Organisers of the third Okpekpe 10km road race scheduled for next month in Okpekpe have announced a quantum increase in the prize money for the first nine Edo-state born finishers in the men and women race.
The respective male and female winners will go home with N500,000 each ,an increase of N400,000 while the first and second runners-up will get N300,000 and N250,000 respectively.
The ninth-placed runner will get N50,000 while the eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth and fourth-placed finishers will go home with N75,000, N100,000, N150,000 and N200,000 respectively.
Yusuf Ali, a member of the organising committee and former Africa, Commonwealth and World Universities Games long jump champion explained that the committee arrived at the decision to increase the prize money for the locals because of the need to encourage them and make them more competitive.
Okpekpe road, Edo State
‘The committee feels there is the need to make Edo-state indigenes up their game and make them more competitive. The new prize money structure will make them train more and, hopefully, we will get them to compete for the main prize of $25,000,’he said and expressed happiness that the male winner in that category in the past two editions,Lawrence Osheku has promised to improve on his performance.
‘You can seee that the guy who emerged the best Edo-state indigene in the last two editions, Lawrence (Osheku) is already talking about improving from a 34 minutes runner to 31 and this will be a significant improvement. I am sure if he is able to achieve this, he will be contesting for the top prize for Nigerian runners.We believe by next year he will be among the contestants for the $25,000 top prize,’said Ali who heaped plaudits on race owner, Mike Itemuagbor for approving the new prize money structure for Edo state indigenes.
‘He (Itemuagbor) is a blessing to the state and athletics in particular and Nigeria in general. If we have more people like him organising world class sporting events in Nigeria,the country would rank among the best in the world in any sport.
‘He has been the driving force behind the monumental success the race has achieved in the last two years culminating in the award of a bronze label status for the race,the first of such in West Africa,’remarked Ali.
The Okpekpe 10km road race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing,a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights acquisition business in Nigeria in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Edo state government.
The race is run over hills and sandy path and it starts in Apama road and ends in Okpekpe,a town in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. It is located about 25 km North East of Auchi.
A controversial goal in added time by Prince Aggrey gave Sunshine Stars a 2-1 win over Dolphins in the league on Sunday evening.
It was a game Dolphins drew last season and when Chiwendu Ali put the Pride of Rivers ahead after 37 minutes it seemed like another day in the office for the 2011 league winners.
Ayo Saka turned round his marker in midfield and passed to Victor Alegbe who in turn freed Ifeanyi Egwim on the left.
Egwim’s cross who struck in ferociously by Chiwendu in only his second game for Dolphins after joining from National Division One side, Go Round FC.
Two minutes later, referee, John Charles called a penalty for Sunshine after a Dolphins defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, but Tunji Adeniyi shot the kick wide.
At half time, Sunshine Stars coach, Kennedy Boboye brought in Dele Olorundare and he made his impact felt two minutes later.
Joseph Douhadji failed to head clear a cross into the Dolphins area, Olorundare latched on the loose ball and found Adeniyi who controlled well before slotting home behind Sunday Rotimi in goal for Dolphins.
With the game in added time, Sunday Rotimi failed to take care of a cross into his area and Prince Aggrey scored though it seemed he handled the ball before turning round to score, a glaring hand ball both the referee and his assistant missed.
Dolphins’ players protested the goal for two minutes before restarting the game.
Stanley Eguma was livid at the end of the game, blaming the referee for the loss
“The referee made us to lose this game. The whole world has seen it. Even under live television this happened. We have to do something about this because it is not the best,” Eguma said.
Kennedy Akinboboye of Sunshine Stars described it as a very difficult game but that he noticed the Dolphins players got complacent thinking they had escaped with a draw before he punished them with game changing substitutions
“It was difficult playing against a very experienced side. I never gave up. I brought in some people to push the attack and when I noticed Dolphins were relaxed thinking they had gotten a draw, we pushed up,” Boboye said.
STATIONERY STORES LAUNCH NIGERIA’S FIRST SUPPORTERS’ CO-OPERATIVE
The management and supporters of Stationery Stores FC have finalized plans for the establishment of Nigeria’s first supporters’ co-operative.
