While Major League Baseball has been experimenting with extra-inning rule changes in recent years, the Pioneer League -- an independent league designated as an MLB Partner League -- is taking things a step further.

On Tuesday, the league announced that it will implement a first-of-its-kind "Knock Out" rule that will resolve games tied after nine innings with a sudden-death home run derby.

"Under the rule, each team designates a hitter who receives five pitches, with the game determined by the most home runs hit," said a news release announcing the rule changes. "If still tied after the first 'Knock Out' round, another hitter is selected for a sudden-death home run face-off until a winner is declared."

In addition to the Knock Out, the league is also experimenting with a designated pinch hitter rule, allowing a player to be pinch hit for before returning to their defensive position for the remainder of the game. Additionally, a designated pinch runner rule allows an eligible rostered player to be pinch run for before returning to their designated defensive position for the remainder of the game.

Also, a hitter may appeal a check swing strike decision to a base umpire. Under standard baseball rules, only the defensive team can ask for an appeal.

While the Pioneer League is a partner league with MLB, there is no official tie with MLB experimenting with these potential rule changes. MLB previously announced a partnership with the independent Atlantic League to test rule changes, including moving the pitching rubber back a foot and a double-hook rule in which a team will lose its designated hitter when it removes a starting pitcher.

MLB also recently instituted rule changes at the minor league level including bigger bases, regulations of the shift and forcing pitchers to step off the rubber completely before throwing to a base.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Three races with 3000 runners each will be staged by London Marathon Events on the famous Surrey racecourse on May 15 to assist with the roadmap out of lockdown

London Marathon Events is staging a Reunion 5km at Kempton Park on Saturday May 15 to help with the government’s events research programme.

There will be three races in total with 3000 runners and 3000 spectators in each and it is designed in conjunction with the Department for Digital, Media, Culture & Sport to help with scientific data on how mass participation events can safely resume as part of the roadmap out of lockdown in England from June 21.

Entry costs £15 – with registered spectators free of charge – and to apply, CLICK HERE

Everyone attending – from participants to spectators and staff – will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 Lateral Flow Test ahead of the event in order to gain entry. Attendees will also be asked to undertake a PCR test before and after the event in order to help the programme’s research.

Hugh Brasher, event director of London Marathon Events, said: “We are very grateful to DCMS, Public Health England, Surrey County Council and Spelthorne Borough Council for their assistance and to Kempton Park for making the venue available on May 15.

“The government’s Event Research Programme is a very significant step towards the safe return of events for participant and spectators and London Marathon Events, along with our fellow mass participation event organisers, is doing everything we can to assist the government with this project.”

Each of the three 5km races will be configured slightly differently to capture the most data. Anyone who testing positive before the event will not be able to attend and, in the case of participants, their entry fee will be refunded.

The teenage son of Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has revealed he receives death threats and abuse on social media every day.

Juventus have dropped to fourth in the Serie A standings and, with five games remaining, are one of three clubs level on 66 points, stretching from third to fifth place.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

Nicolo Pirlo, 17, posted a message on his Instagram account which said that while he understands he is the son of a coach who may "not be liked by some," he urged people to put themselves in his shoes "for just a second."

He included a screenshot of a message that he received from someone which read: "You and your father must die."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NICOLÓ PIRLO (@nickpirlo_10)

Nicolo, who is the eldest of Pirlo's four children, wrote: "Every day I receive messages of this kind... I receive messages of death threats and various insults every day.

"I'm not a person who judges, I don't like doing it, everyone has the right to be able to say what they want, I'm the first to do it and I would never want anyone to take away my freedom of speech. My parents taught me to have ideas and above all to listen to those of others, but I believe that there is a limit to everything, and this limit has already been exceeded for some time."

Juve, who crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 in March at the hands of FC Porto, visit Udinese on Sunday before hosting AC Milan in a battle for fourth place.

The Turin giants face a real battle to qualify for the Champions League this season and are one of five teams battling for the final three places behind leaders Inter Milan.

Pirlo said that "he was not happy and neither was the club" after his team's 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on Sunday.

Juve appointed Italian great Pirlo to replace Maurizio Sarri in August 2020 despite the coach only completing his UEFA coaching qualifications just days before taking charge.

