Latest news with #winning
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Tennis: Back in action, Venus Williams sets sights on Cincinnati, US Open - Omni sports
After Venus Williams' four-matches-in-four-days return to professional tennis was over, after she was loudly feted by appreciative fans even after a loss in singles, the D.C. Open stadium announcer offered a thought: 'We're never going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, are we?' he said. Not yet, anyway. This was not a one-stop hello-and-farewell appearance for the 45-year-old Williams, who had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles. She hadn't won a match since 2023, and the owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, plus 14 in women's doubles with her sister Serena and another two in mixed doubles, was celebrated by the spectators and other players. 'I'm sorry to have (fallen) short,' Williams said after being eliminated by 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday night, 'but I know I can play better. And I know I will play better.' Yes, there will be more: Williams next heads to the Cincinnati Open in August. That's certain. And she also might very well be competing at the U.S. Open later next month, if the U.S. Tennis Association awards her a wild-card entry. The USTA already announced that Williams asked for an invitation to play with Reilly Opelka in the tournament's newfangled mixed doubles event. Williams made quite obvious that the whole experience in Washington was fun for her. She loves the challenge. She loves playing tennis. Plus, what's not to like about so much adulation from so many? 'Everything is about her (at) this tournament. All the media, all the fans — everyone is for her,' Frech said. 'She's a superstar. She's a legend here.' There's more to it, though. Because Williams also made clear that this is not merely about having a good time. She wants to win, too. 'There's so many learnings from here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve. The good news is I'm always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in,' Williams said with a smile. 'So, this is one thing I didn't do today. Was I in control? Absolutely. Will I be in control of most of my matches? Most likely, yes. That's the place I want to be, so I'm putting myself in that position. That's what counts.' Williams still can hammer a serve, as the series of aces she delivered at more than 110 mph during her straight-set victory Tuesday against 35th-ranked Peyton Stearns showed. Still can pound forehands and backhands, too. As Stearns put it: 'She played some ball tonight.' At the end of her final news conference in Washington, Williams spoke about her takeaways from the matches she played and the work she put in to make them possible after needing to stay off the court last year because of surgery for uterine fibroids. Her answer sounded a bit like a warning to other players out there who will face her. 'I'll reflect on this match and the things I could have done better. I'll reflect on my preparation going into the matches to make sure I'm prime and ready. Those are the kind of things. But more than anything, I take a lot of information from this tournament. So much data,' Williams said. 'Like, I can't wait to get on the practice court. My coach and I were already talking about what we're going to work on and also how much better I got so quickly in these last few weeks, too, was kind of like straight up a mountain.' Then she paused and added: 'So we have made so much progress, and I expect that there will be more.' (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
India Today
6 hours ago
- Science
- India Today
India wins 3 gold, 2 silver at Physics Olympiad in Paris, ranks 5th globally
Three Indian students have won gold and two have earned silver medals at the 55th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2025. The event was held in Paris from July 18 to 24 and featured 415 students from 87 gold medal winners from India are Kanishk Jain (Pune, Maharashtra), Snehil Jha (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh), and Riddhesh Anant Bendale (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). The silver medals were clinched by Aagam Jignesh Shah (Surat, Gujarat) and Rajit Gupta (Kota, Rajasthan).advertisementThe news comes soon after India won six medals this year and ranked 7th amongst 110 participating countries in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Australia, one of the toughest maths exams on the planet. The team won 3 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze -- with a record-breaking score of 193 out of 252. India also performed well at the International Chemistry Olympiad 2025 in Dubai, winning 2 gold and 2 silver medals, placing 6th overall among 90 RANKS FIFTH IN MEDAL TALLYIndia shared the fifth spot in the overall medal tally in the Physics Olympiad with Taiwan, Japan, and USA stood at the top with five gold medals, while China, South Korea, and Hong Kong jointly took second place with four golds and one silver BY EXPERIENCED EDUCATORSThe Indian delegation was led by Prof Sitikantha Das from IIT Kharagpur and Vinayak Katdare, a retired faculty member from DG Ruparel College, team was also supported by scientific observers Dr Amruta Sadhu (St Xavier's College, Mumbai) and Dr Vivek Lohani (Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany).INDIA'S STRONG HISTORY AT IPHOThis was India's 26th time participating in IPhO. Over the years, Indian students have consistently done well -- with 42% winning gold, 42% silver, 11% bronze, and 5% earning honourable the last 10 years, every Indian participant has brought home a medal.- Endsinternational physics olympiad 2025, india wins olympiad, india olympiad wins, india wins 3 gold medals, ipho 2025 results, indian olympiad team, homi bhabha centre, ipho medal tally, physics olympiad 2025 india, indian students win medals, iit kharagpur olympiad, olympiad 2025 results
