TV Guide: World Athletics Championships, Rugby World Cup and Italian Grand Prix

The first world champion athlete was the 37-year-old Veniamin Soldatenko and the Soviet, who died in 2023, remains the oldest winner. Steve Cram and Daley Thompson were Britain’s first world champions once it expanded, winning the 1500m and decathlon in Helsinki in 1983.

Race walking will open the 20th World Championships in Tokyo on Saturday, though the distance has been reduced to 35km, and while Britain has no chance in that, there are a few podium hopes later when Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell go in the final of the 800m (September 21, 11.35am).

Home interest on day one will instead focus on Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes in the heats of the men’s and women’s 100m at 10.55am and 12.35pm, and Laura Muir’s qualifying race in the 1,500m at 11.50am (all on TNT Sports 4 and BBC iPlayer).

The Ryder Cup teams were confirmed last week with Europe changing only one initial (N to R Højgaard) from the side who won in 2023. This weekend, the amateur golfers compete at Cypress Point, California, in the 50th edition of the Walker Cup.

The Great Britain & Ireland team, who play a second day of foursomes and singles matches on Sunday (Sky Sports Golf, 5.30pm and midnight), includes Luke Poulter, whose father Ian was on six victorious Ryder Cup teams, but the US have not lost in the biennial contest since 2015.

There has been criticism of the one-sidedness of many group matches in the women’s Rugby World Cup, with an average scoreline in the first two rounds of 53-11. Poor Brazil, for instance, lost 84-5 to France and 66-6 to South Africa. They have a final outing on Sunday against Italy (BBC iPlayer 2pm).

The quarter-finals that will begin on Saturday (BBC Two, 1pm and 4pm) should be more competitive. In the last men’s Rugby League World Cup, which also had plenty of mismatches, Samoa lost to England in their opening match by 60-6 yet beat the same side in the semi-finals by a golden point.

Ferrari have traditionally done well at their home grand prix. But hopes are not high (Sunday, Sky Sports F1, 2pm) with a lacklustre Lewis Hamilton no better than fourth so far in his debut season. This year the Ferrari stallion has been more plodding than prancing.

Photograph by Tony Duffy/Getty Images