Hello and welcome to sportsday im holly hamilton. Coming up on the programme. After sliding, skiing and snowboarding to success, we Welcome Home Team gb from their most successful Winter Olympics. Hopefully it has put snowboarding on the map. And tributes to british boxer Scott Westgarth who died following a light heavyweight fight in doncaster at the weekend. Hello and welcome to the programme and after recording their highest ever medal tally at a winter 0lympics team gb has returned to the uk. They touched down at heathrow earlier welcomed by family, friends and some excited fans. They were quite happy to show off the new silverware around their necks wouldnt you be . We sent our reporter Daniella Relph to meet them. The plane catch down at Heathrow Airportjust the plane catch down at Heathrow Airport just after two oclock this afternoon and on board was put ons was successful Winter Olympics team with five medallists. As the athletes what the new arrivals they we re athletes what the new arrivals they were cheered by friends, families and onlookers who stopped to take a look at team gb as they arrived back. For some of the athletes here today that return home was a new experience. I was worried on the flight. Experience. I was worried on the flight. The media makes me anxious. Hopefully it has put snowboarding on the map. Lots of people thinks you cannot score School Boarding in the uk. Idid cannot score School Boarding in the uk. I did not expect that. I would have been happy if i had just made the final. I landed two of the best tricks i have ever done and it paid off. The hope for all of team gb is that their success this year will be an inspiration for others to take more of an interest or take up a winter sport. The most successful athlete on the team, lizzy yarnold, retaining her golf on the skeleton, i talked to her earlier. What is it like when you come back here and i greeted by friends and family at the airport . It is com pletely family at the airport . It is completely overwhelming. You dont realise how much their nation is supporting you until you walk in here. People are asking for selfish and saying that they watch the event and saying that they watch the event and they were screaming at the tv. It means everything. Broadly reflecting on the success of the team, who do you look back . Even if an athlete came fourth, did not quite live out their dreams, everybody should be so proud of themselves because this moment, going to their Winter Olympics, is a dream as people have held for four, maybe eight years, that is a lifetime of horrible training, and they have done their best, and i am tired of everyone. To bring home five medals between us is an achievement. Do you have another 0lympic achievement. Do you have another Olympic Games in you . It is a hard question to answer but i am enjoying the rest. I am enjoying showing people these medals. It is the first timei people these medals. It is the first time i have dropped them together. We will see what happens. It is time for rest and a catch up with friends and family for team gb but for some of these athletes there is now a big decision ahead. Will they have the funding and the motivation to carry on to the next winter games in beijing in 2022 . Team gbs most successful 0lympics has come at a cost. More than £28 million has been provided in funding for the whole team that produced one gold and four other medals. But back in 2014 we won just one medal fewer with less than half the funding. And four years before that we had less than half again in funding and picked up a solitary gold. So is the increase in spending justified . Dame Katherine Grainger is chair of uk sport and told us that funding has to be targeted at olympic success. We have seen success we have seen success across we have seen success across spofts because of investment. That money does enable results. Sports that do not have access to that money, it is harder to build that success. Basketball is a great example. It has been in the press recently. The wider impact that sport can have on so wider impact that sport can have on so many people. It is a great sport to ta ke so many people. It is a great sport to take part, it is very accessible. We wa nt to take part, it is very accessible. We want to see investment. Within the uk sport, our remit is to fund sport with the potential of olympic and pa ralympic success and basketball would admit at the moment they cannot prove that success within the next two cycles which is the time we look at. So what we want to find for basketball is another source of income that we can still grow and celebrate that sport but it probably needs to be in a different mould other sports. The next big test of uk sports funding comes injust overfive weeks time at the Commonwealth Games. They take place at the gold coast in australia where two of the england teams big medal hopes the brownlee brothers are heading out to train for their triathlon competition tomorrow. They came in and spoke to my colleague Hugh Woozencroft earlier and said funding was key to their initial success in their sport. Right from the start funding has been important to my career. There is two types of funding. Payment, that its important, paying for your travel to graces, paying for wet suits. That