Of Rocket Suits, Cross Over, Rebellion And Probable Murder
The last news cycle has been mystical and euphoric
Hello everyone 👋
I hope your morning/evening/afternoon/night is going great. Whenever you are reading this.⌛
Welcome to Lost on the Desk edition #2.
Today's big stories so far will be Colombia holding Brazil 1-1 in Copa America, Turkey continuing their fairy tale run at the Euro 2024 after defeating very 'entertaining' Austria 2-1, Dutch triumph over Romanians, while on Wimbledon front Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, Swiatek all going strong.
Special smiles as One Jabeur makes it through to the next round too.
Another piece of news that's captivating is the suspension of Mali Captian Hamari Traore for inciting rebellion against the national federation.
Some more interesting bits are swimmers being excited about new 'rocket suits' that they will be donning at the Paris Olympics.
A great tennis-snooker cross over when Novak Djokovic asks Ronnie Sullivan for snooker tips.
The major tournaments happening at the moment are Euro 24, Copa America, Wimbledon, and preparations for the Paris Olympics.
I hope you enjoy the news in this letter 📜, feel free to discuss anything from/about the news here, if I've missed something too.
Do check the trivia, quote of the day and in general .
Thank you and stay awesome!! ❤️
💭 Quote of the day
PHOTO: GETTY
Montella: Everyone gave a bit extra in terms of their soul, and for a head coach, you know that there are matches such as these and you can only win matches such as these if there is a soul within the squad. There's that belief, that conviction. I could go on all night, but I saw all of those attributes, and that makes me very proud.
Turkey Coach Vincenzo Montella on defeating Austria at 2024 Euro. REUTERS
❓ Trivia
Who is the current world number on in women's squash?
A. Nour ElSherbini
PHOTO: GETTY
🦸Total Legend
Marta named in Brazil's squad for sixth Olympic Games
PHOTO: GETTY
MEXICO CITY. Brazil's all-time leading scorer Marta will play in her sixth Olympics after being named in the squad for the Paris Games unveiled on Tuesday by coach Arthur Elias.
The 38-year-old striker, who also played at her sixth World Cup last year in Australia, said in April she will retire from internationals at the end of the year.
Marta was part of the Brazil team that claimed silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Games. "She brings a lot to the table, she's the greatest athlete of all time," said Elias of the Orlando Pride player.
"She's playing well, she deserved to be on this list. "Marta's performance, especially after she came back to play for her club, which is fighting for the top spot in the U.S., her behaviour, with or without the ball, makes all the athletes see her as an example." REUTERS
Rest In Peace
PHOTO: AFP
Former high jump world champion Freitag found dead in South Africa
GDANSK. South African former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag has been found dead with gunshot wounds having been missing for two weeks, South African media reported on Tuesday.
According to Netwerk24, Freitag, 42, was found in the grass near a cemetery in Pretoria West, South Africa, and police are treating the case as murder.
He was reported missing after he was last seen leaving his mother's house with an unknown man late on June 17.
Freitag won world championships at youth, junior, and senior levels. He took gold in the high jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. He jumped a personal best 2.38 metres in 2005. REUTERS
'Thorough review' after teenage badminton player's death
KUALA LUMPUR. Badminton's governing body on Tuesday announced a "thorough review" following the death of a promising Chinese teenager who collapsed during a match.
Seventeen-year-old Zhang Zhijie was playing at the Asia Junior Championships in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta on Sunday when he suddenly fell to the floor.
Indonesia's badminton association (PBSI) and Badminton Asia said he was promptly rushed to hospital but died that night having suffered a cardiac arrest.
However, there were questions about the medical response at the venue. Footage showed it took 40 seconds from when Zhang collapsed for any kind of help to arrive on the court. AFP
💪🏾Rebellion
PHOTO: Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport
Mali captain Traore suspended for inciting 'rebellion' in team
DAKAR. Mali captain Hamari Traore has been suspended for inciting "rebellion" after the publication of a letter criticising the national federation, an official told AFP on Tuesday.
Real Sociedad defender Traore was among the international players who published a letter last month deploring "poor management" and lack of professionalism among officials in recent years.
