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Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
What to expect from Ronnie O'Sullivan this season - according to the Rocket
Ronnie O'Sullivan had a turbulent last season, taking time away from snooker as he tried to rediscover enjoyment in the game, so what can we expect from him in the coming campaign? Predicting the Rocket is notoriously difficult, but he has laid out a pretty clear plan for himself and it sounds like it will feature plenty of snooker. The second half of last season was extremely quiet for the 49-year-old, snapping his cue on an ill-fated visit to the Championship League in January and not playing again until the World Championship in April. After chatting to psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, a two-year plan was put together to try and find form and pleasure from the game which he had lost. Speaking on the eve of the World Championship, O'Sullivan explained: 'I said I wanted to at least do two proper years. 'Put everything I was doing on the back burner. I don't feel like I have that luxury anymore to do other things and try and compete. 'I think I owe it to my career to focus just on playing for the next two years, at least, and just see if I can rediscover some decent form. Try and finish my carer on a good note and not how it's felt for the last three or four years. That's my main goal. 'If it doesn't go great here, at least I've got another three months to go back to the practice table and really try and start next season, build some momentum and rebuild, find some sort of game that can at least give me some enjoyment.' He confirmed that playing snooker would be strictly limited to competition, saying: 'There will be no more exhibitions or distractions off the table.' After a pretty comfortable first round win over Ali Carter, the Rocket also said that he no longer plans to dabble with different coaches, something he has done a lot over the years. 'There will be no more coaches onboard, it will be just me and Steve Peters, trying to help me be a bit more instinctive and just try and find my own way of playing,' he told TNT Sports after a 10-4 win. 'I will commit to two years, even if it is terrible, and will give everything to play in the tournaments, practice and rest and rediscover the shots I have lost. 'I just need to go back to my own way of playing, clear my head and not be too analytical and overthink things.' Victories over Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui followed, but that enjoyment O'Sullivan was searching for did not. After a 13-9 win over Si in the Sheffield quarter-finals, he told the BBC: 'I'm playing awful and the cue feels awful. It's the worst situation to be in as a snooker player. I'm still in so I'll keep punching away, keep trying.' His new cue was bothering him so much that O'Sullivan changed his ferrule and tip in the middle of his semi-final with eventual champion Zhao Xintong. It seemed a desperate move and it did not pay off, but the seven-time world champ was not exactly sure what the problem was after a 17-7 thrashing at the hands of the Cyclone. 'I'm at a loss to be honest with you,' he said. 'I have lost what I used to have. I'm so confused. It feels a struggle. 'I don't know if it was me, the cue, tip or the ferrule. I didn't know where the white ball was going.' On the one-sided result, he said: 'I wasn't surprised. I have been playing like that in practice. It's hard to get my head around. I can't even fix it, that's the problem, I don't know if I can fix it. 'I want to give it two years but if you play like that, it's pretty pointless. It's not good. 'I have been like that for four years, trying to grind it out. I haven't had a clue where the cue ball was going. I have been willing it in the hole. 'I don't know how to correct the fault. That is the worrying thing. I am so far away – I don't even know where to begin.' O'Sullivan then explained that he is leaving the UK to set up home in the Middle East, saying: 'There's going to be a few changes in my life so I'll see how that goes. I don't know. 'I think I'm going to be moving out of the UK this year, so I don't know how that's going to pan out to be honest with you. 'A new life, somewhere else. Still try and play snooker, but I don't know what the future looks like for me. 'I'll be moving away to the Middle East. We'll see how it goes. I might be back in six months, who knows?' And that's where we left the Rocket, with little update from him since, other than the launch of a YouTube channel. What is encouraging for his fans, though, is that the two-year plan seems to be getting off to a busy start as O'Sullivan's name is in the first three draws of the season. Shanghai Masters (Jul 28 – Aug 3) 29 Jul: Last 16 vs Barry Hawkins/Wu Yize Wuhan Open (Aug 24-30) 24 Aug: Round One vs Allan Taylor British Open (Sep 22-28) 22 Sep: Round One vs Sanderson Lam He has been known to pull out of events, so don't put the house on him playing in all three, but the Rocket is currently scheduled to compete in the Shanghai Masters, Wuhan Open and British Open. The draw is yet to be done for the Championship League, which starts later this month, so we will wait and see if he competes in Leicester for the first time since his cue-smashing trip there six months ago. The Saudi Arabia Masters is coming up in Jeddah in August and he will certainly be playing there given his ambassadorial role in the country. So there is little reason to doubt that the Rocket's two-year plan is still the direction of travel. The World Championship may have ended disappointingly, but he still reached the semi-final feeling awful about his game and his cue, so positives can be drawn. Much may depend on how often he can and will lean on Peters, who is clearly hugely important to his success. During his run in Sheffield he said: 'Steve's been amazing. I wouldn't have got through the first round without Steve so Steve's been incredible. 'If I could afford him I'd have him every day but obviously he's a busy man and I couldn't afford to have him full-time, so I try to time when I can have him. Obviously Sheffield is a big tournament so it's nice to have him around when this event's on.' More Trending If O'Sullivan gets the help he wants and is focussed on his 24-month schedule then there is every reason to believe that he will be back in the winners' circle soon enough. It was only two season's ago that he won five titles and his Class of 92 rivals, John Higgins and Mark Williams, showed that age is not the issue as they both lifted trophies last season. If we get what O'Sullivan has told us to expect, then we can look forward to the Rocket firing again soon enough. MORE: Aaron Hill loving Fergal O'Brien link-up as he sets sights on snooker's elite MORE: Snooker star Jackson Page begins very different job after landing huge 147 bonus MORE: Zak Surety on wild Crucible debut: They can't ever move from there – it's mad
