Sports

Joe Root praises Ben Stokes for showing great ‘courage and bravery’ over mental health struggles

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2022

Joe Root has paid tribute to England captain Ben Stokes for the ‘great courage and bravery’ he demonstrated by continuing to speak out about his mental health.

Stokes took an indefinite break from cricket last summer to focus on his wellbeing, following the loss of his father to cancer the previous December, having struggled with anxiety and panic attacks.

The all-rounder announced in July he would retire from the one-day format due to the “unsustainable” rigour of playing all three formats of the game, while Stokes believes the public will see a different side to him when a new documentary about him heavily features his battle with a “mental breakdown”.

The 31-year-old revealed in the documentary ‘Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes’, released on Friday, how close he came to walking away from cricket and that he was still taking anxiety medication after his return to the international arena.

“I think it’s exactly what you come to see from Ben [Stokes] as a leader, is how honest he is,” Root said ahead of England’s second Test against South Africa this Thursday live on Sky Sports. “What he expects of everyone else are all things that he wouldn’t be asked of or willing to do himself.

“I think, like with any of your mates, you want to get around them and you want to make sure you do what you can to help. That goes within the dressing room environment and away from the game as well – you just want to do what you can to help out really.”

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Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum were aligned in their post-match analysis of last week’s innings defeat at Lord’s, insisting it was no cause to doubt the blueprint which allowed them to record four thrilling victories earlier in the summer.

Both men suggested that they would be examining if there were times the team could have played more aggressively against the Proteas and Root, who banked a rare double failure in that match, is happy to follow their lead.

“Even though the result didn’t necessarily go how we wanted it to and we didn’t play as well as we could, that doesn’t change anything,” Root added. “That’s been made very clear to the group.

“If anything it’s an opportunity for us to come out and play with more intent. It’s just another opportunity to get back to how well we were playing in those first four Test matches.
“It’s about really committing to how we want to go about things and having full trust and belief in it. It’s a great chance to get our teeth into it this week and show people what we can do.”

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Sports

Emir of Doma Hosts Women’s B’ball League Players in Lafia

Published

4 days ago

September 22, 2023

Seun Okerayi

The Emir of Doma, Dr. Aliyu Amadu, has called on the sponsors of the Women’s Basketball League in Nigeria, Zenith Bank, to do more for basketball in the country.

He stated this while receiving all the teams and officials participating in the Second Phase of the Savannah Conference of the ongoing Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League in Lafia, Nasarawa State yesterday.

The Emir who was a former basketball player appreciated the bank and the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) for allowing the state to host the national competition while assuring all the players and other visitors a great stay in the community.

The teams; Nigerian Customs, Nigerian Army, Air Warriors, Nasarawa Amazons and Plateau Rocks alongside their officials and all the referees were at the Andoma Palace on a courtesy visit while also getting the royal blessings.

“I want to welcome the ladies, who made this tournament possible, you are welcome to Nasarawa State and Doma Kingdom, the only palace in Nigeria with a basketball court,” he said.

“I want to specifically appreciate Zenith Bank for facilitating this competition, we are hoping they will do more for basketball so that the day the NBA players will be coming, we will see their banner side by side with other sponsors and it will document what they have been doing for the game of basketball in Nigeria.

The emir said that it was possible to bring NBA to Nigeria.

“We can bring NBA teams to Nigeria, we have hosted the World Cup in football, and other sports have been to Nigeria and basketball must have its place, all the other sports have been hosted and sponsored by the Nigeria government, they should do same with basketball. Several Nigerians are bringing fortunes from NBA, so why can’t we bring the game here for our people? It will be on record that Nigeria have hosted superstars here.“

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Meanwhile, Nigerian Customs Ladies whitewashed Nigerian Army 76-36 points yesterday to seal their qualification to the finals in Lagos.

Sports

UCL: Bayern compounds Man U’s woes in 7goals thriller, as Arsenal return with a bang

Published

5 days ago

September 21, 2023

Seun Okerayi

Bayern Munich on Wednesday night compounded Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United’s woes in a seven-goal thriller at the Allianz Arena.

The German champion beat Manchester United 4-3, leaving manager Ten Hag with more questions than answers about his defensive options following the team’s humiliating 3-1 home defeat to Brighton over the weekend.

Goals from Leroy Sane, and Serge Gnabri gave the German side a two-goal advantage in the first half before United fought their way back into the game.

Harry Kane and Mathys Tel completed Bayern’s lead over Man United in a game that was more of a contest than many expected.

After the break United again started well, pulling a goal back on 49 minutes with Rasmus Hojlund recording his first goal for the club with the aid of two deflections.

Within minutes, Bayern won a penalty which made the game safe, and Eriksen was adjudged – first by VAR, who advised the ref to watch a replay – to have handled Dayot Upamecano’s header.

From the penalty spot, Kane made no mistake, and though Casemiro bagged two late goals to make things interesting, Tel’s goal saw the German champions take control of the group while United desperately needed a break.

Arsenal on the other hand enjoyed a fine return to the Champions League as they thrshed PSV Eindhoven 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners made a return to the Champions League after six years of absence from Europe’s elite competition. Arsenal last played in the Champions League in 2017.

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Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard all scored as Arsenal sent the right warning across.

Arsenal started a goal rush with Saka getting Gunner’s first inside eight minutes before Trossard doubled the lead, Jesus added a third before the break and Odegaard capped off a fine evening.

David Raya retained his place in the Arsenal goal having replaced Aaron Ramsdale for Sunday’s Premier League win at Everton.

Sports

Amusan relishes historic Diamond League win

Published

6 days ago

September 20, 2023

Seun Okerayi

World women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, says the track in Eugene, Oregon holds a special place in her heart and her list of conquests.

The Nigerian wrapped up her season on an outstanding and record-breaking note by clinching the Wanda Diamond League title for the third consecutive year on Sunday night on the track she has come to affectionately call her own.

The 26-year-old posted an impressive performance in the 100m hurdles event at the Oregon Diamond League despite facing tough competition from Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Kendra Harrison, Danielle Williams, Nia Ali, Tia Jones and Megan Tapper.

Amusan started off strong and maintained her lead, clearing the final hurdle and finishing with an impressive season best time of 12.33secs. Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico gave a strong chase, coming in second in 12.38secs, while USA’s Harrison took third place in a time of 12.44secs.

The world champion, Jamaica’s Williams, finished fourth in 12.47secs.

This remarkable victory marked Amusan’s third consecutive Diamond League title, making her only the second woman in Diamond League history to achieve a hat-trick of 100m hurdles titles.

The Nigerian athlete accomplished this feat on the same track in Oregon, where she had won the World Championship the previous year and set the current world record of 12.12secs.

After the race, an elated Amusan said, “I came out here and said it’s my race to lose, and I will give my all. I said it’s 200 or nothing because, 100 per cent, I am not winning today (Sunday). So, I came out here, and I told God to give me the strength.

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“I said this (racing in Eugene) is God’s track. I came here, I’m like ‘This is my track; I’m going to dominate’ and God did just that.”

Amusan expressed gratitude to God, dedicating her win to her coach, her family, her fans and everyone who had supported her throughout the challenging year.

“Right now, I just want to rest. I’m just grateful to God; that’s all I can say this season. This win is not about me; it’s for my coach, my family, and everyone who supported me throughout this year. It’s been a rough one, and I’m just thankful,” she said.

The record-setting victory provided a glorious end to the season for Amusan, who had experienced disappointment after failing to defend her world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.