The players threatened to boycott the national team if the federation fails to remedy the crisis that, they say, Malian football is going through.
The letter, which was addressed to supporters, caused a stir in Mali. Traore failed to respond to a summons to appear before a disciplinary commission. AFP
The Cross-Over 🎱🎾
PHOTO: PA
Right on cue as Djokovic seeks snooker tips from 'Rocket Ronnie'
LONDON. What does a seven-time Wimbledon champion do when he sucks at snooker?
Call seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan of course.
Novak Djokovic admitted Tuesday that he is a huge fan of Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan, so much so that he invited the Englishman into his Centre Court box to see him open his All England Club campaign.
"I watch snooker just because of him. I watched when I was a kid," said Djokovic, 37.
"My father loved watching snooker. I only watched Ronnie. Whenever he would not play, I would not watch.
"It was really nice to have him around. Hopefully we're able to play some snooker because I'm really bad at snooker. I'm OK at pool or billiards, but snooker, I tried it twice, and it's really, really tough." AFP
Young Gun 🔫
'I made it': Thai 12-year-old fulfils Olympic skateboard dream
PHOTO: AFP
BANGKOK. Five years after stepping on a skateboard for the first time, Vareeraya Sukasem will represent Thailand at the Olympics, aged just 12.
Vareeraya, known by her nickname "ST", booked her place in dramatic fashion at a qualifying event in Budapest last month and will be one of the youngest athletes in Paris.
Feeling "pressured and stressed" going into the event -- the last chance to qualify -- Vareeraya failed to make the final round and headed to doping control thinking her hopes were dashed.
"While waiting for my testing result, my mom messaged me: 'ST, you made it to the Olympics!'," she told AFP. "I was so happy. I screamed in the middle of the room because I was so happy that I had really made it." AFP
🏊♀️ Olympic swimmers hope for winning edge with latest 'rocket suits'
SYDNEY. Swimmers battling for gold at this month's Paris Olympics are banking on the latest cutting-edge swimsuits to be their secret weapon in the pool.
Competitors believe innovation can be the difference in a sport where medals are sometimes decided by a mere fingertip, although the evidence is not so sure.
Driven by technology that takes inspiration from space travel, Speedo has produced a new version of its Fastskin LZR Racer suit billed as its most water-repellent ever.
Claiming to provide a sense of "weightlessness", it will be worn by top swimmers including Emma McKeon from Australia, the American Caeleb Dressel and Britain's Adam Peaty as they strive to shave every hundredth of a second off their times.
"It's my own little Speedo rocket suit," said freestyle and butterfly ace Dressel, who won five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in an earlier version of the suit. AFP
⚽Brazil held by Colombia in Copa America, to face Uruguay quarter-final
PHOTO: AFP
SANTA CLARA.Colombia came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Tuesday, ensuring their qualification to the Copa America quarter-finals as group winners.
An equalizer from Daniel Munoz in first half stoppage time was enough to earn Colombia a share of the spoils after Raphinha had fired Brazil into the lead with a sublime 12th-minute free-kick at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The result means Colombia advance to the knockout rounds as winners of Group D, where they will face Group C runners-up Panama in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday.
But Tuesday's draw means Brazil will face a titanic showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday against arch-rivals Uruguay, winners of Group D with a perfect record. AFP
Costa Rica beat Paraguay but exit Copa America ⚽
AUSTIN. Costa Rica scored two early goals to beat Paraguay 2-1 in their final Copa America Group D match on Tuesday but failed to move into the quarter-finals after finishing third following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Colombia.
Colombia finished as group winners with seven points while Brazil also advanced as runners-up with five.
