by Silas Boahene | Aug 5, 2024 | Africa, Basketball, Europe, International
Serbia secured their place in the Olympic men’s basketball quarterfinals with a 96-85 victory over South Sudan on Saturday. Bogdan Bogdanovic led Serbia with 28 points, while Nikola Jokic contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Despite a strong performance from South Sudan’s Marial Shayok and Carlik Jones, who each scored 17 points, South Sudan’s loss allowed Greece to advance to the knockout stages due to a better point differential.
Serbia, ranked fourth in the world by FIBA, led by a narrow margin of 47-44 at halftime. South Sudan made several efforts to close the gap, including a highlight reel dunk by Wenyen Gabriel, but Serbia’s offensive surge, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Bogdanovic, solidified their lead. Serbia’s decisive 19-3 run in the final minutes ensured their victory and progression to the next round.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 5, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, Europe, International
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has advanced to the Women’s 200 Metre semifinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a season’s best time of 22.24 seconds. Ofili triumphed in Heat 6, outperforming Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (22.28 seconds) and Gambia’s Gina Bass Bittaye (22.84 seconds).
Despite this achievement, Ofili faced disappointment after Nigerian officials failed to register her for the Women’s 100 Metres event, despite her qualification. