For Italy and Brazil, losing to Simone Biles’ US team at the Olympics still felt like a victory

Gold medalists US team of Simone Biles, silver medalists Manila Esposito's Italy and bronze medalists Rebeca Andrade's Brazil during the podium ceremony for the women's team gymnastics competition of the Paris Olympics at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday. (Reuters)
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Updated 31 July 2024
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For Italy and Brazil, losing to Simone Biles’ US team at the Olympics still felt like a victory

  • Athletes from three nations erupted in cheers when the final scores flashed on the giant screens inside raucous Bercy Arena
  • The Americans’ total of 171.296 made Biles the most decorated Olympic gymnast in US history with an eighth gold medal

PARIS: Watching the celebrations after the Paris Olympics women’s gymnastics team final Tuesday, it was impossible to tell who had won.

The Simone Biles-led US team? Brazil star Rebeca Andrade and her teammates? Or the Italian team led by 17-year-old Manila Esposito?

Athletes from three nations erupted in cheers when the final scores flashed on the giant screens inside raucous Bercy Arena. As the legion of American fans started to chant “USA! USA!”, their Brazilian counterparts danced and waved blue, green and yellow flags. The Italians hugged each other warmly.

The Americans’ total of 171.296 made Biles the most decorated Olympic gymnast in US history with an eighth gold medal.

But it was a historic day for Italy and Brazil, too.

Italy’s silver medal was its first in the event since 1928, while Brazil had never won a team medal before.

“We have yet to realize what that means,” said Italian Alice D’Amato when asked about the second-place finish.

The Brazilian team was the last to leave the arena floor. They lingered below the grandstand, and Andrade was even hoisted up by teammates so she could hug supporters hanging over the railing.

“It’s magical that we did it,” said Brazil’s Jade Barbosa. “It’s pure magic. Brazil wasn’t big in this sport. We had a lot of great individuals, but now we have a great group of gymnasts.”

The Italian team finished with a score of 165.494 to better Brazil’s 164.497 after Angela Andreoli delivered a strong routine on floor.

“I knew that it was an important routine to be on the podium,” Andreoli said. “I was under pressure, but my partners were able to help me keep my cool.”

Brazil’s hopes for a podium finish were almost ruined before the competition started when Flavia Saraiva injured her right eye during warmup.

“I could not see, it bled, but the team’s doctor told me everything was all right” Saraiva said. “I believe my knee hit my eye when I tripped. It’s not the first time it happens to me. Maybe I will need some stitches.”

With a bandage above her eye, Saraiva soldiered on. She was cautious on the bars and did not fall on the beam, then performed an easier version of her floor exercise and finished off her night with a strong vault.

“We are warriors,” Saraiva said.

Her teammate Andrade was excellent on the four apparatus, delivering superb layouts on the floor coupled with a 15.100 on the vault. If she performs at that level during Thursday’s all-around final, she could give Biles a run for gold.


Top tennis player Sinner to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters quarter-finals

Updated 14 sec ago
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Top tennis player Sinner to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters quarter-finals

  • Jannik Sinner put some old demons to rest in overcoming American Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7/1)
  • Medvedev and Sinner have met four times this year already in the final stages of tournaments
SHANGHAI: World number one Jannik Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals, after both had straight sets victories on Wednesday.
Sinner put some old demons to rest in overcoming American Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), while Medvedev took out Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
Shelton, ranked 16, knocked Sinner out at the same stage last year, but on Wednesday the Italian looked confident from the start as he won in 88 minutes.
The US Open champion pulled ahead in the ninth game of the first set, breaking when Shelton hit long, then dominated the second set tiebreak.
“It was very tough, you don’t have so much control when you play against him... I just tried to stay strong mentally,” said Sinner.
World number five Medvedev and Tsitsipas were meeting for the 14th time.
Tsitsipas started the second set strongly, breaking in the first game, but Medvedev broke in the fourth and eighth to progress.
Medvedev and Sinner have met four times this year already in the final stages of tournaments.
Sinner beat Medvedev in the semifinals at Miami, the quarter-finals at the US Open and in the Australian Open final, but the Russian ended the Italian’s hopes in the last eight at Wimbledon in an epic five-set battle.
Also in action on Wednesday are world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the China Open final a week ago, four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic and world number three Alexander Zverev.

Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament

Updated 4 min 4 sec ago
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Man City’s Rico Lewis eyes ‘dream’ of playing for England in an international tournament

  • The 19-year-old is in the Three Lions squad for the Nations League B games against Greece on Thursday and Finland on Sunday

MANCHESTER: It was 10 years ago when Rico Lewis had his first experience of a World Cup.