Costa Rica return home with four points while Paraguay exit after three losses. "This was a very tough group. We were playing against Brazil and Colombia, two of the four favourites to win the Copa," Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro told reporters. REUTERS
⚽ High-energy Turkey march on to last eight after Austria triumph
LEIPZIG. "Turk ahead, Turk forward", words from a Turkish patriotic song, and proudly displayed on a banner by the Turkey supporters at Leipzig Stadium, and their team took those lines to heart to beat Austria 2-1 and advance to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
With Turkey deprived of their suspended captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin, due to a mixture of ill discipline and a card-happy referee in their last game, Austria came in as favourites. Austria coach Ralf Rangnick's high press, aggressive football was the talk of the tournament, but from the off it was Turkey who took the game by the scruff of the neck and never let it go. REUTERS
Malen doubles up as Dutch beat Romania to reach Euro 2024 quarters ⚽
MUNICH. The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 as Donyell Malen scored twice in a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to convert pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.
Romania were gritty but outclassed, lacking the quality to punish their opponents' profligacy before Malen added his second on the counter in stoppage-time.
The victory put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final clash with Turkey or Austria, who beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the group stage.AFP
⚽♔ Brazil creates King Pele Day in honor of football icon
RIO DE JANEIRO. Brazil football legend Pele will be honored in his home country by a commemorative day baptised "King Pele Day", reported Tuesday's edition of the government gazette.
Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do Nascimento -- better known as Pele -- won three World Cups with Brazil and scored more than 1,000 goals over his storied career.
"King Pele Day" will be held on November 19 -- the date on which the striker scored his 1,000th goal in a match for boyhood club Santos at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium in 1969. AFP
🎾End of an era as 'disappointed' Murray withdraws from Wimbledon singles
LONDON. Two-time champion Andy Murray called time on his Wimbledon singles career on Tuesday after the "extremely disappointed" former world number one lost his battle to recover from back surgery.
However, the 37-year-old, who plans to retire after the Paris Olympics, will still experience an emotional farewell at the All England Club when he plays doubles with brother Jamie later in the tournament.
Murray underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his back last month, a procedure he described as "not insignificant".
The operation left him without full feeling in his right leg and placed in peril his final appearance at the tournament. AFP
Alcaraz, Sinner eye Wimbledon third round 🎾
LONDON. World number one Jannik Sinner takes on Italian compatriot and former runner-up Matteo Berrettini for a place in the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka also target places in the last 32.
Alcaraz faces a man who once defeated him in a Grand Slam qualifier while Osaka's rival is the daughter of an American billionaire.
AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on day three of the tournament:
Italian men's tennis has rarely been stronger, with the country boasting five players in the top 50 while the nation swept to Davis Cup glory last season.
Ten Italian men started the singles tournament this year at Wimbledon. AFP
🎾Swiatek downs Kenin in battle of Grand Slam champions
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON. Only once in her 21 previous Grand Slam appearances had Iga Swiatek perished in the first round - at Wimbledon in 2019.
When this year's All England Club draw pitted her against fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin, there were fears that Swiatek could be in for another short, and not very sweet, stay at the grasscourt major.
After all, the Polish top seed has yet to find her comfort zone on grass, having never reached a final on the sport's slickest surface, and she was also up against a rival who had toppled crowd favourite Coco Gauff in the opening round just 12 months ago.
Despite some jittery service games early on, with the first four games featuring nine break points and both players dropping serve, it took Swiatek just 79 minutes to safely negotiate past the potential first-round banana skin. REUTERS
🎾Jabeur blasts her way into Wimbledon second round in under an hour
LONDON. Ons Jabeur blasted her way into the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday evening with a 55-minute, 6-3 6-1 demolition of Japan's Moyuka Uchijima.
The Tunisian 10th seed, runner-up for the last two years, made light work of her world 68th-ranked opponent, breaking her immediately to take a 3-0 lead before each held their serve for the rest of the first set.
Jabeur then cranked up the power a notch in the second set, while simultaneously shutting down the angles as she snuffed out Uchijima's game. As the game drew to a close the Japanese player, making her first appearance in the main draw in south London, looked skyward a number of times in obvious frustration. REUTERS
🎾Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round
LONDON. Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle on Tuesday, going down in four sets to Argentina's Francisco Comesana.
The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set but lost momentum early in the third and went down to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) defeat.
Rublev, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, struggled for consistency on his serve and was broken four times in the match by his opponent, ranked 122nd in the world.
The 26-year-old, who smashed his racquet repeatedly against his knee in frustration in the third set, is the highest-seeded men's player to exit the Championships so far.