Pirlo, 41, is contracted to the club until June 2022.

What a brutal way for Atletico Madrid to celebrate their birthday. Founded on April 26, 1903, they played exactly like they were 118 years old -- full of tired mistakes, forgetful 'senior' moments and bewildered expressions in a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night.

It's a result which gives us the tightest, most exciting top-four race since La Liga became a 20-team league a quarter of a century ago.

In case you've consumed the results, but not glanced at the top of the title race, we have stumbling Atleti on 73 points, reigning champions Real Madrid with 71, sudden favourites Barcelona (having played one game fewer) on 71 (but trailing behind Madrid because of the head-to-head record of having lost both Clasicos), and the ultra dark-horse coming up fast on the rails: Sevilla FC on 70 points.

The positive news for Atleti -- which my goodness they'll need -- is that only three times since 1997, when the 38-match season began because La Liga shrunk from 22 to 20 clubs, has the top team lost that lead with five games to go and said a tearful "adios" to the title.

The first time anyone who topped La Liga after 33 matches stumbled, fell flat on their face and then begged never to be reminded of the aberration was in 2002 when Real Madrid, coached by the Vicente Del Bosque, and featuring none other than Zinedine Zidane, led Rafa Benitez and Valencia in early April courtesy, only, of a superior goal difference.

But horrible defeats to Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Deportivo La Coruna sent Los Blancos into a tailspin which only steadied off when, having eventually finished third, they lifted the Champions League at Hampden against Bayer Leverkusen.

Not bad as consolation prizes go.

A year later came the second implosion. Poor old Deportivo La Coruna (remember them?) led Real Sociedad on their head-to-head records and third-placed Real Madrid by a point after that season's 33-game slog.

But by June 22 (yes, that REALLY was when La Liga's title used to be decided!) Del Bosque, Zidane and the stunning Ronaldo-Raul partnership had pipped La Real with Deportivo eventually languishing back in third.

And the only other time, at least until now, when a leader keeled over with the title a mere 450 minutes away, was when the wheels were about to come off Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona in 2007.

Leading Madrid by two points after Matchday 33, Barca, starring Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lilian Thuram, Deco, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi promptly flopped 1-1 at home to Real Betis conceding a last-minute goal to Brazilian winger Rafa Sobis in front of 78,000 infuriated Blaugrana fans at Camp Nou.

That was that.

They and Fabio Capello's Madrid matched results like-for-like right until the end of the dramatic last day meaning that, tied on 76 points, Los Blancos were champions thanks to a better head-to-head Clasico record that season.

The fact that such collapses so close to the line are rare, of course, gives no guarantee that we aren't about to see a fourth member of that excruciatingly embarrassing group -- the "Close But No Cigar gang."

Atleti, even if only just, still have their title fate in their own hands.

Should they win every one of their remaining ties they win the title. It's that simple.

The reason is because even though Ronald Koeman's relentless Messi-driven machine (they've won 46 of 51 points since late December) most probably beat Granada on Thursday at Camp Nou to go top by a point, there remains the massive weekend in early May when Madrid host Sevilla and Atleti travel to Barcelona.

If, somehow, Diego Simeone can waken his Rip Van Winkle team up, instil a bit of fight, get Luis Suarez sharp and scoring again then a win at Camp Nou isn't completely beyond them.

How much would the feisty Uruguayan enjoy paying Koeman back for that phone-call last summer when, on behalf of the now departed and disgraced Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Dutchman told Suarez that he was surplus to requirements? I think you know how much.

Los Rojiblancos haven't beaten Barcelona at Camp Nou since February 2006, but even a draw (something they've done in three of their last seven visits) might be sufficient if Koeman's team stumble in their slightly tougher run-in, especially at Mestalla next weekend.

But the teetering, tentative progress of Atleti, who've only won Spain's title twice since 1977, isn't the only remarkable facet of La Liga's 2020-21 season.

The spread of points between top, Atleti, and fourth, Sevilla is just three. In context that's amazing.

Not only is it significantly the tightest contest across any of Europe's major leagues (with a respectful nod to the four way punch-up at the top of Ligue 1 in France), it flies totally in the face of the last 24 years in Spain.

