FEI Classics™: Michael Jung Makes Flying Start At Burghley #FEIClassics

As anticipated, the reigning Olympic and European champion Michael Jung (GER) has made quite an impression on his first visit to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), sixth and final leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015, and is in the lead after the first day of Dressage.

The Ground Jury, President Nick Burton (GBR), Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Christina Klingspor (SWE), unanimously placed him out in front on his first ride, FischerRocana FST, with a mark of 34.2 for a classy test that was beautifully light, harmonious and happy.

“She was very relaxed, easy to ride and gave me a good feeling,” said Jung of the 11-year-old mare on which he won Kentucky, second leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015, in which Jung is lying second in the rankings behind his compatriot Ingrid Klimke (GER).

Andrew Hoy (AUS), who first won Burghley in 1979 before Jung was even born, also broke the 40-penalty barrier and is in second place with Rutherglen on a score of 37.8 after a reliably smooth and attractive test.

Hoy, 56, is due a change of luck: he fell in the water on both his rides at Badminton, although he had a good run when finishing seventh on his Burghley ride Rutherglen, a powerful Hannoverian gelding, at the recent Aachen (GER) CIC3*.

Another rider who will not remember Hoy’s first Burghley win is third-placed Niklas Bschorer (GER), who scored 39.2 in a well-ridden test on Tom Tom Go 3. At 20, he is the youngest in the field of 74 runners but his riding style is mature.

Bschorer’s Badminton debut ended abruptly when his air-jacket blew up on the Cross Country, but he was ninth at Luhmühlen (GER) in June and could easily trouble his seniors this weekend.

There were loud cheers for the diminutive Rosalind Canter and the giant 173cms Allstar B. The British pair have made an impressive start at their first CCI4* and are best of the home side in fourth place on 40.2 after a calm and accomplished performance. Canter took over the ride on the 10-year-old Allstar B, a Dutch warmblood by Ephebe For Ever, in 2012. Their best international result is seventh at Bramham CCI3* (GBR) last year.

“The Cross Country is really big!” she said. “I’m slightly terrified but really excited. I’m over the moon to have done a mistake-free Dressage test here,” she added. “The more noise and people the better for him. I’d hoped to score in the 40s, so to be nearly in the 30s is great.

“I’ve been coming to Burghley for years to watch as it’s my local event and I’ve got lots of friends here today supporting me. I had wanted to do my first four-star before I was 30 – I’m 29 and three-quarters – so I’ve just got there!”

Australians Christopher Burton (Haruzac), Sam Griffiths on his 2014 Badminton winner Paulank Brockagh, and Paul Tapner (Vanir Kamira), all of whom have yet to win at Burghley, occupy the next three places. Pippa Funnell (GBR), who triumphed here 12 years ago, is eighth on Redesigned.

Funnell was, as ever, endearingly emotional as she left the arena, having scored 43.0 on the 14-year-old chestnut owned by Denise and Roger Lincoln, owners of her 2003 winner, Primmore’s Pride. Redesigned, a magnificent chestnut by Canute, promised much when fifth at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games™, but has been a difficult horse to manage.

Michael Jung (GER), pictured here on La Biosthetique Sam at Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by DHL (GER) in June, has won most of the glittering prizes on offer in the sport of Eventing, but the reigning Olympic and European Champion has yet to take on the special challenges of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), sixth and final leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/2015. (Eventing Photo/FEI)

“The greatest thing with this horse is that he’s relaxed today,” she said. “It’s all about the Cross Country with him and it’s hard to keep him focussed in the arena.”

When asked about her chances this weekend, the former dual European champion replied: “Everyone knows that I always work on negative psychology, I’m never confident. I doubt myself, but not my horse, who has all the ability in the world. I’ve just got to try to hold him!”

Cross Country course designer Mark Phillips (GBR) has set riders an intriguing test as he has reversed the direction of his track. This means that the Lion Bridge water complexes, where crowds of spectators lean over the bridge to get a bird’s eye view of the action, come up early at fences 4, 5 and 6.

Capability’s Cutting, at fences 9 and 10, has possibly the most difficult obstacle on the course, an acutely angled corner, and at 18 there is the traditional enormous white oxer at The Maltings. The famous Trout Hatchery (20-21) has five efforts, but riders will not be able to relax after that as the notorious Discovery Valley (24 and 28) and Leaf Pit drop (26, 27) are still to come.

