The 2014 World Rowing Championship regatta in Amsterdam, the Netherlands is ready for the finals of the five para-rowing boat classes that will be raced today, Thursday 28 August, 2014.
Australia has proved to be the team to beat in many of the races and they will contest three out of the five finals.
First up will be the Para women’s single sculls (ASW1x). This final is shaping up to be the race of the newcomers. Great Britain’s Rachel Morris is just half a year into para-rowing after switching from hand cycling and she has proved herself already by winning her heat on Monday. But the fastest qualifier for the final was Norway’s Birgit Skarstein. Skarstein started para-rowing last year and quickly came through to be the 2013 World silver medallist. These two scullers will meet for the first time in the final.
The Para men’s single sculls (ASM1x) is likely to be a battle between Great Britain’s 2008 Paralympic Champion Tom Aggar and the reigning World Champion Erik Horrie of Australia. Both of these scullers won their heats and the final will be their first race against each other at this regatta.
The Para mixed double sculls (TAMix2x) may be a repeat of the World Rowing Championships a year ago when Australia (Gavin Bellis and Kathryn Ross) and France (Perle Bouge and Stephane Tardieu) finished first and second respectively. Both of these crews are back again with both recording similar times in their heats on Monday.
It is the second year for new boat class, the Para LTA mixed double sculls (LTAMix2x) and the 2013 World gold medallists Kateryna Morozova and Dmytro Aleksieiev of Ukraine are back again to defend their title. Ukraine’s strongest challenge is likely to come from the crew from Australia which set the fastest qualifying time when they raced in their heat.
The Para mixed coxed four (LTAMix4+) has been dominated by World and Olympic Champions Great Britain. But the British were challenged in their heat by the United States. Great Britain came out ahead forcing the United States to qualify for the final through the repechage round. The US won it handily and will again face Great Britain in the final.
Awards presented at Monaco ceremony during UEFA Champions League draw
The German international claimed a total of nine votes, with Germany midfielder Martina Müller in second place receiving the remaining three votes, leaving their VfL Wolfsburg teammate and Swedish international Nilla Fischer in third place.
The jury comprising 12 journalists, each regularly reporting on women’s football and selected by European Sports Media Group (ESM), cast their final votes via electronic system based on the shortlist of the top three players that came out from the second round of voting.
The initial shortlist of the top ten players had been provided by the coaches of the teams participating in the 2013/14 UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals.
Nadine Kessler. photo credit uefa.com
Receiving the award on stage from UEFA President Michel Platini, 26-year-old Nadine Kessler said:
Cristiano Ronaldo
“It’s an award that gives me confirmation that I have done everything right and that I worked really hard. In the end, it is only possible with good team-mates around you in order to develop in this way.
That was the case with Wolfsburg and also with the national team. It is something really special.
To be honest I didn’t even dream about it. It is a surprise for me. I had some great, competitive team-mates alongside me. But I’m simply over the moon.”
The Portuguese international claimed a total of 26 votes, with FC Bayern München teammates German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (19 votes) and Dutch forward Arjen Robben (9 votes) occupying second and third place respectively.
The jury was composed of 54 renowned sports journalists representing each of the UEFA member associations. The journalists voted live, via an electronic voting system, in order to determine the final winner amongst the last three nominees.
Presented with the award on stage from UEFA President Michel Platini, 29-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo said:
“I am really happy! I worked very hard, but I want to thank my team-mates too, because they were really essential for me to be able to win this individual trophy.
2013/14 was an extraordinary season, both on a personal and on a team level; we managed to play a great Champions League and to win the trophy, I was the top scorer in the competition, and set the new top-scorer record.
I think the trophy was well-deserved. Of course, we still have to train a lot to keep playing like this. This is the first time I’ve won this trophy, so I am really happy.”
For these awards, players were judged on their performances during the 2013/14 season in all competitions, both domestic and international, and at club and national team levels.
Full details of the voting results for both awards, together with lists of previous winners, can be found on http://www.UEFA.org
Xabi Alonso to Bayern is the biggest move of the day, but here are some of the other top transfer rumours making the rounds as compiled by our man Paul Ayorinde.
you can follow Paul on twitter: @El_Pauleta on twitter and also follow @NewFanzone and we will follow you right back, lets keep the discussion going.
Done Deals:
– Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Wilfried Zaha from Manchester United on a season-long loan deal
– Esteban Cambiasso has joined Leicester City details later.
– Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung has signed a new four-year contract at the club
– Bayern Munich have announced they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Xabi Alonso.
– Metz have completed the signing of midfielder Sergei Kryvets from BATE Borisov
-QPR have completed the signing of defender Jack Robinson from Liverpool
Wilfred Zaha
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Hull City are close to signing striker Abel Hernandez from Palermo
– Sandro’s agent said it is “very unlikely” Tottenham will sell the midfielder to Napoli
– Chelsea are still reportedly keen on signing Roma striker Mattia Destro
– According to reports, Juventus and Valencia are still in the hunt for Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez
– Marseille are keen on signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Diego Capel
– According to reports, Sevilla are close to signing OGC Nice defender Timothee Kolodziejczak
– Marseille are on the verge of signing Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
– According to reports, Tottenham are pursuing a loan deal for Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck.
– Manchester United are in talks with Sporting Lisbon over a deal for midfielder William Carvalho
– Sunderland are closing in on a deal for Inter Milan’s Ricky Alvarez
– Sheffield Wednesday wants Manchester United defender Marnick Vermijl on a season-long loan deal
– Sunderland have reportedly offer £6million for Celtic defender Virjil van Dirk
– Burnley are looking to submit a bid for Derby defender Richard Keogh
-According to reports, Leicester City have offered £5million for Locomotiv Moscow striker Dame N’Doye
– West Ham are in talks over a deal for Rennes defender Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik
– According to reports, Aston Villa have agreed a £8million deal with Manchester United for midfielder Tom Cleverly
– Arsenal have reportedly tabled a £11.9million bid for Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
– Inter Milan are looking to sign Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri
– According to reports, Real Madrid will agree a €23million deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Marco Reus next summer
-Tottenham have reportedly ended their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Alexander Song
– Borussia Dortmund are in advanced talks to re-sign Manchester United forward Shinji Kagawa
– QPR are close to signing Gremio defender Bressan on a season-long loan
– According to reports, Manchester United wants a pay-as-you-play deal for Arturo Vidal due to concern about his right knee
– Roma are reported preparing a bid for Newcastle defender Davide Santon
– Newcastle have renewed their interest in QPR striker Loic Remy
Football tit bits:
– Wayne Rooney has been named England’s new captain by manager Roy Hodgson
– Louis van Gaal has warned fans,Angel Di Maria should not be seen as Manchester United “miracle” as his big-money signing was officially presented to the media for the first time
– Leeds United have sacked head coach David Hockaday just six games into his reign
– Former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has announced his retirement from football after a heart condition was detected at a routine medical
– Defender Cosmin Moti saved two shoot-out penalties to send Bulgarian side Ludogorets into the group stage of the Champions League for the first time
– Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won UEFA Best Player in Europe Award ahead of Bayern Munich pair Manuel Neuer and Arjen Robben
The Nigeria Football Federation has urged all stakeholders to discountenance a statement from the League Management Company that matches of the Nigeria Premier League are being suspended.
“It has come to our notice that the League Management Company has been issuing notices to clubs in the Premier League that matches are being suspended from this weekend.
“This is totally untrue. If the LMC received a notice from the Nigeria Referees Association about purported withdrawal of referees, the LMC should have brought this to the notice of the NFF and not to take a decision to suspend the League on its own,” NFF President, Ambassador Chris Giwa, said in Abuja on Thursday.
Giwa expressed his unhappiness with the Nigeria Referees Association for the threat to withdraw referees from the Premier League, and said the NFF would not take the matter lightly.
“As the owners of the League, the Nigeria Football Federation is hereby making it clear that Premier League matches are not being suspended. Matches scheduled for this weekend will definitely take place,” Giwa affirmed.
The NFF has therefore called on all referees appointed for this weekend’s matches to go for their matches.
The NFF Crisis as taken another turn twist as Another member of the Chris Giwa Faction as denied being part of the election that has brought Giwa into the glass house in a press release obtained tonight Sunday Dele Ajayi Chairman of the Ondo State Football Association has denied taking part in any election.
Ajayi also reiterated his belief in the FIFA Statutes stating that he is still preparing for the upcoming elections scheduled for September 2014.
below is a copy of the Ondo State FA chairman’s Statement
The Local Organising Committee of the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 have published the 1st Official Bulletin concerning next year’s Championships.
The IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 will be hosted in the National Stadium of the Chinese capital from the 22 to 30 August 2015.
“The IAAF World Championships will be the biggest sporting event on the planet in 2015,” commented IAAF President Lamine Diack. “2000 athletes from over 200 nations will assemble in Beijing in a year’s time for nine days of competition which will be broadcast to an accumulated audience of 6 billion worldwide.”
“The magnitude of the task to organise Championships of this size is of course enormous but with a year to go I am confident that the IAAF and the Local Organising Committee, together with our Official IAAF Partners and suppliers and national partners, will be able to deliver a spectacular edition of the Championships.”
Lee Pearson successfully defends world individual Grade Ib in Normandy
Four years of waiting for another individual gold medal to add to his already record-breaking tally came to an end for an emotional Lee Pearson (GBR), who took the Grade Ib individual title at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA) today.
Pearson has won 32 Paralympic, world and European titles in his career so far, but his last individual gold was four years ago at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky. At London 2012 he took silver and bronze in the individual tests, something of a shock result at the time, and gold in the team competition, and then missed the cut for selection for the British team at last year’s European Championships.
Pearson, riding Zion, scored 77.310% ahead of his London 2012 rival and freestyle gold medallist Pepo Puch of Austria. Riding Fine Feeling S, Puch scored 74.793% to take silver, while the bronze went to Nicole Den Dulk of The Netherlands, riding Wallace to score 71.621%.
End of a tough journey
Clearly moved by his victory, Pearson said: “I just love that horse. He gives me everything. He was still a bit aware of his surroundings within the arena, which is quite novel because normally he’s totally focussed on me, but he stayed really relaxed.
“It’s been a tough journey, what with London and not getting selected for the Europeans and a tough five years personally as well. It’s also been tough with this horse. A lot of people didn’t have faith in him, but I always have from day one. We’ve had our problems – he broke my back in four places – but I adore riding him. I ride him outdoors on my own and we’re just two naughty beans that have fun together. We make the perfect pair.
“I don’t love too many horses, they are all treated equally in my yard, but I do love him and we have proved quite a few people wrong and it means a lot.”
London 2012 individual bronze medallist, and current European champion Puch said of his silver: “At the beginning I was quite afraid about my score. I had to wait and wait as I rode at the beginning, so I had the whole day waiting but I’m really happy with the silver. I was sitting and watching my colleagues and watching the Austrian rider in the Dressage arena. That’s the good thing about these Games, we have a lot of disciplines taking place.”
Puch had competed at previous Games as an able bodied rider before an accident caused his disability. He added: “I know them all and this is my third discipline at a World Equestrian Games.”
Great Britain’s Lee Pearson (centre) celebrates clinching the Grade Ib individual title at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 with Austria’s Pepo Puch taking silver and The Netherlands’ Nicole Den Dulk scoring bronze. (Jon Stroud/FEI)
First medal
In taking the bronze, The Netherlands’ Den Dulk won her first major international medal and had a smile that looked as if she had won gold. “I have no words,” she said. “This was out of this world. I have so much emotion. My whole goal was just to come high enough to ride in the freestyle and now I am standing here with a medal. It’s unbelievable. Pepo is my ultimate hero in Para-Equestrian Dressage and I have just been beside him on the stage.”
Close call in Grade III
Earlier in the day, Germany’s Hannelore Brenner had claimed the first gold medal of the Para-Equestrian Dressage competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014.
Brenner, riding Women of the World, successfully defended her 2010 world individual title against Sanne Voets of The Netherlands, and Susanne Jensby Sunesen of Denmark.
The double London 2012 gold medallist scored 73.610% to Voets’ 73.146%, riding Vedet PB. Sunesen, on Thy’s Que Faire, scored 71.976%.
After receiving her medal, Brenner said: “I am really happy. The ride was wonderful and I am so happy that it was enough for the first place. You don’t know till the end of the competition and I didn’t stay to watch as I don’t have the nerves for that, but I looked at the live score when Sanne was riding. I think it took a year off my life!
“It could be the last time with my horse because she is 19 years old so I am very emotional, more than the other years.”
The first and second place results in the Grade III echo those of last year’s European Championships. Voets reflected on that and said: “Last year in Herning I won the same medal in the same test and the difference between me and Hannelore was quite big, but now we are getting closer every time. It’s going to be exciting in the freestyle.” Voets won the freestyle competition at the Europeans, with Brenner taking the silver.