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Porsche 911 burnt down in Paris as PSG win celebrations take violent turn
The celebrations in Paris after PSG's Champions League triumph took a violent turn on Saturday, resulting in the destruction of property and death of two people. Visuals shared widely across social media show a Porsche 911 that was set ablaze during the out-of-control celebrations. Paris St Germain brought the trophy back to Paris for the first time after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich on Saturday night. However, the post-win celebrations were marred by riots that have led to the arrest of more than 500 people across France. The clashes broke out near the famous Parisian landmark Champs-Élysées and the Parc des Princes stadium. Supercar enthusiasts were saddened by the sight of a Porsche 911 caught in the crossfire in the French capital. A post shared by Tyler Weyman (@tylerweyman) Videos shared on social media show how the car's interiors were totally destroyed in the fire. A post shared by Cars_by_flo (@cars_by_flo) The Supercar Blog identified the black-coloured car as a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. Porsche 911 prices in India start at ₹2 crore. The sight of an expensive car destroyed led to condemnation from auto enthusiasts. 'They don't know how hard the owner must have worked to get it,' wrote one Instagram user. 'Notice how this is the only car I can see that's burnt at first glance. No other car nearby has been damaged like this one. It's truly sad to see people destroying others' property just because it's expensive or out of the ordinary. Really disheartening to watch,' another pointed out. On Saturday night, police had made more than 500 arrests across France, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after being hit by a vehicle. (With inputs from agencies)
News.com.au
29-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Harness racing: Unbeaten trotter Keayang Zahara faces ‘real test' stepping into open-aged racing for the first time
Unbeaten trotting mare Keayang Zahara will be at her most vulnerable when she returns from a lengthy spell at Melton on Saturday night. The four-year-old boasts 14 wins, including seven at Group 1 level, is the best young trotter Australia has seen for decades. Keayang Zahara hasn't raced since thrashing her rivals in the Group 1 NZ Trotting Derby in Christchurch on December 6. Despite stepping into open-aged racing for the first time, Keayang Zahara will be straight into the deep end against some proven older Group 1 stars, headed by Im Ready Jet and Great Southern Star winner Watts Up Partytime. Co-trainer Paddy Lee said a range of factors made this Keayang Zahara's biggest test yet. 'She's first-up, it's a sprint and she's against some quality, hardened older horses. It's a real test,' he said. 'Under the handicapping system, there's no easy transition from racing her against her own age. It's straight into free-for-alls and against strong opposition.' Lee said he and mother Marg, who co-trains Keayang Zahara, aren't overly worried about her unbeaten streak. 'Sure you'd love them to keep winning, but that means more to others than us. We know it'll come to an end, it could be this week,' he said. 'Maybe it's lucky Mum and I are quite relaxed people. I'm not saying we won't be a bit nervous by race time, but we're realistic, too.' Caution aside, Lee said Keayang Zahara was ready to resume. 'She's as ready as we can get her without a race,' he said. 'We normally don't like to give our horses too hard a trial at Terang because the surface is quite heavy, but we tried to treat her trial last week like a race because we knew she was going straight into a strong race. 'All the signs are good at home. I wouldn't say she's grown much during the break, but she's certainly filled out. 'I think that's just going to be her, she's a really athletic, long and lanky sort of mare.' Everyone put your hands together for Keayang Zahara ðŸ'� The daughter of Volstead makes it 14 starts for 14 wins taking out the 2024 Garrards New Zealand Trotting Derby in the hands of Jason Lee for trainer Margaret Lee @AddingtonNZ | @HarnessRacingNZ | @WoodlandsStudNZ — Trackside NZ (@TracksideNZ) December 6, 2024 Lee's cousin, Glen Craven, will replace Jason Lee and drive Keayang Zahara for the first time on Saturday. 'That's Jase's call. We all love sharing the load and opportunities down here and Jase wanted Glen to have a few drives on the mare,' he said. Craven will stay aboard when Keayang Zahara heads to Sydney to chase more Group 1 glory in Saturday week's $100,000 Macarthur Mile at Menangle. 'I think the plan is for Glen to drive for a while and then Jase to get back aboard for the Brisbane (Inter Dominion) series,' Lee said. Keayang Zahara isn't renowned for her gate speed and has barrier three on Saturday night. Im Ready Jet (two) and Watts Up Partytime (four) are either side of her. 'We just hope she isn't too fresh and doesn't get fired up with all the speed around her at the start,' Lee said. 'We're going there happy with where she's at, but also knowing it'll be quite a challenge to start her season.'