gets phased out as you get more success. The main part now is basically paying for Everything Else that is not equipment. Travel to graces. Cultures, facilities, medical support, specific stuff like physiologists, looking into how you can get faster at every level. That funding has been very important to oui careers. Funding has been very important to our careers. The huge amount of money could go into it. Katherine grainger has spoken to us today and said she would not want to see an athlete on the start line before the event thinking this could be the difference between my sports funding 01 difference between my sports funding or my personal future funding. What would it be like for you if you had that in mind before an event. Would it be like for you if you had that in mind before an eventlj would it be like for you if you had that in mind before an event. I have never been on a start line thinking this performance is going to make the difference for funding. Triathlon is in a similar situation, it had gone to 30 Olympic Games and we have not won an olympic medal. In london and the pressure was on. I did not think about that at the start by. There was enough pressure. I wanted to do well for myself, for alistair, the training squad. It was not the case of thinking you must do well for funding. Athletes will put that to the back of their mind if they can. Do you think at any point about your legacy for triathlon. There was a point when it was not on the radar. Now it is a hugely popular sport, so many people involved at all ages. Do you think about your legacy in the sport . little bit. Both of us are proud to have been on the wave of triathlon success and increasing participation from when we first started during its 20 years ago when hardly anybody knew what it was. Now people know what it is and they can have a go. Now i get asked all the time, when is the next race. That is fantastic. We have worked hard with our own charity getting participation. And you have had huge success. But we wa nt to you have had huge success. But we want to build on that. You have got the Commonwealth Games on the horizon. Tell me how your preparation has been for that . The Commonwealth Games start in early april. We are flying out to queensland industrially to train for four or five weeks. We will enjoy getting use to the heat there. Four or five weeks. We will enjoy getting use to the heat therem will be a hard four or five weeks of training. How will you cope with the temperature in the golf course . We have been preparing elizabeth in heat chambers. We will now be getting used to the conditions. We have been preparing a bit in heat chambers. Plenty of time. What a lovely place to spend time training. Experiencing some of that australian lifestyle. Not just a experiencing some of that australian lifestyle. Notjust a different temperature, a slightly different type of course. What will this course provided by comparison to what we usually see. The Commonwealth Games is different in two ways. It has a sprint. That is one hour long. There is a mixed team really as well. That is a shorter version of triathlon. Female, male, female, meal, handing overto version of triathlon. Female, male, female, meal, handing over to each other. It is fast and it is shorter than the endurance event that it normally is. We do not normally compete in major games at the shorter distance, it is something new. And which one of you . I cannot a nswer new. And which one of you . I cannot answer that. I am sure you have both gotan answer that. I am sure you have both got an incredible chance of bringing back some medals for england. Thank you for coming in. Also coming up in the Programme Celtic captain scott brown announces his retirement from international football. And look out, Ronnie Osullivan we meet the teenager whos become the youngest player in snooker history to make a competitive maximum 147 break. Now, tributes have been paid to a british boxer who died at the weekend after winning a fight in doncaster. 31 year old Scott Westgarth, who lived and trained in sheffield, was taken to hospital on saturday after falling ill backstage. Mark ansell reports. At the moment a boxer trains four. Victory in the ring. Scott westgarth had floored his opponents but had himself hit the canvas at the tenth and final round. In post fight interviews, he was clearly in pain. He was taken to hospital in sheffield and died last night. The boxing world has been paying tribute. I cannot believe it. Boxing world has been paying tribute. Icannot believe it. I have never known a fighter in person to die. It has really hit home. It is very sad news for his family and friends. Former heavyweight boxing champion frank bruno said. Boxings governing body says it has improved safety in the ring and this sheffield chain says the sport is as safe as it can be. We check the weight every week. Your trading is supervised. There is a brain scan, andi supervised. There is a brain scan, and i scan. You just cannot account what is going to happen in the ring on the night. Scott westgarth went into the contest here with a record of six wins, two defeats, and a draw, ina of six wins, two defeats, and a draw, in a career spanning four and a half years. Tonight a fundraising page has already raised more