And the Golden Foot award goes to…Cristiano
September 13, 2008
In the Premier League’s last season, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo scored as many as 31 goals. It is this fete which led Cristiano to believe that he changed the game. The Portuguese international told La Gazzetta dello Sport after receiving the trophy at a ceremony in his native Madeira on Saturday:
“With this Golden Boot I have changed football a little. Usually strikers won it and I’m a winger.” the confident footballer added, “The best candidate for the other prizes is Cristiano Ronaldo. To be honest, I think I have been the most consistent and the best. And over the time I want to enter the book of the all time best.”
Ronaldo was referring to the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year prizes after getting United to the Champions League.
Rolando had been on the sidelines since undergoing surgery on his right ankle in July. He said: “I do not fear a hostile reception at Old Trafford after making an unsuccessful request to be sold to Real Madrid. When I put on the United shirt, I give my all. And I am already in the history of the club. When I play again the fans will love me again.” He went on to say, “No one knows my future, but I don’t see myself in the shirt of another Manchester team.”
However, public memory is short. Fans will cheer the ‘Golden Boot Boy’ when they see him score those magical mid-field goals.
The Indian Cricket League is likely to be flooded by Britain talent.
September 9, 2008
The Daily Telegraph reported that Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash are among those players from England who are eyeing the lucrative Indian Cricket League (ICL) for an unofficial mini World cup to be held in India sometime later this year.
However, both these players are over-the-hill England cricketers. Hick has already announced his retirement last week after 25 seasons with Worcestershire while another veteran Ramprakash has100 first class hundreds to his credit.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has ruled that those signing contracts with the ICL would be barred from county cricket. Besides Hick and Ramprakash, Darren Gough, who is in his last season as Yorkshire captain, is also on the ICL radar. Other probable to be roped in include Ali Brown, Dominic Cork, Glmorgan off spinner Robert Croft, Sussex skipper Chris Adams and former England all-rounder Mark Ealham. It is interesting to see how many of them actually sign up.
The proposed ICL mini World Cup will be featuring teams from England, India, Pakistan, Africa and New Zealand.
Eleanor Simmonds becomes the youngest UK Paralympic gold medal winner
September 8, 2008
Teenager Eleanor Simmonds created history when he became the youngest ever individual Paralympic gold medal winner for Great Britain. The 13-year-old came up with a sensational swim and shocked her rivals in the thrilling 100m final at the Water Cube.
“I did not believe I would be able to do that,” stated Simmonds, who was born with achondroplasia (dwarfism). Meanwhile, Welshman Dave Roberts successfully defended his 100m title. The swimmer set a new Paralympic record with a record time of one minute 0.35 seconds.
Although he was pleased with his eighth gold medal, the 28-year-old admitted he was hampered by his goggles that leaked during the final. “There are not too many people who defend their titles three times. However, I would have liked to go 59 seconds,” he said. “My goggles leaked when I dived in. But if Michael Phelps can do it, so can I.”
Simmonds had been seen as a medal prospect only for London 2012. The Walsall-born Paralympian timed one minute 18.75 seconds to pip Mirjam de Koning-Peper, the runner-up, at the finish line. Simmonds was trailing going into the final lap, but produced a superb last 25m sprint.
The most sought after Olympic memorabilia
August 25, 2008
Beijing’s most successful Olympian Michael Phelps, with eight gold medals under his belt, consumes an unbelievable 12,000 calories a day. However, neither he nor his physicians have any cause for worry as the calories are also burnt in time for each meal.
Meanwhile, as the Beijing Olympics concluded, smart marketers rushed in to sell items identified by the Beijing icons – the famous gold medal winners – ranging from the domain name ‘Phelpsean’ to basketball players’ shoes.
The US swimmer was the most sought after on internet auction websites. Karen Bard, a spokeswoman for eBay, said the number of items related to 23 year-old ace swimmer, Phelps, had soared to 738% in the past 30 days. Karen added,
“One of the highest priced sold items was an autographed Olympic Speedoswim cap from a special appearance he did in 2004. 19,755 Olympic items had been sold in the past 90 days.”
The most expensive item on offer related to Phelps was the sale of all domains for the word ‘Phelpsean’. According to Wolfram Gauglitz, he derived the word from Herculean and suggested it meant having enormous strength, courage, or size as well as pertaining to Michael Phelps. This is a fitting tribute to the super-swimmer’s incredible accomplishment.
Britain drenched in gold at the Olympics
August 24, 2008
The result of London’s creative planning, including innovative funding and the accountability factor, made Britain’s Olympic gold harvest a reality. In 1996, British cyclist Chris Hoy travelled to Moscow for the European Under-23 Championship with his own bicycle and just one set of spare wheels. Behold! Britain’s cash-strapped governing body at that time could not even afford to send an accompanying official. After his return from Moscow, Hoy even had to return his tracksuit so that it could be used by others.
At 32, with a rich haul of gold medals, Hoy became Britain’s most successful Olympian – the first to get three medals in a single Olympics since Henry Taylor in London 1908. He had the following to say:
“It is an unbelievable feeling to achieve the absolute maximum possibly can.”
