‘Checking The Sprint Calendar…’ Neeraj Chopra Responds to Michael Johnson’s Praise

‘Checking The Sprint Calendar…’ Neeraj Chopra Responds to Michael Johnson’s Praise

As a result of being praised by legendary American athlete Michael Jordan, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has now revealed that he plans on participating in sprints this year. Johnson was captivated by Neeraj’s athleticism and movement. In a video posted by the former American sprinter, he wrote, “He is a javelin thrower! Olympic champion, but also a javelin thrower with sprinter/jumper movements!”

India’s ace javelin thrower, Neeraj, responded immediately. He thanked Johnson and said, “Now that I’ve received your approval, I’ll check the sprint calendar.”

During the video, Neeraj can be seen going through warm-up drills ahead of his return to competitive action.

The year 2022 had certainly been a memorable one for Neeraj. He became the second Indian athlete to clinch a medal at the World Championship. As India’s first male track and field athlete to win a medal at the showpiece event, Neeraj won a precious silver medal with an impressive throw of 88.13 meters.

As a result of his victory in Zurich in September 2022, Neeraj also became the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League. He achieved the sensational feat by recording an 88.44 meters second throw. In winning the championship, Neeraj beat Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, the 2016 Diamond League champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist.

In total, Neeraj had participated in six events in 2022. He also set two national records.

He was unable to participate in the Commonwealth Games due to his groin injury, and he was unable to participate in the National Games because of his fitness issues as well.

Dutch Team’s Inexperience Biggest Challenge ahead of FIH World Cup: Coach Jeroen Delmee

Dutch Team’s Inexperience Biggest Challenge ahead of FIH World Cup: Coach Jeroen Delmee

Netherlands chief coach Jeroen Delmee believes his team will need to overcome inexperience as it aims to win its fourth trophy at the Men’s hockey World Cup, beginning here on January 13.

Three-time world champions Netherlands arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

The silver medallists of the previous edition, who are being led by Thierry Brinkman, will complete their final preparations here before travelling to Rourkela where they will face Malaysia in their first match on January 14.

It will be interesting to see how we will overcome the challenges in the World Cup. I have full confidence in my team,” Delmee said.

After their match against Malaysia, they will face New Zealand in Rourkela on January 16, and will conclude their group stage campaign against Chile in Bhubaneswar on January 19.

“We will have to fight from game to game, and we will see where we end up in the tournament. Our first goal is to reach the quarterfinals, then the semifinals.

In the final, we will see how things go. Of course, if we get to the final, we hope we can turn things around and win the tournament. However, this time we have a completely different team and you cannot compare the current players with last time’s team,” Delmee said.

Among the 16 teams competing in the tournament are Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, India, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Chile, and Wales.

ISL Transfer News: NorthEast United FC Bolster Defence with Hira Mondal’s Signature

ISL Transfer News: NorthEast United FC Bolster Defence with Hira Mondal’s Signature

Earlier this month, NorthEast United FC announced that it had signed defender Hira Mondal on a free transfer. Mondal previously played for Bengaluru FC but parted ways with the club in November by mutual consent.

As NorthEast United FC look to close out their season on a high note, Mondal will be competing with Tondonba Singh and Gurjinder Kumar for the left-back position.

He was named to the I-League Team of the Season for his outstanding performances for the West Bengal Santosh Trophy team and Mohammedan SC during the 2020-21 season.

As a result of impressing with Mohammedan SC, the defender joined East Bengal FC, and played an integral role for the Red & Golds despite finishing at the bottom of the ISL last year. After an impressive season for East Bengal FC, the full-back was in high demand and signed for Bengaluru FC ahead of the ISL 2022-23 season. He made 16 appearances for the team and contributed to both ends of the pitch.

Bengaluru FC’s Mondal played four Durand Cup games before the start of the ISL season, winning the illustrious trophy, but he did not appear in any of the team’s games this season.

With 33 goals conceded this season, Guwahati’s ISL side is at the bottom of the standings under new coach Vincenzo Annese. With just eight games remaining, NorthEast United FC will be pushing hard to record as many points as possible and give themselves the push they sorely need to climb up the table and out of last place.

