Nigeria U20, the Flying Eagles, have won this year’s Super 4 with a match to spare after they thrashed Dolphins 4-1 on Friday.
The Flying Eagles recorded an unassailable 12 points after they won all their four matches thus far.
Nigeria U23s are in second place on eight points, while Enyimba have seven points.
Warri Wolves have three points and Dolphins are bottom of the six-team invitational tournament without any points.
The final day of matches will be played on Sunday with Flying Eagles taking on Dream Team in a match that is of mere formality for the Nigeria U20s.
MUSA YAHAYA
Warri Wolves will square up with Dolphins and Enyimba take on Pillars.
Taiwo Awoniyi gave the Flying Eagles the lead after 24 minutes off a through ball by Obinna Nwobodo.
The Flying Eagles extend their lead in the 42nd minute through an own goal by Dolphins defender Jonathan Zikiye off a desperate clearance by Victor Ezuruike.
The Nigeria U20s went 3-0 up on 49 minutes through Bernard Bulbwa, who charged from the midfield, ghosted past his marker before slotting home coolly.
However, three minutes later Christain Pyagbara reduced the deficit when he turned sharply inside the box before firing past Flying Eagles goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo.
Dolphins had two players sent of for dangerous play – Ezeruike in the 61st minute and Tijjani Adamu two minutes later.
In the 82nd minute, substitute Musa Yahaya saw his shot come off the crossbar with the Dolphins goalkeeper well beaten.
The Flying Eagles continued to attack their opponents before they grabbed a deserved fourth goal through substitute Chidera Eze.
Flying Eagles
Olorunleke Ojo – Musa Muhammed (Captain), Ali Chinwendu, Saheed Abdul Ganiyu, Zaharadeen Bello, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Akinjide Idowu, Obinna Nwobodo, Bernard Bulbwa,Taiwo Awoniyi, Gabriel ikechukwu
Subs: Joshua Enaholo, Roland Silas, Mustapha Abdullahi, Abdullahi Alfa, Musa Yahaya, Chidera Eze, Prince Aggreh, Tunde Adeniji, Usman Hassan, Billy Auta, Adamu Abubakar, Wasiu Jimoh
Algeria Desert Hawks aim for first WSB victory against Mexico Guerreros
Mexico Guerreros rebounded from an opening World Series of Boxing (WSB) loss to Ukraine Otamans by defeating Morocco Atlas Lions in week two.
They will look to maintain the momentum when they host the second African Franchise, Algeria Desert Hawks, who were whitewashed by Cuba Domadores last week.
Deportivo IV Centernario, Aguascalientes is the venue for this Group A clash, and on Friday January 30th 2015 fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT -6) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Light flyweight (49 kg) Joselito Velázquez Altamirano narrowly lost his opening round match against Hasanboy Dusmatov, and will look to make amends for Mexico against Algeria’s speedy Youcef Soltani.
The second fight of the night is at Bantamweight (56 kg) and Mexico’s Brian González will look to use his past WSB experience as he faces African Boxing Championships gold medalist Khalil Litim.
Light welterweight (64 kg) sees an intriguing contest between Raúl Curiel García, who claimed the first win of the season for the Guerreros Franchise, with victory over Volodymyr Matviichuk. This time he meets Mohamed Boudiaf who will look to spring a surprise in Mexico.
Misael Uriel Rodríguez Oliva lost his opening Light heavyweight (81 kg) contest but will be confident to win at home against former Algerian youth sensation Azzouz Boudia.
In the last fight of the evening, Mexican Heavyweight (91 kg) Daniel Paniagua faces multi-time championship winner Bouziane Houna.
Rafako Hussars Poland and Argentina Condors both look for their first WSB win
Both Rafako Hussars Poland and Argentina Condors are still searching for their first World Series of Boxing (WSB) victories of the season, which makes this Group B clash a tantalising fixture.
After losing away in Puerto Rico, Poland were within one round of defeating Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, but eventually lost the match, while Argentina are 0-2 after two defeats.
Hala OSiR Włocławek is the venue for this match, and on Saturday January 31st 2015 fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT +1) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Home favourite Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski lost his opening match in Puerto Rico, and will look to avert that slide at Light flyweight (49 kg) against Argentina’s Junior Zarate who won his opening fight against Nico Hernandez.
