-season fighting and Liam Livingstone

<span>Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters</span>
Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters

1) The Olympics have both already started and start again on Friday. This is the second time Tokyo has hosted the event, the first being in 1964. Here’s the official film of those Games; here’s an explanation of its global and cultural impact; here are its top 10 moments; here’s Lynn “The Leap” Davies winning long-jump gold; here’s Ann Packer taking 800m gold; here’s Mary Rand winning gold, silver and bronze in the long jump, pentathlon and relay, here’s a feature on her, and here she is returning to her hometown of Wells; and here’s the BBC’s theme tune.

2) It was a hard few hours, but football is finally back after its summer break with a succession of thrilling pre-season friendlies. As such, here’s Eric Cantona getting sent-off playing for Manchester United against Rangers in the summer of 1994; a pre-season ruckus between Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix from 2011; and David Batty taking it to Sampdoria, Roberto Mancini in particular, in 1992.

3) Last week we discussed the biggest sixes ever hit and sure enough, no sooner said than outdone. Liam Livingstone of Lancashire and England deposited Haris Rauf back over his head, over Headingley’s new Emerald Stand, and out of the ground.

4) Has anyone ever been knocked out in as silly and spectacular a fashion as Impa Kasanganay was by Joaquin Buckley? Here’s Buckley reflecting on the kick that changed his life and enjoying a taste of his own medicine, courtesy of Alessio Di Chirico.

5) No one has ever done anything better than Diego Maradona played football at Mexico 86.

6) This week in 1930, Sonny Liston was born. The man rightly deserved a doc about his life. In 1963, he knocked out Floyd Patterson to retain his world heavyweight title – in colour – and here’s colour footage of him destroying Cleveland Williams in 1960.

Our favourites from below the line last week

1) Carly Holmes recording her first sprint car victory at the age of 14.

2) Five points down, less than three minutes remaining and pinned to their own try-line? No problem for the Ghana men’s rugby union team, who produced one of the great tries, and have the conversion as a bonus.

3) Esteban Cambiasso’s goal for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup.

Spotters’ badges: GrahamClayton, germit, robinbarwick

Guardian YouTube football channel

Do subscribe, if you fancy.

Guardian YouTube sport channel

Do subscribe, if you fancy.