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Zimbabwe born basketball star set to play for Poland

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 07:20:01 +0000

Zimbabwe born basketball star set to play for Poland

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 07:20

Monday, June 13, 2022

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Diaspora Archives - NewZimbabwe.com

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Zimbabwe born basketball star set to play for Poland

By polsatsport.pl

Zimbabwean basketball player Stephanie Mavunga will be able to make her debut in white and red colors during the international tournament in Athens, which will start on Tuesday, although she is still waiting for Polish citizenship to be granted.

Mavunga, who has been waiting for citizenship since the autumn, was included in the 12-person squad of the Polish team led by Slovakian Maros Kovacik for matches in Athens. The Polish women will face the European champions and the fourth team of the Tokyo Olympics – Serbia and Croatia and the host team.

“Stephanie was not hired in the WNBA because of the salary cup because she is a long-serving player and is guaranteed the right contract if she signs,” said Kovacik, who added that he has known the player well for several years.

He continued; “She has been in the USA all the time since the end of the league, so I called her and asked if she could come to get to know the team and play in the tournament in Athens since there is a consent of the Polish federation and tournament organizers for her participation.”

Born in Harare, Mavunga moved with her family to the USA as a child and there she received her education, including basketball education. In 2018, she was selected in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.

The 27-year-old centre at BC Polkowice, a team coached by Karol Kowalewski, Kovacik’s assistant in the team, averaged 14.6 points and 11.3 rebounds last season, which means that she was the best player of the Energa Basket Women’s League in the latter statistic.

The post Zimbabwe born basketball star set to play for Poland appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.

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Djokovic out with muscle tear

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 18:30:01 +0000

Djokovic out with muscle tear

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admin Tue, 02/23/2021 - 18:30

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NationNews Barbados — nationnews.com

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Djokovic out with muscle tear

MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic will need to spend some time on the sidelines recovering from a muscle tear that hindered him in the later rounds of the Australian Open, the Serbian said as he celebrated his ninth Melbourne Park title on Monday.

The 33-year-old extended his own record with an emphatic 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Daniil Medvedev at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, despite carrying the injury suffered in the third round of the tournament.

Parading his trophy on the beach in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday, Djokovic said a second scan of his abdomen had revealed he had made the injury worse by playing on.

“I just came actually came from another MRI that I’ve done this morning and the damage is bigger than what it was when it happened, when I did the first MRI after the third round,” he told reporters.

“It’s not too bad judging by what doctor said but I’ll have to take some time off and heal. The tear is bigger.”

The injury was not the only issue Djokovic had to contend with during his time in Australia. The world number one riled some locals when he submitted suggestions to organisers over how quarantine conditions for players could be improved.

The ups and downs of what he described as a “rollercoaster” of a trip Down Under had made his 18th Grand Slam title triumph all the more satisfying.

“I reflect on it as a great experience, and a unique journey, and I would definitely remember and try to take out a lot of positives from it,” he said.

“I have learned a lot of lessons, and learned a lot of things, about myself and about everything that was going on in the last five to six weeks, but I think that everything that was happening on and off the court makes this victory even better and even sweeter.”

Djokovic said he had celebrated his triumph by calling his family back home in Serbia and sitting down for a meal capped off with a cake.

“I used to go wild and go to discotheques and nightclubs and god knows what, and now it is a bit different,” he said.

“A different kind of celebration, more of a home a celebration with family and close people.” (Reuters)

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Djokovic wins ninth Australian Open title

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 22:20:01 +0000

Djokovic wins ninth Australian Open title

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admin Sun, 02/21/2021 - 22:20

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Djokovic wins ninth Australian Open title

Melbourne- A very different Australian Open came to a familiar close on Sunday, with Novak Djokovic crowned champion for a record-extending ninth time and Serbian fans hailing a one-sided win over another would-be challenger in Daniil Medvedev.

The world number one’s 7-5 6-2 6-2 win on his favourite court secured his 18th Grand Slam title, bringing him within tantalising reach of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal’s all-time men’s record of 20.

“I would like to thank Rod Laver Arena. I love you each year more and more. It’s been a love affair that keeps growing. Thank you so much,” Djokovic said as he cradled the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup once again.

With a fortune spent to put on a biosecure tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Djokovic came into the Grand Slam under fire after offending the Australian public for petitioning organisers to ease quarantine conditions for players.

He suffered a painful abdominal injury in the first week and had to manage it through the second.

But those challenges were drowned out in the roars of his fans as he thrashed fourth seed Medvedev in a bearpit atmosphere.

“It has been definitely emotionally the most challenging Grand Slam that I ever had with everything that was happening, injury, off-the-court stuff, quarantines,” he said.

“It has been, least to say, a roller-coaster ride in the last four weeks.”

Much like Dominic Thiem in last year’s final, Djokovic faced an opponent desperate for a seat at the Grand Slam table.

Unlike Thiem, who pushed Djokovic to five sets, Medvedev never threatened in his second major final.