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
REVIEW: Happy Gilmore 2 isn't just bad, it is one of Adam Sandler's worst movies. And that's saying something
If Happy Gilmore 2 were a golf shot, it didn't just miss the fairway. We're talking the rudest of shanks that ends up so deep in the rough that you don't even bother looking for it and never speak of it again. The long awaited Netflix follow-up to Adam Sandler's 1996 cult classic is so bad that its two-hour runtime feels twice that length, and one wonders how it can be classified as a comedy because it's about as funny as gingivitis, which, incidentally, is one of numerous punchlines in the film that fall flat. It's actually astonishing a film with this many cameos - from famous real-life golf pros like Scottie Scheffler to Post Malone and Hollywood starlet Margaret Qualley - can be so mind-numbingly boring. And this critic says that as an unashamed fan of the original, and as someone who has a keen appreciation for Sandler's singular brand of everyman comedy. Of course, as you'd expect, there's a ton of fan service here, beginning with a recap of the first film to set the scene for the sequel. Sandler's Gilmore, the failed ice hockey player turned pro golfer, has enjoyed a ton of success since we last saw him, winning five more tour championships and fathering five children to Virginia, his love interest from the original. But it all goes horribly wrong one day when a wayward tee shot hits Virginia in the noggin, killing her instantly. Happy swears he'll never play golf again, and drowns his sorrows in drink, much to the dismay of his now-adult kids. His daughter (played by Sandler's real-life daughter, Sunny) is an aspiring ballet dancer, and winning a place at an expensive dance school in Paris might just be the motivation Happy needs to get back on the golf course. First he'll need to find his 'happy place', which has changed significantly from the first movie and now includes age-appropriate features such as positive results from cholesterol tests and time alone to watch internet videos on the toilet. That isn't the only thing standing in the way of making his daughter's dream comes true - a rival golf tour (a lampoon of LIV that goes by the name of the MAXI Golf League) is posing an existential threat to the sport itself. So, in case you haven't already figured it out, Happy must rediscover his love for the game, remaster his inimitable tee shots and see off the challenge from MAXI. It results in a ridiculously convoluted plot, which tries to shoehorn legacy characters, such as Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) and Ben Stiller's abusive retirement home orderly, into roles that make little sense. And Bad Bunny as Happy's caddy could've been fantastic but somehow ends up lame, which pretty much sums up the whole film. Easily one of Sandler's worst movies. 1 star Happy Gilmore 2 is available to stream on Netflix now.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Adam Sandler returns in Happy Gilmore 2
If Happy Gilmore 2 were a golf shot, it didn't just miss the fairway. We're talking the rudest of shanks that ends up so deep in the rough that you don't even bother looking for it and never speak of it again. The long awaited Netflix follow-up to Adam Sandler's 1996 cult classic is so bad that its two-hour runtime feels twice that length, and one wonders how it can be classified as a comedy because it's about as funny as gingivitis, which, incidentally, is one of numerous punchlines in the film that fall flat. It's actually astonishing a film with this many cameos - from famous real-life golf pros like Scottie Scheffler to Post Malone and Hollywood starlet Margaret Qualley - can be so mind-numbingly boring. And this critic says that as an unashamed fan of the original, and as someone who has a keen appreciation for Sandler's singular brand of everyman comedy. Of course, as you'd expect, there's a ton of fan service here, beginning with a recap of the first film to set the scene for the sequel. Sandler's Gilmore, the failed ice hockey player turned pro golfer, has enjoyed a ton of success since we last saw him, winning five more tour championships and fathering five children to Virginia, his love interest from the original. But it all goes horribly wrong one day when a wayward tee shot hits Virginia in the noggin, killing her instantly. Happy swears he'll never play golf again, and drowns his sorrows in drink, much to the dismay of his now-adult kids. His daughter (played by Sandler's real-life daughter, Sunny) is an aspiring ballet dancer, and winning a place at an expensive dance school in Paris might just be the motivation Happy needs to get back on the golf course. First he'll need to find his 'happy place', which has changed significantly from the first movie and now includes age-appropriate features such as positive results from cholesterol tests and time alone to watch internet videos on the toilet. That isn't the only thing standing in the way of making his daughter's dream comes true - a rival golf tour (a lampoon of LIV that goes by the name of the MAXI Golf League) is posing an existential threat to the sport itself. So, in case you haven't already figured it out, Happy must rediscover his love for the game, remaster his inimitable tee shots and see off the challenge from MAXI. It results in a ridiculously convoluted plot, which tries to shoehorn legacy characters, such as Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) and Ben Stiller's abusive retirement home orderly, into roles that make little sense. And Bad Bunny as Happy's caddy could've been fantastic but somehow ends up lame, which pretty much sums up the whole film. Easily one of Sandler's worst movies. 1 star Happy Gilmore 2 is available to stream on Netflix now.