At Bantamweight (56 kg) Poland’s Sylwester Kozlowski makes his first appearance of the season against the Argentine stylist Ignacio Perrin who also makes his WSB season debut.
Light welterweight (64 kg) Damian Kiwior already has WSB experience, but lost his opening match of Season V, and he will seek revenge against Roban Sanchez.
One of the best fights of the night should be the Middleweight (75 kg) contest between Tomasz Jablonski, who knocked out Jean Alicea in week one, against Argentina’s Christian Zarate who packs a very exciting style.
The last bout of the evening is at Heavyweight (91 kg), where Poland’s Igor Pawel Jakubowski will look to continue the momentum of his first week stoppage victory against Elber Passos.
USA Knockouts bid to remain undefeated against a confident Caciques Venezuela
After achieving one of the most surprising results in the history of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) last week when they destroyed Azerbaijan Baku Fires, Caciques Venezuela travel North as they face the undefeated USA Knockouts who have been one of the surprise packages of the season.
The American Franchise have enjoyed wins over Argentina Condors and Italia Thunder, and will look to make it three out of three against the confident Venezuelan side.
A marvelous venue in the Miccosukee Sports & Entertainment Dome, Miami hosts this Group B fixture, and on Friday January 30th 2015 fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT -5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
An evening of much action begins at Light flyweight (49 kg) with America’s Nico Hernandez looking for his first win of the season against Venezuela’s rookie Yoel Finol who impressed in a losing WSB debut.
The Bantamweights (56 kg) fight next, and Francisco Martinez representing the Knockouts is seeking his second win in a row when he faces José Vicente Azocar who lost his opening fight against Meirbolat Toitov.
Tra-Kwon Pettis is a very exciting boxer, and makes his first appearance of the season for USA in a tough Light welterweight (64 kg) clash with Luis Arcón who narrowly fell to defeat in Kazakhstan.
Jose Endry Saavedra Pinto is ranked in the top 15 in AIBA’s rankings, and the Venezuelan meets America’s WSB Middleweight (75 kg) veteran Anthony Campbell who won his opening week contest by a round one knockout.
The Heavyweights (91 kg) finish the night in Miami, and Josh Temple will be itching to get into the ring following his week one walkover victory, and he will be hoping Alfonso Flores will make it to the ring following the Venezuelan fighters third round loss in week one.
Will Azerbaijan Baku Fires recover from shock against Astana Arlans Kazakhstan?
A rematch from the semi-finals of Season IV of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) is perhaps the jewel of the third week of Season V, as Azerbaijan Baku Fires host Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
The Baku Fires suffered a humiliating loss in week two away in Venezuela, while Kazakhstan have remained undefeated so far this season.
It was Azerbaijan who reigned victorious over two legs last time out, and they host this Group B fixture at the Guba Olympic Complex, where on Saturday January 31st 2015 fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 19:00 (GMT +4) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Light flyweight (49 kg) Rasul Saliyev makes his first appearance of the season against Temirtas Zhussupov who is competing in his second WSB campaign for Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
Magomed Gurbanov is currently enjoying a winning run in WSB, and the entertaining Bantamweight (56 kg) is in action for The Baku Fires against the relatively unknown Nursultan Kochshegulov.
Light welterweight (49 kg) Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev is a WSB legend, and he dismantled Italy’s Olympic and AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Vincenzo Mangiacapre in week one.
He faces further tough opposition against Astana Arlans Kazakhstan boxer Askhat Ualikhanov, who was impressive last season for his Franchise.
In the penultimate fight of the evening, Middleweight (75 kg) Jaba Khositashvili competes for Azerbaijan against Kazakhstan’s exciting Meiirim Nursultanov who stopped Juan Rodríguez in the fourth round of his first week contest.
The youthful Azeri Heavyweight (91) Rail Mammadli completes the action in the last fight, but he will be a massive underdog against Vasiliy Levit who is coming off a stoppage win in his first WSB match of the season.
Will Russian Boxing Team defeat Cuba Domadores for the second time in WSB history?
Cuba Domadores have achieved a perfect ten out of ten in results so far in Season V of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) but face their toughest test to date in week three against Russian Boxing Team, the only Franchise to defeat Cuba in WSB history.