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The Independent
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jurgen Klopp sends heartfelt message after Liverpool win Premier League
Jurgen Klopp has sent an emotional message to Liverpool after the club sealed their record-equalling 20th Premier League title in their first season since his departure. Liverpool were officially crowned champions on Sunday and did so in emphatic style, thrashing Tottenham 5-1 in front of a packed-out Anfield to make their advantage at the top of the table an unassailable one. Arne Slot achieved what only four managers have done before him by winning the Premier League in his first season, guiding the club to championship glory with four games to spare. Slot put his success down to the incredible squad he inherited last summer, which was built by Klopp before being further refined by the Dutchman. Klopp has now spoken out on his former side's triumph, having spent nine glory-laden seasons at Anfield where he won everything there was to win. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: 'Super grateful for the past, super, super happy about the present, extremely positive about the future! 'Congratulations - YNWA. Thank You Luv.' Klopp ended Liverpool's 30-year wait to win a league title, propelling the Reds to the Premier League pinnacle in 2019/20. However, the culmination of three decades of hurt was marred by the Covid pandemic, which forced the trophy to be lifted behind closed doors and prevented any parade from happening in the months that followed. Sunday's victory scratched Liverpool's itch to celebrate a Premier League title with fans, with jubilant scenes witnessed both inside and outside of Anfield. There will also be a trophy parade this time around, which will take place on Monday 26 May - the day after their final game. Slot's Liverpool arrival was announced by Klopp on the final day of last season in the form of a chant - and the Reds manager made sure to return the gesture when he took to the mic. 'The best thing I can do now is to send my appreciation to Jurgen, so there we go,' he said. 'Jurrrrgen Klopp, na na, na na na!' Officially, there has been no word yet from Liverpool that Klopp will be at Anfield when they lift the Premier League trophy on Sunday May 25, or the subsequent parade the day after - but it seems very much possible. Klopp, 57, will return to the city two days prior, as a guest speaker at the LFC Foundation's annual Gala Ball on Friday 23 May. The German is an honorary ambassador for the club's official charity. He will attend the black tie event at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, with the prospect of him staying in the city over the weekend for the title celebrations a possibility.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A school helps migrants in Mauritania. Is it enough to keep them from leaving for Europe?
