Sports
Budapest 2023: Amusan Takes First, Returns 3rd Fastest In Heats
The World women’s 100m hurdles champion and record holder, Tobi Amusan, has marked her return to competitive sports, after a scare of being banned by taking first position in her heat to qualify for the semifinals.
That puts her on course to successfully defending her title, of the huddles event at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Amosun, on Tuesday, in her first race since July 17,2023, won her heat with a time of 12.48 secs.
In what is her first race after a provisional suspension the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing three whereabouts tests, the Ogun State born, Nigerian, took off slowly before overtaking Jamaican champion Megan Tapper, who was second in 12.51secs.
The time she returned was the third fastest in the heats, behind Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, who ran a new national record of 12.44secs and Kendra Harrison, who also produced a world lead 12.24secs.
Recall that Amusan’s last race before the World Championships was at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland July 17, where she ran her season’s best 12.34secs to win the race.
She is billed to return to the tracks Wednesday (today) for the semifinals, in her quest to retain the title she won in 2022 in Oregon, USA.
The pride of Nigerian tracks and fields, will run on lane seven in the second of three semifinals at 7:53pm Nigerian time, knowing that with the first two from each race plus two other fastest times would make it into Thursday’s final.
Some other contenders still in the race are Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and USA’s Nia Ali.
The hurdler’s participation at the 2023 championship was in doubt until last Thursday, when she was cleared by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
The body lifted the suspension on her after a panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal, by majority decision, found her not guilty of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.
The lifting of the temporary ban came as a huge relief to sports loving Nigerians and saw the hurdler excited to return to the track in Budapest.
She exclaimed, “I am thrilled to put this behind me, and I look forward to defending my title at the World Championships. I generally have been and consistently will be an ally of clean sport.”
Tottenham Hotspur will be without star forward Son Heung-min for their crucial Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Wednesday.
The South Korean international has been nursing a foot injury in recent weeks and did not travel with the squad to Germany.
Son also missed Spurs’ 4-2 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton on Saturday.
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“Sonny didn’t travel in the end, he’s the only one that misses out,” Postecoglou told reporters ahead of Thursday’s clash at the Waldstadion.
“He’s been battling with his foot problem for a few weeks now and managed to play through it. He trained the last few days, he tried to train yesterday and it wasn’t right, so we made the decision to leave him at home to allow him to recuperate.”
Son has been a key figure in Spurs’ European campaign this season, registering three goals and an assist across nine Europa League appearances.
The tie remains finely balanced after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in London, where Pedro Porro’s equalizer cancelled out Hugo Ekitike’s early goal for Frankfurt.
A win on Thursday would secure a place in the semi-finals.
Postecoglou, whose side has struggled in domestic competition and sits 15th in the Premier League, dismissed concerns over mounting pressure on his position.
“If you don’t think I’m a good coach, that’s not going to change because of what happens tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow, and I’m not going to let that slip by without fighting tooth and nail.”
On the opposite bench, Frankfurt boss Dino Toppmoeller expects Spurs to be fully focused on the Europa League, brushing aside suggestions that their poor league form could offer his team an advantage.
“Their latest league setback plays absolutely no role because their only focus is the Europa League,” Toppmoeller said.
Despite Frankfurt sitting third in the Bundesliga, he refused to label his side as favourites. “It doesn’t matter whether any team is the favourite or not.”
Frankfurt will also be without their captain and first-choice goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who remains sidelined through injury. Brazilian shot-stopper Kaua Santos is expected to continue in goal.
With the tie poised on a knife-edge, Toppmoeller remained unfazed by the possibility of the match going to penalties — a scenario often discussed when English and German sides meet in European competition.
“I have absolutely no fear of a shootout, because I have total confidence in the boys. And if it comes to penalties, we’ll win on penalties,” he said.
Gabonese football has been thrown into mourning following the death of international striker Aaron Boupendza, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 28.
The player reportedly fell from the 11th floor of a building in China, where he was plying his trade with Zhejiang FC.
The tragic news was confirmed by the Gabonese Football Federation (Fegafoot) in an official statement shared on X.
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“The Gabonese international died following a fall from the 11th floor of his building in China, where he was playing for Zhejiang FC,” the statement read.
“Aged 28, Boupendza leaves us with the memory of a great striker who left his mark on the CAN (Africa Cup of Nations) in Cameroon,” it added.
Boupendza, known for his sharp attacking instincts, was a key part of Gabon’s national team at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, where the Panthers reached the knockout stage before being eliminated by Burkina Faso in the round of 16.
In the wake of his death, Fegafoot extended its sympathies, stating: “Fegafoot and the entire Gabonese football family offer their sincere condolences to his biological family.”
Gabon’s president-elect Brice Oligui Nguema also joined in paying tribute to the striker, writing on X: “It is with immense sadness that I learn of the tragic death of Aaron Boupendza, a talented centre-forward who brought honour to Gabonese football.”
Meanwhile, local media outlet Gabon 24 reported that an investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of the incident, noting that “the exact circumstances of this tragedy are still unclear.”
Boupendza was born in Moanda and began his professional journey with French club Bordeaux in 2016, spending much of his early career on loan across France.
His breakthrough came in Turkey with Hatayspor, where he finished as top scorer in the 2020–21 Super Lig season.
The striker’s career saw him lift the Qatar FA Cup with Al Arabi, before further stints with Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia, FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer, and Romania’s Rapid Bucharest.
He had only joined Zhejiang FC in January of this year.
The communication materials for the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged the Gateway Games, have been unveiled.
Biztellers reports that the materials include the Games’ logo, theme song, and mascot.
The three were unveiled at a colourful ceremony at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Abeokuta. The Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele stood in for the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The logo is mainly in Ogun State theme colours of lemon green and yellow. The unveiling of the logo was immediately followed by that of the Theme Song of the Festival.
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It is titled ‘E’kaabo’ a Yoruba word for ‘Welcome’ as Ogun State prepares to welcome thousands of athletes, officials, tourists and VIPs when the 22nd National Sports Festival comes alive on May 16. The Theme Song was composed by Dr Bayo Adepetun.
The jam-packed hall roared in excitement when the festival’s mascot was eventually unveiled.
Named ‘Omo Ogun’, the animated version strolled on the stage and saluted the audience before getting down the stage to greet the dignitaries.
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