Both of Cuba’s wins so far this season have come against African opposition, while Russian Boxing Team are also undefeated from their sole WSB contest against China Dragons.
Ciudad Deportiva, La Habana is the venue for this Group A match, and on Friday January 30th 2015 fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT -5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The first fight of the evening is at Light flyweight (49 kg) and Cuba’s 2013 AIBA Junior World Champion Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez will look to make it 2-0 this season against 2011 European Championships silver medalist Belik Galanov of Russia.
Olympic champion Robeisy Ramirez is in action next at Bantamweight (56 kg) for the Domadores, and he is also looking for his second win of Season V when he faces World Cup of the Petroleum Countries gold medalist, and former European Junior Champion Bakhtovar Nazirov.
Light welterweight (64 kg) action follows, as two-time AIBA World Championships silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist Yasnier Toledo puts his overall WSB career 6-2 record on the line against Russia’s exciting Avak Uzlian.
Cuban Middleweight (75 kg) Arlen Lopez stopped Badreddine Haddioui in week one of Season V, so Russian WSB veteran Maxim Gazizov will have to be at his very best to avoid a similar result in Havana.
The night ends at Heavyweight (91 kg) with the WSB Season IV boxer of the year Erislandy Savon looking to make it 2-0 for the season, and 10-0 overall in the competition as he meets the powerful Dmitriy Zaytsev.
WWE fans were treated to an exciting match between Kane and Daniel Bryan on Thursday after both wrestlers engaged each other in a casket match.
Both Kane and Daniel Bryan had been at each other’s case for quite some time. They use to be tag team partners and they won the tag team title together a few years back.
However, after Kane declared his allegiance to the Authority, both superstars have been on the opposite sides of the fence and they have constantly been at loggerheads.
Following Bryan’s return from neck injury (which Kane was partly responsible for) that kept him away from competition for nearly a year, Kane resumed his usual torment of the leader of the YES movement.
Angered by his early elimination from the Royal Rumble and Kane’s continuous attacks, Bryan decided to end his feud with the Corporate Demon once and for all and a casket match as arranged.
The rules of the match is simple, the wrestler that successfully lock his opponent in a casket wins.
The fight itself was an0 highly intense encounter as was expected. Both wrestlers used every weapon and tactics to incapacitate the each other. Kane used his strength and bigger body mass to his advantage but Bryan’s determination made him a difficult customer.
The WWE Yes Man bravely recovered from each of Kane’s attacks and in the end his persistence paid off when he knocked the Authority’s resident demon out with a Running Knee. The move was enough to help Bryan close the casket and sealed the win.
The January transfer window is yet to pick up steam but like every other window its not devoid of the drama and rumours our man Paul Ayorinde serves you a complete dish of transfer gist spiced with some AFCON Updates and other titbits.
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:
– Hamburg have completed the signing of Ivica Olic from Wolfsburg on an 18-month contract.
– Valencia have announced on their official website that they have released Portugal international Joao Pereira and he has signed for Bundesliga club Hannover.
– Swansea have completed the signing of Jack cork from Southampton on a three-and-a-half year deal
– Bordeaux have officially announced the signing of French midfielder Clément Chantôme from PSG on a three-and-a-half year deal
– Crystal Palace signs left-back Pape Souare from Lille
Today’s football reports and transfer rumours:
– According to Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella, Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado will be joining Chelsea.
– According to reports, Hull City are in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a possible loan deal for Aaron Lennon
– Burnley have ruled out selling reported Liverpool target Danny Ings during the January transfer window.
– Louis van Gaal has ruled out any further signings for Manchester United in the January transfer window, while Darren Fletcher looks set to exit the club for West Ham.
– Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin has said Roma’s offer for Luiz Adriano is “not satisfactory,”
– Reports indicate that Milan have reached a deal for Genoa’s Luca Antonelli.
– Juventus have confirmed that Paolo De Ceglie has ended his loan spell with Parma and that he will return to training in Turin tomorrow.
– According to reports, Fiorentina are interested in Barcelona defender Martin Montoya.
– Roma Coach Rudi Garcia reveals Roma will bring in a striker before the deadline day.
– Manchester United are ready to bid €40million for Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, according to reports in Italy.
– Luca Marrone’s loan move from Juventus to Cordoba appears to have fallen through, after the player reportedly failed a medical.
