SPORT - The African Mirror

Dec

10

2020

Egypt and Mali claim U18 AfroBasket Honours

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO MALI’S U18 men’s national team won their second straight Federation International Basketball (FIBA) U18 African championship title after edging Senegal 82 - 80 in their finals matchup in Cairo, Egypt. https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1336772508159270913 The young Malian team were defeated by their Senegalese adversaries earlier in the week, but rose up to take the title with a last minute dynamic style. Both teams have booked their place in the 2021 U19 World Cup. Mali were helped by their young star Bourama Coulibaly, who was named tournament MVP, for his standout performances throughout the week. https://twitter.com/EBBFED/status/1336791753505050627 The Women’s championship ran concurrently with…

Sep

24

2021

By The African Mirror

LaLiga wonderkids primed to steal the show

SPORT

The emergence of lively young talent in the Spanish LaLiga Santander has breathed fire into an exciting 2021/2020 season. Today, we shine the light on the most exciting budding prospects that are expected to lift the mantle and usher in a new era of flair and excellence. Pedri LaLiga is notorious for creating technical players who are excellent on the ball and work best in fluid systems. Pedri, who broke into Barcelona’s first team last season, was the driving force of their midfield, initiating the offense with a unique creative spark. The young midfielder came through at Las Palmas before…

Dec

10

2020

By The African Mirror

PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players wear ‘no to racism’ t-shirts ahead of rescheduled game

SPORT

JULIEN PRETOT PARIS St Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players wore 'No to racism' t-shirts before their rescheduled Champions League game, which was suspended on Tuesday when the teams walked off in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism. UEFA said on Wednesday that it had appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to "conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding the incident". The incident was sparked when Basaksehir's assistant coach Pierre Webo was shown a red card for protesting against a refereeing decision and the Turkish side then alleged that the Romanian fourth official Sebastian Coltescu used a racist…

Dec

08

2020

By The African Mirror

England ODI series in S.Africa postponed over mental health fears

SPORT

NICK SAID ENGLAND’S One-Day International series against South Africa has been postponed amid concerns over the mental and physical health of the players, Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a joint statement. The announcement comes after the players were subjected to a number of COVID-19 scares with potentially five cases inside the teams' bio-secure environment in Cape Town, with one South Africa player and two hotel staff confirmed as positive. Two members of the England tour party also have "unconfirmed positive results" that require further investigation, the ECB said on Sunday. "The…

Sep

21

2021

By The African Mirror

SA Celebs and sports stars take polar plunge for SA Special Olympians

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO CELEBRITIES and sports personalities braved icy waters, for a good cause, in Johannesburg, South Africa during the fifth annual Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) polar plunge. The polar plunge, a dive in a pool with five tons of ice, was an effort to raise funds for the 2021 SOSA national team who are set to travel to Winter Games Russia. Over 150 celebrities, sports stars, industry members and corporations pledged to take the plunge in support of athletes living with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics is a global sports development organization operating in over 180 countries - serving…

Dec

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s Kandie smashes half marathon world record in Valencia

SPORT

KENYA’S Kibiwott Kandie smashed the half marathon world record by 29 seconds on Sunday, becoming the first person to break 58 minutes at the Valencia Half Marathon. Kandie, who finished second at the world half marathon championships in Gdynia in October, finished the Spanish annual race in 57 minutes and 32 seconds, breaking the previous record of 58:01 set by compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in September 2019. “I can’t believe it, I have beaten Kamworor’s world record by half a minute,” Kandie said. “Today is a great day for me and also for Kenya.” The top four men all ran under…

Sep

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Unleashing women superstars at FC Robo

SPORT

HUMPHREY NJOKU FC ROBO - a football academy as well as a men's and women's football club - is one of those institutions that in certain circles is recognised as a giant-slayer, while outside of those circles it is relatively unknown. That' should change. It would certainly be good for women's football in Africa if FC Robo was a lot more famous. Chidinma Okeke, Rasheedat Ajibade and Asisat Oshoala have all been through its doors. If those names don't mean anything to you, they should. Ajibade plays her football for Atletico Madrid, in the Spanish womens' league, Okeke plays for…

Dec

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Sergio Perez’s historic Formula One win

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO SERGIO Perez had the biggest smile of the night, some tears and made history. Mercedes stand-in George Russell was the most unlucky in a dramatic Formula 1 race at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain which the Mexican won comfortably. Perez, in his penultimate race for Racing Point and probably his last in F1, capitalised on uncharacteristic mistakes by the Mercedes pit team, who caused telling delays to Russell and his teammate for the night, Valterri Bottas. Perez registered his first-ever F1 victory and became the first Mexican since Pedro Rodriguez in 1970, to win an F1 race. He…

Dec

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Mercedes duo impresses as Bottas tops lap charts

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO MERCEDES driver Valtteri Bottas soared to pole position in a time of 53.377s at the modified Bahrain circuit. It would be the first time a Grand Prix would be hosted at the same circuit on back-to-back weekends. Bottas’ single-lap time serves as the quickest lap in Formula One history. The Mercedes driver thanked teammates after he impressed under the Sakhir lights “Thank you everyone for your support, let’s do the job tomorrow!” Mercedes’ other driver, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, shocked his team and the F1 community with a positive COVID test, keeping him out of a whirlwind…

Sep

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Pandemic inflicts off-pitch losses on soccer giants Man Utd, Juventus

SPORT

ABY JOSE KOILPARAMBIL and CHRIS PETERS ENGLAND’S Manchester United and Italy's Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo's current and former teams, both suffered hefty financial losses for 2020-21 as the coronavirus crisis drained European soccer stadiums of fans. While Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward expressed confidence in United's recovery as Old Trafford hosts capacity crowds for the first time in almost 18 months, Juventus said it would also end its 2021-22 financial year, which will still be heavily affected by the pandemic, with a "significant loss". Woodward, who in April said he will step down at the end of the year, reflected on…