Wednesday 24 April 2024
LAKERS' LEBRON JAMES RIPS OFFICIATING AFTER LOSS TO NUGGETS
DENVER -- After a heartbreaking 101-99 loss in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, LeBron James was one of several Los Angeles Lakers players to criticize the officiating during his postgame comments.
"I don't understand what's going on in the replay center, to be honest," James said.
James has voiced his displeasure with the league's replay process several times this season, such as when his foot was ruled to be on the 3-point line in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and out of bounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.
On Monday night in Denver, he specifically took issue with a shooting foul called against Michael Porter Jr. on D'Angelo Russell late in the third quarter that was overturned after Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged the call.
"D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive," James said. "What the f--- do we have a replay center for if it's going to go [like that]? It doesn't make sense to me."
Russell was seemingly in agreement, writing on X after the game, "That's a foul we all saw it on national television."
L.A. led 79-69 with 39.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter when the foul was overturned, erasing two free throw attempts for Russell. The Lakers point guard shot 82.8% from the free throw line this season.
The missed opportunity for two points became that much more consequential with the way the game ended: Jamal Murray's fadeaway jumper on the baseline from 16 feet away as time expired delivered Denver a two-point win and 2-0 series lead.
Crew chief Scott Foster announced over the public address system that Porter's contact was "marginal," and the call was overturned.
A Lakers source told ESPN that James' foul on Murray with 57.1 seconds left, which rewarded the Nuggets guard two free throws that tied the game 97-97, also could be considered "marginal contact."
"It makes no sense to me," James continued. "It bothers me. ... And then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knicks game too. Like, what are we doing?"
As James (26 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) got up from the podium and headed toward the exit, he added, "It's f---ing stupid."
While L.A. had a 19-6 advantage in free throw attempts in Game 1, Denver had a 17-13 edge in attempts in Game 2.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham also referenced Lakers center Anthony Davis' foul trouble; Davis picked up his fourth with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter while setting a screen on Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. L.A. was up 74-63 at the time, and Ham subbed out Davis to try to keep him from fouling out. At that point, Davis was 14-for-18 from the field for 32 points. He attempted only one shot -- a missed pull-up in the lane midway through the fourth quarter -- the rest of the game.
"You can't have a remedy for foul trouble," Ham said. "It limits your player, takes all the aggression away."
With Davis' play affected by his fouls, Denver fought back from a 20-point deficit early in the third quarter. Murray scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth, with his buzzer-beater representing just the third winning shot to complete a comeback of 20 or more points in an NBA playoff game since 2000.
Jokic, who finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, also did damage down the stretch while matched up against the Lakers' Rui Hachimura, as Davis was switched off Jokic to avoid more fouls.
L.A. was "bogged down" in the fourth quarter, according to Lakers guard Austin Reaves, as James scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and the rest of the team went just 3-for-9.
James missed his last shot -- a 3-pointer from the top of the key with the score tied at 99 and 16 seconds left.
"Had a wide-open look, and it rimmed out," James said. "I mean, it rimmed in, and it rimmed out."
Denver, meanwhile, went 7-for-7 to close out the fourth quarter.
The series now shifts to L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, as the Lakers attempt to snap what is now a 10-game losing streak against the Nuggets.
"Win Game 3," Davis said. "It's that simple. Just win Game 3."
Russell, who bounced back from a 6-for-20 shooting performance in Game 1 to score 23 points in Game 2 and tie a franchise postseason record with seven made 3-pointers, expressed confidence moving forward.
"We did a lot of good things that gave us an opportunity to win all night," Russell said. "Came down to some things that we really couldn't control. I like our fight."
For everything that went right for the Lakers on Monday, there is plenty of room for improvement. James went 4-for-11 on shots at the rim, with the seven misses tying the most he has had in a playoff game since joining the Lakers. Hachimura went 1-for-7 in the starting lineup. Denver's bench outscored L.A.'s reserves 12-6.
"We have stretches where we just don't know what we're doing on both ends of the floor," Davis said. "And those are the ones that cost us."
Second-guessing can't change the series, however. Only preparing to deliver a different outcome can.
"Protect home," James said. "That's where my mindset goes. And obviously, the only game that matters now is Game 3 and how we can get better. How we can figure this team out. So, Game 3 is where my mindset is."
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
LIVERPOOL CONSIDER SLOT AS KLOPP'S REPLACEMENT
Liverpool have identified Feyenoord coach Arne Slot as a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp as manager after cooling their interest in Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim, sources have told ESPN.