– Manchester City midfielder Bruno Zuculini will head back to the Etihad Stadium after Valencia decided to end his season-long loan.
– According to reports in France, AS Monaco have opened talks with Tottenham over the possible transfer of Aaron Lennon.
– Arsene Wenger claims Arsenal are unlikely to make any further signings this month after completing the capture of defender Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal and teenage midfielder Krystian Bielik.
– Harry Redknapp admitted QPR have enquired about Wolves winger Bakary Sako
– Swansea City are working on a summer deal for Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to reports in Belgium.
– Tottenham are reportedly the favourites to sign Yehven Konoplyanka from Dnipro
– Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has identified Feyenoord’s Tonny Vilhena as his first-choice replacement for Jack Cork plenty of attacking options.
– Reports suggest Bayern are no longer eager to sign Marco Reus as they have plenty of attacking options.
– Milan’s joint-CEO Adriano Galliani will reportedly meet full-back Pablo Armero to discuss the player’s possible transfer to Genoa.
– Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle is edging closing to signing for Wolfsburg, with the Bundesliga side’s director of sport saying only signatures are missing.
– Turkish club Trabzonspor are favourites to sign Real Madrid’s Germany international midfielder Sami Khedira.
– West Brom have been offered the chance to sign former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan on loan from Japanese club Cerezo Osaka.
– Juventus have reportedly reached an agreement with Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto. He will sign on a free in the summer.
– QPR are targeting a move for West Ham midfielder Mark Noble.
– Arsenal are ready to launch a last-gasp bid for Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic.
Football tit bits:
– Algeria forward Islam Slimani will miss the rest of the tournament due to a muscle injury that kept him out of their last group match against Senegal.
– Guinea striker Mohamed Yattara believes luck played a big role as they managed to advance to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations after playing draws in all three group matches. “It is a huge joy. We didn’t have our fate into our own hands anymore. Thanks God, luck was on our side. Now, we are all happy.” Yattara said
– Midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa is not allowed to play for Nice this season, after FIFA ruled a Newcastle Under-21 game counted as a competitive match.
– David Ginola has withdrawn his controversial candidacy in the race to be the next FIFA president.
– Chelsea striker Diego Costa should change his game after picking up a three-match ban for stamping, says Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini. “It will be a good thing for him to change a little bit in the future. He doesn’t need to play in that way because he’s a very good player.” Pellegrini said
– Louis van Gaal has confirmed that Michael Carrick will miss up to a month of action for Manchester United after rupturing a muscle.
Super Eagles out of contract Coach, Stephen Keshi has opted to be in charge of the Delta/ Edo Ex-internationals against the rest of the Country in the clash between both sides on Sunday, 1st of February at the Warri City Stadium in a match put together by friends of Okowa to showcase the Peoples Gubernatorial Candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa while veteran Goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala will take over as Coach of the rest of Nigeria.
In a release made available by the Chairman, Publicity Committee, Moses Etu, Keshi has made his intention known to handle Delta/ Edo players made up Harry Blackson, Mobosa Brodericks, Duke Udi, Samson Ozogula, Sam Okpodu, Edema Fuludu, Prince Afejukwu, Sam Sodje, Humphery Jebba and Davidson Owumi.
Others in the Delta/ Edo side include Austin Popo, Tosan Blackson, Kenneth Nwomucha, Lucky Sunday, Joshua Kator, Sam Otis, Joseph Cole and Sebastine Okoh.
STEPHEN KESHI
Those who will feature for Coach Emmanuel Okala and who have confirmed their participation are Peter Rufai, Mutiu Adepoju, Jay Jay Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, Emmanuel Amunike, Uche Okechukwu, Nduka Ugbade, Friday Ekpo and Emeka Ezeugo.
“Stephen Keshi has sent words that he would like to handle the Delta/ Edo side of Ex-Internationals and with that, the onus to Coach the rest of the Country fell on Emmanuel Okala. The players will arrive Warri on Saturday where accommodation has been reserved for them and the match will start by 2pm .
Meanwhile, Warri Wolves feeder team will lock horns with Mowoe Babes before the Ex-Internationals showcase why they have become household names in the Country and fans who will not cough out a kobo to watch the match will not regret coming.