Thirteen times at this stage of the season the spread between first and fourth has been fifteen points or more. And if you want to think about the absolute extremes, when either Madrid or Barcelona were playing steamroller football, the gap between first and fourth has been (in 2012, 2011 and 2010) 35, 31 and 29 points, respectively.

At the time of writing if you drop 35 points from first-placed Atleti you'd arrive at 12th-placed Levante, who've won only once in their last nine and are nine points off the bottom three!

A truly remarkable turn of events compared to most of the seasons preceding this one.

Hardly an outright outsider given their two Champions League finals appearances, one league title and a Europa League win in the last seven years, Atleti look as though their knees are knocking together in either fear or exhaustion or both.

I guess many neutrals will be roaring on Sevilla. The Andalusian side are three points off top of La Liga, a place they'd normally need a crampons, ropes, a sherpa and oxygen to scale, and they've not won Spain's title since just after World War II.

But Julen Lopetegui's brilliantly constructed squad have won five straight matches and although they travel to face Real Madrid on May 9, they appear to be the freshest, least distracted team -- the challengers with the best momentum.

Which, of course, is where Spain's idiosyncratic (but likeable) head-to-head rule comes into play.

If two teams finish on the same points anywhere up and down La Liga's table they are separated on which of them has a better score aggregate against the other.

If they happen to be identical then the team with the better goal difference across the entire campaign wins.

As it stands, Atleti beat Barcelona 1-0 in their only match so far, and a win or draw at Camp Nou on May 8 would give them the definitive head-to-head advantage. Atleti lose the head-to-head with Madrid, but win it, by 2-1 on aggregate, against Sevilla.

Sevilla don't currently win the head-to-head with any of the rest of the top four but could change that at Madrid on May 9 if they win 2-0 (having lost 1-0 to Madrid at the Sanchez Pizjuan in December).

Barcelona lose the head-to-head with Madrid, win it against Sevilla and are balanced at 1-0 down against Atleti pending their big showdown in two matches time.

So, for those who've always complained when Madrid or Barcelona are so muscularly brilliant that the title race is between the two of them by April, it's time to sit back, savour what's happening but accept the fact that it takes tremors, stagnation and turmoil at Spain's two behemoth clubs for the others to get to within touching distance like it is right now.

It's countdown time. Atleti looking like they are on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Madrid looking like winning the Champions League is priority No. 1, Barcelona looking like strong favourites (for what, pound for pound, would be one of their biggest and most surprising title wins) and Sevilla undoubtedly the neutrals' favourites to stun Spain, shock the world and see whether La Liga's throne really is made to measure for them.

Bayern Munich have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their next manager, having reached a compensation agreement with RB Leipzig.

Nagelsmann, 33, is considered one of the best young managers in the game and has has signed a deal with the Bundesliga champions through to 2026. Bayern have paid compensation to Leipzig, which sources have told ESPN is a record fee for a manager, eclipsing the €15 million Chelsea paid Porto for Andre Villas-Boas in 2011.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Stream Bundesliga matches live on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Nagelsmann is set to replace Hansi Flick, who asked Bayern to release him from his contract to years before its expiry date earlier in the month following a rift with sporting executive Hasan Salihamidzic over the Bundesliga champions' transfer strategy and philosophy.

"FC Bayern have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their new head coach," a Bayern statement read. "The Bavarian-born 33-year-old will move to Munich from RB Leipzig on July 1, 2021 ahead of the new season, signing a five-year-contract with the German record champions until June 30, 2026."

Upon leaving Leipzig, Nagelsmann wrote in a statement: "I will leave RB Leipzig with a heavy heart. I've been able to coach a special team here at a club with huge opportunities and the best possible conditions to work in.

"Everybody here, including the staff who work alongside the team, have ensued that we've written plenty of stories for the club's history books and are continuing to do so for now. I'm really proud of that."

Flick was appointed as Bayern manager in November 2019 following the dismissal of Niko Kovac and led the club a Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal Treble. He also became the second manager to win six trophies in a single calendar year, when he added the German Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. He could now take over the Germany job with national team coach Joachim Low leaving his post following the European Championship this summer.

