From Pakistani Arshad Nadeem’s gold to Djokovic’s tennis triumph, 10 big moments of Olympics

Gold medallist Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem celebrates on the podium during the victory ceremony for the men's javelin throw athletics event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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From Pakistani Arshad Nadeem’s gold to Djokovic’s tennis triumph, 10 big moments of Olympics

  • Nadeem clinched javelin gold with record-breaking 92.97-meter throw to win country’s first medal since 1992 
  • Djokovic won the men’s final to become fifth player to complete Golden Slam of all four majors and win Olympic gold

PARIS: From a colorful, sometimes controversial opening ceremony to boxers caught up in a gender row to respectful bows on the gymnastics podium, the 2024 Olympics served up many memorable moments.
AFP Sport looks at 10 of the best:

-- Organizers promised a spectacular opening ceremony and the rain-soaked boat parade on the River Seine ended up making global headlines, but not for the expected reasons.
Church leaders, conservatives, and even US presidential candidate Donald Trump were left outraged by a scene involving drag queens and lesbian DJ Barbara Butch that appeared to parody Jesus’s Last Supper.
Artistic director Thomas Jolly denied any such intention. He and others involved ended up facing vicious online harassment that led to police complaints.




Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky swims in the Seine river to the finish line during the men's 10km marathon swimming final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Pont Alexandre III in Paris on August 9, 2024. (AFP)

-- Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable men’s final to clinch tennis gold and become only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold.
The 37-year-old celebrated with a roar that echoed around Roland Garros before the tearful Serb clambered into the player’s box to embrace his wife Jelena and two children.
“There is no greater inspiration than representing your country,” said the 24-time Grand Slam title winner.
Alcaraz was also in tears, claiming he “had let Spain down.”




Serbia's Novak Djokovic shows his gold medal after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, on August 4, 2024. (AP)

-- Simone Biles may have been the star of the show but she was widely praised for bowing to her arch-rival Rebeca Andrade on the podium.
Biles said it was “just the right thing to do” after she and team-mate Jordan Chiles finished in silver and bronze medal position respectively behind the Brazilian in the floor final.
“Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s queen,” said Biles.
Romanian Ana Barbosu was later awarded the bronze medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles should not have been upgraded from her initial fifth-place finish.
-- World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79sec to claim gold in a dramatic men’s Olympic 100m final in the closest finish in modern history — just five thousandths of a second separated him from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.
“I’m the man among all of them. I’m the wolf among wolves,” said Lyles whose victory was only confirmed after a photo-finish.




Silver medalist Simone Biles, of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, of the United States, right, bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, during the medal ceremony for the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, on August 5, 2024, (AP)

-- Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the men’s javelin title, his country’s first individual gold at an Olympics, with a Games record of 92.97m.
In second place was India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra.
“Rivalry is there when it comes to cricket matches, other sports, the two countries have a rivalry, but it’s a good thing for the young people in both countries to watch our sport and follow us. It’s a positive thing for both countries,” said Nadeem.

-- Images of Olympic table tennis players from North Korea and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium went viral in South Korea, hailed as a rare show of cross-border unity.
After South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles behind China, South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin took a group photo after the medal ceremony.
North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South’s Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim’s phone, a South Korean-made Samsung.
“A selfie with both Koreas’ national flags and a Samsung phone,” said the widely read daily JongAng Ilbo.

-- Australian skateboarding sensation Arisa Trew, just 14, won the women’s park event to become her country’s youngest ever gold medallist.
Trew nailed a high-risk and high-speed final round in her trademark pink helmet, bringing the crowd to their feet at a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde.
The event also featured 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete ever to represent China at the Olympics.
“Skateboarding in the Olympic Games isn’t much different from skateboarding in my neighborhood. It’s just more spectators,” she told reporters.




Australia's Arisa Trew reacts after a run in the women's park skateboarding final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on August 6, 2024. (AFP)

-- On a raucous night at Roland Garros, the storied home of the French Open, Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at “attacks” and “bullying” before defiantly declaring “I am a woman like any other.”
Together with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests.
However they were cleared to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games.
“I am fully qualified to take part, I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived a woman and competed as a woman,” said the 25-year-old.

-- Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez made Olympic history when he became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event, bettering the records of Games icons such as Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps.
The soon-to-be 42-year-old then placed his shoes in the center of the mat to signify his intention to retire.
“Wrestling has been the love of my life, for all of my life,” he said.

-- Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation for his casual style during competition.
His eye-catching posture saw the marksman wearing standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually tucked in his pocket.
Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialized equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat.
“The name’s Dikec. Yusuf Dikec,” said a social media post in reference to cinema icon James Bond.


