SPORTS

Aragon Shines at Paris 2024: Nine Athletes Set to Compete for Glory

Published

5 months ago

July 25, 2024

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Paralluelo, Iguacel, Abián, Domínguez, Bautista, Briz, García, Bergua and Pradilla, are the Aragonese representation in Paris 2024.

Nine athletes are representing Aragon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will take place from 24 July to 11 August, although the opening ceremony will be held this Friday. This is an almost record-breaking representation, the largest delegation in the history of Aragonese Olympics, together with the Games held in Moscow 1980 and Barcelona 1992. Esther Briz in rowing, Begoña García in field hockey, Salma Paralluelo in football, Luis Domínguez in swimming, Inés Bergua and Alba Bautista in rhythmic gymnastics, Pablo Abián in badminton and Jaime Pradilla in basketball, are competing under the flag of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), and Christian Iguacel in athletics is competing with Belgium. Seven debutants, because only García and Abián were at the Tokyo 2020 event three years ago.

The first Aragonese to debut in Paris 2024 will be the footballer from Zaragoza Salma ParallueloAt 20 years of age, the youngest member of the Aragonese delegation, the left winger of FC Barcelona is already a regular in the Spanish national team with which she was crowned world champion last summer, being chosen as the best young player of the tournament. Her debut in the Games will be this Thursday (17.00) against Japan, in the first match of the Spanish team in group C. The next match will be against Nigeria, on Sunday 28 July (19.00), to close the group stage against Brazil, on Wednesday 31 (17.00). If they qualify, they will go on to the quarter-finals, which will be played from 3 August. She is one of the best options for the gold medal.

The Valencia Basket power forward, Jaime Pradilla He is one of the twelve chosen by Sergio Scariolo to compete with the Spanish basketball team after earning a ticket to the pre-Olympic tournament on July 7 with a victory over the Bahamas. Trained in the Olivar and Basket Zaragoza youth academy, at 23 years of age, the Paris 2024 Games will be his first. The challenge for “La Familia”, although complicated, is to fight for the medals. They have been placed in group A, the most equal of the three, in which they will have to face Australia (Saturday 27, 11.00), Greece (Tuesday 30, 11.00) and Canada (Friday 2 August, 17.15) at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Lille). If they qualify, the top three, the three seconds and the two best third-placed teams will go through, and they will play the quarter-finals on Tuesday 6 August in Paris.

The swimmer from Zaragoza Luis Domingueztrained at Club El Olivar, is another of the debutants in Paris 2024 after certifying his qualification at the Doha World Cup held in February of this year. Winner of two medals at the 2022 Mediterranean Games – silver in the 4×200 freestyle relay and bronze in the 200 freestyle event – he will participate in the 4×100 freestyle and 4×200 freestyle relay events at the Paris La Défense Arena pool. The 21-year-old swimmer’s debut will be on Saturday 27th, at 1:00 p.m., in the 4×100. If he makes it to the final, it would be that same day at 9:50 p.m. The 4×200 heats will be held on Tuesday 30th July, starting at 11:00 a.m., and the final at 10:01 p.m.

The Zaragozan rower Esther Briz Briz arrives in Paris alongside Catalan Aina Cid to compete in the coxless two-man event, and with one dream: the gold medal. At 24 years old, she is making her Olympic debut with a great track record behind her, including a bronze at the 2023 European Championships in Bled (Slovenia) and gold at the U-17 World Championships in 2017. She is also a world champion in sea rowing. Briz will take to the waters of the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Sunday 28 at 10.30. If she makes it to the final, she will compete on Friday 2 August at 11.42.

At 29 years old, Begoña Garcia She is one of the Aragonese with the most Olympic experience. Trained at Honigvogel, the oldest field hockey club in Zaragoza, the Paris Games will be her third, after Rio 2016 – where she finished eighth – and Tokyo 2020 – seventh. The ‘Red Sticks’ are in Group B together with Great Britain (Sunday 28, 13.15), the United States (Monday 29, 13.15), Argentina (Wednesday 31, 10.00), South Africa (Thursday 1 August, 17.30) and Australia (Saturday 3, 12.45). If they qualify, they will play the quarter-finals on Monday 5 August. All matches will be played at the historic Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, the main venue of the 1924 Paris Olympic Games and the scene of the opening ceremony and athletics 100 years ago.