CAF
17 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
WAFCON showcases growth of Women's Football in Africa
In an era of unprecedented growth and development, the ongoing TotalEnergies WAFCON 2024 in Morocco has continuously displayed the impressive evolution of Women's Football on the African continent. In its 13th edition now, the continent's flagship competition has this year seen a new trend in the tactical flexibility of participating teams, importance of goalkeepers and the impact of technology on game analysis before, during and after games. A second straight edition with 12 teams – four more than the eight that featured in the first edition in 1998 up until 2018 in a period spanning two decades, the current competition has highlighted how far the quality of football has improved to match global trends. With world-renowned names like six-time African Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria, the reigning African Player of the Year Barbara Banda from Zambia, her teammate and the most expensive player in a football transfer in 2024 Racheal Kundananji and Mexican league winner Jermaine Seoposenwe of South Africa among others, this WAFCON has been thrilling. And to breakdown the insight from the 42 games played so far is the CAF Technical Study Group that is comprised of the crème de la crème of African Football in WAFCON 2008 winning coach Clementine Touré from Côte d'Ivoire, the reigning TotalEnergies CAF Women's Champions League winner with TP Mazembe Lamia Boumehdi, the Namibia Technical Director Jacqueline Shipanga and Shilene Booysen – current CAF Coaches' Instructor and former South Africa Performance Analyst, ex-head coach of the South Sudan Women's National Team and Wadi Degla. Then and Now? For Women's Football in Africa, the last 27 years of the WAFCON have been like giving birth to a child, seeing the child crawl, then walk and eventually run. The WAFCON is currently at a phase where it is running, running alongside other continental tournaments across the world. From the large numbers of fans attending games to the birth of superstars, the WAFCON has arrived. Ivorian legend Touré looks back at the WAFCON 2008 that she won with the Nzalang Femenino effectively becoming the first and only team to win the tournament outside of Nigeria until South Africa were crowned champions in 2022. 'We started with eight teams. Everyone knew it was Nigeria. We were the first team to beat Nigeria. It is true, many things have changed. Back then for instance, we did not have a platform where coaches would listen to each other. Now we have women as part of the preparations of the WAFCON, more female media, more female security officers in the organization. There is more female presence,' she emphasizes. 'The WAFCON is now on TV. There is technology involved at the game. Everything that we see now is documented and we can talk about this information immediately we receive it like live stats during the game. This is progress. Let me use this opportunity to congratulate everyone that has been involved from the players, coaches – it has been a holistic transformation.' 'I am very pleased to be here. I am lucky to be here at the WAFCON to witness this progress. It is significant. This WAFCON has revealed many trends starting with the playing styles be it offensive movements or the defense. We have noticed a variety of styles – combined playing styles. We also noticed the presence of goalkeepers and how they helped their teams progress in the tournament. Their high quality is important for us to mention. The covering of spaces at the back has been incredible. We saw the quality of the Botswana goalkeeper [Maitumelo Sedilame Bosija]. The impact of the goalkeeper, controlling airborne balls or the midfield on the pitch or the middle of the pack. There has been a lot of curiosity, and we would like to recognize their trainers. All of us [TSG] are trainers and want to be able to train other trainers in other workshops in other countries. The project is still very big. We are here to discuss the trends and the progress made by every team.' 'Now, we also see players who know how to control the defensive side of the pitch, those who are versatile and can play multiple positions. Some players start games as strikers and then they switch to the right wing, then to the left wing. Versatile players like these ones thrive in the flexibility systems. We also noticed that coaches deployed two to three systems within one match. The defense line or block was very compact. There was a lot of space between the lines,' Touré explains in detail. Individual Brilliance Within the Team Collective Many an edition ago, teams on the continent relied heavily on individual players to carry teams throughout the WAFCON and at other major tournaments. However, at this particular WAFCON edition, it is more evident than ever that teams must dig deeper to attain results and not just rely on their star players. Shipanga, who is the only female National Technical Director in Africa, explains, 'Of course, it is very important to have individual players who standout. For instance, look at the importance of Barbara Banda [Zambia], Jackie, Esther Okoronkwo [Nigeria], Rasheedat Ajibade [Nigeria]. These are exceptional players. We have noticed that extreme sole dependence is shifting. We are seeing more of a unit within teams.' 'Look at Ghana, you cannot single out one exceptional player. Even Nigeria, starting from the disciplined organization of the defenders. Mali, look at their midfielders. The versatility has been impressive. The coaches are now interchanging the movement of these players. We have seen the impact of substitutes in games. The tacticial awareness that has come from the coaches. Look at Sanaa Msoudy coming from the bench and her impact on Morocco,' she explains. Shipanga further digs deeper into the impact of binational players and their impact on this WAFCON, 'Clearly, they bring an impact to the competition. When it comes to Women's Football, this is playing a huge role. Look at Ghana. This is simply because of their physical strength but also where do they play.' 