Man City’s Rodri says top soccer players close to going on strike because there are too many games

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Man City’s Rodri says top soccer players close to going on strike because there are too many games

Rodri was asked on Tuesday if players might start refusing to play because of the calendar
“I think we are close to that,” he said in a news conference ahead of City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday

MANCHESTER: Manchester City midfielder Rodri says top soccer players are close to going on strike because of the number of games they are having to play.
The Spain international said players are concerned about the way the game is headed as more games are added to the calendar in competitions like the Champions League, which starts on Tuesday.
Rodri was asked on Tuesday if players might start refusing to play because of the calendar.
“I think we are close to that,” he said in a news conference ahead of City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday. “It’s easy to understand. You ask any player he will say the same — it’s not the opinion of (just) Rodri or whoever. I think it’s a general opinion of the players.
“If it keeps this way, it will be a moment when we have no other option, I really think. It’s something that worries us because we are the guys who suffer.”
Rodri is expected to start his first game for City this season when Inter visit Etihad Stadium, having been given an extended break by the club after winning the European Championship with Spain in July.

PSG starts Champions League without a galactico but seemingly better equipped to succeed

Updated 17 September 2024
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PSG starts Champions League without a galactico but seemingly better equipped to succeed

  • Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari owners have spent lavishly to attract big stars and win the Champions League for more than a decade

PARIS: For more than a decade, Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari owners have spent lavishly to attract big stars.
Their goal was to make the club profitable, to erase the amateurish image of a side often associated with hooligans, and to build a competitive team capable of winning the Champions League.
With unprecedented revenues surpassing 800 million euros ($890 million) for the first time last year, they have managed to build solid growth.
They also succeeded in ridding their stadium of the violence that often made the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes so tense and hostile.
And they also managed to bring the biggest names in the game to Paris. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at times offered a glimpse of the possibility of winning Europe’s biggest tournament.
But the Champions League crown remained a distant dream.
The superstars have all now left the Parc des Princes, and it might sound paradoxical, but the club may be better equipped in its quest for continental glory.
Following the exits of Messi to Inter Miami and Neymar to Saudi Arabia team Al-Hilal in previous years, the departure of Mbappé to Real Madrid this summer marked the end of an era at PSG, where relying on the individual skills of star players and splashing money have been the norm since the 2011 Qatari takeover.
The big hole left by Mbappé was not filled by yet another superstar.
Instead, coach Luis Enrique insisted on molding what he had. Enrique’s project makes sense: Mbappé can’t be duplicated but he could be replaced by a handful of attacking players capable of scoring as much, or more, than the France captain did.
“To me, this is the continuation of last season,” said Enrique, who has used 21 players in four French league games so far. “We are a young team, that is true. But we are full of desire and hunger, which is a wonderful thing. I’m so lucky to have this sort of squad.”
Enrique asked for the recruitment of less known but excellent players in every sector to create competition and have second options at every position. It could be even more crucial this season as the Champions League’s new format will see more teams playing more games. PSG starts on Wednesday against Spanish side Girona.
PSG signed goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, highly rated defender Willian Pacho and promising midfielder João Neves, as well as winger Désiré Doué. Pacho was impressive at Eintracht Frankfurt while the versatile Neves has already earned 11 caps with Portugal at the age of 19.
Pacho and Neves have quickly gelled with the team and the new-look PSG has delivered immediately. They have won their first four matches to top the Ligue 1 standings.
“PSG is way stronger collectively than last year, everybody runs and defends,” Brest coach Eric Roy said after his side lost to the French titleholder 3-1 over the weekend. “Especially when they lose the ball, they put a lot of pressure.”
The biggest question mark going into the season was PSG’s ability to maintain a potent attack without its best player. With two quick and powerful players on the wings — Ousmane Dembélé and Badley Barcola — partnering Marco Asensio in a false No. 9 role, PSG seems to have found the right answer.
The team has scored 16 goals, conceding just three, and boasts the best goal difference after four Ligue matches since Reims in 1952. Only Marseille forward Mason Greenwood has more goals than Barcola and Dembélé, while João Neves leads the league with three assists.
But for all of PSG’s dominance of the French league — winning it in 10 of the last 12 seasons — it has reached just one Champions League final since being bought by Qatar Sports Investments. No surprise Enrique does not want to get carried away.
Asked about the perceived improvement, he said, “We will see at the end of the season what the team has achieved.”


Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens loses in first round in South Korea

Updated 17 September 2024
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Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens loses in first round in South Korea

  • One of the suspended matches included top-seeded Dayana Yastremska’s first-round match against Mai Hontama

SEOUL: Hailey Baptiste defeated fellow American and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the first round of the WTA’s Korean Open on Tuesday.
In other matches in Seoul, Amanda Anisimova had an upset 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over sixth-seeded Yulia Putintseva, Polina Kudermetova beat Priscilla Hon 7-5, 6-4 and Viktoriya Tomova beat Tatjana Maria 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.
Weather stops play in Thailand
Play at the WTA’s Thailand Open was suspended due to rain and storms. One of the suspended matches included top-seeded Dayana Yastremska’s first-round match against Mai Hontama, who led 4-3 in the first set when play was stopped.