Aged 9, he was banking on Brazil to win the trophy on home soil so he could earn a prize in the shape of a packet of sweets.

With Neymar and Thiago Silva out injured, the Selecao could not deliver. They fell 7-1 in the semifinal against Germany, who would go on to beat Argentina and claim international football’s biggest honor for a fourth time.

England won their only World Cup in 1966, but Lewis wants to be a part of their bid to end a 60-year wait when the US, Canada and Mexico stage the tournament in two years’ time.

“Of course it’s everyone’s dream to play in an international competition with your country,” Lewis told Arab News exclusively.

“It would be amazing to play in that kind of environment and see how different it is, and also try to win something.

“Watching the World Cup, it makes you strive to do as best as you can and get picked for these squads to get to play in that.

“I think that’s what everyone wants to do, and to go and win a tournament with your national team.

“My earliest memories of a World Cup were in 2014, I remember being in a sweepstake for it.

“I had Brazil and they got beat by Germany 7-1 in the semifinals. I’d have probably won a bag of Haribo’s or something like that if they had won it.”

The 19-year-old, who made his international debut under Gareth Southgate against North Macedonia last November, added: “It was amazing to be called up for England, a unique feeling.

“It’s something you dream of and not many professional footballers get there. You’ve got to be very lucky and I was very lucky to get to that position.

“But once you are there you just enjoy it. It almost makes it easier because you can enjoy it.”

Lewis is certainly enjoying himself this season. And an ability to play confidently in a multitude of roles at such a tender age is not just down to luck.

Having established himself as a key component in Manchester City’s title-winning machine, whether at right-back or in midfield, he has been given an opportunity to transfer his talents to the international stage.

He can do so with Nations League B games against Greece on Thursday and Finland on Sunday.

England’s interim boss Lee Carsley, who replaced Southgate after the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain, turned to Lewis to help solve the side’s troublesome left-back position, where there has been no regular starter.

The youngster impressed in the 2-0 win over Finland last month and has settled well with a squad featuring current City team-mates Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, and an old one in Chelsea forward Cole Palmer.

“Of course I feel comfortable now,” said Lewis. “When you’ve been with people like that for so long — and this is my third year with the City first-team now — I feel a lot closer with everyone and that makes it easier to play with them and at this level.

“I just want to play football and if that means I play in a different position to get more game time then that’s fine with me.

“I like playing fullback and like playing in midfield, but I don’t really mind where I play.”

That approach has typified Lewis’ amazing rise since his City debut two years ago at the age of 17.

His first season in the first-team ranks saw him lift a historic Treble as the Etihad outfit memorably won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

That was followed by the UEFA Super Cup and then the Club World Cup, with City beating Fluminense in Saudi Arabia.

Lewis also helped City lift the English title for a fourth successive time last season and admitted: “I want as many trophies as I can get. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of. When you break it down, it’s difficult to put into words what I’ve done.

“So that’s what I don’t really do, I don’t really think about it too much. That will probably come later on in life when I look back in my career.

“Right now I just want to focus on putting out consistent performances and being the best I can be.”

He added: “Of course there’s extra pressure. Once you’ve done it, then comes the expectation to do it again.

“When you are playing in a squad like at City you can stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t perform because of how many good players there are. Yes there’s pressure, but that comes with being at a club like this,” Lewis said.

“I think I enjoy it. I think everyone enjoys a little bit of pressure, being able to prove people wrong, stuff like that, but that comes with being a footballer.”


Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan

Updated 35 min 11 sec ago
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Root surpasses Cook’s 12,472 test runs as England reaches 232-2 in first test against Pakistan

  • Root is now fifth on the all-time list of test run-scorers behind Sachin Tendulkar’s leading 15,921
  • England lost Zak Crawley’s wicket in the first half-hour when he chipped a catch of Shaheen Afridi