“The course here is very different to the other four-stars, it looks tough with lots of ups and downs,” commented Michael Jung, whose past CCI4* successes include a win at Luhmühlen (GER), second place at Badminton (GBR) and third at Pau (FRA). “I will start out steadily and, hopefully, if my horses are giving me a good feeling, I will be able to go for the time. I’m very happy to be here, it’s a fantastic competition.”

Tomorrow, Jung will ride his London 2012 double Olympic gold medal partner La Biosthetique Sam. Funnell, who has withdrawn Mirage d’Elle, rides Second Supreme, Jonelle Price (NZL) who has withdrawn The Deputy, rides Classic Moet, and Christopher Burton, Sam Griffiths and Paul Tapner all have their second horses. There’s also six-times winner William Fox-Pitt (GBR) on his only ride, Fernhill Pimms, plus five-time winner Sir Mark Todd (NZL) on Leonidas ll. Last of all is the 2009 winner Oliver Townend (GBR) on the brilliant CCI4* horse Armada.

Michael Jung (GER) makes his debut in style at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, sixth and final leg of the FEI Classics™ 2014/201, by taking the lead after the first day of Dressage on FischerRocana FST. (Trevor Meeks/FEI)

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First horse is into the arena at 9.30am tomorrow. Follow the action on http://www.burghley-horse.co.uk and http://www.burghley.tv

Results after first day of Dressage

1 Michael Jung/FisherRocana FST (GER) 34.2
2 Andrew Hoy/Rutherglen (AUS) 37.8
3 Niklas Bschorer/Tom Tom Go 3 (GER) 39.2
4 Rosalind Canter/Allstar B (GBR) 40.2
5 Christopher Burton/Haruzac (AUS) 41.2
6= Sam Griffiths/Paulank Brockagh (AUS) 42.5
6= Paul Tapner/Vanir Kamira (AUS) 42.5
8 Pippa Funnell/Redesigned (GBR) 43.0
9 Georgie Spence/Wii Limbo (GBR) 45.2
10 Jodie Amos/Wise Crack (GBR) 43.9

FEI Classics™ 2014/2015 Leaderboard (after 5 out of 6 events)
1 Ingrid Klimke (GER) 42 points
2 Michael Jung (GER) 25
3 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) 23
4 Jonelle Price (NZL) 20
5 Jessica Manson (AUS) 15
6 Mark Todd (NZL) 14
7 Tim Price (NZL) 12
8 Andreas Dibowski (GER) 12
9 Megan Jones (AUS) 12
10 Jock Paget (NZL) 10

Kate Green

MEDALS FOR PARA-ROWERS AT 2015 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The medal rush at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France began today with the four para-rowing boat classes.

Australia had a great start to these championships with two gold medals. Erik Horrie took gold in the para men’s single sculls (ASM1x) to become a three-time World Champion. Horrie stayed ahead of 2008 Paralympic Champion, Tom Aggar of Great Britain with Igor Bondar of Ukraine in third.

Australia’s second gold came in the para mixed double sculls (TAMix2x). Gavin Bellis and Kathryn Ross successfully defended their World Championship title in the double holding off Great Britain and France. Bellis commented on the tight finish, “It’s amazing to have such a close race, it is great for the sport.”

MEDALS FOR PARA-ROWERS AT 2015 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Israel’s Moran Samuel improved on her 2014 silver medal by becoming a World Champion for the first time in the para women’s single sculls (ASW1x). Samuel finished ahead of Great Britain’s Rachel Morris and the 2014 World Champion Birgit Skarstein of Norway.

Overall Great Britain finished second on the para-rowing medals table winning medals in all four boat classes. Their best result came in the para mixed coxed four (LTAMix4+) when they defended their World Championship title by outsprinting the United States. Canada finished with bronze in this boat class.

Today’s racing also included semi-finals for six Olympic boat classes. These crews not only earn places in the A-finals but also secured Rio 2016 Olympic qualification spots. The men’s and women’s pairs have been dominated by New Zealand’s Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, and Great Britain’s Helen Glover and Heather Stanning respectively in recent years. Both are the reigning Olympic Champions and both have now qualified for the Rio Olympics. They will go to Saturday’s finals as favourites.