'They have consistent competitions, and the player pathway has a huge advantage. At age 10 or 12, they are already playing in a club setup that has facilities. We are in Morocco, they have the best facilities, attract the best players, competitions and are indispensable. We need more of our players to experience that. There is never going to be a substitute. We cannot say that one is better. It is up to the coaches to make the best out of their potential.' From CAFWCL to WAFCON When Boumehdi lifted the CAF Women's Champions League 2024 with TP Mazembe, she made history as the first ever female head coach to lift the trophy in its fourth season. Her experience over the years coaching Moroccan junior teams including the U20s gave her the opportunity to shine and learn the ropes of the trade. With the introduction of the continent's first inter-club competition, Boumehdi speaks to the importance of the CAFWCL and how it has provided more high level competition for the players featuring for teams in Africa and how eventually this experience supliments that of those that play overseas in major leagues in Europe, the USA and Asia. 'We need this for the development of Women's Football. Our players must compete in as many competitions as possible. There is no development without competitions. That is why we proposed to create another championship on the continent to give ample time to teams and players to make progress. The CAF Women's Champions League provides an opportunity to players who play on the continent to be exposed to high level competition. There is significant progress at the fitness level. We saw players who displayed a high display of fitness here at the WAFCON from the CAF Women's Champions League.' Star players like Merveille Kanjinga who won the latter trophy last year with Boumehdi went on to join PSG in France and featured for the DR Congo while youngsters like Evelyn Badu and Comfort Yeboah stood out for Ghana going all the way to the semifinals for the first time since 2016. Technology, Video Analysis and AI There is no running away from technology in football now. This WAFCON in Morocco has seen a huge spike in the use of technology by teams with the hiring of video analysts as part of their pre-game preparations, direct communication between video analysts who are situated in the stands during the game with the technical bench as well as data-based decisions during the halftime break. 'My expertise lies in data. When I look at this tournament, it has become criticial to use data. It plays a huge role in the tournament. I cannot imagine a coach sending out players to war without substancial information. I look at the game plan that for instance Senegal did for their game against South Africa [quarterfinal] and I could see that they knew how to stop the Banyana Banyana. They made it difficult for them,' explains the former Banyana Banyana Performance Analyst. 'Senegal knew who was going to change the game on the South African side. That has become so important. When I look back to the WAFCON 2016, I was the only Performance Analyst at the tournament but then things started changing. In 2019, as we [South Africa] were preparing for the World Cup in France, CAF helped with data. In 2023 ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealands, we had a company that supported us. And you can see that led to three of the participating four African teams making it to the Round of 16 [Nigeria, South Africa and debutants Morocco]. There was no chance this would have happened without the use of data. Preparing for games especially at major tournaments requires careful planning. It is great to see that teams have now seen the importance of data.' Booysen stipulates that coaches at the WAFCON would be keen to see whether the players are sticking to the pre-match agreements and the plan is being followed to the dot. 'If the analyst sees a gap, she or he might need to alert the technical bench. It could be who is not being picked up, who are the players that are not playing their part. In fact, the analysts might even provide clips to the coaches for them to further assess the situation.' 'Football is all about winning. If you see for instance South Africa had to make two forced substitutes in their semifinal against Nigeria [Hildah Magaia and Noxolo Cesane coming on after injuries to two starters, how did this change the team's plan at hand? Also, the analyst has a better view of the game courtesy of being in the stands. They can see the game better.' Women Coaches at the WAFCON WAFCON 2022 winning coach Desiree Ellis (South Africa) and Swiss tactician Nora Hüptle at the helm of Zambia were the only female head coaches at this WAFCON. Booysen believes that there is space for more female coaches on the continent to feature at the big stage. 'I think if we want to grow. That is one of the areas that we need to improve. Member associations need to identify areas where they want to develop. If I look at the Europeans, the EUROs have 44% of women coaches at the current tournament and we have 15% - which is two coaches. There are several female assistant coaches. Of course, males play a huge role in Women's Football but so do the females. What more can they do because when we look at the number of CAF A Licensed Coaches, there is a huge amount. The Member Associations need to reflect to do better. If we want to change the narrative, the coaches are there. It is up to the MAs. For instance, in South Africa, all our female teams are coached by women.' Touré (2008), Ellis (2022) and Florence Omagbemi (2016) with Nigeria are the only female coaches to lift the WAFCON since its inception in 1998.