On Friday, sources close to Nagelsmann told ESPN that the coach was also open to offers from the Premier League where Tottenham are looking for a replacement for Jose Mourinho. However, with Bayern's offer on the table, Nagelsmann has agreed to take over his third Bundesliga club.

Nagelsmann joined Leipzig from TSG Hoffenheim in 2019 and led them to the Champions League semifinal in his first year in charge.

Leipzig host Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal semifinal on Friday as Nagelsmann looks to guide the club to their first-ever major trophy. The winner is likely to meet Borussia Dortmund, who face second-tier outfit Holstein Kiel, in the final.

American coach Jesse Marsch is one of favourites to replace Nagelsmann at Leipzig as he manages another Red Bull franchise in FC Salzburg.

Meanwhile, Leipzig confirmed on Monday that the contract with sporting director Markus Krosche has been terminated a year before it was set to expire.

The 40-year-old had been at the club for two years and was rumoured to be leaving Leipzig for a couple of months. He has been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt, who are looking for a new sporting executive after Fredi Bobic's decision to reunite with his capital-based family and join Hertha Berlin.

With Nagelsmann's departure from Leipzig to Bayern, five of the Bundesliga top seven clubs -- Bayern, Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach -- will have a new man in the dugout for the 2021-22 season.

Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan and fast bowler Chamika Karunaratne have been added to Sri Lanka's squad for the second Test against Bangladesh as replacements for Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka, who have been ruled out due to injury.

Kumara picked up a hamstring injury while fielding on day three of the first Test in Pallekele. He bowled 28 overs in the first innings, returning figures of 1 for 88. It was the second time in five months that Kumara was unable to complete a Test after also picking up a groin strain in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion last year. Madushanka did not feature in the playing XI in the first Test against Bangladesh.

Karunaratne, who made his debut against Australia in 2019, has been brought in to bolster the fast-bowling ranks. Although he has participated in white-ball domestic cricket in 2021, he hasn't played a first-class game since August last year.

Like Karunaratne, Sandakan's previous first-class match was also in August last year. However, he has been a regular inclusion in Sri Lanka's white-ball squads. Sandakan has taken 37 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 34.48. Sri Lanka also have uncapped left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama in their squad.

The first Test ended in a draw, with the second to begin on Thursday in Pallekele.

The BCCI has told the eight teams in the IPL that they will not just be playing to win this time, but for something "much more important…humanity."

Reassuring the franchises that everyone's safety was the priority, the BCCI also confirmed that the tournament will carry on despite the raging Covid-19 pandemic in India, and that the IPL is "strengthening" the biosecure bubble for the rest of the tournament which is scheduled to end on May 30.

With India registering a record number of positive cases over the past 10 days, there has been a lot of apprehension both inside the IPL bubble as well outside about carrying on with the tournament. With countries barring travelers from India, overseas players from different teams have opted to return home with many more questioning how they will get back once their tournament was over.

On Tuesday, the BCCI's interim chief executive officer Hemang Amin sent out an email to the teams reassuring their safety as well elaborating on the precuautionary moves being taken to keep the IPL bubble intact.

"I write to you at a time when India faces unprecedented challenges stretching its healthcare and spirit," Amin said in the email, accessed by ESPNcricinfo.

"As we commenced the second leg, we understand that there are few apprehensions and concerns regarding the general situation in India and the withdrawals of certain cricketers. We completely respect the decision taken by the players and extend our support to them in every way. At the same time, we would also assure you that you are totally safe within the bubble."

The IPL this time is being conducted on a caravan model with two venues in operation at one time to cut down on the travel and risks involved during the pandemic. The first leg of the tournament was conducted in Chennai and Mumbai. The second leg, which commenced on Monday, will be played in Ahmedabad and Delhi. This will be followed by matches in Bangalore and Kolkata before the tournament returns to Ahmedabad for the playoffs, including the final.

According to Amin, the IPL was making the testing process more rigorous while making the bubble more secure.

"In order to allay any apprehensions and concerns, we are further strengthening our bio-secure environments to keep everyone involved in the tournament safe and healthy. Recently, we increased testing in our bio-bubbles to be extra vigilant. Instead of the stipulated test every five days, we now conduct a test every two days.

"Further, earlier in the tournament, we had permitted food deliveries from outside your designated hotels, but these privileges have also been withdrawn. Apart from this, we have also increased our level of caution to strengthen our bio-bubbles."