The lightweight men’s double sculls of France is looking in good form to lead the way. Jeremie Azou and Stany Delayre finished ahead of the reigning World Champions South Africa in their semi-final. For the lightweight women’s double sculls Canada’s Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee won their semi-final and recorded a time slightly faster than the winner of the other semi-final, current World Champions Sophie MacKenzie and Julia Edward of New Zealand. They will meet in Saturday’s final.

2015 World Rowing Championships, Aiguebelette, France ©FISA Igor Meijer

Italy and the Netherlands are looking in winning form in the men’s four after winning their respective semi-finals today. Neither crew has dominated through this season, and they will both be pushed hard by Great Britain and Australia. The men’s quadruple sculls saw a turn of events when the World Champions Ukraine missed out on making the A-final. Instead an outstanding performance by Lithuania brought a new boat through to the final when they won their semi-final . They will meet Germany, the winner of the second semi-final, in Saturday’s final.

Friday’s finals begin at 11:50 CET and continue through to 13:35 CET with the International boat classes. All of the finals will be live streamed on http://www.worldrowing.com.

ISSF Rifle And Pistol World Cup Final Kicks-Off In Munich. Zhang And Mcphail Claim Titles

The men’s 50m Pistol and 50m Rifle Prone event opened the 2015 ISSF World Cup Final in Munich, Germany, where the best shooters of the world are competing from the 2nd through the 7th of September to secure this year’s ISSF World Cup Titles.

The 2015 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final kicked-off in Munich, Germany. The best 85 rifle and pistol shooters of the world, selected throughout this year’s four ISSF World Cup Stages in Changwon (KOR), Fort Benning (USA), Munich (GER) and Gabala (AZE), arrived here to challenge the title defenders and the 2014 World Champions, aiming at the 2015 World Cup title.

Russian Trap champion Alipov claims the last gold of the ISSF World Cup in Gabala photo credit: ISSF

The event takes place at the 1972 Olympic shooting range of Munich from the 2nd through the 7th of September, in combination with the German Shooting Championship, one of the largest shooting competitions of the world which sees over 8 thousands athletes from all over the country competing in Olympic and non Olympic shooting events in ten days.

Zhang Bowen of the People’s Republic of China (19) won the first Gold medal of the Final, finishing atop of the men’s 50m Pistol event, today. Zhang, the youngest finalist, shot a consistent match, leaving behind him Olympic and world champions, to win his first world cup final in career.

With 192.6 points, the Chinese athlete beat Vietnam’s Xuan Vinh Hoang (40), who finished in second place with 189.3 points after closing his match with three frustrating shots in the seventh ring (7.8, 7.5, 7.9). Nevertheless, Hoang won the applauses of the spectators. Travelling from Vietnam to Germany, his baggage was delayed and the Vietnamese shooter did not receive his pistol in time for the competition. As extrema ratio solution, the 40-year old athlete shot the match with a new, out-of-the-box pistol, without custom grip and adjustments. A remarkable achievement in today’s shooting sport world, where every single piece of equipment is usually fine-tuned and customized to the last screw.

Hoang also managed to keep behind himself the title defender, the winner of the 2014 ISSF World Cup Final Wang Zhiwei (27) of the People’s Republic of China, who placed in third with 173.6 points after a close duel against his teammate Mai Jiajie (28).

World’s #1 Michael Mcphail of USA (33) claimed Gold at the following 50m Rifle Prone Men final, securing the world cup title with 208.5 points and 1 point of advantage on Russia’s Kirill Grigoryan (23), second with 207.5 points.

The US athlete closed the ISSF season in the best possible way after winning two world cup stages in Munich and Fort Benning, and collected his very first world cup title sealing his leadership atop of the world ranking.

ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final kicks-off in Munich. Zhang (CHN) and Mcphail (USA) claim the first two titles

“I am very happy with how the season turned out,” Mcphail said. “In the past years I have shot both the 50m Rifle 3 Positions and the 50m Prone Men events, and it takes so much time to train in a proper way. This season I just shot Prone, and it’s much easier.”

“I am going to take a month off now. We have a son who’s due in the end of October, my second one, I am very excited!” Mcphail added, speaking after the award ceremony.