The co-operative, which will be open to every Stores supporter, will be owned and managed on a ‘one-member one-vote’ basis and will represent the interests of supporters within the club, fundraising to develop new infrastructure and working towards acquiring a share of ownership of the club.
Football supporters globally have a voice within their clubs through formally organized vehicles and Stores are intent to bringing this level of organization to Nigerian football to empower their loyal fans and improve the fortunes of the club. As its first project, the co-operative will raise funds to develop training facilities and a Stores academy.
The Flaming Flamingos have a proud tradition as pioneers in the Nigerian game and this project will establish a revolutionary new vehicle that will become a model for the football landscape in Nigeria. The project supports the LMC’s wider efforts to introduce community ownership into Nigerian football and will provide a blueprint for other clubs to follow.
Stores Chairman Adetilewa Adebajo has committed to providing a seat on the club’s board to the co-operative and to supporting the long-term aims of the supporters to take a share of ownership of the club.
The project is being coordinated by Sandlanders Football – currently working on similar projects in 10 African countries – with support from Nigeria’s Island Sports under a Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the club. Sandlanders works in partnership with Supporters Direct, an organization funded by the English Premier League and UEFA to represent the interests of supporters in Europe whose work has resulted in over $50m of new investment into football.
Supporters interested in joining the co-operative are invited to register their interest on the official Stores supporters Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/flamingtrust Corporate partners will also be sought to work with the supporters to restore one of Nigeria’s finest clubs to the top of the game.
Stationery Stores Chairman Adetilewa Adebajo, said “The Sandlanders affiliation provides us with the right platform and optimal structure to organize our fan base in line with global best practice. The affiliation will also enhance our sponsorship, branding and funding initiatives; enabling us to pioneer a viable and sustainable business model for running football in Nigeria.”
Sandlanders Football Director, Paul Jones, said: “We are incredibly excited to be working with a club with the history and stature of Stationery Stores. Internationally, supporters have a significant role to play in the development of their clubs and there is huge potential for supporters in Lagos to do the same. In Munich, over 200,000 registered members have made Bayern the club it is today. In Barcelona, 180,000 members have done the same and closer to home, Africa’s most successful football clubs are supporter-owned. We want this success to be replicated in Nigeria and Stores is the perfect club to lead the charge. A football club is nothing without its fans and we urge supporters to become a part of this initiative by joining the co-operative.”
Morocco Volleyball Federation organised a Cool Volley Festival in the launching of African Dream Project in Al Jadida, Morocco on April 5.
More than 350 boys and girls took part in the festival including a tournament of Beach VB held at El Jadida Beach. The Beach event showed 24 teams participating, while the Cool Volley Festival featured 77 teams each of 4 players.
The kids enjoy a game of Volleyball
The Moroccan TV covered the event alongside 3 Radio stations and lots of journalist from the print Media.
“We want to send our great thanks to both FIVB and CAVB for their efforts to develop the sport from the scratch in most African countries,” Morocco VB Fed President Ms Bouchra Hajij said. “We also want to appreciate the efforts done by all stakeholders in Morocco to help developing both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in the whole country.
“We are also happy for the media coverage of the event and showing the joy of the children playing their beloved sport, Volleyball.
The kids having fun during the festival
The Project which is supervised by FIVB President Dr Ary Grace began in most of the African countries since it was approved by CAVB Board of Administration and aims at having a common project mainly focusing on volleyball at school. All relevant stakeholders are involved which are Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Youth, and National Olympic Committee. The project will see the setting up of centers that will be used to develop identified athletes at young age and arranging all the keys for their involvement later on to their corresponding Youth national teams.
The Beach Volleyball tournament during the festival
Captivating Caciques Venezuela defeat Italia Thunder in Maiquetía
Caciques Venezuela recovered from losing the first two legs in Maiquetía to defeat Italia Thunder 3-2 in a pulsating World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash.
The victory for the South American Franchise means they are just a single point behind third placed Italy in the Group B table, with one match of the Regular Season to go.
There was early team and individual success for the Italian team in the opening match of the evening when Ireland’s Patrick Barnes earned his seventh successive victory of the season, and finished top of the Light flyweight (49 kg) rankings after he defeated Venezuela’s Yoel Finol.
Only one Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota was available for the Light flyweights, and Barnes needed to win following Hasanboy Dusmatov’s success on Friday night.