Sunesen’s bronze is her first major international medal, having come fifth at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. “It is wonderful,” she said. “I nearly cried when I got to the podium and I am just so happy. It means a lot to break through.”
Tomorrow sees the final individual tests decided as Grades Ia, II and IV riders take to the arena. Crucially tomorrow, the team competition will also be decided with the top three teams earning the first places at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Here are Paul Ayorinde’s picks of the latest football transfer news making the rounds.
You can follow Paul on twitter: @El_Pauleta on twitter and also follow @NewFanzone and we will follow you right back, lets keep the discussion going.
Adrien Rabiot
Done Deals:
– Tottenham have completed the signing of Federico Fazio from Sevilla on a four-year contract
– Watford striker Troy Deeney have signed a new four-year contract at the club
– Barcelona have completed the signing of defender Douglas Pereira from Sao Paolo for €4million
– Celtic have announced the signing of Ghana international winger Mubarak Wakasso from Rubin Kazan on a season-long loan deal
Federico Fazio. photo credit uefa.com
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Various reports have linked Manchester United with a move £24 for Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho.
– Arsenal are believed to have made bids for Adrien Rabiot, with Juventus and AS Roma also linked to Rabiot.
– Hull manager Steve Bruce have admitted defeat in his bid to sign striker Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn Rovers
– Inter Milan are planning a bid for Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa
– Arsenal target Alessio Cerci future has once again been thrown into doubt after he was left out of Torino’s Europa league squad
– According to reports, Palermo striker Abel Hernandez is on the verge of joining Hull City
– Tottenham reportedly asked for Mattia De Sciglio in exchange for Roberto Soldado,but AC Milan turned them down
– According to SkySport Italia, Marco van Ginkel has turned down a loan move to AC Milan,as he wants to stay at Chelsea
– Arsenal are reportedly considering a late swoop for Barcelona’s Munir El-Haddadi
– According to reports, Sevilla are closing in on a deal to sign Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez
– Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a deal with Atletico Madrid for defender Toby Alderweireld
– Alvaro Arbeloa is keen on leaving Real Madrid before the end of the transfer window
– According to BBC, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is unlikely to sign a new striker before the end of the transfer window despite Olivier Giroud’s injury
– Bayern Munich are considering a move for Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso
– Arsenal have offered former Birmingham striker Nikola Zigic a contract,according to his agent.
– Wigan midfielder James McArthur is on the verge of joining Leicester City
– Olympiakos are reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain defender Clement Chantome
– According to reports,Manchester United are weighing up a £20 million move for Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen
– Hamburg are interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby
– Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha is close to joining Crystal Palace on loan
– According to reports, Inter Milan midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic is been monitored by Crystal Palace and West ham
– Hull City defender Alex Bruce is set to join Blackburn Rovers
– Chelsea striker Fernando Torres’ wages are a stumbling block regarding a move to AC Milan
– Benfica are interested in Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez
– Daniel Agger claims he doesn’t know if he will still be at Liverpool on Monday when the transfer window shuts
– According to reports in France, Real Madrid are planning to spend the majority of the money they received from Manchester United for Angel Di Maria on Radamel Falcao
– Tottenham are interested in Barcelona midfielder Alexander Song
-Turkish Club Trabzonspor is keen on Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
– Norwich City are on the verge of signing Club Brugge midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe for £4million
– Cardiff city are interested in signing Bordeaux defender Lamine Sane
– QPR are reading to move for West Ham midfielder Mohammed Diame
– Athletic Bilbao are interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi on loan
Football tit bits:
– Crystal Palace have appointed Neil Warnock as their new manager on a two-year contract
– Xabi Alonso has announced his retirement from international football with Spain at age 32. He had 114 caps to his name
– Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne is out of hospital after his latest health scare.
-New Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis has revealed he got to know his Swansea City team-mates by researching them on the Football Manager computer game
– New Everton striker Samuel Eto’o has indicated he wants to put his fall-out with Jose Mourinho behind him.
– UEFA have postponed Israel’s opening 2016 European Championship qualifying match against Belgium because of security reasons. Israel was scheduled to host Belgium in Jerusalem on September 9th. The game will now be played March 31st 2015 at a venue to be confirmed later.
– A football Fan as Won £1250 After mistakenly placing a bet on MK Dons in the Capital one clash against Man Utd.
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