than £1000 in his memory. Former ireland captainjamie heaslip has ended his playing career at the age of 34. The number eight won 95 caps and played for leinster and the british irish lions, but has been unable to recover from a back injury suffered last year. Last weekend scotland beat england at murrayfield to win the calcutta cup for the first time in a decade. Jones scored two tries as the scots beat england to win the calcutta cup for the first time in a decade. Next they face ireland in dublin in two weeks time. More from our rugby reporter andy burke. The first time in ten years scotland will drink from the calcutta cup. A decade of disappointment washed away ina decade of disappointment washed away in a moment. The rare scottish victories over england have mostly been built on passion and covers. That was evident here but it was skill and attacking ambition that won the game. What a score. Who can stop him. That first 40 minutes, maybe the best 40 minutes i have ever seen maybe the best 40 minutes i have ever seen scotland produce as murrayfield. They have added that creativity and clear and excitement to the toughness that they have brought into the game. When you get that combination you then become a very good side. Ben russell, much maligned in the first two performances, was the maestro. This demonstrated the fearlessness that he and his team played with. The entire team got slated against wales. We managed to bounce back against france and today. That is thejob we are against france and today. That is the job we are in. You against france and today. That is thejob we are in. You have got against france and today. That is the job we are in. You have got to accept the highs and the laws. The next challenge is perhaps even greater, ireland in dublin. Next challenge is perhaps even greater, ireland in dublinm next challenge is perhaps even greater, ireland in dublin. If we are going to become a really great tea m are going to become a really great team we have got to start winning a way which we have not done for a while. Thats next game is a massive test. That is what we are thinking about now. Scotland shook up the rugby world on saturday, now he needs to do it all over again in dublin. Scott brown has decided to retire from international football. Scott brown has decided to retire from internationalfootball. He has stepped away in the interest of looking after his body and in the interests of his family. So are you ready for the world cup . No not that one with plans revealed today for an annual season ending world cup of tennis. The competition would replace the existing format of the davis cup and will feature 18 teams and be played over seven days in late november. Its actually the brainchild of barcelona star gerard pique and could start as early as next year if approved by the International Tennis federation. F1 engines have roared back into life after the winter break as the first day of pre season testing took place in spain. It was a difficult start for mclarens two time World Champion Fernando Alonso who lost a wheel on his car after ten laps this morning. Lewis hamilton was seventh quickest overall with red bulls Daniel Ricciardo setting the pace, completing 100 laps in barcelona too. The season starts in a month in australia. Its the first day of the welsh open snooker in cardiff and Ronnie Osullivan is already through to the second round without hitting a ball after his opponent robin hull pulled out. Defending champion Stuart Bingham defeated the world number 108, chen zhe, by four frames to one in cardiff. Hejoins the likes of Barry Hawkins and peter ebdon in round two. And also welsh teenager jackson page, who beat Shaun Osullivan 4 3 this morning. Live Television Coverage on bbc two wales, bbc red button and online. Ronnie osullivan has lost one of his great sporting claims. Sean maddocks at 15 years and 90 days old became the youngest player to make a competitive maximum 147 break. Ian haslam has been to meet him. Becoming this good takes hard work and dedication and now Sean Maddocks has a world record. And dedication and now Sean Maddocks has a worldrecord. I did not expect that to happen. I wasjust wanting to get the flame one and just concentrate on not missing. The balls were nice sol concentrate on not missing. The balls were nice so i could not miss. That is go through your mind that you would be the youngest player . I did not know. This is the man whose record teacher, a five time World Champion, Ronnie Osullivan, arguably stookes best ever player. What do you think he thinks about it . Probably not happy . He was shocked. His coach spotted Sean Maddockss potential at the age of ten and has guided him ever since. How far ten and has guided him ever since. Howfarcan he ten and has guided him ever since. How far can he go potentially. He is as good a prospect as anyone. He could go to the top. It is a view shared by his biggest fan, his sister. How proud i view of your brother . I am sister. How proud i view of your brother . Iam really sister. How proud i view of your brother . I am really proud. How good is he . He is very good. His main ambition now is to turn professional. Thats all from sportsday. Well have more throughout the evening
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