One measure of the success of Olympic class racing on Biscayne Bay is the steadily growing participation. The numbers in 2015-599 boats from 63 countries-make this a record turnout. But make that 64 countries. Add Cuba to the list.
It was a sun bathed day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, with the cool northern breeze from the day prior replaced with a shifty, yet warmer, easterly that tested the sailors once again.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami – Day 4 Highlights
Spotlight on the Laser, Men’s RS:X, Nacra 17 and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella.
URL – http://youtu.be/pvNUH9bPttc
Embed –
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the pool stage matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.
Marais Erasmus and Nigel Llong will be the on-field umpires for the tournament opener between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch on 14 February. S. Ravi and Simon Fry will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively, while David Boon will be the match referee.
On the same day in a day/night fixture in Melbourne, Australia will lock horns with England in a match which will be umpired by Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena. Billy Bowden will act as the third umpire, while Joel Wilson will perform the fourth umpire’s duties. Jeff Crowe will be the match referee.
Apart from Mr Boon and Mr Crowe, Chris Broad, Ranjan Madugalle and Roshan Mahanama will share the match referees’ responsibilities during the 44-day tournament in which 49 matches will be played. All the five are members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.
All the 12 members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires are available for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Apart from the four on-field umpires in action on the opening day, Bruce Oxenford, Ian Gould, Paul Reiffel, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Rod Tucker and Steve Davis will feature during the event.
Fry, Ravi and Wilson are members of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires. They will be joined by Johan Cloete, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Ranmore Martinesz and Ruchira Palliyaguru during ICC’s pinnacle event.
Meanwhile, the ICC has also confirmed umpire appointments for the 14 warm-up matches that will be played in the lead up to the tournament proper. These matches will be played in Christchurch, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
One measure of the success of Olympic class racing on Biscayne Bay is the steadily growing participation. The numbers in 2015—599 boats from 63 countries—make this a record turnout. But make that 64 countries. Add Cuba to the list.
At the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, presented by Sunbrella, Cuba’s Yuseily Gonzalez Luis is coming in late (obviously) with no hope of qualifying for the Medal Races on Saturday. Even so, she wants to bring her RS:X windsurfer to the start line, if only for a day, to put her punctuation on the thaw in international relations. And see some friends on the water. And in a small way, make history.
Luis is likely to find single-digit winds on the course on Friday, down from the teens on Thursday. Once again, the racecourse was built out of shifts, whichever one of six racing areas you might have in mind. Once again, everyone struggled, but a few people turned in the kind of results that don’t show it.
And then there was Bjornar Erikstad in the 2.mR, who learned anew the virtues of being “OSS.” On Start Side. When both of your nearest competitors are OCS. Over early at the start. Suddenly the longtime campaigner from Nøtterøy, Norway is sitting in first with 21 points in his pocket.
It’s lonely at the top.
Laser
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Laser—Herman-Tomasgaard
Britain’s Nick Thompson, who says that his favorite boat is the foiling Moth, is doing nicely here in a Laser, in contact with the surface of the water. The former youth world champion leads the 106-boat fleet with an eight-point margin going into the final day of racing ahead of Saturday’s double points Medal Race. In second place, Philipp Buhl of Germany has burned his throw-out race on a 34th, so he has more to lose than Thompson (a 12th to throw out) if the wheels fall off on Friday. Behind them are serious threats still within range, depending, and it remains a difficult racecourse.
Young Andy (“Pain is temporary; glory is forever”) Maloney of New Zealand has had his moments of late. He won the Palma version of this event in 2013, and in 2012 was second at Hyeres. As race day five beckons, he is seventh in the standings and found Thursday’s conditions not quite as challenging as the races on Wednesday. “They moved the Thursday start into the morning,” he said. “By comparison it seems to get a lot more patchy in the afternoon, as things heat up.”
The second race of the day was ripe to be abandoned, and it was. “Between races, we were seeing 40 degree shifts with pressure drops to 5 knots,” Maloney said, “and then pressure building to 15 knots and back to 5. They got a start off, and a massive lefty came down with heaps of pressure. It was a lay to the weather mark, so that race was abandoned, and we waited around for a bit. I think they were hoping it would stabilize, but finally they set up at an average angle and got on with it. There were lots of little shifts, but the thing was to be sure you were in phase with the big ones. When it’s that tricky, nobody can get everything right.”