He showed no nerves against Finol, knocking down his opponent in the first round and utilised his power and pressure consistently throughout the fight.
USA Knocouts vs Italia Thunder
Barnes won 49-45 on two scorecards, while the third judge awarded the contest to the Venezuelan 48-47.
Despite the split decision verdict, the win was enough to send Barnes back to the top of the Light flyweight rankings, and earn him a Rio 2016 quota.
Another Irish fighter to succeed for the Italy on the night was 5-2 Michael Conlan, who also achieved his own Olympic quota by beating José Vicente Azocar.
Conlan began the WSB weekend ranked third at Bantamweight (56 kg), but after Azerbaijan’s Magomed Gurbanov lost in Puerto Rico, his Olympic destiny was secured with a 49-46 win across the board against his South American opponent.
The Irish star expertly displayed his unorthodox style and elusive reflexes en route to the victory, and the valuable second place in the Bantamweight rankings.
Italy’s Vincenzo Mangiacapre headed into his fight with Venezuela’s Luis Arcón knowing that a stoppage or unanimous decision win would not only seal the overall victory for Italy on the night, but also secure a top two ranking in the Light welterweight (64 kg) division and an Olympic quota.
Unfortunately for the Italian he was up against a motivated Arcón who was the busier fighter in the opening three rounds.
Though Mangiacapre made a comeback it was too late, and he lost the match, plus his Olympic opportunities through WSB 48-47 according to all three judges.
The Venezuelan team evened up the match after fight number four at Middleweight (75 kg) when Nalek Rachid Korbaj Barrerra dominated Italy’s Salvatore Cavallaro in a very entertaining clash.
With everything to play for heading into the last bout at Heavyweight (91 kg), it was down to either home star Alfonso Flores or Italian debutant Giuseppe Claudio Squeo to become a hero for their team.
Squeo was aggressive in the opening stages of the fight, but Flores remained composed and eventually won on all three scorecards, securing a famous victory for Venezuela which maintains their hopes of reaching the knockout stages in their debut season.
Caciques Venezuela travel to Rafako Hussars Poland in the last week of the Regular Season, while Italia Thunder host Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
The second ever World Series of Boxing (WSB) African derby was won by Algeria Desert Hawks 4-1 over Morocco Atlas Lions.
This was only the second win for Algeria in Season V of WSB, but their wonderful performance more than warranted the victory, and offers sweet revenge after narrowly losing the first derby earlier on in the campaign.
Morocco will be disappointed at losing their first match in four fixtures, but will take some comfort from remaining three places above their African opponents in the Group A table.
Algeria set the template for their overall victory in the first bout of the evening at Light flyweight (49 kg), when Zoheir Toudjine won his first match of the season in five attempts against Zouhair El Bekkali.
No Algerian Light flyweight had achieved success across six fixtures, so Toudjine will be delighted to destroy that record.
The Atlas Lions levelled up the scoring at Bantamweight (56 kg) after 3-2 Mohamed Hamout widely outpointed 0-4 Fahem Hammachi.
Hamout looked excellent in the bout and teamed fast hands with a wide array of shots.
Light welterweight (64 kg) Ahmed Boudiaf recovered from the losing the first round against Morocco’s Hamza El Barbari to win perhaps the most entertaining fight of the night.
Boudiaf took control in round two, before dropping El Barbari in the third frame.
Moments after the knockdown, the ringside doctor ruled that the Moroccan could not continue due to a head injury, which resulted in Algeria’s second win of the evening.
Ilyas Abbadi has been one of Algeria’s most successful boxers this season, and the star enjoyed his fourth successive home win over Said Harnouf to secure the famous victory for his Franchise.
Abbadi delighted the crowd with his entertaining style, and completely dominated Harnouf over the course of their contest.
The win means that Abbadi finishes the Regular Season sixth in the Middleweight (75 kg) rankings.
Another stoppage occurred in the last match of the night when Heavyweight (91 kg) Bouziane Houna finished Amine Azzouzi in round two.
Houna had dropped Azzouzi twice earlier in the round, and after another flurry the referee called an end to the bout.
Algeria Desert Hawks travel to China Dragons next week in the last match of the Regular Season, while Morocco Atlas Lions host Russian Boxing Team.