While franchises and players have maintained the IPL bubble is currently the safest place in India, there has been an acknowledgement that individuals would still have concerns. The Indian contingent in the IPL has been concerned about the welfare of their families, and the overseas players have had questions about how they would be returning to their respective countries which have updated travel guidelines issuing stringent quarantine norms.

On Tuesday morning, Australian batsman Chris Lynn, who represents defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians, said he had urged Cricket Australia to arrange for charter flights after the Australian government banned direct flights from India until May 15.

It is understood that the teams and the BCCI have been discussing about arranging charter flights to countries that have barred travelers from India, and Amin said the board would use help from the Indian government to facilitate the same.

"We understand that many of you are apprehensive about how you will get back home once the tournament concludes, which is natural and understandable. We want to apprise you that you have nothing to worry about. The BCCI will do everything to ensure that you reach your respective destinations seamlessly. The BCCI is monitoring the situation very closely and is working with the government authorities to make arrangements to get you home once the tournament concludes. Be rest assured that the tournament is not over for BCCI till each one of you has reached your home, safe and sound."

Despite the IPL bubble being secure, critics have questioned the timing of the tournament carrying along when there has been so much strife and stress on the streets including mounting surge in the number of deaths owing to the pandemic. However, Amin told players that by playing they were providing "hope" to millions.

"While you go about playing the sport we all love, you are also doing something really important. As some of you have said, 'if we can help distract people from all the troubles of recent times, even if it is for a short while, we have done a great job'. When you all walk out onto the field, you are bringing hope to millions of people who have tuned in. If, even for a minute, you can bring a smile on someone's face, then you have done well. While you are professionals and will play to win, this time you are also playing for something much more important…. humanity."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Bayern Munich have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their next manager, having reached a compensation agreement with RB Leipzig.

Nagelsmann, 33, is considered one of the best young managers in the game and has has signed a deal with the Bundesliga champions through to 2026. Bayern have paid compensation to Leipzig, which sources have told ESPN is a record fee for a manager, eclipsing the €15 million Chelsea paid Porto for Andre Villas-Boas in 2011.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Stream Bundesliga matches live on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Nagelsmann is set to replace Hansi Flick, who asked Bayern to release him from his contract to years before its expiry date earlier in the month following a rift with sporting executive Hasan Salihamidzic over the Bundesliga champions' transfer strategy and philosophy.

"FC Bayern have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their new head coach," a Bayern statement read. "The Bavarian-born 33-year-old will move to Munich from RB Leipzig on July 1, 2021 ahead of the new season, signing a five-year-contract with the German record champions until June 30, 2026."

Upon leaving Leipzig, Nagelsmann wrote in a statement: "I will leave RB Leipzig with a heavy heart. I've been able to coach a special team here at a club with huge opportunities and the best possible conditions to work in.

"Everybody here, including the staff who work alongside the team, have ensued that we've written plenty of stories for the club's history books and are continuing to do so for now. I'm really proud of that."

Flick was appointed as Bayern manager in November 2019 following the dismissal of Niko Kovac and led the club a Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal Treble. He also became the second manager to win six trophies in a single calendar year, when he added the German Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. He could now take over the Germany job with national team coach Joachim Low leaving his post following the European Championship this summer.

On Friday, sources close to Nagelsmann told ESPN that the coach was also open to offers from the Premier League where Tottenham are looking for a replacement for Jose Mourinho. However, with Bayern's offer on the table, Nagelsmann has agreed to take over his third Bundesliga club.

Nagelsmann joined Leipzig from TSG Hoffenheim in 2019 and led them to the Champions League semifinal in his first year in charge.

Leipzig host Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal semifinal on Friday as Nagelsmann looks to guide the club to their first-ever major trophy. The winner is likely to meet Borussia Dortmund, who face second-tier outfit Holstein Kiel, in the final.

American coach Jesse Marsch is one of favourites to replace Nagelsmann at Leipzig as he manages another Red Bull franchise in FC Salzburg.

Meanwhile, Leipzig confirmed on Monday that the contract with sporting director Markus Krosche has been terminated a year before it was set to expire.

