Don McRae

Jennifer Shahade: ‘There’s a long and embedded history of abuse in chess’ The former US women’s champion Jennifer Shahade changed her life and her sport when she made allegations against a grandmaster. Now, she tells Donald McRae, she has turned her hand to writing and poke...

Thanks to Jennifer Shahade, the former US chess champion, for her powerful story about how life has changed since her allegations of sexual assault...in a brave decision which allowed so many other women to share their stories about abuse and prejudice in chess.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

‘We have to take bold decisions’: Williams chief James Vowles on 2026 hopes and F1 title dreams James Vowles, the Williams team principal, tells Donald McRae about pre-season travails, why McLaren are an inspiration and closing the gap to the top

James Vowles is one of the most interesting men in F1 and I really enjoyed interviewing him about his work as team principal of Williams, how he got into the sport, overcoming adversity, winning multiple world titles and his challenges and hopes in a new season

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

TWIW: Hurling transforms Ruislip into Irish hub This week I watched hurling. There was not an awful lot going on around South Ruislip Underground when I stepped out of the station third from last on the Central Line. With just a scattering of co…

This week I watched hurling. South Ruislip was transformed as Westmeath travelled to take on London.

Other sports have seen money and fame warp its sense of purpose, lost in a greedy pursuit of revenues. Hurling makes a nice change.
jackimmcrae.com/2026/02/25/t...

It's almost 20 years since I took my son
@jackimmcrae.bsky.social to see his first Arsenal game. He has just rewatched it and written about it as the familiar old nervy Arsenal tremors are endured again before today's #NLD. But so much has changed since 2006 and Wenger's 10th anniversary...

Keith Wood: ‘After a Lions series, every player that went on tour is wrecked’ The former Ireland hooker tells Donald McRae about his rugby family, why Andy Farrell’s side need to rebuild and the physical toll of touring with the Lions

Keith Wood was special, again, as we spoke about life, death, sons and fathers, the Six Nations and the lessons of the last thirty years and more...

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

TWIW: Ten years on from Kaepernick, the Superbowl cannot hide Trump’s ugly America Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem sparked widespread political debate. Photograph: Heute.at Creative Commons. This week I watched American Football. Except, the 60th…

This week I watched American Football. It is almost a decade since Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the US national anthem and his words still ring true.

With the FIFA World Cup around the corner, Superbowl LX gave a glimpse into what could happen.
jackimmcrae.com/2026/02/10/t...

Referee Hollie Davidson: ‘The stuff shouted from the sidelines was ridiculous – all the classics’ The 33-year-old Scot has overcome misogyny and abuse and, she tells Donald McRae, is proud of becoming the first woman to take charge of a men’s Six Nations match

I was really impressed by Hollie Davidson when we met in Edinburgh. This week she makes history by becoming the first woman to referee a Six Nations game and she reflected with powerful honesty about the kind of abuse she has had to overcome to reach this point

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

Team GB slider Matt Weston: ‘I don’t ever stand at the top aiming for anything less than gold’ Matt Weston tells Donald McRae how he has rebuilt from crushing disappointment in the skeleton four years ago to become Britain’s best hope for Winter Olympic gold at Milano Cortina

Thanks Matt Weston for talking about being the favourite to win the skeleton at the Winter Olympics next week. Matt also spoke about what it's like to race down a thick sheet of ice on a high-tech version of a sled at 90mph – headfirst and with no brakes...

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

TWIW: There is more beneath the Americanised surface of ice hockey and Petr Cech is proof This week I watched ice hockey. The stand that runs alongside the rink at the Alexandra Palace was completely filled and there was little room as hundreds squeezed around the Perspex perimeter sepa…

This week I watched ice hockey. The Haringey Huskies won 6-5 against the Chelmsford Warriors.

The hosts had former #AFC and #CFC goalkeeper Petr Cech to thank for his efforts in goal as a strong home crowd cheered the Huskies on to victory.
jackimmcrae.com/2026/01/27/t...

Laura Holden: ‘I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else’ The former Aberdeen midfielder, now with Swindon, opens up about the debilitating effect of suffering an ACL injury during her time in Scotland

After injuring her ACL, Laura Holden says she was neglected by Aberdeen.

She tells me her mental health was ‘destroyed’ and worries that others in women’s football may be facing similar.

For @sport.theguardian.com, Holden reflects on a difficult two years.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...

‘I was still breastfeeding in the first tournaments I played’: Belinda Bencic on getting back to her best Belinda Bencic has climbed more than 1,200 places following the birth of her daughter and believes she can win a grand slam, she tells Donald McRae

It was great to interview Belinda Bencic about her remarkable comeback after giving birth. Fifteen months ago she was down to No1,213 in the world. Last Sunday she moved back into the world Top Ten. She explained how she did it & why she's playing better than ever
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘It’s a long and difficult dream’: João Fonseca on practice, patience and matching Sinner and Alcaraz Brazilian teenage tennis sensation tells Donald McRae he cannot control expectations but is looking forward to challenging the best again in 2026, starting at the Australian Open

It was good to interview João Fonseca who, at 19, has a simple list of goals: "My dream is to become world No 1, win grand slam titles and make history for Brazil.” A generational talent who seems grounded and, potentially, the world's next great tennis player.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘The whole world can think whatever they want’ – Naseem Hamed on boxing, racism and his greatest regret Former champion on his relationship with trainer Brendan Ingle that is now portrayed on film, quitting at the right time and the importance of his religion

It was very good to talk to Naseem Hamed again. He made some startling revelations while reflecting on his complicated relationship with Brendan Ingle, a lost reconciliation, the art of boxing, changing the sport, racism, why he retired at 28 and his one regret

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

TWIW: Van Veen grows from boy to man as darts continues to produce special moments and characters This week I watched darts. Yet the story begins ten years ago, when an awe-struck 13-year-old boy from the small Dutch village of Poederoijen watched his sporting hero, a 45-year-old former pub lan…

This week I watched darts. Gian van Veen has grown from boy to man to reach the world championship final.