Maloney won a race on Monday. Today he went 7-11.
Laser Radial
ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP MIAMI 2015 Anne-Marie Rindom DEN207194 Laser Radial, aarhus N, Jylland DEN
Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindon had the lowest finishes of the top three Radial sailors today, but that didn’t knock her off the top of the leaderboard. An 11-14 day means that she is now eating an 11th and discarding the 14th. Previously, a 7th was her discard.
The day’s results tightened things up, with second and third both in striking range.
Evi Van Acker of Belgium is only five points back. Marit Bouwmeester is only two points behind that.
This sets up some interesting running-math problems for the Medals Race on Saturday.
The hard-luck story of the day was Annalise Murphy from Ireland, who was part of this conversation until she picked up a keeper 35th in race eight. “It was hard to know where you had to be,” she said, and left it at that.
Nacra 17
ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP MIAMI 2015 Vittorio Bissaro Silvia Sicouri ITA 262 Nacra 17,
Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) held firm in the Nacra 17 to maintain their lead over Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) and Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA).
The Italians celebrated their first ISAF Sailing World Cup gold medal in Miami 12 months ago and returned with the one aim – to defend.
They are on track to achieve their goal and were full of smiles after racing, “We are happy because it’s been a very tricky week,” commented Bissaro. “We’ve been consistent in most races and that’s why we’re still leading. There are three races and a Medal Race left so we don’t want to lose our good mood and we’ll look to stay consistent until the end of the World Cup.”
Sicouri added, “We won our first ISAF event here last year. We want to do the same again this year. This event is very important because the Olympic Games are in just one and a half years. This Miami fleet is very strong and everybody wants to beat everybody so from now on each race is going to be very important.”
Two points clear of Saxton and Groves, the job is far from a given. Three vital races remain and then it’s down to Saturday’s deciding Medal Race.
49erFX
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) hold a mammoth 56 point lead in the 49erFX. It’s still mathematically possible for them to lose their lead – but it’s hard to bet against the 2013 World Champions losing such an advantage.
Below the breakaway Kiwis, there’s a real ding dong battle forming for the remaining podium positions. Nine points separate second to sixth. Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth (GBR) sit second whilst Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) occupy third.
The Italians finished runners up at the 2014 edition and are battling for a medal once again. Conti and Clapcich were first ashore after racing – helped by being the first across the finish line in the final race of the day. A fourth and a seventh preceded their bullet which won them the day and Conti was in a buoyant mood after racing, “Miami is nice and warm, it’s good and it was to escape a European winter,” she joked.
“We had a very good day with a fourth, a seventh and that first. That bullet was a good way to end the day. We’re enjoying the sun and Miami is always very good racing.”
Three further races will be decide the Medal Race places, in which a real dogfight will be on the cards if the points remain similar at this stage on Friday.
49er
It’s a good old fashion game of snakes and ladders in the 49er with a new leader at the end of the fourth day.
Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) were the only team to finish in the top ten three times in a row. A 7-8-2 has enabled them to advance to the leading position.
Australia’s Joel Turner and Iain Jensen are just one point behind the Austrians, in contention, waiting patiently to pounce. Spanish brothers Carlos and Anton Paz are in third, 14 points off the top.
Early leaders Diego Botin and Iago Lopez (ESP) have dropped further down the leader board following another day at the back of the pack.
470 Women
The rich got richer in the Women’s 470 fleet, where the familiar series leaders had a 1-3 day to further tighten their grip on first. That would be the 2012 Olympic gold medalists from New Zealand, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, who are sitting on the enviable scoreline of 2-2-1-(7)-1-1-3. Pressure outweighed direction shifts, in Powrie’s thinking, but shifts were nothing to ignore, Aleh said, “Get both right and you were really looking good.
“There was a lot of close racing,” Aleh said. “We had downwind legs where the whole fleet was right there.”
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark of Great Britain, silver medalists at the 2012 Games, are 13 points back, with a 10-point margin over Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntire. Also from the UK, Weguelin and McIntire have the Japanese duo of Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka breathing down their necks.