NOUADHIBOU, Mauritania (AP) — Eager students from throughout west Africa raise their hands as teachers guide them through math and classical Arabic. Then they race outdoors to meet their parents, who clean houses, drive informal taxis or gut sardines in Chinese factories. Outside, government billboards urge these families and others to fight 'migrant smuggling," showing overcrowded boats navigating the Atlantic's thrashing waves. Inside, posters warn the ocean can be deadly. Such messaging is hard to escape in Nouadhibou, Mauritania's second largest city and a launch point on an increasingly popular migrant route toward Europe. As authorities strengthen security measures on long-established routes, migrants are resorting to longer, more perilous ones. From Mauritania, they risk hundreds of miles of sea and howling winds to reach Spain's Canary Islands. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The route puts new strain on this port city of 177,000 people at the edge of the Sahara. Outdated infrastructure and unpaved roads have not kept pace as European and Chinese investment pours into the fishing industry, and as migrants and their children arrive from as far away as Syria and Pakistan. The school for children of migrants and refugees, set up in 2018 as an early response to the growing need, is the kind of program envisioned as part of the 210 million euro ($219 million) accord the European Union and Mauritania brokered last year. The deal — one of several that Europe has signed with neighboring states to deter migration — funds border patrol, development aid and programs supporting refugees, asylum-seekers and host communities. It's a response to rising alarm and anti-migration politics in Europe. Nearly 47,000 migrants arrived on boats in the Canaries last year, a record "fueled by departures from Mauritania, even as flows from other departure points declined,' according to the EU border agency Frontex. Almost 6,000 were unaccompanied children under 18. Tracking deaths at sea is difficult, but the Spanish nonprofit Walking Borders says at least 6,800 people died or went missing while attempting the crossing last year. Conditions are so harsh that boats drifting off course can end up in Brazil or the Caribbean. Though many praise initiatives that fulfill migrants and refugees' overlooked needs, few believe they will be effective in discouraging departures for Europe — even the head of the group that runs the Nouadhibou school. 'We can't stop migration,' said Amsatou Vepouyoum, president of the Organization for the Support of Migrants and Refugees, the city's leading migrant aid group. 'But through raising awareness, we want to improve the conditions under which people leave.' Preparing for an uncertain future The organization years ago surveyed the migrant population and found that education was one of the biggest barriers to integration in Mauritania. Bill Van Esveld, a children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that's true around the world. Many countries that migrants and refugees pass through erect bureaucratic hurdles to school access, he said. 'Without literacy or numeracy, how can you advocate for yourself as someone who has human rights in today's world?' Van Esveld said. Mauritania's Education Ministry in a January directive affirmed that refugee children have the right to attend public school. But that hasn't applied for many migrants who don't qualify as refugees and face difficulty enrolling because they lack birth certificates, residency papers or school records. The school for Nouadhibou's migrant and refugee children ages 5 to 12 runs parallel to Mauritania's school system and teaches a similar curriculum as well as Arabic, aiming to integrate children into public classrooms by sixth grade. Families often don't plan to stay in Mauritania, but parents still describe the school as a lifeline for kids' futures, wherever they will be. 'Sometimes life's circumstances leave you somewhere, so you adapt, and what ends up happening leads you to stay,' Vepouyoum said. Weak oversight and worried parents From Europe's perspective, funneling aid toward such initiatives is part of a larger effort to persuade people not to migrate. Some experts say it also demonstrates a disconnect between political goals and on-the-ground realities. 'The European Union always announces these big sums, but it's very difficult to figure out how the money is actually spent,' said Ulf Laessing, the Sahel program director at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German think tank. Both the school and the Organization for the Support of Migrants and Refugees have had their work highlighted by the EU and member states, along with United Nations agencies. None have said how much money they have spent on the school or on other programs aimed at migrants in Mauritania. The school said it also charges students based on what families can afford so it can pay rent on its two-story cinderblock building and utilities, Vepouyoum said. But four parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they worried about their children getting kicked out, said the baseline monthly fee of 600 Mauritanian Ouguiya ($15) per child was too much. 'If you can't pay, they'll kick you out,' a father of two students from Mali said. He said many parents want to give children opportunities they lacked in their home countries. He has heard from other parents that enrolling in school is easier in the Canary Islands, but limited access to education is also a problem there. The school in Nouadhibou says it has educated over 500 students. It has not tracked the number who continue on toward Europe. Pressures to move on Times are changing in Nouadhibou. Community leaders and business owners worry that increasing competition for jobs has fueled suspicion toward foreign-born communities. That includes workers from neighboring Senegal and Mali who settled in the city years ago. Aid groups say outreach is easier among long-term migrants because newcomers worry about drawing attention to themselves — sometimes because they're looking for smugglers to help them move on, said Kader Konate, a community leader from Mali. Many migrants say they just need help. "We are doing this because we feel have no other choice,' Boureima Maiga said. The 29-year-old graduate with a teaching degree fled Mali as extremist violence escalated. On many days, he waits at the Nouadhibou port alongside hundreds of other migrants, hoping for work in fish factory 'cold rooms." But without residency or work visas, they are often turned away, or have pay withheld — an abuse they fear would bring retaliation if reported. Maiga feels trapped in a country where deep racial divisions between Arab and Black Africans make integration nearly impossible, with discrimination by employers widespread. He is unsure where to go next. 'Just let me work. I can do a lot of jobs,' he said. 'Everyone knows how to do something." Meanwhile, every day, he picks up his nieces at a Catholic school, hoping it will give them a life beyond such worries. ___ For more on Africa and development: ___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