Auckland Classic: Rebeka Masarova Stuns Sloane Stephens; Sofia Kenin Beats Wang Xinyu

In the ASB Tennis Classic on Wednesday, Rebeka Masarova defeated Sloane Stephens 6-3, 7-5 (5) despite persistent rain causing a backlog of singles matches.

As a result, the first round of singles had to be played indoors without spectators. Stephens struggled to adjust to the indoor setting and lost in just under two hours to the 130th ranked Masarova on a day that would be notable for the number of American players in action.

Play was suspended late Tuesday night; Masarova led 2-1 on serve when play was suspended. She immediately broke Stephens for 3-1 and won the first set 6-3 in 41 minutes.

In the second set, Masarova led 2-0, but Stephens broke in the fourth game to tie at 2-2 and again in the sixth game to win 4-2 for her team.

Nevertheless, Masarova broke in the ninth game and nearly broke again in the 11th game, when Stephens was able to save three break points at 0-40. To win her first match against a top-50 player since 2016, Masarova went ahead 6-2 in the tiebreaker and sealed the match on her fourth match point.

“I played some good points,” Stephens said. “I thought I played well at times.”

I wish I had played better and done some things differently, but I’m not devastated. It’s the first tournament of the year, so I just have to be realistic and know that there’s more to learn.”

To prepare for the Australian Open that begins in Melbourne on Jan. 16, Stephens hopes to play in Hobart, Australia next week.

United Cup: Frances Tiafoe Helps USA Beat Britain to Advance to Semis

United Cup: Frances Tiafoe Helps USA Beat Britain to Advance to Semis

In the United Cup mixed teams tournament, Frances Tiafoe defeated Britain’s Daniel Evans 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday.

With Tiafoe’s victory, the Americans had a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-five Sydney City Final. They would play mixed doubles later in the day.

At Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena, the U.S. will be one of four teams in the semifinals.

In the earlier match, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula beat Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-0 in 57 minutes to give the United States a 2-1 lead.

The U.S. took the lead in the afternoon session after Madison Keys beat Katie Swan 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. However, world No. 14 Cameron Norrie came back to win 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 against No. 9 Taylor Fritz to tie the match.

‘Madi really set the tone with her match,’ Pegula said. ‘I think I did everything really well today. I could feel it. Some days you come out firing and you feel really good. I was trying to settle down because I was seeing the ball so well.

In the Brisbane City Final, Matteo Berrettini beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to give Italy a 2-1 lead over Poland, before Poland won the fourth singles match to tie it at 2-2.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland leveled the tie by defeating Martina Trevisan of Italy 6-2, 6-4 after Lorenzo Musetti beat Daniel Michalski 6-1, 6-1 earlier in the day.

Swiatek, who was up 4-0 in the second set, was happy that she was able to finish it despite Martina’s excellent second set.

Ligue 1 Side Angers’ Headquarters Raided by Police

Ligue 1 Side Angers’ Headquarters Raided by Police

Police raided Angers’ headquarters on Tuesday as part of a large-scale investigation involving several clubs, the struggling French club said.

The preliminary investigation by the Bobigny prosecutor’s office, in the Paris region, aims to verify information relating to dozens of individuals from outside the club, Angers said in a statement on Wednesday. The Bobigny prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The investigation focused on Angers’ former legal director, who was fired in 2022 for serious misconduct, and a player’s agent employed by the club’s recruiting cell between September and December 2022.

According to Angers, no charges or proceedings have been brought against any members or officials of the club.

French media report that investigators are looking into suspicious financial transactions and the role of some agents.

United Cup: Stefanos Tsitsipas Down Borna Coric; Greece Draw Level With Croatia

United Cup: Stefanos Tsitsipas Down Borna Coric; Greece Draw Level With Croatia

Team Greece earned a crucial City Finals point on Wednesday when Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Borna Coric 6-0, 6-7(4), 7-5.

In the City Final, the World No. 4 took the court after Donna Vekic beat Despina Papamichail 6-2, 6-0 to give Croatia a strong start.