Pablo Abián has participated in five consecutive Olympic Games – Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Born in Calatayud 39 years ago, and with more than 20 years in the elite, he is the most veteran Aragonese athlete in Paris and also in his competition, badminton. A great dominator of the state championships, since 2007 he has won 25 – 17 in singles, eight in doubles and one in mixed doubles – until now he has never been able to get past the group stage in an Olympic event. He will not have it easy this time either. In the group stage he was knocked out in group G, along with Malaysian Lee Zii Jia and Sri Lankan Viren Nettasinghe. Pending official confirmation of the times, he will play on July 30 and 31. Only one qualifies for the round of 16 on Thursday, August 1. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Alba Bautista22 years old and from Utrillas, began rhythmic gymnastics at the age of four at the Cuencas Mineras Club. Currently, like her teammate Inés Bergua, she trains at the High Performance Centre in Madrid. She will make her debut at the Olympic Games in the individual competition in the event. all-around –hoop, ball, ribbon and clubs – on 8 August at 10:00. If she qualified, she would play the final the following day. She earned her place after a brilliant performance at the 2023 World Championships in Valencia. In 2022, she won a commendable bronze medal at the World Championships, in the team event.

Inés Bergua She will also compete in rhythmic gymnastics, in the mixed team. Born in Huesca 20 years ago, she is the captain of the national team and has accumulated fifteen medals in international tournaments, the latest being gold at the World Cup held a few days ago in Cluj-Napoca and gold, silver and bronze at the European Championships in Budapest in May. She was the first Aragonese to get a ticket to the Games after winning bronze at the 2022 World Championships. She will make her debut in Paris 2024 on Friday, August 9 at 10:00. The final, which they have a good chance of reaching, will be on Saturday 10 at 21:12.

The athlete Christian Iguacel He was born in Balbastro 28 years ago – his mother is from Naval and his father from Javierre de Bielsa – although he has been raised since he was three years old in Belgium, with whom he competes internationally. With a federation license from the Zoiti club in Uesca, he is a specialist in speed races. He won a gold medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships, in the 4×400 event, held in Glasgow last March. In Paris 2024 he will make his debut on Friday, August 9, in the 4×400 qualifiers, with a great chance of winning a medal. The final, on August 10 at 9:12 p.m., precisely on Saint Lorién’s Day.

Medals

The last Olympic medal for Aragonese sport came in Tokyo 2020 with the footballer Jesús Vallejo, who won silver with the Spanish national team. He is, along with Andrea Blas (silver in water polo in London 2012), Conchita Martínez (silver in Barcelona 1992 and Athens 2004, bronze in Atlanta 1996), Martín López Zubero (gold in swimming in Barcelona 1992), Fernando Arcega and Juan Antonio San Epifanio “Epi” (silver in basketball in Los Angeles 1984), Miguel García (silver in hockey in Moscow 1980), David López Zubero (bronze in swimming in Moscow 1980) and Esteban Celorrio (silver in canoeing in Montreal 1976), the only Aragonese medallists. Until now.

More about Paris 2024 here. Calendar and results on the official website of Paris 2024.

2024-07-25 09:22:32
#recordbreaking #performance

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SPORTS

The Truth About the India Vs Nigeria 99-1 Match

Published

5 days ago

December 21, 2024

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In one way or the other, almost every Nigerian has heard of the mythical match between India Vs. Nigeria that ended with 99 goals to 1 with India being victorious.

Before the advent of the internet, this story successfully thrived among Nigerians, but with the emergence of the internet and easy access to social media, the truth behind the India Vs Nigeria 99-1 match was revealed.

Though there are different accounts of the match, but they all have the following in common:

That the match ended with India scoring 99 goals and Nigeria scoring just one goal.
That Nigerians were unable to kick the ball because the football kept turning to a lion which scared them away…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
2. That Indians later agreed that if Nigeria could score one goal, they would concede defeat.
3. That Samuel Okwaraji scored the winning goal and lost his life in the process because the ball turned into stone as he was about to kick it.
4. That FIFA banned India from soccer because they used juju (black magic) in that match.
Why did people believe the India Vs Nigeria 99-1 match story?

Even with the absence of the internet back then, this kind of claims should be immediately recognized as lies, the kind of lies they call “big fat lies”. But most people like to acknowledge this story as true with the fact that no one has ever seen India play in an International Football Match. Since no one actually saw India participate in most international soccer games, this gave a little credence to the story.