Mohammed Rabii (Morocco Atlas Lions)
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan win 13th WSB fight in a row against Argentina Condors
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan recovered from losing the first match of the evening to secure a 4-1 away win in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) against Argentina Condors.
Not only was this Kazakhstan’s 13th consecutive win in Season V, but their Heavyweight (91 kg) star Vassiliy Levit also achieved a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB after stopping Argentina’s Diego Blanche in the last fight of the evening.
Levit has now won all seven of his bouts this season, and the victory over Blanche represented his fifth TKO success of the campaign.
Only one qualification spot for the Olympic Games next year was available at Heavyweight, but Levit never looked troubled against Banche and dominated throughout the two rounds.
His five stoppages means that he finishes top of the Heavyweight rankings despite achieving the same amount of points as Cuba’s Erislandy Savon, and ensures his Rio 2016 quota as a result of that incredible achievement.
The night began with a rare loss for Kazakhstan after 3-2 Condors Light flyweight (49 kg) Junior Zarate won by unanimous decision over Zhomart Yerzhan.
Zarate was the faster man in the ring, and his aggression ultimately carried him to victory.
Kazakhstan began their comeback at Bantamweight (56 kg) when 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kairat Yeraliyev achieved his second victory of the season against debutant Jonathan Emanuel Sanchez.
Astana Arlans took the lead in Argentina in the next fight following Samat Bashenov’s fifth successive WSB win.
Bashenov, the fifth ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) in Season V was excellent in his contest with Lucas Ivan Gimenez and won every round.
The team from Kazakhstan opened up an unassailable 3-1 lead at Middleweight (75 kg) when 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly defeated Christian Zarate on points.
Alimkhanuly dropped Zarate in round one, but the Argentine fighter was brave and managed to carry on until the end of the contest.
Argentina Condors travel to Azerbaijan Baku Fires next week, while Astana Arlans Kazakhstan visit Italia Thunder.
World Series Boxing Week 12 Group A Ukraine Otamans vs Algeria Desert Hawks 10/05/2015
Revitalized Rafako Hussars Poland dominate USA Knockouts in Szczecin
Rafako Hussars Poland won their penultimate home match in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Regular Season 4-1 against USA Knockouts.
The victory gave a great reward to Poland’s excellent home support in Szczecin, and came as a result of their hard work and dedication.
Poland began the fixture with a 1-0 lead after USA’s Joshua Franco was unable to compete in his Light flyweight (49 kg) match with Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski.
One victory turned to a second at Bantamweight (56 kg) when Sylwester Kozlowski enjoyed a points win over 4-3 Francisco Martinez.
Kozlowski looked the bigger man in the ring, and was the pressure fighter across the close contest which finished with all three judges awarding the bout to the Polish star.
Martinez started the campaign with four successive wins, and though he has now lost three in a row, the boxer has only just turned 19, and should be proud with how his debut WSB season has gone.
2-1 Tra-Kwon Pettis pulled back a win for the Knockouts at Light welterweight (64 kg) with a wide points decision over Kazimierz Łęgowski.
Pettis utilised fast flurries and used his reach incredibly well which caused significant problems for Łęgowski.
WSB Week 11 Match Rafako Hussars Poland vs Azerbaijan Baku Fires 28:03:2015
The American comeback was stopped at Middleweight (75 kg) when Tomasz Jablonski enjoyed his sixth victory of the season, and the overall result for Poland against USA’s Anthony Campbell.
Jablonski has been Poland’s best boxer this season, and began this week with an outside chance of earning a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB.
Although he defeated Campbell, he ultimately finished third in the Middleweight rankings, and outside of the Olympic qualification places despite having the same amount of points as Arlen Lopez and Petr Khamukov.
Throughout all five rounds of his contest with Campbell, the Polish fighter expertly showed why he has been so successful this season, and his overhand right was a constant weapon.
Poland secured their fourth triumph of the night at Heavyweight (91 kg) when Michal Olas dropped USA’s Joshua Temple en route to a unanimous decision result.
Rafako Hussars host Caciques Venezuela next week in the last match of the group stages, while USA Knockouts are at home to Puerto Rico Hurricanes.
The sensational British duo, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, secured their second consecutive title when winning the Freestyle at the Reeem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2015 Final at the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas, USA today. On an afternoon of superb sporting entertainment during which the spectators played a major role, the Olympic, World and European title-holders threw down another of the iconic performances that have set them apart from the rest over the last four extraordinary years.
They came close to their world-record Freestyle score when posting 94.196, and finished almost 10 percentage points ahead of their nearest rivals, The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover who scored 84.696. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Unee BB slotted into third with 80.464, and America’s Laura Graves lined up fourth with Verdades on a mark of 79.125.
“I’m just living the dream!”, Dujardin said, after accepting the beautiful new trophy designed by New York fashion designer, Reem Acra.
Dressage has taken on a whole new dimension at the Thomas & Mack Centre this week. American spectators are encouraged to totally immerse themselves in what is going on in the ring, and they clapped and roared their approval throughout every test. It was clear from the outset today that they would be louder than ever, but the horses and riders rose to the challenge, and many revelled in it. Denmark’s Mikala Munter Gundersen and her 15-year-old mare, My Lady, set the arena alight when sixth to go, their musical score carrying the audience with them all the way and ensuring the leading mark of 75.018 at the halfway stage of the competition.
But it just kept getting better and better, Russia’s Inessa Merkulov and Mister X producing another real crowd-pleaser when first to go after the break as the handsome gelding rolled out his expressive trot extensions and great piaffe/passage for a mark of 76.911 to take the lead.
And if ever there was a stage that suited Isabell Werth and El Santo this was it. The German rider always throws her heart and soul into every test, and even though her 14-year-old gelding decided, like several others, that the spotlight on the beautiful new Reem Acra trophy that took pride of place by the ringside was extremely suspect, the lady who has stashed 14 Olympic medals into her trophy cabinet just rode him through a scary moment and drew a riotous reaction to her courageous extended canter and hip-swinging passage for a new leading mark of 77.875.
Raised the bar
The Netherlands‘ Hans Peter Minderhoud raised the bar higher again with a quality ride on the elegant Glock’s Flirt that put 79.036 on the board, only to be immediately overtaken by America’s Laura Graves and Verdades. This bay gelding was much happier in the arena today, and his every move was greeted by applause as he posted 79.125. But then along came Dujardin and Valegro, who just blew the rest away as they punched out passage and piaffe of the finest calibre, pirouettes that drew gasps of disbelief from the crowd and a final march down the centerline that was greeted with rapturous applause as their massive score went up on the board.
Follow that
Edward Gal had to follow that, and despite the pressure produced great work from Glock’s Undercover who, earlier in the week, was very sensitive to the atmosphere. In the Thomas & Mack arena there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, but the black gelding held his nerve to rocket his rider up to second spot, and they wouldn’t be demoted.
America’s Steffen Peters had the audience in the palm of his hand as, second-last to go, he scored 80.286 with Legolas, but sadly he was eliminated after a small amount of blood was found on the horse’s side at the post-competition vet-check. With Peters’ score set aside, that allowed Graves to move up into fourth spot when the final pair, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Unee BB, were awarded 80.484 and third place despite some early mistakes, the 14-year-old gelding, Unee BB, recovering his equilibrium to deliver some fabulous passage/piaffe and extended trot.
Defending champions, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, lived up to expectations when winning the Grand Prix on the opening day of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2014/2015 Final at the Thomas & Mack Centre in Las Vegas, USA. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)
Close to perfection
But once again it was all about Dujardin and Valegro whose performance today was very close to perfection. The sport of Dressage has entered a whole new era thanks to the incredibly high standard they have set. Edward Gal said this evening, “when I started out, scoring over 60% was something, then it was 70% and then 80% – but now it seems 90 is the new 80! To come out on the top now you need near-perfection, and with the horses we have we can compete very close to perfection.”
Dujardin said this evening that she wondered if the crowd’s enthusiasm would be difficult for Valegro today, but instead, “he just went, yahoo! I must be doing something they like!” She down-played her role in yet another vintage performance. “Valegro just loves his job, I don’t have to force him to do anything, I just sit there and steer and off I go, there’s no sweating, no pushing, no pulling, he knows his job and it’s just fantastic!”