Non-athletes need not apply. Trapeze boats make extreme demands in changeable conditions, with the sailors trimming sails and, we might say, trimming their body weight in and out for balance in a sort of ongoing emergency triage. Or as Aleh put it, “There was a lot going on out there.”
Men’s 470 results echoed Women’s 470 results, with the rich getting richer. In this case, it was 2012 silver medalist Luke Patience and crew Elliot Willis sailing a throw-out 18th and keeping a race eight first.
Patience won his 2012 silver medal with Stuart Bithell, just two weeks after the pair teamed up. The new team of Patience and Willis wrapped up the European 470 Championship in 2014 with races to spare, and this pair from the UK are in form again.
Australians Mat Belcher and Will Ryan are 9 points back and still in touch. Then it’s an 18-point jump to Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera of Spain.
Finn
On a 3-1 day, Giles Scott, the Finn class leader who hasn’t lot a regatta in 18 months, doubled his lead. The way he saw the racecourse, he said, “The right was stronger than the left, but there were routes out of the left. It was an oscillating day with bands of pressure, a shift and position day.”
It was, he said, about “joining up the gusts.”
Scott is 18 points ahead of Australian Jake Lilley and 18 points ahead of Ioannis Mitakis of Greece, with one more day of racing before the double-points Medals Race on Saturday.
Scott’s fellow Briton, Ed Wright, had a 5-12 day and took it a bit harder. “If I was left,” he said, “it went right. If I was right, it went left. It’s a shame I picked up an RTD [Retired] earlier in the week or I’d be looking good now.”
Race seven started the day and went to Croatia’s Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, who “got a clear lane after the start and kept on the right hand side. At some moments it didn’t look so nice, but patience paid and I rounded the top mark just ahead of the fleet. On the downwind I got a bit of distance and then just controlled to the finish.”
The cut to make the top 10 is tight in the Finn fleet, with four boats close on points and another group not to be ruled out.
Men’s RS:X
ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP MIAMI 2015 Men’s RSX
It was mixed days all around for the Men’s RS:X fleet with high scores afoot for many of the fleet.
London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED) grabbed the lead from Thomas Goyard (FRA) in spite of an up and down day. When he was up, he was up – securing an opening race bullet ahead of Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) which was then backed up by a sixth. When he was down, he was down – finishing back in 22nd, which he now discards.
Although his day was somewhat back and forth, his competitors experienced similar results, thus leaving the Dutchman with a three point advantage over Goyard. Kokkalanis’ daily string of 2-1-15 leaves him seven points off the top.
Italy’s Daniele Benedetti had something to prove to himself in the final race of the day after he was black flagged and scored over the line in the first two races. Perhaps it was his freshness on a warm Miami day that gave him an advantage but Benedetti grasped the lead early on and never looked back, taking the gun.
Benedetti sits in 12th.
Women’s RS:X
Bryony Shaw (GBR) has solidified her position at the top of the Women’s RS:X leader board, adding another race win to her impressive tally of four. Shaw is 21 points clear of Lilian de Geus (NED) and firmly in control, ready to defend the title she won one year ago.
Flavia Tartaglini (ITA) occupies third overall with Hayley Chan (HKG) two points behind.
Paralympic Events
Bjornar Erikstad (NOR) is now leading the way in the 2.4mR after his three main rivals were all on the course side in the final race of the day. He leads on 16 points with Megan Pascoe (GBR) second on 17 points.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne winners Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) remain in the lead in the SKUD18. Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) are second whilst Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti (ITA) are third.
Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg (NOR) grabbed the Sonar lead with both hands after a double bullet day. They are a point clear of Alphonsus Doerr, Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund (USA).
Racing is scheduled to resume at 10:00 on Friday 30 January as the Medal Race places will be decided.
Egypt proved their dominance as the African table tennis powerhouse at the 2015 ITTF-African Championships, which concluded today in Cairo, Egypt.
The host nation claimed five out of the seven gold medals on offer: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
In Women’s Singles, Dina MESHREF (EGY) avenged for her teammate Nadeen EL-DAWLATLY by defeating the defending champion HAN Xing (CGO) 4-2 (11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5) at the final hurdle, to win Egypt’s fourth Women’s Singles title in history, and the first in over a decade.
Dina Meshref led the Egyptian charge to 5 gold medals, winning 3 herself!
