SPORT - The African Mirror

Sep

15

2020

Hamilton not probed after taking a knee in ‘Arrest the Cops’ T-shirt

SPORT

ALAN BALDWIN SIX-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will not be investigated by the sport’s authorities after he took a knee before the start of the Tuscan Grand Prix on Sunday with a message on his T-shirt declaring "Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor". The words "say her name" and a photograph of Taylor were on the back of Briton Hamilton's black shirt as he knelt with other drivers before the anthem as part of the sport's now-regular anti-racism stance. The FIA has decided that it won't investigate whether Hamilton’s protest violated its rules. The Mercedes driver, the…

Sep

15

2020

By The African Mirror

PSG ‘strongly supports’ Neymar over racist abuse complaint

SPORT

PARIS St Germain has thrown their support behind Neymar after the Brazil forward reported being a target of a racist slur during the French champions' 1-0 defeat by Olympique de Marseille on Sunday. Neymar, 28, one of five players sent off during the match at the Parc des Princes, informed the fourth official he had heard a racist comment while walking off the pitch. In a statement on Monday, PSG urged the French league's governing body (LFP) to investigate the matter. "Paris St Germain strongly supports Neymar Jr who reported being subjected to racist abuse by an opposing player," the…

Sep

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Hamilton wins drama-filled Tuscan Grand Prix

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FERRARI marked a major milestone, Mercedes stole the show and Red Bull celebrated a debut podium. That encapsulates the high drama at the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit, which saw two red flag restarts after crashes and ultimately a 90th win for defending champion Lewis Hamilton, who withstood a strong challenge from teammate Valterri Bottas, finished the race in 2nd position. The win means that Hamilton is now 55 points ahead in the world championship table and is within one win of matching F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s record. "It was a bit of a daze.…

Sep

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Hamilton and Mercedes spoil Ferrari’s party

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER WORLD champion Lewis Hamilton recorded his historic 95th pole - Mercedes’ 69th - after he pipped teammate Valteri Bottas in the qualifier for the Tuscan Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit. Bottas did better during the practice and earlier qualifiers but Hamilton delivered a strong performance when it mattered most. Mercedes locked out the front row, followed, in the second row, by the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Alexander Albion. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who performed well in the practice round, starts the race in 5th in a race of historic importance to Ferrari. He will…

Sep

11

2020

By The African Mirror

Ferrari celebrates 1000 Grand Prix races

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FERRARI celebrates a special milestone this weekend and the start of the festivities came with a change in fortunes out on the track. The Ferrari team and cars will sport different colours for the Toscana Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, to mark the historic 1000th race. Out on the track, Charles Leclerc provided much needed hope that the team might emerge from a slump of form which has seen them fail to claim a podium position since the post-COVID-19 restart of the F1 season. The team’s 2020 car - the SF 1000 - has disappointed, failing to…

Sep

10

2020

By The African Mirror

Olympic champion Caster Semenya’s 11-year battle to compete

SPORT

RACHEL SAVAGE CASTER Semenya, the South African double Olympic 800 metres champion, lost her appeal against World Athletics rules that women with high natural testosterone levels must take drugs to reduce them to compete in middle-distance races. Switzerland's top court on Tuesday upheld a 2019 ruling by sport's highest court, the Court of Arbitration, that the global governing body's rules were necessary for fair female competition. WHY DID SEMENYA GO TO COURT? Semenya both wowed and raised eyebrows when she became 800 metres world champion at the age of 18 in 2009, having recorded dramatic improvements in her personal bests.…

Sep

09

2020

By The African Mirror

Semenya loses appeal against CAS ruling over testosterone regulations

SPORT

DOUBLE Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya has lost her appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) to set aside a 2019 Court of Arbitration (CAS) ruling that female athletes with high natural testosterone levels must take medication to reduce it. But the South African has indicated that she may continue her battle in the European and domestic courts ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo next year, vowing to "fight for human rights". Semenya approached the tribunal in May last year after CAS, sport's highest court, ruled that the regulations of the sport's governing body World Athletics were necessary for…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian striker makes Champions League history

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO NIGERIAN striker Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva has become the first African player to top the goal-scoring charts in the UEFA Women’s champions league. The 30-year-old striker, who currently plays football for FC Minsk in the Belarus Premier League, netted 10 goals in seven appearances during the 2019/2020 Champions League season. She will, however, share the UEFA golden boot award with two other players who scored the same number of goals. Arsenal’s Vivian Miedema and Breidablik’s Bjorg Borvaldsdottir recorded the same goalscoring feat at the conclusion of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which was won by French team Lyon. Oghiabekhva has…

Sep

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Historic maiden win for Gasly in drama-filled Italian Grand Prix

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO THREE talented young drivers drove the races of their lives, giving Formula 1 fans a peek into the future in a drama filled race won by Pierre Gasly with top teams Mercedes and Red Bull missing from the podium. AlphaTauri’s Gasly, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Racing Point’s Stroll are seen as the next generation of F1 winners and they showed what they are capable of at Monza, a home race for Ferrari who suffered a double-blow when both drivers failed to finish the race. The 2020 Italian Grand Prix produced a spectacle of events that dazzled formula fans…

Oct

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria makes its presence known in mixed martial arts

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO IF you were asked to think of the most famous athletes from Nigeria, the options would effortlessly roll off your tongue. The memories would come flooding back of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and the nostalgic glory of Nigeria’s football team would make you smile. Now? Now it’s Nigeria’s dominance in mixed martial arts, a sport that is captivating millions around the globe, with four Nigerian fighters at the centre of that conversation. Israel Adesanya. Picture: Supplied One would only have to look at the recent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 253 event between current middleweight world champion Israel…