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.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have unveiled a striking new 10-star jersey ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), celebrating the team’s unparalleled success on the African continent.
The newly designed kit features 10 stars encircling the team’s badge, with each star representing one of Nigeria’s 10 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles.
The symbolic design reflects the Super Falcons’ legacy as the most successful side in the history of the competition.
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The nine-time defending champions first wore the special jersey during Thursday’s 2-1 international friendly victory over Tanzania’s Twiga Stars, giving supporters a glimpse of the new look ahead of the continental showpiece.
Justin Madugu’s team will now turn its attention to Morocco, where it will be aiming to capture a record-extending 11th WAFCON title and further cement its dominance in African women’s football.
The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to begin on Saturday, with Nigeria opening its title defence against tournament debutants Malawi on Tuesday at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
See the jersey below
The German Football Association (DFB) has officially appointed former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp as the new head coach of the country’s men’s national football team.
Klopp, 59, replaces Julian Nagelsmann, who departed following Germany’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The announcement was made on Friday during a press conference in Frankfurt by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf.
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Neuendorf confirmed that Klopp has signed a contract that will run until the summer of 2030, keeping him in charge through the next FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. He added that Klopp will officially assume his new role on August 15.
Speaking during the unveiling, Neuendorf expressed confidence that Klopp is the right man to restore Germany’s status as one of world football’s elite nations.
Germany’s latest World Cup campaign ended in disappointment after a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the Round of 32.
The exit marked the country’s third consecutive poor World Cup performance since lifting the trophy for a fourth time in Brazil in 2014.
The four-time world champions also failed to progress beyond the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 editions, while their only knockout victory in the last five major tournaments came during Euro 2024, where they reached the quarter-finals on home soil.
Klopp had previously indicated his interest in leading the national team after Nagelsmann’s departure earlier this month.
Widely regarded as one of football’s most successful managers, Klopp built his reputation at Mainz before guiding Borussia Dortmund to domestic success.
He later transformed Liverpool into one of Europe’s dominant clubs, winning multiple major trophies, including the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League.
Germany will now look to Klopp to oversee a long-term rebuild and guide the national team back to competing for major international honours.
Spain’s celebrations after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup were overshadowed by tragedy after a 13-year-old boy died and several others were injured when a fountain collapsed during jubilant scenes in the western Spanish town of Ciudad Rodrigo.
The heartbreaking incident occurred shortly after Spain secured a historic 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final, ending a 16-year wait for the country’s second global football title.
RELATED NEWS: BREAKING: Spain Dethrone Argentina to Win 2026 FIFA World Cup
According to local authorities, emergency services received multiple distress calls at around 12:30 a.m. local time after a fountain packed with celebrating fans suddenly collapsed.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ciudad Rodrigo City Hall confirmed the teenager’s death and expressed condolences to the victim’s family.
“The city hall of Ciudad Rodrigo expresses its sadness and presents its condolences for the death of a boy of 13.”
The municipality described the incident as a devastating turn of events, saying: “What should have been a celebration of Spain’s team in the football World Cup turned into tragedy.”
Emergency services also confirmed that another youth was injured in the collapse, while several others sustained injuries as rescue teams rushed to the scene.
Local media reported that the fountain gave way under the weight of dozens of fans who had climbed onto the structure to celebrate Spain’s World Cup triumph.
The fatal accident cast a somber mood over celebrations across the football-loving nation, with many expressing grief just hours after Spain’s memorable victory on the world stage.
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