19 year-old Rebecca Adlington, set the golden ball rolling. She provided a perfect start to the Olympics for Britain by winning gold in 400m freestyle and beating the world record to win the 800m freestyle. The golden achievement propelled her from being an unknown athlete to the greatest British swimmer in 100 years. An overwhelmed Adington said:
“If somebody said to me that I would win two Olympic gold medals, I would have laughed.”
Britain came fourth in the overall medals league behind hosts China, the US, and Olympic giants Russia with the tally of 19 golds, 13 silvers and 15 bronze. Now it is over to London for the 2012 Olympics!
Gordon Brown in Olympics
August 23, 2008
Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, was critical about British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s attendance at the Games, citing concerns over human rights. In his defence, Brown said he expected athletes to…
“…perform to the maximum of their ability…[and]…celebrate genuine Olympic ideals of sportsmanship”.
Gordon Brown told Xinhua, a Chinese News Agency:
“This I think, is the most important message of the Olympics – that the world be brought through sport – and it is that I am in Beijing to celebrate.”
Responding to the criticism in a public reply, Brown wrote that supporting China’s “re-engagement” in the world of sports was in Britain’s national interest.
“Support for the Games and engagement with China is not at the expense of human rights. It is integral to their promotions. China has made enormous social and economic progress over the last three decades, but much more remains to be done.”
Gordon Brown assured that Britain would maintain “close co-operation” regarding the Olympics with China after the next host, London, receives the flag from Beijing at Sunday’s closing ceremony.
Britain’s first athletics gold medal in the Olympics
August 19, 2008
Christine Ohuruogu’s, 49.62 seconds sprint in 400 meters race landed Britain its first athletics gold medal at the Olympics.
This feat would not be possible, had her appeal against the suspension for missing three out-of competition drug test been lost. The 22 year old determined athlete had won an appeal allowing her to compete in Beijing following her suspension.
Ohuruogu, who won the world title in Japan last year less than a month after returning from 12-month ban said, “It is not sheer luck. I worked hard for this! I might not always get the best start. I might not always be the fastest person, but I just say now if you are going to beat me you are going to have to fight very hard.”
Surely her resolve and never say die spirit supported by hard work brought her and Britain the ‘golden moment’ to be cherished for a long, long time.
Kevin Petersen steps into Vaughan shoes
August 7, 2008
There is no doubt that much sought after ‘captaincy’ is a crown of thorns. England’s most successful Test captain Michael Vaughan who had enjoyed more highs, including the incredible Ashes win that launched him into the near-Brearley class, gave up the ‘hot seat.’
Michael Vaughan had tears in his eyes while giving up the post bringing back the memories of 1984 when Kimberly John Hughes succumbed owing to his own inadequacies and gave up his job. In Hughes’s case perhaps the emotional outbreak was understandable because he led Australia at a most difficult time in its history because the big stars of the Australian cricket, ‘The Packer Players’ had come back into the national team, generating a tremendous pressure on Hughes.
Kevin Pietersen is expected to guide England into new era as the change has come following Vaughan’s decision to take some time off. Considering the media and social commitments of captains in present time, it’s a Herculean task that might even be the undoing of Petiersen, the batsman.
Though KP seems the perfect candidate for England, in an era when T20 is bent to run over all other forms of the game, whether the challenge will either make him or mar him, only time will tell.
Cristiano Ronaldo to stay put with Manchester United
August 6, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, has stated that the transfer saga revolving around Cristiano Ronaldo is now ‘closed’ and the winger is going to stay put. Manchester United, it seems, has been successful in convincing Cristiano Ronaldo to stay with them for one more season. According to the media reports, the club owners are considering giving the Real Madrid benefit of a get-out clause by promising to let him go for ₤65 million.
According to a club insider, Sir Alex Ferguson was determined not to let Ronaldo go. However, some other influential members of Manchester United were of the opinion that there is no point in hanging on to him is when Real Madrid is ready to offer so much money. The maverick player is likely to miss the start of the season because of the injury.
One option under consideration was to convince Ronaldo to carry on for one more season, with the guarantee he can go for an agreed fee the season after. Fergie said, “The matter is closed now. He is a Manchester United player, it’s finished. He will be playing here next season, believe me.” Come next season, Manchester United fans will be as delighted to see Cristiano Ronaldo around.
Zimbabwe to be banned from the Twenty20 WC and one-day internationals in the UK
June 24, 2008
The UK government is all set to ban cricket team of Zimbabwe from touring the country on moral grounds next year. Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, will give a letter in this regard to the Cricket Board of England and Wales. The letter will spell out Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s stance on this issue.
The UK government wants to make sure that Zimbabwe is not allowed to feature in the Twenty20 World Cup or one-day internationals in the country next summer. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is to discuss next week a possible world ban. Zimbabwe team is scheduled to feature in three one-day internationals and two Tests in England before taking part the Twenty20 World Cup. But now it seems unlikely!
The government had been involved in intense discussions with the ECB over the volatile situation in Zimbabwe. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s withdrawal from Zimbabwe’s general election coupled with media reports of social unrest seems to have spurred the UK government into action.