Another reason this lie thrived for long was that credible information was not easily accessible in Nigeria unlike now that even a 4-year-old child can debunk false claims within minutes with the help of Google. This Nigeria Vs India match story would have been fabricated by one community elder to children during an evening gathering; that’s our take at OldNaija.

What Actually Happened!

On the 12th of August 1989, Nigeria lost one of her best footballers, Sam Okwaraji who died during a football match. We wrote about how he died on the pitch and you can read it here. Sam Okwaraji was the player rumoured to have lost his life in that game when in truth he died during a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Angola in the 77th minute. He collapsed and died of cognitive heart failure. May his soul rest in peace. AMEN!

Samuel Okwaraji (circled)

So, that is the only truthful thing about the India Vs Nigeria 99-1 match story, the fact that a Nigerian player died during a football match. That is what these lies was fabricated around. The match was not against India, Nigeria did not lose the match and as you must have guessed, and there were no lions or ball turning into a stone.

Meme by Campus Bro

Nevertheless, one cannot deny that this kind of story made one’s childhood as a Nigerian. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Before we go,

Why was India Banned by FIFA?

India was never banned by FIFA. It was India that withdrew from the tournament themselves. Here is how it happened.

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) made it clear to India that they would not be allowed to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup without footwear.

Then something happened. You see, when determining the make-up of the 1950 World Cup, FIFA determined that obviously the two defending finalists, Brazil and Italy, would be guaranteed slots. That left fourteen slots that needed to be filled.

FIFA decided that seven of those slots would come from Europe, six would come from the Americas and one would come from Asia.

The problem was that of the four Asian teams that were invited to the World Cup, three of them (the Philippines, Indonesia and Burma) withdrew from the tournament before the qualification round.

Therefore, India earned an automatic slot within the World Cup. It would be India’s first time appearing in the World Cup but India, too, withdrew from the tournament because FIFA would not allow them to compete barefoot.

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SPORTS

SAD|| 10 Players Who Lost Everything After Divorce, Number 5 Will Shôck You

Published

2 months ago

November 5, 2024

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The Hidden Financial Struggles of Footballers: Divorce’s Costly Toll

The glamorous image of professional footballers, with their luxurious lifestyles and multimillion-dollar contracts, often obscures a harsh reality: the financial devastation many endure through divorce. Behind the fame and fortune, several high-profile players have seen their wealth significantly depleted after parting ways with their spouses, a stark reminder that no amount of money can fully shield one of the financial pitfalls of personal relationships gone awry…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

One of the most shocking examples is that of former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboué, who lost not only his properties in England but also custody of his children following a bitter divorce. Despite earning millions during his career, Eboué found himself stripped of almost everything. His situation became a cautionary tale, underscoring that even the wealthiest footballers can fall victim to the financial ruin that divorce can bring.

Eboué is not alone. Football legends such as Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs have also experienced significant financial losses due to divorce. Henry reportedly paid £10 million to his ex-wife, while Giggs parted with an astonishing £40 million after his marriage ended. Louis Saha and Wes Brown, both former Manchester United players, also suffered substantial financial hits, with Brown declaring bankruptcy despite earning £50,000 per week during his time at the club. His case highlights how even vast earnings can quickly evaporate when faced with legal settlements and financial mismanagement.

David James, the former England goalkeeper, faced a particularly dire situation, losing much of his fortune after divorce and being forced to auction his personal belongings to make ends meet. Similarly, Ray Parlour, another Arsenal great, saw his ex-wife receive half of his £10 million fortune, including a £2.5 million house. Jamie Redknapp, a former Liverpool star, also faced a hefty settlement, parting with half of his estimated £15 million fortune after his marriage ended.

These are just a few of the many footballers who have faced financial disaster due to divorce. Keith Gillespie, once a key figure in the Premier League, lost over £7 million, leading to his bankruptcy in 2010. Despite earning significant wages during his career, his divorce and poor financial decisions left him in financial ruin. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Perhaps the most shocking case is that of Tendai Ndoro, a Zimbabwean striker who lost everything after registering all his properties in his wife’s name. Following their breakup, she kicked him out of the house, leaving him with nothing. Ndoro’s story serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of not protecting one’s assets, even in relationships where trust is implicit.

For footballers, whose careers often peak early, these financial setbacks can be devastating. While their salaries are among the highest in professional sports, the combination of short career spans, legal fees, and divorce settlements can quickly erode their fortunes. Many players also face additional challenges in managing their finances due to a lack of financial education or oversight during their playing years.