The 40-year-old had been at the club for two years and was rumoured to be leaving Leipzig for a couple of months. He has been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt, who are looking for a new sporting executive after Fredi Bobic's decision to reunite with his capital-based family and join Hertha Berlin.

With Nagelsmann's departure from Leipzig to Bayern, five of the Bundesliga top seven clubs -- Bayern, Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach -- will have a new man in the dugout for the 2021-22 season.

Are female athletes getting the advice which suits them? Dr Emma Ross, Baz Moffat and Dr Bella Smith of The Well HQ believe not – and insist it’s time to think differently

As women pursue peak performance, we have to think differently about what it takes to allow them to fulfil their potential, because what works for women won’t always be the same things which have worked for men.

Currently, female athletes usually train and are coached in a way which doesn’t always consider the ‘female’ part of being a female athlete. The support that is applied to their performance – nutrition, physiology, psychology, etc – tends to be based on research which has been done on men, or what has been seen to be successful with male athletes.

But women are very different from men. Women have periods and menstrual cycles, they may use hormonal contraception, they have breasts, they are far more likely to have pelvic floor dysfunction, they have a much higher risk of injury, they manage emotions and derive confidence differently from men.

We believe we need to get better at looking at fitness and performance with a female filter, considering the female-specific factors so that active women can truly get the best out of themselves, whatever their ambitions are in sport.

We want to start an education and a conversation about what we believe are the non-negotiables when it comes to girls and women getting the best out of themselves.

Mastering your menstrual cycle

In 2017 Bobby Clay shared her story in AW. At 15 years old she was a GB middle-distance runner but by 20 she had osteoporosis. Bobby never started her periods, which by 16 would be a cause for further investigation in anyone, but particularly elite athletes.

The menstrual cycle and having periods is a vital sign of health. It is the body’s way of saying that it is coping – with training, with stress, with life. If your body isn’t coping – for example you aren’t getting enough well-timed nutrients to fuel your training – the system that will shut down first (because it’s not needed to keep you alive) is your reproductive system. And so out goes your menstrual cycle.

By removing the menstrual cycle, however, you also remove all of the amazing influences the menstrual cycle hormones have in your body for your short and long-term health. Oestrogen is amazing for building bone strength as you develop in your teens and twenties.   Without it (your oestrogen disappears when you lose your cycle), you don’t build bone strength and you become very susceptible to stress fractures.

Clay spent a whole year with only four weeks fracture-free. We see girls and women losing their periods because of sport, and normalising it. It isn’t normal and needs to be addressed.

But here’s the good news about the cycle. Those same hormones aren’t just amazing for bone health – at times of the cycle when oestrogen is high it makes the female body so good at repairing and building muscle that doing more strength training in the first half of the cycle has been shown to improve strength gains by 15% more than training sessions which are regularly spaced across the cycle.

The cycle has so many powers that we can capitalise on as athletes if we tune in and understand it!

Better known are the more challenging symptoms we can experience across our cycle, mostly in the premenstrual phase and during our period. Pain, fatigue, digestive issues, and emotional fragility. A total of 88 per cent of active women say their menstrual cycle impacts their training and performance, yet 80 per cent of athletes say they can’t talk to their coaches about it.

We have to open up the conversation because we’ve seen the power of cycle tracking in improving an athlete’s ability to predict her symptoms and do something about them (there’s so much that can be done by the way), and that sharing how your cycle impacts training can help your coach or medical team support you better.

Happy on hormonal contraception? 

Whilst we talk about the importance of understanding and considering the menstrual cycle, we also know that up to 50 per cent of active women take hormonal contraception (the figures decrease with advancing age).

Some athletes thrive on hormonal contraceptives but conversation we are not having enough of is that, as well as having many benefits, the pill can have an impact on physical and mental health.

It can increase biological markers of chronic stress and it can increase the likelihood of developing depression. In athletes it can decrease VO2 max  by around 11 per cent and, in a study of Australian athletes, 38 per cent of those using the pill experienced side effects such as low mood, anxiety and weight gain.

Using hormonal contraception is a very individual choice. The important thing, as with taking any medication, is to look out for it impacting you in negative ways, and if you notice that, you can do something about it, like go back to your GP and revisit your options – of which there are plenty.