With top target Xabi Alonso last month ruling himself out of the running for a return to the club he represented as a player by choosing to stay with newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Slot has emerged ahead of Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi in the race to replace Klopp.
However, sources have said that Liverpool expect a battle with Barcelona and Bayern Munich to appoint Slot and are therefore planning to continue to assess other candidates.
Klopp, who has won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool since replacing Brendan Rodgers at Anfield in October 2015, announced in January that he will step down from his position at the end of this season.
Following Klopp's surprise announcement -- the 56-year-old informed Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) of his decision last November -- Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said that the club would take a "data-led" approach to finding a new manager.
Former sporting director Michael Edwards returned to Anfield last month as head of football operations with the responsibility of identifying and hiring Klopp's successor, and sources have told ESPN that Slot, who guided Feyenoord to the Dutch title last season, has become a strong contender to land the Liverpool job.
Slot, 45, rejected Premier League advances from both Chelsea and Tottenham last season in order to remain at Feyenoord. He signed a new three-year contract with the Rotterdam-based team in May 2023, thereby committing himself to the club until 2026.
Sources have told ESPN that the Liverpool hierarchy, led by Edwards and Hogan, believes that Slot fits all of its criteria in terms of style of play, personality and ability to work within the club's structure.
There is an acceptance within Anfield that Feyenoord will attempt to hold onto Slot, but there is also a hope that the lure of the Premier League could prompt the former AZ Alkmaar coach to take the opportunity to move to England.
Liverpool are second in the Premier League, level on points with leaders Arsenal, and face a derby clash against Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.
- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC
TYRESE MAXEY FOULED TWICE DURING CHAOTIC SEQUENCE, L2MR SAYS
In its Last Two Minute Report for the New York Knicks' miraculous 104-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Monday night, the NBA ruled that Tyrese Maxey was fouled multiple times during the game's frenetic defining sequence, and that 76ers coach Nick Nurse called for a timeout but the referees didn't see it.
The league said Jalen Brunson grabbed Maxey's jersey before the ball was inbounded after Brunson's 3-pointer cut Philadelphia's lead to two, and that Josh Hart then bumped Maxey as he caught the inbounds pass, sending him falling to the ground.
Maxey then committed a turnover trying to pass the ball after he fell to the ground, which led to Donte DiVincenzo missing a potential go-ahead 3-pointer and then making one that proved to be the winning shot with 13 seconds remaining.
"[Maxey] did his job," Joel Embiid said after the game, when asked whether he needed to say anything to his star guard following the turnover and a blocked potential go-ahead layup in the closing seconds. "That's on the league. That's on the NBA. That's on the frigging referees. I hate to put the game on them. But I am sure the two-minute report is going to come out and we are going to see what happened.
"But like I said, that's unacceptable. That's not on him. That's not on any of us. We fought for 47 minutes and whatever 20 seconds. For that to happen ... that's not OK."
The report also said that as Sixers point guard Kyle Lowry was inbounding the ball, Nurse was calling for a timeout but the officials didn't grant it -- as Nurse himself said to open his news conference after Monday's game.
Though the report did say Nurse tried to call a timeout a second time, that one shouldn't have been granted because Maxey didn't have control of the ball at that point.
"Well, the first thing is obviously they score," Nurse said. "We take a look at getting it in quick. We don't get it in quick. I call timeout. Referee looked right at me. Ignored me. Went into Tyrese, I called timeout again. Then the melee started.
"I guess I got to run out onto the floor or do something to make sure and get his attention, but I needed a timeout there to advance it. Would've been good.
"But, couldn't get it."
In addition to those calls, the Last Two Minute Report said two other calls were missed: an Embiid foul on DiVincenzo in the moments before Brunson's 3-pointer, and a defensive three seconds violation by Knicks forward OG Anunoby with just over a minute remaining.
None of that changes the ultimate result, however, as New York has taken a commanding 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven series with Philadelphia behind the remarkable comeback, which saw the Knicks become the first team since 1996 to come back from down five within the final 30 seconds of a playoff game and win in regulation, per SportRadar.
And while the NBA admitted the calls were missed, the 76ers will not be able to get the end of the game replayed. The Knicks tried a similar maneuver earlier this year when referee Jacyn Goble made an incorrect call on Brunson fouling Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday at the end of a game in Houston, only for New York's protest to get denied because it could not demonstrate that there was a misapplication of the playing rules, rather than human error.
The last successful protest was in 2008, when the Miami Heat won a protest of a loss to the Atlanta Hawks after Shaquille O'Neal fouled out of a game but had only committed five personal fouls, causing the final 51.9 seconds to be replayed at a later date.
Game 3 of the series will be Thursday night in Philadelphia, with Game 4 to follow Sunday afternoon.
- Tim Bontemps, ESPN
HAVERTZ LEADS ARSENAL ROUT OF CHELSEA TO MAINTAIN TITLE CHALLENGE
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| Kai Havertz celebrates one of his two goals for Arsenal against former club Chelsea. |
Ruthless Arsenal threw down the gauntlet in the Premier League title race with a 5-0 thrashing of London rivals Chelsea to roar three points clear at the top of the table on Tuesday.
Any remaining doubts about Arsenal's staying power were answered emphatically as Leandro Trossard gave them an early lead before Ben White and Kai Havertz scored two each in a dazzling spell after the break to sweep aside a dazed Chelsea.
It was a powerful statement by Arsenal who have recovered impressively from a home defeat by Aston Villa and bowing out of the Champions League and with four games remaining they are piling the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City.
Arsenal have 77 points from 34 games with Liverpool, who face Everton on Wednesday, on 74 from 33. Reigning champions Manchester City have 73 points but have two games in hand starting with a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday.
It was the sixth time Arsenal have scored five or more in a Premier League game this season and in such a tight race they have a huge goal difference advantage which could prove crucial to the outcome.
"Very happy with the win, with the amount of chances and goals we scored," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, whose side face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, said. "And with the clean sheet as well it shows the consistency.
"We will enjoy it and rest and get ready for the next one."
For ninth-placed Chelsea it was their heaviest ever defeat by Arsenal and a hammer blow in their bid to creep into a European place just days after their narrow FA Cup semifinal defeat by Manchester City.
"The team showed a lack of capacity to resist, that is what is the problem," Mauricio Pochettino, who gave a first Premier League start to young right back Alfie Gilchrist, said.
"Arsenal are a very good team. But I think we allowed them to play."
Arsenal were brimming with energy in the opening half, peppering Chelsea's goal with 13 attempts and would have led by more than one at the interval but for Chelsea's Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
Roared on by The Emirates crowd the hosts needed four minutes to settle any nerves as a marauding Declan Rice drove into the heart of the area and weighted his pass perfectly for Trossard to fire home.
Petrovic would have been disappointed to be beaten from a narrow angle but made amends with a flurry of saves in quick succession to deny Bukayo Saka and Trossard and then reacted incredibly to keep out a close-range deflection.
Despite being under siege, a Chelsea side without 20-goal Cole Palmer had their moments and Axel Disasi somehow failed to connect from in front of goal from a flicked on corner.
Nicolas Jackson hit the post and then inexplicably failed to head in a brilliant Conor Gallagher cross.
But Arsenal tuned up the heat in the second half and Chelsea could not cope.
White made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute after Rice's shot deflected to him and Havertz was then played through by an exquisite pass from captain Martin Ødegaard and finished in style.
Former Chelsea forward Havertz made it 4-0 with a low finish and White then nonchalantly side-footed a volley home from an angle.
"The second one was a bad touch and it went in," he joked.
It could have got far worse for Chelsea as Arsenal ran riot but the home fans left in euphoric mood as a first title in 20 years began to look within reach.
- Reuters
Tuesday 23 April 2024
RUIZ-MILLER, CRUZ- VALENZUELA ON AUG. 3 UNDERCARD, SOURCES SAY
Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz will fight Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles while Pitbull Cruz will defend his WBA junior welterweight title against Jose Valenzuela, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The fights will take place on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard presented by Riyadh Season, the first boxing event organized by Saudi Arabia outside the kingdom.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) will fight for the first time since September 2022, when he floored Luis Ortiz three times in a unanimous-decision victory.
Ruiz, who fights out of Southern California, landed his life-changing shot at then-champion Anthony Joshua in June 2019 when Miller failed a doping test. Ruiz, 34, went on to lose his three heavyweight titles that December in the rematch, the first major boxing event in Saudi Arabia.
Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) last competed in December when he was TKO'ed in the 10th round by Daniel Dubois in Riyadh. The 35-year-old Brooklynite has been suspended twice during his boxing career for PED use and once during his kickboxing career.
Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) will make the first defense of the title he won last month with an eighth-round TKO victory over Rolly Romero. That was Cruz's first fight at 140 pounds. The 25-year-old Mexican has won four fights since a close-decision defeat to Gervonta Davis in December 2021. Cruz is ESPN's No. 5 junior welterweight.
Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) is coming off a brutal sixth-round KO win over Chris Colbert in a December rematch. The 24-year-old Mexican lost his two previous bouts, a decision defeat to Colbert and a third-round KO at the hands of Edwin De Los Santos. This will be Valenzuela's 140-pound debut.
+ Mike Coppinger, ESPN
GRAVENBERCH IS "VERY HAPPY" WITH FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL
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| Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images |
Ryan Gravenberch has had an up and down first season at Liverpool since joining the Reds from Bayern Munich last summer. On Sunday, in Liverpool 3-1 win over Fulham, the Dutch midfielder scored his first Premier League goal.
“I remember I got the ball from Harvey and as soon as I took that first touch I knew already that I wanted to shoot.” Gravenberch said. “It was nice to see it go in, I’m very happy with my first Premier League goal.”
“For us it was important because we are out of Europe and we had to to get confidence again.” Gravenberch told Liverpoolfc.com after the win. “So we won today and that gives us that extra boost.”
The next match for the midfielder and his Liverpool teammates is the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday. He was asked about that game as well.
“For us we just go game by game,” said Gravenberch. “We won today and now Everton is waiting for us on Wednesday and we have to be prepared for them as well and then we go moving forward.”
- Mark Katsner
INDIAN TEENAGER BECOMES YOUNGEST CHALLENGER FOR WORLD CUESS TITLE, WILL FACE REIGNING CHAMPION FROM CHINA
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| Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju playing at the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge quarter finals in Germany in February. |
Teenage Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, better known as Gukesh D, became the youngest player to claim the men’s Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada Sunday.
The 17-year-old grandmaster’s win sets up an opportunity to dethrone reigning world champion Ding Liren of China at the 2024 World Chess Championship later this year.
Should Gukesh beat Ding, who has struggled with poor form recently, he will break Garry Kasparov’s long-held record of being the youngest world champion aged 22."
"Gukesh, ranked 16th in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), sealed his title after a comfortable draw with world number 3 Hikaru Nakamura, a five-time US chess champion who is more than twice his age.
Gukesh is set to become the youngest player ever to challenge for a world chess title.
“I was completely emotional but after the game I’m feeling quite good,” Gukesh said in a press conference after finishing atop the round robin tournament.
“I don’t really care about [being] the youngest and all these records, but it’s a nice thing to say.”
Gukesh was swarmed by Indian fans outside his hotel as the South Asian nation celebrates yet another young chess talent.
“I’m very excited to play in the world championship and really looking forward to all the preparations,” he said, adding that his journey is “only halfway through.”
The previous youngest winner of a Candidates tournament was Russian prodigy Kasparov, then 20, in 1984.
Kasparov, who went on to win multiple world championships, praised Gukesh and the conveyor belt of chess talent coming from both Asia and Asian diaspora communities in countries like the United Stated and Britain.
The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in the chess world,” Kasparov wrote on social media platform X.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Gukesh’s “remarkable achievement” and “extraordinary talent and dedication” on social media.
Gukesh will face 31-year-old Chinese star Ding, who was crowed world champion in 2023. The title was previously held by five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, who had decided not to defend his title at the time.
Ding became the first Chinese men’s player in history to become world champion. But the now-world number 5 immediately took a nine-month break from competitions and has struggled with form upon returning.
The date and location of the 2024 World Chess Championship between Ding and Gukesh has yet to be revealed.
China’s Tan Zhongyi won the women’s Challenger category to qualify for a world title match against compatriot and reigning world champion Ju Wenjun – date also unknown.
India, meanwhile, is not short of young chess talent.
Joining Gukesh in the men’s Candidates tournament was Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (R Praggnanandhaa), 18, who famously stunned the chess world by beating Carlsen in 2022.
“Pragg”, as he is known to fans, became the youngest international chess master at the age of 10 and the second-youngest grandmaster in the world at 12. Last year, he and his sister, 22-year-old Rameshbabu Vaishali (R Vaishali), became the first-ever brother and sister duo to obtain grandmaster titles.
Gukesh is the second Indian to play in a world championship after legendary Indian player Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand.
Gukesh overtook Anand, a five-time world champion and the country’s top player for nearly 40 years, to become India’s top-ranked player last September.