Few sports can have such transformative impact in such a short space of time as darts.

And GvV’s opponent Luke Littler knows that more than most.
jackimmcrae.com/2026/01/03/t...

John Robertson: ‘It took Clough and Taylor for me to realise my talent’ The former Nottingham Forest winger tells Donald McRae of his time under Brian Clough that took in European Cup highs intertwined with tragic personal loss

John Robertson has died. He was a brilliant footballer, a European Cup winner and a lovely guy. He gave me a memorable and moving interview ten years ago. What a man...

www.theguardian.com/football/201...

Joshua and Paul provide pitiful spectacle and the worst is there’s more to come | Donald McRae The bout in Miami was a bleak and blood-flecked affair but both combatants will find more opponents willing to take the money

Anthony Joshua was unimpressive while Jake Paul learnt a blunt truth amid his blood-flecked bullshit. It was a dire night but, despite Paul's broken jaw and the referee's warning that "the fans didn’t pay to see this crap", we'll get more of this pitiful stuff.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/d...

TWIW: Baller League, where the fun never stops. Even when it should. This week I watched Baller League. At 10.30pm on a Monday night I am in a weird sporting purgatory. There are at most a couple hundred spectators left in the Copper Box Arena. The raucous music bla…

This week I watched Baller League, where the fun never stops. Even when it should.

After six hours of forced entertainment, shoddy football and countless adverts, the thousands of empty seats do little to suggest this is truly a 'new era of football'.
jackimmcrae.com/2025/12/20/t...

Spot on, Dan

‘It’s not normal to walk into the tornado’: To fans, there was only one Ricky Hatton. Those who loved him knew many Three months after Hatton’s death, his bereft former trainer Billy Graham, friend Jane Couch and his brother Matthew are all trying to find hope amid the grief

'It's not normal to walk into the tornado.' To fans, there was only one Ricky Hatton. To those who loved him, there were many. Powerful and poignant piece by @donmcrae.bsky.social

‘It’s not normal to walk into the tornado’: To fans, there was only one Ricky Hatton. Those who loved him knew many Three months after Hatton’s death, his bereft former trainer Billy Graham, friend Jane Couch and his brother Matthew are all trying to find hope amid the grief

I went to Manchester to remember Ricky Hatton who died three weeks ago this weekend. Thanks to Billy 'The Preacher' Graham, Jane Couch Mbe, Matthew Hatton, Jack & Lola Hatton for talking so openly and capturing the many sides of the fighter and man they all loved

www.theguardian.com/sport/ng-int...

Thanks Tom

Thanks Jonathan

Michael van Gerwen: ‘Of course I love darts, but I love my kids much more’ The former world No 1 tells Donald McRae how a traumatic year has shaped him as a darts player and a father and insists he can recapture his glory days at the world championship

Thanks Michael van Gerwen for talking so openly about his painful year in which he dealt with divorce from his wife, his father's ravaging cancer, intense scrutiny from the Dutch media & loss of form. He still believes he can win the world championships next month
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/d...

I really liked this @jackimmcrae.bsky.social

Molly McCann: ‘I’m a scouse female gay athlete who supports Everton – it’s like my cards are marked already’ Britain’s most successful female UFC fighter tells Donald McRae why she won’t box in Saudi Arabia but is on an express train to a world title in the ring

I went to Liverpool to interview the mighty Molly McCann. “I’m a scouse female gay athlete who supports Everton – it’s like my cards are marked already" she joked while showing me all the heart and grit that defines her as she returns to boxing...

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...

[2/2] Declan Ryan on The Last Bell: "“Boxing’s grim appeal is revisited by one of its finest chroniclers, alongside a more personal story of loss & grief. McRae takes us ringside to some thrilling bouts. It’s full of tender insight, and thoroughly encapsulates the current state of the hurt business”

Thanks Declan Ryan for making The Last Bell one of the Daily Telegraph's Sports Books of The Year...[1/2]

Boris Becker: ‘Whoever says a prison life is easy is lying – it’s a real punishment’ Former Wimbledon champion tells Donald McRae about how taking accountability for his crimes allowed for rehabilitation, watching Novak Djokovic from his cell and the new era of brotherhood in the spor...

Thanks Boris Becker for such an open interview about the lessons he learned in prison, as well as the terrifying moments, how studying Stoicism helped him, coaching Novak Djokovic, his powerful new book with Tom Fordyce and becoming a dad again at the age of 58

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...

TWIW: Kai Trump’s debut sends women’s golf into the rough President Donald Trump had claimed his granddaughter Kai was ‘really good’ at golf before she finished last in her LPGA debut. Photograph: Heute.at Creative Commons This week I watched …

This week I watched golf. The ANNIKA at Pelican is trying to be more than just an LPGA event & this year, invited the 461st best US junior and President Donald Trump's granddaughter to make her pro debut.

Unsurprisingly, Kai Trump was not good enough.
jackimmcrae.com/2025/11/18/t...

Money lured Anthony Joshua to circus fight but he could really hurt Jake Paul | Donald McRae The so-called Judgment Day fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will generate millions of dollars and attract huge ratings, but leave boxing a little more broken

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are really doing this Judgment Day shtick....

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...