As Coric saved two match points at 5-6 in the second set, Tsitsipas needed to dig deep after taking the opening set. The Greek was then in trouble at 1-4 behind in the decider, but he rallied to a thrilling two-hour and 32-minute win to level the match with Croatia.

In the evening session, Greece’s No. 6 WTA Maria Sakkari will face Petra Martic in the women’s singles final.

In the fourth singles match, Michail Pervolarakis will face Borna Gojo.

Brazilian Legend Pele Gets Resting Place in World’s Tallest Vertical Cemetery

Brazilian Legend Pele Gets Resting Place in World’s Tallest Vertical Cemetery

He was a footballer like no other, and his final resting place will be extraordinary, too: a large replica stadium with artificial turf inside the world’s tallest cemetery.

After his death last week at age 82, the Brazilian football great’s funeral was held Tuesday in the Memorial Ecumenical Cemetery, a veritable high-rise that holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest cemetery on earth.

This cemetery is located in Santos, the southeastern port city where ‘The King’ spent most of his storied career, and features a 24-hour restaurant, a chapel, an automobile museum, and a small fish pond.

Located on the first floor, Pele’s mausoleum will be decorated like a football stadium, with his embalmed body displayed in a coffin surrounded by gilded images from his glory days.

Saudi Arabia or South Africa? Cristiano Ronaldo Stumbles over Al Nassr Mega-move

Saudi Arabia or South Africa? Cristiano Ronaldo Stumbles over Al Nassr Mega-move

Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to make a slip of the tongue on Tuesday when he appeared to say he had moved to South Africa rather than Saudi Arabia, the home of his latest club Al Nassr.

“It’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa,” he told media at the Riyadh club where thousands of fans feted his signing.

The 37-year-old, who has played all of his career in Europe, made the blunder when talking about the offers he said flooded in from around the world after leaving Manchester United.

A Portuguese forward who arrived in the capital of oil-rich Saudi Arabia late on Monday said he had received many offers in Europe, Brazil, Australia, and the United States.

As Ronaldo appeared in Al Nassr’s yellow and blue kit, a 25,000-seat Mrsool Park erupted in cheers and pyrotechnics.

Upon arriving at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ronaldo described himself as a “unique player” and insisted his career was not over.

“I’m a unique player. It’s good to come here, I broke all the records in Europe and I want to break a few here,” Ronaldo told reporters at Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park stadium.

“I want to win, play, enjoy, be part of the success and culture of this country,” he said.

Despite numerous offers from Europe and elsewhere, Ronaldo opted to join the Saudis.

“My work is done in Europe,” he said, adding: “I had many offers in Brazil, Australia, the US, and even Portugal.

Many Clubs Tried to Sign Me! Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals Reason Behind ‘Big Decision’ to Sign for Al Nassr

Many Clubs Tried to Sign Me! Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals Reason Behind ‘Big Decision’ to Sign for Al Nassr

In announcing Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing on Tuesday, Al Nassr’s president said the Portugal great deserves to be the highest-paid player in the world.

According to reports, Ronaldo turned down “many clubs” around the world to complete one of the most surprising transfers in sports history.

Musalli Almuammar, president of Al Nassr, would not confirm the exact figures in the two-and-a-half-year contract.

Almuammar said, “He is the best player in football history, so it is normal he will be the highest paid. It is something he really deserves, so he deserves all the money he will take.”

Fireworks and smoke machines accompanied Ronaldo’s presentation at Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park.

After rejecting offers from Europe, North America, and other leagues, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus forward will play in the Saudi Pro League.

Despite sitting in a room full of journalists, Ronaldo only answered questions from the master of ceremonies during his news conference where he only answered questions from the master of ceremonies. In Europe, I have completed my work. I have won everything and played for the best clubs.

For the first time in his storied career, the 37-year-old Portuguese international will play outside Europe after winning five Ballon d’Or awards.

The truth is I had many opportunities in Europe, Brazil, Australia, the U.S., even Portugal. I gave my word to this club.” “I want to give a different vision of this country and football. That’s why I took this opportunity.”

Fans made their way to the stadium early in anticipation of Ronaldo’s introduction during the day.