Djokovic made a mockery of the Russian’s 20-match winning streak and his pre-match barb that all the pressure was on the champion.

He broke him seven times and closed out the one-sided contest with a net-rush and a brilliant leaping volley.

Having extended his unbeaten record in nine finals at Melbourne Park, Djokovic bellowed in triumph and wrapped his team in a group hug.

Nadal is the only man to have won more titles at a single Grand Slam, with his 13 at the French Open. Djokovic now has won six majors after the age of 30, equalling Nadal’s record.

Djokovic had said pre-match that Medvedev was the man to beat but it all seemed like mental games when the Serb shot out to a 3-0 lead.

Medvedev rallied to 3-3, though, edging Djokovic in fierce baseline exchanges.

Djokovic switched tactics, pulling the Russian to the net, his least favourite part of the court. (Reuters)

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Djokovic back in Australian Open final

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:00:01 +0000

Djokovic back in Australian Open final

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admin Thu, 02/18/2021 - 20:00

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Djokovic back in Australian Open final

MELBOURNE – Defending champion Novak Djokovic declared himself fighting fit for the Australian Open final after ending the incredible run of Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev with his “best match” of the tournament on Thursday.

The Serbian world number one eased into his ninth decider at Melbourne Park with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win under the lights at Rod Laver Arena and will battle either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev for the title.

Djokovic’s tournament appeared on a knife edge when he suffered an abdominal injury during his third round match against Taylor Fritz less than a week ago.

Yet he has put that aside and will have two days off to recover before Sunday’s final.

“This is the best I felt during the entire tournament,” he told Jim Courier on court.

“Felt great, I could swing through the ball, no pain, just best match so far, and it came at the right time and I’m thrilled to feel this way. (Reuters)

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New national and area record for Miller-Uibo

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 18:20:01 +0000

New national and area record for Miller-Uibo

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admin Mon, 02/15/2021 - 18:20

Monday, February 15, 2021

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New national and area record for Miller-Uibo

Much like she did in the 200 meters (m) last month, Bahamian sprint superstar Shaunae Miller-Uibo cruised to victory in the 400 meters (m) on Saturday, setting a new Bahamian national record indoors, a new North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) record, and tying for the eighth fastest of all-time, in an event she hadn’t run in seven years.

Miller-Uibo, 26, continued to rack up the national honors and move up the world’s all-time lists, running a stunning 50.21 seconds at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Meet at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, New York, on Saturday. A trio of Americans followed Miller-Uibo to the finish line. Wadeline Jonathas was second in a season’s best time of 51.95 seconds, Jessica Beard finished third in 52.60 seconds, and former World Champion Phyllis Francis was a distant fourth in 54.86 seconds.

On posting the world-lead on Saturday, Miller-Uibo said she feels great about the race, just wishing that she had attacked a bit better from the start. That’s a scary sign for her opponents seeing that she blasted out of the blocks for a 23.92 first 200m and appeared to go into cruise control about midway through the second lap. By the end of the first lap, the race was already a foregone conclusion.

Miller-Uibo now owns national records in the 200, 300 and 400m indoors, and the 150, 200, 200 straight, 300 and 400m outdoors. Also, the top two times in the 400m indoors in the region belong to Bahamians as Miller-Uibo took down Christine Amertil’s national and area record of 50.34 seconds on Saturday. Amertil’s run of 50.34 seconds was done for the bronze medal at the 11th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships in Moscow, Russia, in 2006. Now rebranded as Worlds Athletics (WA), that organization’s next world indoors is set for March 11-13, 2022, in Belgrade, Serbia.

Miller-Uibo herself is a former world indoor bronze medalist, circling the track twice in 52.06 seconds in Sopot, Poland, in 2014. Coincidentally, that was the last time she ran the 400m indoors.

Despite not running much indoors, Miller-Uibo showed that she is quite capable of dominating in that sphere with her fantastic run on Saturday. She is only about six tenths of a second off the world record, and given the way she won comfortable on Saturday, it’s a mark that is quite achievable should she decide to put more focus on running indoors. The world record is 49.59 seconds, ran by Jarmila Kratochvílová, of Czechoslovakia, in Milan, Italy, in 1982.

Be that as it may, the immediate focus for Miller-Uibo is the postponed Olympic, still on the table for this summer in Tokyo, Japan. She has already stated her intention of going after Olympic gold in the 200m and not defending her title in the 400m given the conflict in schedule of the two events. The Olympics is set for July 23 to August 8.

“I just give God all the thanks and praise. Nothing is possible without Him,” said Miller-Uibo to NBC Sports on Saturday. “Overall, it was a great race. I feel real strong right now, with a lot of energy. I just want to go out there and attack each year well and see where we land.”

Miller-Uibo’s time on Saturday was a new world lead, more than three tenths of a second faster than the previous world lead of 50.52 seconds which was ran 18-year-old American Athing Mu about a week ago, and it was also the fastest time in the world in 14 years. She came within 21 hundredths of a second of becoming just the fourth woman in history to run under 50 seconds in the 400m indoors.