Following Mcphail and Grigoryan, Croatia’s Bojan Durkovic (25) pocketed today’s Bronze medal with 186.5 points, leaving Australia’s 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Warren Potent (53) in fourth place with 165.7 points.

The 2015 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final in Munich will continue tomorrow with the women’s 25m Pistol and the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol finals, due at 16.45 and 18.00 (GMT+2).

All finals will be broadcasted live on http://www.issf-sports.org

AAG VOLLEYBALL: Algeria Overcome Rwanda In Epic 5 Setter, As Nigeria Defeats Botswana

2015 All Africa Games- Men Day 2

Brazzaville, Congo, September 3, 2015- Algeria escaped early Rwandan dominance to win a thrilling tiebreaker 3-2 (27-29, 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10) in Day 2 of All Africa Games Men’s tournament held at Henry Elende Hall in Brazzaville, Congo on Thursday.

Algeria earned their first win in Pool B of the competition, while Nigeria outclassed Botswana 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-15) in Pool A. Gambia reported no show in Pool A, so they are considered disqualified in Pool A.

Egypt and Nigeria led Pool A with 3 points from 1-0 record followed by Botswana and Mozambique 0-1.

Cameroon led Pool B with a win 3-0 against Ghana in their first day gaining 3 points ahead of Algeria and Cape Verde 2 points from 1-0, then Seychelles and Rwanda 1 point followed by Ghana 0.

Men’s competition

Nigeria v Botswana 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-15)

Nigeria beat Botswana 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-15) in Pool A during 70 minutes. Mattew Ejeh led the Nigerian scorers with 11 points, while Kabo Moetse was the best scorer in the loser side with 10 points. With a dominance in both serving and blocking activity, Nigeria dominated the match using also the experience of their veteran players like Emmanuel Jatto.

Rwanda triple block against Algeria

Algeria v Rwanda 3-2 (27-29, 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10)

Algeria fought 123 minutes to overcome Rwanda 3-2 (27-29, 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10) in grueling 5 set match showing a lot of thrills. After Rwanda led in the first set narrowly, Algeria came back to win the second and third sets and missed the match point at the fourth set, before Rwanda recovered to win the set narrowly 26-24. Algeria used their tight blockers in the tiebreak to settle the victory. Christophe Mukunzi led the Rwandan and match scorers with 23 points, while Ould Cherchali led the winners woith 16 points including 3 stuff blocks.

Oualou Tizi instructing

All Africa Games Men beat Performances
Top Scorer by Day

Day 1: 25- Valdir Reis of Cape verde v Seychelles on September 2
Day 2: 23- Christophe Mukunzi of Rwanda v Algeria on September 3

Top Scoring Performances
25- Valdir Reis of Cape verde v Seychelles on September 2
23- Christophe Mukunzi of Rwanda v Algeria on September 3
19- Ould Charchali of Algeria v Rwanda on September 3
15- Rodney Kong of Seychelles v Cape Verde on September 2

Top Individual Serving Performances
2- Steven Cruz of Cape Verde v Seychelles on September 2

Top Team Serving Performances
5- Algeria v Rwanda on September 3
5- Nigeria v Botswana on September 3
4- Cameroon v Ghana on September 2
4- Cape Verde v Seychelles on September 2

Top Individual Blocking Performances
5- Jordan Agbevanu of Ghana v Cameroon on September 2
4- Valdir Reis of Cape verde v Seychelles on September 2

Top Team Blocking Performances
16- Cape Verde v Seychelles on September 2
11- Algeria v Rwanda on September 3
10- Ghana v Cameroon on September 2

Highest Scoring Sets
Day 1: 25-23 Cape Verde v Seychelles (4th Set) on September 2
Day 2: 29-27 Rwanda v Algeria (1st set) on September 3

Highest Scoring Matches
Day 1 Cape Verde v Seychelles 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-12) – 211 points
Day 2 Algeria v Rwanda 3-2 (27-29, 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10) – 217 points

CAVB web site http://www.cavb.org

Dogo, Okpotu Claim League Bloggers Awards For August

Kabiru Dogo of Nasarawa United and Anthony Okpotu of Lobi Stars have been named the Manager and Player for August in the Glo Premier League by the League Bloggers Awards (LBA).

