SPORT - The African Mirror

Jul

27

2021

Biles out of team event in Tokyo as Osaka exits Games

SPORT

STEVE KEATING and ROZANNA LATIF U.S. gymnast Simone Biles dropped out of the women's team event after a single vault at the Tokyo Games on Tuesday while tennis superstar Naomi Osaka exited only days after lighting the Olympic flame. The International Gymnastics Federation said Biles would play no further part in the team event, but said she would still receive a medal if the heavily favoured U.S. ended up on the podium. "Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue," said USA Gymnastics. "She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions."…

Jul

27

2021

By The African Mirror

SA wins Africa’s 2nd and 3rd Olympic medals

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH Africa has won two silver medals for the African continent and they came from water sports. Tjatjana Schoenmaker won silver in the 100m Breaststroke and Bianca Buitendag, brought home silver in shortboard surfing. Schoenmaker came second to USA's Lydia Jacoby who won a shock gold medal in the women's 100m breaststroke final at only 17 years old. In her race to silver, Schoenmaker defeated pre-race favourite Lily King, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion - who had to settle for a bronze medal. Buitendag won her first Olympic silver, with a score of 8.46 and USA's Carissa…

Feb

16

2021

By The African Mirror

My hat-trick joy – Aubameyang

SPORT

ARSENAL Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his maiden English Premier League (EPL) hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leeds United on Sunday evening. The 31 year-old striker has struggled to find the back of the net throughout the current campaign but thundered back onto the scoresheet with three well-taken goals. The Gabon international opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a low drive past the goalkeeper before converting from the penalty spot following a foul on Bukayo Saka. The feat marks Arsenal’s first EPL hat-trick since 2018. "The hat-trick means a lot to me. I'm a guy who always…

Jul

26

2021

By The African Mirror

Olympics: Japan enjoy golden day, Tunisian swimmer stuns superpowers

SPORT

SAM NUSSEY, TAKASHI UMEKAWA and MITCH PHILLIPS THE Tokyo Olympics has delivered a day of high drama, with a stunning surprise in the pool, one of the great David v Goliath cycling victories and double sibling judo gold as Japan continued their golden start. The host nation bagged skateboarding's first gold medal courtesy of Yuto Horigome, then saw Uta Abe and her brother Hifumi make history as the first siblings to win gold medals in different events on the same day in any sport. With swimmer Yui Ohashi also victorious, Japan's overall gold medal tally rose to five, one behind…

Jul

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisia wins Africa’s 1st gold Olympic medal

SPORT

AFRICA has got her first Olympic 2020 medal and it is gold. Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui shocked the swimming world with a stunning victory in the men's 400m freestyle final. The 18-year-old, who qualified with the slowest time and swam the final in the outside lane, won by 0.16 seconds, with Australia's Jack McLoughlin taking silver and the USA's Kieran Smith bronze. Three years ago, Hafnaoui finished eighth in the same event at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hafanoui was excited: “I just put my head under the water and that’s it. I just can’t believe it.…

Jul

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa hopes for medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE Tokyo Olympics are finally upon us - albeit with questionable energy - and this instalment of games sees a number of new and returning faces representing the African continent. While known countries such as Uganda; Egypt; Nigeria and South Africa have increased their representation at the summer games with the introduction of new sporting codes, some notable faces will be missing the tournament due to IAAF rulings or reluctance to participate amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many sports fans will be eager to see how South Africa’s sprinters and swimmers will do against the USA’s dominant sprinters,…

Jul

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Chad Le Clos: “I hope South Africans can see the pride in all of us.”

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER FOUR-time Olympic medalist Chad Le Close hopes to make South Africa proud as he and the national team begin their Olympic battle. The South African swimmer spoke to media after being announced as one of the flag bearers for his home nation, walking alongside Olympic debutant and women’s hockey vice-captain, Phumelela Mbande. "It is a huge thing, this is special for me, and it means a lot to my family and me. Just being here [at the Olympic Games] is a huge honour after everything that has happened," Le Clos told Tokyo 2020. Le Clos first shared…

Feb

25

2021

By The African Mirror

The golden quartet of Afrobasket

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FORTY games - over 2016 minutes - of blood, sweat and some tears during thrilling action at the African Basketball Championship (Afrobasket) have produced the continent’s top four basketball nations. The qualifying window, which took place in the two cities Monastir, Tunisia and Yaounde Cameroon, produced four teams, reigning Champions Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Egypt who outclassed their group mates. These four teams have yet to lose a fixture in the six qualifying games played and seek to take their brilliant form into the Afrobasket finals held in Kigali, Rwanda from August 24 to September 5. Tunisia,…

Jul

22

2021

By The African Mirror

The Tokyo Olympics will be the Games of all mothers

SPORT

IN March, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee announced that the Tokyo Games would be the “first gender-balanced Olympic Games in history.” JANE THORNTON, Clinician Scientist, Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health, Sport Medicine Physician, Western University MARGIE DAVENPORT, Associate Professor, Christenson Professor in Active Healthy Living, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta The gender gap in sport is well-established. Men have historically dominated elite sport for centuries, but thanks in part to the advocacy of organizations like the IOC Women in Sport Commission, global female representation…

Jul

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenyan lionesses roar

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO AFRICAN Basketball Championship (AfroBasket) Zone 5 qualifiers provided a resilient show by the Kenyan Senior National Women's team (the Lionesses) who defeated Egypt in the final 99-83. The Lionesses butted heads with the Egyptians in the final round of the group stage - losing the tightly contested affair 107-106 at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda. The first two games produced a mixed bag of results as the Lionesses surprisingly lost their opening game to hosts Rwanda, regrouping to achieve their first win against tournament debutantes South Sudan. The semi-final match up against Rwanda provided Kenya with an opportunity to…