“I’m personally very proud of how (Gukesh) played and handled tough situations. Enjoy the moment,” Anand wrote in a post on X.
- CNN
LONDON MARATHON: JEPCHIRCHIR AND MUNYAO SECURE KENYAN DOUBLE
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| Winners of the men's and women's races, Kenya's Alexander Mutiso Munyao and Peres Jepchirchir pose with the trophy at the presentations for the 2024 London Marathon in central London on April 21, 2024. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP |
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the London marathon in a women's-only world record on Sunday, April 21, as Alexander Mutiso Munyao's victory in the men's race London marathon it a Kenyan double.
The race was preceded by 30 seconds of applause for Kelvin Kiptum, 2023 winner of the men's race, who was killed in a car accident in February. A poignant day ended with two more Kenyan victories with Jepchirchir in particular putting down a marker ahead of her defence of her title at the Paris Olympics.
The field for the women's race was considered one of the best ever assembled with three of the four fastest women in history competing. Jepchirchir, 30, came home in front of world record holder Tigst Assefa and Joyciline Jepkosgei to break the record mark without male pacemakers.
Jepchirchir's time of 2 hours 16 minutes 16 seconds smashed the women's-only course record of 2:17:01 set by compatriot Mary Keitany in 2017. Retired British star Paula Radcliffe ran a time of 2:15:25 in a mixed-sex marathon in London in 2003, using male pacemakers.
"I was not expecting to run a world record," said Jepchirchir. "I knew it might be beat but I did not expect it to be me. "I am so happy to qualify for the Olympics and I feel grateful. I'm happy to be at Paris and my pray(er) is to be there and run well to defend my title. I know it won't be easy but I'll try my best."
Munyao got the better of Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele to take the men's race in 2:04:01. A three-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, Bekele was on course for his first win on the streets of London aged 41 but Munyao proved too strong in the closing kilometres to pull clear up London's famous landmark The Mall towards the finish line.
"At 40 kilometres I got some pressure from Bekele but I had a lot of confidence because I trained for this race," said Munyao. "After 40 kilometres I thought I had enough energy to win. That's why I kicked and I knew I would win."
The 27-year-old also paid tribute to Kiptum, whose sudden death sent shockwaves through the sport. "I think about him and let him rest in peace. He came here in London and he won."
Behind the front two it was a great day for the British duo of Emile Cairess and Mahamed Mahamed as they finished third and fourth respectively to close in on a place at the Paris Olympics.
A record number of people were running the 42-kilometer route through the British capital with over 50,000 participants taking part. Among them was new Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who faces a race against the clock to finish in time to see his side take on Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley later on Sunday.
- Le Monde
PARIS 2024: VALENTIN HOUINATO'S OLYMPIC QUEST AS RADIO FRANCE JOURNALIST AND BENIN JUDOKA
The Franco-Beninese athlete, who earns his living as a freelance journalist, has been sharing his daily life with France Inter since September 2023. He talks about the many 'struggles' in pursuit of his Olympic dream.
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| Judoka Valentin Houinato at the Paris Grand Slam, February 5, 2023. A journalist with Radio France, he is trying to qualify for the Games in Benin's colors. CHRISTIAN FIDLER / FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE JUDO |
There are journalists looking for angles to cover the Paris 2024 Games, but Valentin Houinato isn't one of them. Since September 2023, this Radio France reporter has found the subject to follow for this event: himself. Almost every week on the France Inter channel, he shares his challenging preparation in the hope of qualifying for the Olympics. Each segment offers a three-minute dive into the soul of a judoka tormented by the challenge of a lifetime.
The 27-year-old, whose smile is more constant than his morale, speaks freely and confidently. Whether in his daily column – entitled "La Prépa" – or on the judo mats, Houinato talks openly about his emotions, state of mind and Africa, his other continent. Indeed, "Val" or "Valou," as he is known, grew up in the Seine-et-Marne region just east of Paris, which is his mother's country and his birthplace. However, since 2022, he has chosen to compete in the -81 kg category for his father's country, Benin. The French team was, for him, out of reach. "I think I was ranked 15th in France, but those selected [for the Olympics] are in the top five," he explained.
'I'm always overdrawn'
For Houinato, Benin is the memory of his childhood summer vacations. His hometown is Vendée, where his beloved grandparents live. Being binational offers him an unhoped-for chance to realize his ultimate dream. "I was in the stands at the 2012 London Olympics, I was ecstatic," he recalled. "For me, the goal was to make the Games first and foremost. If Luxembourg had offered me something, I would have gone too. All I can think about is Paris, the opening ceremony, my grandparents watching France 2. That's all I envision."