In the 200m indoors in January, she nan a new national record of 22.40 seconds at the American Track League Meet #2 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, taking down Pauline Davis’ former national mark of 22.68 seconds. In just two races, Miller-Uibo now has the world-leading time in both the 200 and 400m indoors this season.

The only other Bahamian competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday was Donald Thomas in the men’s high jump. Trying to leap himself back in shape after a subdued 2020, the former World Champion leapt a modest 2.15m (7’ 0-1/2”) to finish sixth. The other six competitors in the men’s high on Saturday were all Americans.

Trey Culver won with a world-leading leap of 2.33m (7’ 7-3/4”), matching his personal best, Jeron Robinson was second with a leap of 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”), and former Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard rounded out the top three with a leap of 2.20m (7’ 2-1/2”).

The post New national and area record for Miller-Uibo appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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China President Xi salutes Museveni upon another election victory

admin — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 11:50:01 +0000

China President Xi salutes Museveni upon another election victory admin Sat, 02/06/2021 - 11:50

Saturday, February 6, 2021

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China President Xi salutes Museveni upon another election victory

People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping has congratulated Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for having been elected for the sixth term in the row.

According to a press statement released by the presidential press press unit (PPU), President Xi said that Museveni’s re-election means that Uganda will continue to make even greater achievements in materializing her vision on national development.

“It is with great pleasure to learn that you have been re-elected as President of the Republic of Uganda," said the Chinese leader.

"On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people and in my own name, I wish to extend our sincere congratulations and best wishes to you. I believe that under your leadership, Uganda will continue to make even greater achievements in materializing her vision on national development.”

Unlike several election observers and Western countries like United States and the United Kingdom that expressed concern in the way Museveni procured his sixth elective term, China and Russia have congratulated Museveni without mentioning the violence and bloodshed that characterized the electoral process.

Museveni was announced winner by the Electoral Commission after beating 10 rivals to get 58 per cent of the valid votes cast.

President Xi said China and Uganda share traditional friendship.

“We have all along enjoyed mutual support and trust and plenty of cooperation. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have been tiding over the difficulty together, supporting each other, thus composing a chapter of fighting the pandemic in friendship and solidarity. I attach great importance to developing China-Uganda relations and wish to work with you to promote China-Uganda comprehensive cooperation partnership for new achievements so as to better our two countries and peoples.”

Meanwhile, the United Bank for Africa directors Joseph Balikuddembe and Chioma Mang also congratulated Museveni upon his victory and pledged to support government’s efforts in the creation of social-economic transformation.

“We recognize the importance of a strong collaboration with the private sector in achieving your various economic objectives towards the creation of socio-economic transformation in Uganda...United Bank of Africa is committed to supporting government in her development efforts and improvement of life for the people of Uganda."

Similarly, the board chairperson of the Presidential CEO Forum Ms Barbara Mulwana said the extension of Museveni’s mandate as president of Uganda and the NRM party whose members were overwhelmingly voted into the next parliament by the people of Uganda is a vote of confidence in the ideals espoused by Museveni and the party.

“As a business leader, I am confident that we shall continue to enjoy peace and stability and a conducive business environment geared at facilitating investment in the country and that we shall be able to build on the tremendous progress achieved over the last five years,” Mulwana said.

The honorary consul general of the Republic of Serbia Jovan Latincic prayed for God's blessings on Museveni government and the people of Uganda.

“We appreciate your contribution to the traditional good relations between our two countries and do hope it will be extended to the fields of politics, defence, economy, science, education and others for the mutual benefit of our two great nations,” Latincic said.

Other messages came from the secretary general of the Union of Muslim Councils for East Central and Southern Africa Sheikh Haroun Rashid Kasangaki who said Museveni’s victory is a great testimony that the majority of Ugandans deeply cherish and support his pragmatic and developmental leadership.

“Your dynamic and conducive leadership has greatly steered the country in achieving tangible growth as well as promoting democratic governance," Kasangaki said.

"The Union of Muslim Councils is highly indebted to your individual efforts and those of government that have transformed our dear country and created sustainable peace, harmony, development and freedom in Uganda in addition to promoting the integration of East Africa and Africa.”

The joint managing director of Madhvani Group Mayur M Madhvani pledged the groups cooperation in participating in the economic growth and development of the country.

“The next five years will indeed be challenging and we as a group pledge our cooperation in participating in the economic growth and development of the country and particularly look forward to the improvement of the cross border trade with our neighbours, the successful commissioning of Amuru Sugar Works in partnership with the government as well as the introduction of an ethanol blending policy," Madhvani said.

The salutations come at the time when Museveni has yet again been dragged to the Supreme court over alleged election malpractice and rigging. The Supreme court is set to start looking into the election petition filed by National Unity Platform presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine next week. Museveni's last 3 of the 5 victories were declared as fradulent by the court which however claimed the fraud was not enough to overturn the final result outcome.

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