In the month under review, Dogo and Okpotu clearly underscored their performance in the top flight with the former leading Nasarawa United to eye-catching displays and impressive outcomes while the latter’s goals were pivotal in their push out of the drop zone.

For the manager’s category, Dogo stood out among the other three nominees, Kadiri Ikhana (Enyimba), Gbenga Ogunbote (3SC) and Stanley Eguma (Dolphins).

Though the shortlisted managers for the August award was whittled down to Dogo and Ikhana based on similarities in points amassed by their teams being 13 apiece, the Nasarawa United trainer edged his Enyimba counterparts on two fronts.

Dogo ensured that his team held a superior goal difference than Ikhana’s Enyimba in August. Only Sunshine Stars, whose manager, Kennedy Boboye, was not in the running, had the best goal different in the month under review.

The Nasarawa United man also guided his team to claim the most points on the road, being four, including a 2-1 away win at Kano Pillars to bring to a halt a 12-year-old unbeaten home record held by the champions.

Okpotu was one of the nominees in the month of July for the LBA player’s gong but missed out to the impressive Abia Warriors attacking midfielder, Ndifreke Effiong.

But this time, the Lobi Stars striker, who has earned himself the moniker ‘The Panther,’ for exhibiting aggressiveness, pace, intelligence and strength which are qualities found in the evasive predator, racked up enough reasons to shake off the close challenge of Sunshine Stars and Super Eagles winger, Prince Aggreh as well as the duo of Aniekpeno Udoh of Akwa United and Stephen Adah of FC Taraba for the prize.

Aggreh and Okpotu scored six goals apiece in August and their goals also helped their teams to three wins each last month. But Okpotu shaded Aggreh to the LBA gong by netting two goals on the road at difficult venues against Enyimba and Kano Pillars while the Sunshine Stars man got all of his six in home matches.

Dogo and Okpotu will be presented their awards in a later date in September by the LBA.

LBA winners this season

March 2015
Player: Ebere Odiche (Heartland)
Manager: Tony Ogharanduku (FC Taraba)

April 2015
Player: Ibrahim Shuaibu (Giwa FC)
Manager: Tony Bulus (Giwa FC)

May 2015
Player: Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars)
Manager: Kennedy Boboye (Sunshine Stars)

June 2015
Player: Ocheme Edoh (Giwa FC)
Manager: Abdu Maikaba (Wikki Tourists)

July 2015
Player: Ndifreke Effiong (Abia Warriors)
Manager: Paul Aigbogun (Warri Wolves)

Adebayor Dropped From Spurs Squad

Emmanuel Adebayor’s woes both on and off the pitch are not about to end as the Togo born strikers’s name is not on Tottenham Hotspurs roster for the Premier League or Europa League.

It is Believed that Spurs Manager Mauricio Pochettino had declared the gangling forward surplus to requirements hence his being linked with a move away from white Hart Lane.

Adebayor has had some challenges of the field also which saw the Togo Ace take to Facebook to clear the air on certain issue he had with members of his extended family.

Emmanuel Adebayor
photo credit: Rory
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Planned moves away from Tottenham Hotspurs didn’t materialise and pundits where especially surprised when the transfer window closed with Adebayor not moving away from White Hart lane either on loan or permanently.

The failure of Spurs to get the season long Target Saido Berahinho has not in any way softened the management stance as regards declaring Emmanuel Adebayor “surplus to requirement” and his situation is now even compounded by the Club’s refusal to register him for the Barclays English Premier League and the Europa League.

Rooney Set To Break Charlton’s England Goals Record

Wayne Rooney needs only two goals to break Sir Bobby Charlton’s 45-year-old England Goal Scoring record, and the Manchester United man has got two games during this international break to achieve this feat.

Rooney is in the England Squad to face San Marino in Serravalle on Saturday when both countries clash in a Group E encounter in the Euro 2016 qualifiers and if his goal scoring form for country is anything to go by plus the quality of the opposition then Rooney might just become England’s top goal scorer of all time come Saturday.

Wayne Rooney, England, three lions, football
photo credit: Brent Flanders
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Wayne would also get another chance to write his name in gold on Tuesday next week when the Three Lions host Switzerland on Tuesday at the Wembley Stadium.