MULTAN: Joe Root became England’s highest-run scorer in tests as the tourists continued to score at a rapid pace on the third day of the first test against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s 12,472 runs with a straight-driven boundary before lunch to reach 72 at the break and guided England to a brisk 232-2 in 45 overs.
Root is now fifth on the all-time list of test run-scorers behind Sachin Tendulkar’s leading 15,921.
Ben Duckett recovered from a thumb injury which denied him opening England’s first innings on Tuesday afternoon and was unbeaten on 80 off 67 balls as the tourists smashed 136 runs in the first session after resuming on 96-1.
England still trails Pakistan by 324 runs after the home team was bowled out for 556 on a placid wicket of Multan Cricket Stadium.
England lost the wicket of Zak Crawley (78) inside the first half-hour when he chipped a catch of Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-44) after adding 14 runs to his overnight score of 64. Jamal pounced on the opportunity on second attempt at short mid-wicket as Crawley tried to whip the fast bowler on the on-side.
But England continued to exhibit its ‘Bazball’ approach against both pace and spin on a benign wicket. Duckett and Root decoded the mystery spin of Abrar Ahmed with lot of aggression on an unresponsive wicket for the bowlers as the leg-spinner has so far conceded 79 runs off his 12 overs.
In an England-dominated session, Pakistan also lost two of its reviews when it went for a shocking caught behind referral against Duckett soon after the left-hander had completed his half century, but the television replays suggested the bat was nowhere near the ball.
Captain Shan Masood then went for a second referral against Root off the same bowler, but the TV replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump.


Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations

Updated 39 min 22 sec ago
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Jurgen Klopp to be head of Red Bull football operations

BERLIN: Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a new role as head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns the Leipzig, Salzburg and New York clubs, the company said Wednesday.
“After nearly 25 years on the sidelines, I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in a project like this,” said Klopp, who left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years in charge.


Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach

Updated 09 October 2024
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Saudi rugby players want ‘taste of international tournaments,’ says coach

  • Sami Smara, technical director and head coach of young team, says players gained valuable experience at Asia Rugby Sevens Emirates Trophy event in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Saudi Arabia’s rugby team showed off a fresh and young lineup at the Asia Rugby Sevens Emirates Trophy competition held recently in Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu.

Despite the team finishing last, the tournament was an opportunity for the new-look squad to gain valuable experience.

The two-day tournament saw 16 men’s teams and eight women’s teams from Asia compete, with the Philippines winning both categories.

The tournament was held on Oct. 4 and 5 at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu, which despite being 1,400 meters above sea level was praised for its great natural pitch.

Saudi Arabia fielded one of the youngest teams in the tournament with most of the players under 24 years of age.

Sami Smara, the technical director and head coach of the team, said the association has a plan for the Riyadh 2034 Asian Games.

“We want to join more tournaments to gain experience and build a strong team,” he said. “We have club activities in Saudi Arabia for young players, and this will help us grow.

“This tournament was our consecutive appearance and we wanted to focus on new players getting a taste of international tournaments.”

In Group C, Saudi Arabia faced strong opposition including Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Qatar. Although they lost all three matches, the team did well, scoring tries against Kazakhstan and Qatar.

Captain of the team, Mohammed Al-Janoubi, said that playing at a high altitude made it difficult for the players to breathe during their first match, which added to the challenge.

He also highlighted that although the team had been preparing for several months, injuries during the preparation phase hindered their readiness. This combination of factors made their opening game particularly tough.

Saudi Arabia put a up a strong fight against Qatar in their first match despite the final scoreline. They eventually went down 39-7 at the end but conceded only two tries and converted one themselves in the second half.

They then lost 55-5 to Kazakhstan and 52-0 to Sri Lanka.

In the 13th-place playoff match against Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia showed their fighting spirit and led the match briefly. They were down 12-0 in the first half but made a strong comeback in the second.

After two tries, Mohammed Almoalim converted to put the team ahead 14-12. Unfortunately, they conceded a late try and ended up losing 19-14.

However, Al-Janoubi was happy with how the team played.

“The opposition was of high level, but we fought the best we can,” he said. “Most of the players were playing at this level for the first time. Our focus was on gaining international experience, and we succeeded. This experience will help us as we move forward.”

Coach Smara said rugby was getting good support from the Ministry of Sport and the National Olympic Committee.

“The government is very supportive of sports, and rugby is getting the help it needs to improve. We want to encourage local players and make a better team over time.”

He said rugby in Saudi Arabia has grown over the past few years. “The rugby was limited (in the past) to expats and was only played in compounds. But now there is governance of the league too.

“Thanks to support from the national Olympic committee, the (Saudi Arabian Rugby Federation) now has senior and youth competitions. We have rugby in the sports curriculum of the Ministry of Education too. I feel good things are to follow now,” Smara added.

There has been other progress, with the under-18 team playing in Malaysia last month.

And Smara said plans for women to participate internationally are in the pipeline, with a full team ready and preparing back home.