It has been quite a week for Evans and Welsh gymnastics in general with drama, disappointment and delight in equal measures.

Evans was part of the Wales women’s team that just missed out on a medal in the team event.

The quintet had been part of the second rotation and led the competition before the final four teams performed.

The television cameras kept panning to the Wales team in the crowd, who could only sit and wait to see if they had won a medal, before they were denied a bronze by England.

Then Evans, alongside Emily Roper, went for individual all-around glory.

Evans was second after two of the four disciplines before she had a terrible beam routine, which included a faltering start and falling off halfway.

That dropped her to seventh and only a miracle on the floor would see her rise back to the top three.

She ended up sixth. It left her distraught and you hoped that would not be the defining image of her Games.

Evans pulled out of the uneven bars on Monday as she rested a shoulder injury.

“I just watched the competition, had some food and chilled and watched the Love Island final,” said Evans.

Evans watched the 20-year-old Roper identical twins providing one of Wales’ stories of Glasgow so far by winning bronze medals within a couple of hours of each other.

Abigail beat Emily to the the third podium position in the vault. Emily brushed aside the disappointment of finishing fourth to return to claim bronze in the uneven bars with the iconic image of her sister cheering her on from the stands.

A first Welsh women’s vault for 32 years, a first bars medal in history. And immense exposure for the 20-year-old twins they never expected, with numerous interview requests for them and their parents from around the world.

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard is well-aware of his resume and the No. 1 thing it’s missing: wins. Through his first nine years at the helm, he has compiled a 70-78-1 regular-season record with just two playoff appearances, one playoff victory eight years ago and zero AFC South titles.

Most NFL GMs would have been fired with a resume like that, but Ballard has survived for a 10th season. The catch, however, is that for the first time in his tenure, he’s entering the final year of his contract with no extension.

Asked Tuesday, on the eve of the Colts’ first training camp practice of the new season, if he thought he’d get a new deal done before the start of the season,

Ballard simply said, “No,” before adding, “I wouldn’t do one.”

Why not?

“I’m in the last year of my deal,” he said. “And we need to win.”

The Colts have not made the playoffs in five years, tied for the third-longest active streak in the NFL. It’s also the franchise’s longest postseason drought in more than 30 years.

Something must change, Ballard acknowledged, and he hopes to be a part of the solution. He added that Colts principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has continued to empower him to do his job with no restraints, the same way her father once did.

“Nobody puts more pressure on me than myself to succeed,” Ballard said.

This year may be his final chance.

QB outlook

Aside from discussing his own uncertain future, Ballard covered a variety of topics in his annual pre-training camp news conference on Tuesday, including the Colts’ unique QB situation involving Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard.

On one hand, Indy has more clarity at quarterback than it did last year, when Jones was competing with Richardson for the starting job. Jones is now entering his second season as Indy’s unquestioned starter after a resurgent, yet abbreviated 2025 campaign. Despite rupturing his right Achilles tendon last December, the Colts retained Jones in free agency by signing him to a two-year, $88 million contract. Jones said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he’s fully cleared for practice, but Ballard noted that there’s a difference between Jones being fully cleared and being fully back to his pre-injury form.

“Anytime you go through surgery, there’s always gonna be a little bit of a new normal for any player,” Ballard said. “It doesn’t mean they’re not great again. … You gotta work through that.”

Meanwhile, the Colts remain in a holding pattern with Richardson. The 2023 No. 4 pick requested a trade in February, and while he hasn’t rescinded that request, Indianapolis is not in a rush to move him. Richardson is poised to compete with Leonard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, to be Jones’ top backup. Ballard added that his intention, “right now,” is to keep all three QBs during the 2026 season.

“We’re not just giving him away,” Ballard said of Richardson. “… When you take a guy as high as we took him, you want him to come in and be the savior right away. Well, everybody’s developmental plan is different. His (plan) was a little different. I still think he has a future. We’ll see how that plays out here.”

One factor to keep in mind is Richardson’s $4.2 million roster bonus that is due Saturday. When the Colts cover that tab, any team interested in trading for the 24-year-old QB would then only have to pay Richardson $1.1 million for the 2026 season.