These stories underscore the importance of safeguarding personal wealth, especially for high-earning individuals like footballers, who may be more vulnerable to financial upheaval. Proper financial planning, asset protection strategies, and prenups are increasingly necessary tools for protecting one’s earnings and securing a stable future.

In conclusion, while the public sees footballers as insulated by their wealth, the reality is that they are just as susceptible to the financial hardships of divorce as anyone else. The personal struggles behind the scenes reveal that their lives, though glamorous on the surface, are often fraught with the same vulnerabilities and challenges faced by ordinary individuals. These cases serve as sobering reminders that financial security is never guaranteed, even for those at the pinnacle of success.

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SPORTS

NFL | The best was yet to come, and then no

Published

3 months ago

October 12, 2024

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In February 2022, the Bengals missed the Super Bowl by three small points, but regardless, the future seemed bright in Cincinnati.

Posted at 1:13 a.m.

Updated at 7:00 a.m.

In any case, that’s what we, the most seasoned experts in American football, believed, capable of seeing the future each season, often in a very impressive way; for example, this column has been predicting since 1970 that the New York Jets are not going to win the Super Bowl, and that’s still exactly what happens.

The Bengals have never won anything, but their presence on the big stage two years ago suggested that, a bit like the Nordiques in 1990, the best was yet to come.

Well, no.

As of this hour, the Bengals are a dismal 1-4, and even then, their only win came against the Carolina Panthers, who are about as bad as they are.

The good news for the Bengals is that this “landing” is fairly easily explained: their defense is pretty awful. The less good news is that it is probably already too late to try to solve this problem.

In five games, the Bengals have allowed a total of 145 points, which gives a pretty staggering average of 29 points per game. No one else in the American Association looks this bad, and in the league as a whole, only the Carolina Panthers are even worse in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are wasting the best years of Joe Burrow, who turns 28 in December. He wouldn’t be the first quality quarterback to waste his talent in this uniform.

Is it necessary here to remember that in American football, as in life in general, there is never anything certain? This reality reminds us of this sublime quote from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who once wrote that “supreme happiness is a hundred times sweeter to hope for than to obtain”.

Rousseau must have been a Bengals fan, obviously.

You are probably aware that the New York Jets fired their coachbut that’s not the worst. The worst part is that poor Robert Saleh would have been escorted to the door like a pauper by security agents.

PHOTO MIKE STOBE, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh

It’s undoubtedly one of the worst moments in the history of a club that collects the worst moments, from Mark Sanchez dropping a ball on his lineman’s pussy, to a visibly hot Joe Namath trying to to kiss a reporter live on TV (we’re going to move on to the naughty photo of Brett Favre because there are children here).

We can never repeat it enough: in football, as in life, everything starts from the top. The leaders of the Jets, who display a level of competence similar to that of the inventors of Pepsi Crystal, thus opted for the easy way, instead of realizing that their ground game is non-existent, and that their quarterback who hears voices in his head is finished.

In addition, barely installed, new coach Jeff Ulbrich decided to give control of the attack to assistant Todd Downing, who will call the plays from now on. This is not a detail because this task previously fell to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, close and confidant of Aaron Rodgers.

It’s obvious that this is going to end very badly. As per usual.

Someone whispers in my ear that the inbox is overflowing again, so let’s get to it right away.

First, Luc Girouard from Sept-Îles sends us this timely little comment: “Would Prince Rodgers have plotted to kick Robert Saleh out in order to take his place? »

We all see what you did, Luc.

Then, there is a certain Nicolas B. from Laval who sent this: “Hi Richard. Great weekly column on football. Really entertaining. In addition, you allow my teenagers to read about football in French, which is still a challenge […] If you ever make a reference to my comment, my sports travel gang is buying me a beer on our next trip. »

You will demand a micro beer, Nicolas. Finally, there is Marco Campanozzi who can no longer hear about “mixing” and the right chair: “I can’t do it anymore!!! »

We are Marco.

It will be another great opportunity to lock yourself in front of the TV while pretending to do something constructive, because Sunday’s menu is particularly spicy.

Thus, Commanders in a state of grace will go to Baltimore to prove that they are serious, the Chargers will go to Denver in the hope of recovering after two defeats in a row, and the Cowboys will host the Lions, in a match that they can’t really let slip away, just to build something following the little miracle last Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Don’t forget to check out the colors during halftime.

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