It’s also important to be aware that when you are using hormonal contraception, you are suppressing your natural cycle, and any bleeding you have is called a withdrawal bleed (in response to the synthetic hormones) rather than a period.

As such, bleeding when you are using contraceptives cannot be used as that vital sign of health we’ve mentioned, and you have to be extra diligent about fuelling, rest and recovery to ensure your body is coping with your sport.

Battling to find the best bra 

The chances are that if you are a woman reading this, you aren’t in a sports bra that fits brilliantly. There’s even a chance that you are not in the right type of sports bra at all or that you don’t even wear a proper sports undergarment.

Yet a well-fitting sports bra can impact your performance by as much as 4 per cent, because even a small amount of breast movement during running can shorten your stride length, increase the energy cost of movement and affect breathing mechanics.

Still, 80 per cent of women are not in the right fitting bra, and 40 per cent of athletes are in the wrong design of sports bra for their breast size and sporting movement.

All of this data led Emma to work with the Breast Health research Group at the University of Portsmouth on a pioneering project which meant that every female athlete going to Tokyo would be fitted in a bespoke bra.

Up until 2017 a generic sports bra had been popped in the Olympic kit bag, completely ignoring the performance gains that could be made by getting everyone in a great bra, that fitted them perfectly.  So, if you do nothing else after reading this – get yourself a sports bra that fits you well. The big brands have good fitting guides on their website.

Perfecting your pelvic floor 

Pelvic Floor dysfunction (be it wetting yourself, having irresistible urges to empty your bladder or bowels, or just not feeling right) has been normalised in many sports. There is now compelling data to show that more athletes are wetting themselves than compared to the normal population, and the higher the impact the sport is, the more likely this is to happen.

This may well seem like a normal part of sport, but it’s a sign of dysfunction and is not okay at all.

Our pelvic floor is supposed to keep us dry and if it’s not doing that then that something is not quite right and needs to be addressed.

There are so many amazing products and services out there now and doing your pelvic floor exercises (properly!) every day is the first place to start. Find good advice on how to do them, as we see so many women who have been doing them wrong for years! Connecting with a good women’s health physio (look at the NHS Squeezy App for a UK Directory) who can help keep your pelvic floor healthy is an absolute non-negotiable for all active women.  If you are a Mum or Menopausal too, this work is doubly important!

Tailoring your training to female physiology 

As mentioned, best practise on how to train for endurance, strength and power is often based on principles designed for men, which doesn’t take into account that women’s bodies work and adapt differently.

That means that, given the same training programme, there will be very different adaptations in women compared to men.

For example, we know that women gain strength differently. Women improve their strength more through neuromuscular adaptation than by building muscle. This matters, because it means that S&C programmes for women need to be really functional and specific to their sport – you can’t just get muscles stronger is isolation. Women’s muscles are also more fatigue resistant than men’s, meaning that during submaximal resistance work they don’t tire as quickly.

This means that women need to be extra diligent about doing training that causes enough stress to the muscle, so it adapts to training and gets stronger and more powerful. Don’t just follow the same reps and sets pattern that your male running partners are using!

Sale centre Manu Tuilagi says he is not focusing on being named in the British & Irish Lions squad as he continues his return from an Achilles injury.

Lions coach Warren Gatland will name his squad for the summer tour of South Africa on 6 May, but Tuilagi should return before the end of the season.

"Hopefully it'll be four to five weeks before I'm back playing," he said.

When asked by BBC North West Tonight whether he was thinking about whether he could be named in the Lions squad, Tuilagi added: "I'm not at the moment because first and foremost I need to get out on the field. Whatever happens after that is a bonus.

"I like to stay in the present moment. We've got some outstanding players here [at Sale] from South Africa so it's going to be tough and I hope the boys that are going will do the job."

Tuilagi, who has 43 England caps and was part of the 2013 Lions squad, signed a new two-year contract with Sale last week.

Having joined on an initial short-term deal in July 2020 following his release from Leicester Tigers, Tuilagi has scored one try in six games for the club, who are currently third in the Premiership table.

"We're out of Europe now and our focus is solely on the Premiership," he said.

"Watching the boys every week, growing as a team, it really makes me excited to come back and hopefully add something to it."