And If the England and Manchester United captain can find his form for his club he might just repeat the feat for the club this season as Sir Bobby Charlton is the club’s highest goal scorer of all time with 249 goals from 758 games, follow by another United Legend Dennis Law with 237 goals from 404 games followed by Wayne Rooney with 233 goals from 484 games.

New England’s Brady Wins “Deflategate” Appeal

A US federal judge has today ruled that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell went too far in suspending New England quarterback Tom Brady for four games after the infamous “Deflategate”.

The NFL had earlier suspended Brady for an act it claimed “threatened football’s integrity”. Claiming that Brady was “at least generally aware” of the alleged intentional deflation of footballs.

The New England star quarterback had earlier appealed the four match suspension in June but the decision to suspend him was upheld by the NFL.

The court ruling basically means that Brady can now face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the 10th of September when the season kicks-off.

Tom Brady
photo credit: Keith Allison
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FIFA/COCA-COLA WORLD RANKING FOR SEPTEMBER 2015

FIFA

* There is no change at the top of the September edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, with Argentina continuing to lead the way ahead of Belgium (2nd, unchanged) and Germany (3rd,
unchanged).

* Wales move above England in the ranking for the first time in history.

* No movement in and out of the top ten this month.

* The biggest mover by point this month is Rwanda (up 57 points)

* The biggest mover by rank this month is Fiji (up 17 ranks)

* Northern Ireland made the biggest drop by point this month (down 34 points)

* Seychelles made the biggest drop by rank this month (down 7 ranks)

Argentina football team
photo credit Wikimedia CH
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wikimedia_ch/5431910511/in/photolist-9gZXKv-oh3h5j-oow88o-o7eK3o-8cRbie-ruQ84W-oUdSQf-fEZWh-8bfwH9-5K6nbe-5Kazy3-8bcfpX-8bfwEC-7VRtQr-8iVRmN-aZwtDF-8cmXXw-hHekXw-7eoPzM-6CaBas-fZx3e-5vdKKs-5Ng9pn-cVywoQ-3dUXwS-oos7Pn-n6LWG-fWbQU-43ZLmx-7BVpQN-5vcZQp-7DVGAF-5xkaXQ-fhu6r8-8cR9SM-8cUs8u-8cRaAD-rPL4pg-8aAC5U-8cUoGw-8cUq6C-8cUnXb-8cUpoq-8cUqHh-8cUrrG-mKXEQ-5Jaqgp-rPJdKq-9qyDfa-8aXtth

1 Argentina 1442 points

2 Belgium 1269 points

3 Germany 1248 points

4 Colombia 1224 points

5 Brazil 1209 points

6 Portugal 1186 points

7 Romania 1176 points

8 Chile 1149 points

9 Wales 1146 points

10 England 1143 points

11 Spain 1122 points

12 Netherlands 1054 points

13 Austria 1038 points

14 Croatia 1037 points

15 Slovakia 1013 points

16 Italy 1012 points

17 Switzerland 1011 points

18 Uruguay 1002 points

19 Algeria 955 points

20 Czech Republic 940 points

Top Ten African teams in World Ranking;

1. Algeria (19) 955 points

2. Côte d’Ivoire (21) 924 points

3. Ghana (27) 827 points

4. Tunisia (33) 774 points

5. Senegal (38) 734 points

6. Republic of Congo (42) 672 points

7. Cameroon (42) 671 points

8. Egypt (49) 619 points

9. Nigeria (53) 599 points

10. Cape Verde (56) 589 points

Favourites Start Victorious At All Africa Games Volleyball Event Opens

2015 All Africa Games- Day 1

Brazzaville, Congo, September 2, 2015- The volleyball competition at the 2015 All Africa Games got underway at Henry Elende Hall in Brazzaville, Congo in presence of African Volleyball Confederation “CAVB” President Dr Amr Elwani with 3 matches in each gender in the competition pools on Wednesday.

In Men’s competition Giants Egypt and Cameroon emerged victorious along with the up and coming Cape Verde. In Women’s Category Kenya were the stars of the day beating their compatriots Algeria, beside other victories for Ghana and Nigeria.