Asked about the wall of noise in the arena she said “that’s what it’s all about! I don’t go into the ring to do less than a 10, and Valegro lets me do that. If he gets worried I know I can reassure him, he trusts me, but he’s always been a brave horse.”
And she was made an incredible offer by Reem Acra, who has supported the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series for the last five years. When Dujardin thanked her for her sponsorship of the Western European League and Final this evening, Reem Acra replied – “I’m very happy to do it. And you know Charlotte that your wedding dress is coming from me!”
Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin holds the new Reem Acra trophy aloft after making it a back-to-back double of victories with the amazing Valegro at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2015 Final in the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas, USA today. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)
3, Unee BB (Jessica von Bredow-Werndl) GER 80.464;
4, Verdades (Laura Graves) USA 79.125;
5, Glock’s Flirt (Hans Peter Minderhoud) NED 79.036;
6, El Santo NRW (Isabell Werth) GER 77.875;
7, Mister X (Inessa Merkulova) RUS 76.911;
8, Painted Black (Morgan Barbancon Mestre) ESP 76.161;
9, My Lady (Mikala Munter Gundersen) DEN 75.018;
10, Qui Vincit Dynamis (Fabienne Lutkemeier) GER 74.804.
Facts and Figures:
Defending champions, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, made it a back-to-back double of wins when coming out in the Freestyle competition at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2015 Final at the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas, USA today.
The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover filled second place with a mark of 84.696.
This was the 30th anniversary of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series. The inaugural Final took place in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 1986 where Sweden’s Anne-Grethe Jensen came out on top for Sweden.
The Ground Jury for today’s competition consisted of: At K, Annette Fransen Iacobaeus SWE; At E, Hans-Christian Matthiesen DEN; At H, Stephen Clarke GBR; At C, Liselotte Fore USA; At M, Peter Holler GER; At B, Maria Schwennesen AUS; At F, Francis Verbeek von Rooy NED.
Winning rider, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, was presented with a brand new silver trophy designed by New York fashion designer Reem Acra. Complete with a leather belt and silver equestrian buckle it marries Reem Acra’s two passions – horses and fashion. The new trophy has been mounted on the original base that has been used for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final since it was first presented at the Final in 1986 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED).
The Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, USA where the FEI World Cup™ 2015 Finals will get underway on Thursday 16 April. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)
Quotes:
Charlotte Dujardin: “I don’t think about the pressure, because that’s distracting and things can start to go wrong so I just go in there to do the very best I can do!”
Edward Gal: “I wouldn’t normally be the oldest one (on the podium), usually Isabell is here! I feel like I’m 25, and after a few operations I could look like it too!”
Robert Dover, US Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor : “Sadly Legolas did have a tiny bit of red on one side following his test, the rules are clear and we understand the decision that was made. Steffen is the ultimate sportsman and true ambassador for the sport. When you watch riders, like Steffen, who are so loving and sympathetic to their horses, have something completely unexpected happen, all you can feel is immense empathy and sadness for them.”
Edward Gal: “my horse was nervous on the first day but when you have control you can cope better. The clapping was ok, although it got a bit wild in the prize-giving! The audience is really with you in the ring, they like it and they show it. It’s fine as long as it doesn’t make you make mistakes!”
Ground Jury President Lilo Fore:“from where we sit, the judges can only see good horses and riders. No matter how many years I am doing this job the excitement never goes away! Horses nowadays are such amazing athletes. Their movement is more exuberant, they have more suppleness and their impulsion and collection is better than ever before”.
Laura Graves: “I was happy that my horse was more relaxed than Thursday. It was fun and I couldn’t be more pleased”.
Edward Gal: “the very best should win and Charlotte does such an amazing job and we need horses and riders like them in our sport.”
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl: “I had a roller-coaster of emotion in there today. He (Unee BB) was a bit scared of the light on the trophy and there were some mistakes at the beginning so I thought now I have to go for it, but he did a really good job. I was very pleased at the end”.
Edward Gal, when asked what it was like to be the oldest rider on the podium: “I wouldn’t normally be the oldest one, usually Isabell (Werth) is here! I feel like I’m 25, and after a few operations I could look like it too!”.
Laura Graves: “it’s exciting to have the World Cup in the US, and yes, Las Vegas is surreal. I left my hotel before six this morning and there was a party going on in the bar. And what’s really special is that the crowd bring the party to the stadium!”
The ITF has announced the latest results for the 2015 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals, and World Group and World Group II play-offs taking place on 18-19 April.
India was promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I after defeating Philippines in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II promotion play-off on Saturday. Denmark and Lithuania were promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II after defeating Greece and Moldova respectively.
The four winners of the World Group play-offs will qualify for the 2016 World Group, with the losers contesting 2016 World Group II. The four winners of the World Group II play-offs will qualify for 2016 World Group II, with the four losers contesting the 2016 Zone Group I events.
Live scoring will be available on the official Fed Cup website throughout the week. In addition, the English and Spanish versions of the website will feature a live blog, reports, photographs, audio interviews and live streaming. There will also be a fan zone showing the best social media content on http://www.fedcup.com/showyourcolours.
ITALY level with USA 1-1
Venue: Circolo Tennis Brindisi, Brindisi, ITA (clay – outdoors)
Serena Williams (USA) d. Camila Giorgi (ITA) 76(5) 62
Sara Errani (ITA) d. Lauren Davis (USA) 61 62
Sara Errani (ITA) v Serena Williams (USA)
Camila Giorgi (ITA) v Lauren Davis (USA)
Karin Knapp/Flavia Pennetta (ITA) v Christina McHale/Alison Riske (USA)
NETHERLANDS level with AUSTRALIA 1-1
Venue: Maaspoort Sports & Events, ’s-Hertogenbosch, NED (clay – indoors)
Kiki Bertens (NED) d. Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 61 63
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) d. Arantxa Rus (NED) 75 63
Kiki Bertens (NED) v Casey Dellacqua (AUS)
Arantxa Rus (NED) v Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)
Richel Hogenkamp/Michaella Krajicek (NED) v Casey Dellacqua/Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)
POLAND level with SWITZERLAND 1-1
Venue: Centrum Rekreacyjno Sportowe, Zielona Gora, POL (hard – indoors)
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Martina Hingis (SUI) 64 60
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) 62 61
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
Urszula Radwanska (POL) v Martina Hingis (SUI)
Klaudia Jans-Ignacik/Alicja Rosolska (POL) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)/Martina Hingis (SUI)
CANADA level with ROMANIA 1-1
Venue: Arena Maurice Richard, Montreal, CAN (hard – indoors)
Francoise Abanda (CAN) d. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 46 75 64
Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) d. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) 64 64
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) v Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Francoise Abanda (CAN) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)
Gabriela Dabrowski/Sharon Fichman (CAN) v Andreea Mitu/Raluca Olaru (ROU)
WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS
SERBIA leads PARAGUAY 2-0
Venue: Spens Sports Center, Novi Sad, SRB (hard – indoors)
Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) d. Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) 61 63
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR) 62 60
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) v Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)
Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) v Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR)
Jelena Jankovic/Ivana Jorovic (SRB) v Veronica Cepede Royg/Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR)
SLOVAKIA leads SWEDEN 2-0
Venue: Aegon Arena National Tennis Centre, Bratislava, SVK (clay – indoors)
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) d. Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 63 63
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Susanne Celik (SWE) 62 60
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) v Susanne Celik (SWE)
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Rebecca Peterson (SWE)
Jana Cepelova/Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Ellen Allgurin/Cornelia Lister (SWE)
JAPAN level with BELARUS 1-1
Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoors)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Misaki Doi (JPN) 61 62
Kurumi Nara (JPN) d. Olga Govortsova (BLR) 64 46 62
Kurumi Nara (JPN) v Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Misaki Doi (JPN) v Olga Govortsova (BLR)
Shuko Aoyama/Ayumi Morita (JPN) v Vera Lapko/Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
SPAIN leads ARGENTINA 2-0
Venue: Tecnopolis, Buenos Aires, ARG (clay – outdoors)
Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 46 76(2) 61
Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) d. Maria Irigoyen (ARG) 60 61
Paula Ormaechea (ARG) v Lara Arruabarrena (ESP)
Maria Irigoyen (ARG) v Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
Tatiana Bua/Nadia Podoroska (ARG) v Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov/Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II EVENT (14-18 APRIL)
Venue: SAAP Tennis Complex, Hyderabad, India (hard – outdoors)
newfanzone 