After Pakistan win, buoyant Bangladesh seek more history in India Test series

Updated 17 September 2024
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After Pakistan win, buoyant Bangladesh seek more history in India Test series

  • 2-0 sweep in Pakistan sparked celebrations at home a month after political turmoil and deadly protests ousted PM Hasina
  • Series in India is daunting prospect as Bangladesh have never won any of their 13 previous matches, losing 11 and drawing two

CHENNAI, India: Fresh from their first-ever Test series win over Pakistan, Bangladesh will chase more cricket history when they face India in Chennai from Thursday.
The 2-0 sweep in Pakistan sparked celebrations at home a month after political turmoil and deadly protests in Bangladesh ousted the autocratic former premier.
But a two-Test series in India is a far more daunting prospect — Bangladesh have never won any of their 13 previous matches, losing 11 and drawing two.
Both draws came at home, at Chittagong in 2007 and Fatullah in 2015.
“This will be a challenging series for us,” visiting skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said ahead of the first Test.
“But after having a good series against Pakistan, there is an extra confidence in our team, as well as among all the people of the country.”
India will be strong favorites to sweep the series but Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz all head to Chennai in good form.
Mushfiqur amassed 216 in the Pakistan series while off-spinner Mehidy was the leading bowler with 10 wickets in the two matches.
The shadow of political troubles looms over the matches in Chennai and Kanpur.
Star player Shakib, 37, is a former lawmaker from the ousted ruling party of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
She fled a student-led revolution, escaping to India by helicopter as protesters marched on her palace, ending 15 years of iron-fisted rule.
Shakib faces a case of alleged murder, accused of culpability in the police killing of protesters.
The left-hander, who bats in the middle-order and bowls spin, went back to England to play county cricket for Surrey after having a key role in Bangladesh’s success in Pakistan.
His national teammates have rallied around him.
“As for Shakib, I am hopeful that he will do well,” Najmul said.
“He has been in good form with the ball.”
Bangladesh unveiled a new pace sensation in Nahid Rana in Pakistan, where the right-arm bowler clocked speeds of more than 146 kph (90 mph).
Uncapped wicketkeeper Jaker Ali comes into the squad in place of fast bowler Shoriful Islam, who pulled out with a groin injury.
Rohit Sharma will look to India’s experienced slow bowling trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel to test Bangladesh’s batting on pitches that are expected to favor the spinners.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack while Mohammed Shami recovers from ankle surgery.
India welcome back wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to the Test squad for the first time since he nearly lost his life in a car crash in December 2022.
Pant, an attacking left-handed batsman, is expected to replace Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps.
Virat Kohli is also back for his first Test since facing South Africa at Cape Town in January, having missed India’s 4-1 home series win against England for the birth of his second child.
New head coach Gautam Gambhir takes charge of India in a Test for the first time.
After Chennai, the second Test begins in Kanpur on September 27 with both part of the World Test Championship. India lead the current standings ahead of Australia.
The Tests are followed by a three-match Twenty20 series starting in Gwalior on October 6, moving to New Delhi three days later and finishing in Hyderabad on October 12.


Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

Updated 17 September 2024
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Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

  • Dubois currently holds the IBF belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division

LONDON: Fans got their first glimpse of two of the biggest names in boxing four days ahead of the highly anticipated Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on Monday.

Joshua and Dubois faced off for the first time at a media event held near the iconic London landmark of Tower Bridge.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

It was the first event in a week of build-up for a night of boxing at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, where the two British boxers will fight it out for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title.

Dubois currently holds the belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

Dubois told Arab News that he was "hungry" for the fight and that he would look to beat Joshua "by any means necessary." He joked he may have to deploy a headbutt to ensure he keeps his title.

The boxer, whose nickname is "Dynamite," praised the impact of Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority on the sport of boxing.

"(It's) a better show, more cameras, it's great. It's perfect, just what the sport needs," he said.

The event will be the first Riyadh Season boxing event to be held in the UK and the second time outside Saudi Arabia following the success of the first event in Los Angeles in August.

(Supplied/GEA/Riyadh Season)

Also on Monday, Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington faced off, who are set to fight for the IBF super featherweight title.

Fans also got to see Joshua Buatsi and Willie Hutchinson, who will compete for the World Boxing Organization interim light heavyweight title, face off.

They also saw Tyler Denny who fights Hamzah Sheeraz, Mark Chamberlain who takes on Josh Padley, and a face-off between Josh Kelly and Ismael Davis, who stepped in to replace Liam Smith after Smith sustained an injury.