CAVB President in VIP area

Men’s competition

Cape Verde v Seychelles 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-12)

Cape Verde came from a set behind to clinch exciting five set victory over battling Seychelles 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-12) in 128 minutes in Pool B. Valdir Reis scored the day’s best 25 points to lead the match scorers followed by Hello Sanches with 13. Rodney Kong contributed 15 points in the loser’s attempt. The winners overwhelmed the net action through their better blocking as they had double mark in successful blocks with 16/8.

Egypt v Mozambique 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-18)

Egypt outclassed Mozambique 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-18) in Pool A match lasting 53 minutes. The Egyptian coach Mohamed Moselhi used most of his line up during the 3 sets to bring the victory. Mozambique played a good match according to their capabilities and improved the score set by set.

Egypt’s Islam spiking

Cameroon v Ghana 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-14)

Cameroon cruised past emerging Ghana 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-) in Pool B. Cameroon deployed their taller blockers beside using the strong attackers to bring the first win. Ghana showed a lot of motivations during the match however Cameroon were more experienced to settle the result

Men Pools composition

Pool A: Congo Brazzaville- Gambia- Botswana- Nigeria- Egypt- Mozambique
Pool B: Cameroon- Ghana- Seychelles- Cape Verde- Algeria- Rwanda

Women’s Competition

Algeria celebrating,

Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria start as heroes of the first day as they set the first win against Algeria, Congo and Mozambique in day 1 of the 2015 All Africa Games held in Henry Elende Hall in Brazzaville, Congo on Wednesday. The competition features 12 teams divided into 2 pools of 6, where each Pool play a round robin tournament to determine the top 2 teams who qualify to the semifinal.

Ghana v Congo 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-21)

Ghana overcame Hosts Congo in straight sets (25-11, 25-20, 25-21) in 74 minutes in Pool A. Ghana’s attacker Mary Addai led her team scorers with 16 points followed by Korkoe Bavon 10 points. Petronie Nkoka contributed 7 points for the hosts. Ghana had also an advantage of 10-4 in areas of blocking and 34-19 in spiking success.

Nigeria v Mozambique 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21)

Nigeria’s used their experience to overwhelm Mozambique 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) in 74 minutes in Pool B. Mercy Promise topped the Nigerian scorers with 17 points followed by Theresa Okonma 10. Barilla Manilia headed the loser’s scorers with 17 points. Leading to the victory the winners had also 10/6 in stuff blocks and 36/27 in attacking success. The losers had the advantage in ace services with 6/4.

Egypt women’s team supporting their male counterparts

Kenya v Algeria 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23)

Kenya upset Algeria 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23) in opening day’s most thrilling match lasting 123 minutes in Pool B. the Central African team again prove their dominance in the typical continental classic encounter between the current African Giants after the Kenyan won the last African Nations Championship’s final and also the head to head encounters’ in both of this year’s World Grand Prix and World Cup .

Leonida Kasaya led the Kenyan scorers with 17 points followed by Edith Mukuvilani 12, while Algeria’s outside hitter Safia Boukhaima led losers with 14. The Kenyan blockers actually made the great difference as they had 18/8 in terms of stuff blocks.

Women’s Pool Composition

Pool A: Congo Brazzaville- Ghana- Senegal- Seychelles- Egypt- Botswana
Pool B: Nigeria- Mozambique- Algeria- Kenya- Cape Verde- Cameroon

CAVB web site http://www.cavb.org

Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015: Seven Teams Chasing Points At Round 19 In Arezzo

The 19th and final qualifier of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 season will take place in Arezzo, Italy on Friday 4 September, attracting a field of 13 teams.

The starting order, which was determined by a draw held in Arezzo today, will be as follows:

‎1. Brazil
2. Italy
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Ireland
6. Turkey
7. Norway
8. Poland
9. Belgium
10. Sweden
11. France
12. Slovenia
13. Czech Republic

This is the eighth and last leg of the Europe Division 2 League, and the teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Turkey will be eligible for Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping points. A total of 16 nations have been competing in Europe Division 2 during the season, and two teams will qualify for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final which will take place in Barcelona, Spain from 24 to 27 September.

Friday’s competition is scheduled to begin at 14.30 local time and will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform.

The FEI is providing a wide range of online information resources in connection with the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping.