Good week, bad week
We round up who had a fantastic weekend of sport, and those who had one to forget.
GOOD WEEK
Hannah Miley
Miley became the first Scottish woman to win gold in the Delhi pool at the Commonwealth Games, after the swimmer prevailed in the 400m individual medley.
"That hurt so much," she said after winning by a margin of 0.62 seconds. "I was hoping it would be a lot faster for the amount of pain I went through."
Rebecca Adlington
The swimmer saw double in Delhi at the weekend, taking the 400m freestyle accolade as well as the 800m title. "It's amazing," she said after her achievements. "I wanted to win so badly."
Dai Greene
The runner became the winner of Wales' first gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games with victory in the men's 400m hurdles.
"I'm very pleased," declared Greene after the race. "The season couldn't have gone any better. I won the UK trials, the Europeans and now the Commonwealths."
Andy Carroll
Carroll received a gift at the weekend to reward his hard work this season. After scoring four goals this term, including a hat-trick in Newcastle's 6-0 win over Aston Villa, he was handed a new five-year contract with the Magpies.
"Every time I pull on the black and white shirt," said an ecstatic Carroll, "it means the world to me."
Louise Hazel
The 25-year-old won a gold medal in the heptathlon. "It's just brilliant," she said. "I'm over the moon. I said I would bring a medal home."
BAD WEEK
Republic of Ireland
Giovanni Trapattoni will have been bitterly disappointed on Sunday morning. His side was outclassed by Russia the night before, with the visitors going 3-0 up soon after the break.
Ireland nearly clawed their way back as Robbie Keane and Shane Long sparked a late revival but it eventually proved too little, too late.
Scotland
The Czechs may have been chuffed, but the Scots will have felt rough after a weekend in which they fell to a 1-0 defeat. Roman Hubnik got the goal for the Czech Republic that meant Craig Levein's men walked away with no points.
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Wales
They huffed and puffed but they couldn't bring Bulgaria down. Wales' 1-0 home defeat to Bulgaria signalled a poor start to Brian Flynn's temporary tenure.
"It was a painful and disappointing result," conceded Flynn, "but I've learnt so many lessons."
Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is far from happy. He crashed in practice, was given a five-place penalty for changing his gearbox, then he finished fifth in the Japanese Grand Prix.
"It's a bit disappointing for myself and my team," reflected a dispirited Hamilton.
Premier League strikers
Memo to all top-flight forwards: mentally prepare yourself for another demanding year of trying to score against Manchester United.
For their current glove-man, Edwin Van Der Sar, refuted claims at the weekend that he will retire at the end of the season.
"That's complete nonsense," said the Dutchman, arguably one of the finest goalkeepers in the world. "I don't know yet whether I will stop or continue after this season."