Contract talk

Ballard expects Jonathan Taylor to practice on Wednesday, even without handing him a lucrative new contract. The star running back is entering the final year of a three-year, $42 million deal and said in June that he wanted “to be a Colt for life.”

Three years ago, when Taylor was in a similar situation — he was entering the last year of his rookie deal — he got into a public and sometimes bitter back-and-forth with late team owner Jim Irsay before landing a new deal. Taylor did not practice amid the negotiations, citing an ankle injury that required surgery and a lengthy rehab. He missed all of training and the first four games of the 2023 season, but once he put pen to paper, he played the next day.

“He’s in a good spot,” Ballard said of Taylor. “… All these people look at the past, thinking it’s gonna happen again, nah.”

Taylor is coming off back-to-back seasons of at least 1,400 rushing yards. The three-time Pro Bowler led the NFL in total touchdowns last year with 20, marking the second time he’s reached that threshold in his illustrious career.

In addition to Taylor, star left guard Quenton Nelson is entering the final year of his four-year, $80 million deal. He’s earned eight straight Pro Bowl nods to start his career. The only other offensive lineman in NFL history to pull that off is Hall of Famer Joe Thomas.
Ballard said he wouldn’t discuss any specific contract negotiations with Nelson or Taylor, but ideally, he’d like to keep both standouts in Indy.

“Quenton Nelson is a pillar. (He) stands for all the right stuff,” Ballard said. “Jonathan Taylor has been an excellent, excellent player for the Colts. (I) would love to have them long-term. We’ll see.”

Arnold inquiry

Ballard confirmed that the Colts inquired about free-agent cornerback Terrion Arnold. The 2024 first-round pick was waived by the Detroit Lions in June after he was charged with eight felonies, four for robbery and four for kidnapping. Arnold, who is currently out on bond, could face a potential life sentence in prison if convicted.

“He hadn’t been convicted,” Ballard said. “We look at every player that hits the market, and you gotta dig into those issues. Unfortunately, people get charged in the court of opinion before it goes through the court system. So, we have to be able to do our research.”

The Colts were among a few teams that have shown interest in Arnold, according to his agent, Nicole Lynn. She said in a Florida court hearing earlier this month that the Colts, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans have all been in contact with her regarding Arnold. The Texans even brought Arnold in recently for a workout, Lynn added.

Arnold was limited to just eight games last year due to various injuries. He has one interception and 18 passes defensed through his first two NFL seasons.

Injury updates

Wide receiver Alec Pierce and rookie linebacker CJ Allen will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list due to ankle and calf injuries, respectively. Ballard said Pierce, who underwent left ankle surgery in March, is still a “week or two away” from returning. However, the GM was noncommittal about his team’s top receiver being available for Week 1.

“I’m not gonna make a prediction, one way or the other,” Ballard said. “I learned a long time ago with another certain player (Andrew Luck), you don’t make predictions, and I’m not a doctor. So, we’ll just play it by ear.”

Allen, meanwhile, recently tweaked his calf during a workout, a league source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. Ballard described the injury as a “muscle strain” and doesn’t think it’ll require a long-term absence. Allen, the Colts’ second-round pick out of Georgia, is projected to be a starter.

Manchester City winger Savinho is open to leaving the club with a view to exploring a move to Tottenham.

The Brazil international is a key target for Spurs head coach Roberto de Zerbi and City are aware of the interest in the 22-year-old.

It is understood Savinho is keen to leave during this transfer window, with the machinations towards his potential move to London now under way.

The attacker joined City from sister club Troyes for £30.8m in July 2024, having spent the previous season on loan at Spanish side Girona.

Tottenham held talks to sign Savinho last summer, but the Etihad club were not looking to sell at that stage.

He subsequently signed a two-year contract extension last October, keeping him at City until 2031.

Savinho was a regular under Pep Guardiola in his first season, scoring three times in 48 appearances all competitions.

However, his game time was more limited last term, appearing in 36 matches across all competitions in Guardiola’s final campaign as boss.

Savinho had competition for a starting spot with Rayan Cherki, who joined from Lyon last summer, and Antoine Semenyo, a January signing from Bournemouth, also used on the right-hand side.