Comesana will face Australia's Adam Walton for a place in the last 32. AFP
Defending champion Vondrousova out with a whimper 🎾
LONDON. Marketa Vondrousova became the first defending Wimbledon women's champion to make a first-round exit for 30 years as she was bundled out by Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday. REUTERS
🚲Pogacar 'hits hard' in Alps to reclaim Tour de France lead
VALLOIRE. Two-time former champion Tadej Pogacar soloed to victory in stage four of the Tour de France in the Alps on Tuesday to reclaim the overall leader's yellow jersey on the first major mountain challenge.
Massed ranks of rowdy cycling fans, many of whom had camped overnight, packed the roadsides cheering the riders all the way up the magnificent beyond category Col du Galibier mountain.
Slovenian superstar Pogacar's triumph was built by his UAE Team on the ascent with three teammates still with their leader when all the 2020 and 2021 champion's rivals had been stripped of their shattered sherpas. AFP
No over-age players in Japan Olympic men's football squad
TOKYO. Japan named no over-age players in their Olympic men's football squad Wednesday, with officials admitting they could not secure club releases for Europe-based stars such as Liverpool's Wataru Endo.
Olympic men's football is an under-23 tournament, but up to three older players are allowed in each squad.
However, clubs do not have to release players as the Games take place outside the official FIFA international windows.
Japan team director Masakuni Yamamoto said it had been "difficult" to call up Europe-based players, even under-23s such as Real Sociedad attacker Takefusa Kubo.
Endo, 31, had been touted in Japanese media as a potential call-up along with Borussia Monchengladbach's Ko Itakura and Sporting Lisbon midfielder Hidemasa Morita.
Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk to play Champions League in Gelsenkirchen
BERLIN. Ukrainian football side Shakhtar Donetsk announced Tuesday they will play next season's Champions League games in Gelsenkirchen, home of German team Schalke, the next stop in the club's exile from their war-torn country.
Shakhtar were forced to leave their home ground, the Donbas Arena in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after Russian-backed separatists seized control of the region in 2014.
After Russia's full-scale invasion, Shakhtar took their European fixtures to Poland in the 2022-23 season, but with Legia Warsaw qualifying for Europe in 2023-24, the Ukrainian club played at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion. AFP
Malawi striker Chawinga joins Lyon women
LYON. Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga has joined Lyon in the French women's first division, the champions announced on Tuesday.
Striker Chawinga, 28, was the league's top goal-scorer last season while on loan at Paris Saint-Germain from Chinese outfit Wuhan Jianghan University.
Chawinga, who spent the previous season on loan at Inter Milan, scored 19 times in 21 league games for PSG as she became the first player from Malawi to play in the French top-flight.
"It was an ambition of mine to sign for a great club," Chawinga said in a Lyon statement.
"I hope to be able to inspire other people from Malawi to follow in my footsteps by playing here, in Europe," she added having signed a deal until 2027. AFP
🍃AC-free ambition for Paris Olympic village melts away
PARIS. Although designed to be eco-friendly and free of air-conditioning, the Paris Olympic village will be fitted with 2,500 temporary cooling units when athletes arrive later this month, organisers said Tuesday.
The complex in a northern suburb of Paris was built as a showcase of environmentally friendly technology and has a geothermal cooling system that uses cool water pumped from deep beneath the ground.
But the lack of air-conditioning has long worried some national Olympic teams, with athletes concerned about missing sleep, particularly given the summer heat waves suffered by Paris in recent years. AFP
🏏England cricket great Boycott reveals second cancer diagnosis
LONDON. Geoffrey Boycott has been diagnosed with throat cancer for the second time and will undergo surgery, the England cricket great announced Tuesday.
Boycott, 83, was told last week the cancer had returned, having been previously treated for the illness in 2002 with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The former opening batsman is now set to have an operation to remove the cancer in two weeks' time.
In a statement to Britain's Daily Telegraph, for whom he is still a columnist, Boycott said: "In the last few weeks I have had an MRI scan, CT scan, a PET scan and two biopsies and it has now been confirmed I have throat cancer and will require an operation. AFP