After the victory, the 21 year old shared her joy of claiming her maiden ITTF-African Championships Singles title: “I am very happy winning this title because it is really not easy to win especially against the Chinese-born Congolese. It is especially meaningful for me to win it in Egypt in front of my fans and my compatriots!”
The Men’s Singles finals match was a battle between Egypt’s top players after sensationally the hot favourite and the 2014 ITTF Male Table Tennis Star Quadri ARUNA (NGR) was knocked out in the quarter finals. 2011 All Africa Games champion Omar ASSAR overcame his experienced compatriot Ahmed SALEH in 4 straight games (11-6, 11-9, 14-12, 11-8), stopping SALEH from claiming his 18th ITTF-African Championships title.
The 23 year old stated, “I did not expect the game to have the way it went because Ahmed SALEH was playing good before the final. I was so lucky to have won and I am happy winning this title.”
“It is a very great feeling for me, I won the African Championships Singles title for the first time and it was a big dream for me since I was a child. I started table tennis in a small club here in Egypt and then moved to a bigger club and I watched Ahmed SALEH and Sayed LASHIN playing and I didn’t imagine that I am going to play against them in the final; it was a great day here in Cairo.” added the newly crowned champion.
In the Mixed Doubles event, the singles champions ASSAR and MESHREF teamed to successfully defend their title. They came back from 0-2 to account for Congo Brazzaville’s HAN Xing and Suraju SAKA in 6 games (6-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7).
ITTF Africa Senior Championship: Nigeria Dominates Men’s Doubles Event
In the Men’s Double & Women’s Doubles gold medal matches, rising powers Congo Brazzaville and Nigeria prevented Egypt from sweeping all 7 gold medals on offer. The high spirited pair of HAN Xing & Onyinyechi NWACHUKWA (CGO) were able to calm their nerves against the young Egyptian duo of Dina MESHREF and Nadeen EL-DAWLATLY, winning 4-2 (11-9, 3-11, 11-4, 11-7, 3-11. 14-12).
The Nigerians posed big threats to the Egyptians on their way to gold at the 2015 ITTF-African Championships. The Nigerians dominated the Men’s Doubles scene, world number 30, Quadri ARUNA, together with colleague Makanjuola KAZEEM (NGR) stood victorious after overcoming compatriots Ojo ONAOLAPO and Jide OGIDIOLU in 6 games, with the slightest margins (11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 10-12, 12-10, 12-10).
Andreas Hollmann, an FEI Level 3 course designer who learnt his trade with Frank Rothenberger, has died suddenly at the age of 53. He had been working at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva in Valencia (ESP) when he collapsed on Tuesday of this week.
Based close to Dortmund, he successfully completed the apprenticeship to become a professional instructor, or Bereiter, in Germany, but health problems meant that he could not continue to work in this area. He competed successfully up to national 1.40 classes, but back problems meant that he had to abandon his competitive career. Not wanting to leave the equestrian world, he took up course design, which became his real love.
A minute’s silence was held in memory of Andreas Hollmann at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour at Oliva in Valencia (ESP) on Wednesday. (Photo: Hervé Bonnaud)
Andreas Hollmann worked with Frank Rothenberger for more than 15 years, including the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2006 at Aachen, the European Jumping Championships 2013 at Herning (DEN), and several FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals. He was also the course designer at several CSIs, including at the Olympic Birds’ Nest Stadium in Beijing (CHN) and CSI-Ws in South Africa.
He had been appointed as course designer for this year’s CSIO 5* in Sopot (POL), part of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Europe Division 2 and, for the first time, for the German National Championships, the Bundeschampionat 2015 in Warendorf. He also organised a number of national shows in Germany, together with his sister Gaby.
“Andreas Hollmann was a really wonderful person”, FEI Jumping Director John Roche said. “He was a very familiar presence on the international circuit and was an extremely capable course designer. He always had a big smile on his face, and will be greatly missed by everybody who knew him.”
Andreas Hollmann, the German course designer, who died suddenly this week at the age of 53
A minute’s silence was held in memory of Andreas Hollmann at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour (MET) yesterday.
“We lost our beloved friend and MET member Andreas Hollmann. We will miss you”, the MET posted on its Facebook page.
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Andreas Hollmann’s family and his many friends, the German Equestrian Federation and the global Jumping community.
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