For now, the journey to the temporary Grand Palais, where the judo events will be held from July 27 to August 3, is testing. "I just wanted to share my daily life. As it happens, there are a lot of struggles, so I'm talking about a lot of struggles," he stressed.
How can one disagree? The life of a freelance journalist and a top-level athlete don't mix. It's hard to be available to keep up with the news and train relentlessly at the same time. "I keep working because I have to pay the rent," he explained. The rent, but also his mental trainer, psychomotricity classes, Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes (to improve his ground skills), kimonos (€150 each), plane tickets and hotel nights. "I'm always overdrawn," he admitted.
To save on travel costs, Houinato often takes flights with several stopovers when he travels to Cameroon or Qatar for international tournaments (12 since his debut with Benin) or training camps in Tokyo. "Three or four times," he has slept in airports. The Benin Judo Federation doesn't always have the means to support him. Traveling in Africa has a cost, and not just financially. Managing sometimes poorly organized competitions is also part of the challenge.
'I've been walking on a tightrope for months'
"The cabs are late. You're told 'there's no restaurant tonight, you'll eat tomorrow,'" he continued. "You're dealing with people who don't understand what high level means." A matter of resources? He got carried away: "Cleaning a room is not a question of resources. I could have thrown away my white judo gi after the Niger Open, it was beyond repair. Sometimes, it's not professional. For example, you see someone 100 grams overweight at a weigh-in, and you hear the official say 'it's not serious.' And later, you learn that they're from the same country." However, the judoka firmly disputed that it would be easier to compete in Africa: "The level is very high, there's potential, and we can do better."
For over a year, Houinato has been juggling work, training and tournaments without a coach to help him, dealing with injuries and struggling to find money – all on his own. He has a small sponsor and has launched an online fundraising campaign. All this exhausts him physically and mentally, sometimes to the point of bringing him to tears. A doctor told him he was suffering from "cognitive overload" and prescribed antidepressants. "My aim is not to crack," he admitted. "I've been walking a tightrope for months, and it's got to hold until July 30 [the date of his test]."
Houinato is determined to hang on: Ranked 70th in the world in his category, he is "currently qualified for the Games," he claimed. But he won't know until June 23, when the qualification period ends, whether he will be participating in the Paris 2024 Games.
- Mustapha Kessous
TEEN SKATER TREW EYEIING PARIS AFTER ROLLING OFF WITH LAUREL AWARD
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| Reuters |
Resplendent in a pink dress with matching sneakers, 14-year-old Arisa Trew performed a kickflip on her skateboard in a unique red carpet entrance to the Laureus awards ceremony in Madrid before rolling away with a trophy in her category.
The Australian trailblazer became the first female skateboarder to be named World Action Sportsperson of the Year, beating out nominees including Brazilian men's World Surf League champion Felipe Toledo and British BMX racer Bethany Shriever.
Last June, the Gold Coast teen generated global headlines when she landed a "720" at the Tony Hawk Vert Alert competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, becoming the first female to pull off the aerial double rotation in competition.
Skating icon Hawk, who invented the trick in 1985, watched on.
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| Reuters |
A month later, Trew pulled off another 720 to win the women's vert title at the X Games in California ahead of Canada's 10-year-old runner-up Reese Nelson.
"I look up to Tony Hawk so much," Trew said after receiving her award on Monday.
"I was pretty close to landing it for a while and I knew at the comp I wanted to try it. He helped me, gave me some tips, so it was really cool because he's one of my idols."
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| Reuters |
Trew is on track to represent Australia at the Paris Games, where she will hope to become her nation's youngest Olympic medallist.
Swimmer Sandra Morgan holds the record having won a freestyle relay gold medal at the age of 14 years and 180 days at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
In the world rankings, Trew is 11th in park skateboarding and will book her ticket to Paris if she holds her place in the top 20 after an Olympic qualifying series starting in Shanghai next month.
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| Reuters |
"We go to Shanghai in May and then Budapest in June and hopefully she does well enough," her coach Trevor Ward told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"She is quite a driven person and nothing is too hard for her."
Even if Trew takes gold in Paris she would not be the youngest skateboarder to win an Olympic title. Japan's Momiji Nishiya claimed gold in the women's street category at her home Tokyo Games as a 13-year-old.