Sports Ticker #151 – Two-hour marathon barrier smashed and Britain’s biggest boxing clash finally announced - a speed read of commercial updates from the sports

In a fortnight that saw York City FC draw against Rochdale AFC in dramatic fashion to win the National League, a world-record 59,000 people take part in the London Marathon, and the Women's Six Nations in full swing, we bring you news of the robot rivalling the world's best table tennis players and the first sub two-hour marathon time in race conditions.

As always, if there are any issues on which you’d like more information (or if you have any questions or feedback), please do let us know or get in touch with your usual contact at RPC.

Sole Mates: Adidas’s Sawe pips Nike to sub-two marathon
The London Marathon 2026 rewrote athletics history. Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe became the first person ever to break the two-hour marathon in official race conditions, crossing the line in 1:59:30. Hot on his tail, Yomif Kejelcha, also broke the two-hour barrier with a time of 1:59:41. Just earlier, Tigst Assefa broke the women’s world record with a time of 2:15:41. The common link? All three were sporting the Adidas Adios Pro 3, completing a three-stripe clean sweep for the brand. The product of years of investment, Adidas was quick to capitalise on the athletes’ success, with race times scribbled onto the soles of each runner’s trainers for official post-race photographs, since published worldwide and shooting the company’s share price up 2%. The record is likely to sting for rivals Nike, with Sawe’s achievement immediately overshadowing Nike’s multi-million dollar “Breaking2” campaign, which saw Eliud Kipchoge break the two-hour mark on a closed Monza Formula One track in 2019, albeit outside of official race conditions.

A Spoke of Genius: London lines up landmark Tour de France Femmes event
On 1 August 2027, London will host the first-ever team time trial (TTT) for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Global audiences can expect the world’s best riders in women’s peloton race in a coordinated, tight formation at extreme speed, in what is described as one of cycling’s most visually striking formats. The 18km circuit will thread through the heart of the city, passing the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and Tower Bridge, before finishing on The Mall. The race is projected to be the most-attended women’s sporting event in British history and is expected to inject £12 million into the economy. Unlike a traditional Tour de France stage, spread across rural France, the city-centre TTT will concentrate the spectacle in a dense urban setting – free to attend and easy to broadcast. For brands linked to sport, fitness, apparel, equipment, wellness and tourism, that creates a rare activation opportunity around a genuine landmark moment in women’s sport.

Clash of the Titans – A Netflix Original: The long-anticipated Fury-Joshua fight finally announced
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have agreed terms for one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in recent history. Expected to air around November 2026, Netflix has already secured broadcasting rights for the event, further cementing its move into live sport. The streaming giant previously broadcast the Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua clash last December, which peaked at 65 million concurrent streams and generated an estimated 1.4 billion impressions across the platform’s social channels, breaking records and demonstrating the reach of Netflix’s extensive global audience. Often described as the most anticipated fight in British boxing history, the Joshua–Fury bout offers Netflix a major opportunity to continue strengthening its position in global live-sports streaming and can serve as a high-profile example of how to maximise the value of sports IP in the streaming era. 

Good Greaves! Beau ‘n’ Arrow makes history as first woman to win a PDC ranking title
A dramatic 142 checkout to beat Michael Smith 8-7 in the Players Championship 11 final, saw Beau Greaves become the first woman to win a Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) ranking title. The 22-year-old is no stranger to success with previous achievements including: a 114-match winning run in the PDC Women’s Series, and being the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour. Greaves powered through to the final, overcoming two more ex-world champions in Rob Cross and Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. Commenting on her win, Greaves stated, “I am working hard and I am at the level I want to be at. … I just want to be successful and give young girls someone to look up to.” The achievement takes her to within £4,000 of the provisional qualification spots for October’s World Grand Prix, which would offer further opportunities to make history.

The Premier League’s Profit Paradox: Record Income, Rising Losses
Premier League clubs are generating record revenues but face mounting financial pressure, with combined pre-tax losses approaching £800 million for the 2024/25 season. Analysis of club accounts shows that total income rose to £6.8 billion, driven by increasing global demand, commercial growth and media rights. However, rising costs from wages and transfers have continued to outpace revenue gains for 14 out of 20 clubs in the league. Underlying operating deficits reached £1.65 billion, reflecting sustained investment across squads and infrastructure, though player trading and asset sales helped to mitigate the impact. Despite this, owner funding has remained steady at £1.3 billion, reflecting confidence in long term profitability. With Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) due to be phased out in favour of Squad Cost Ratio (SCR), which links football spending more directly to revenue (see sports ticker #141 for more on this), it will be interesting to see whether the trends continue in earnest.

Extra time...

…and finally, it’s Game, Set, Match-ine learning. In a landmark moment, AI robot, ‘Ace’ has outplayed table tennis pros at their own game. Developed by researchers at Sony, Ace wields an eight-jointed arm and operates high-speed cameras that track the ball’s spin and trajectory. In the split second before the ball lands, it is able to predict the shot and prepare a return - a skill refined through hours of simulation. This rapid decision-making has helped it to defeat former Olympic-level elites for the first time, a significant milestone in AI’s physical capabilities, which until now have struggled to compete against human opposition. The robot’s success owes to its ability to return difficult net points and react rapidly in real time. True to its name, it dominated in aces - points won directly from serves - racking up 16 to its opponents’ eight. It even scored points its human opponents thought impossible. But it isn’t topping the leaderboard just yet: of five opponents, Ace beat only three.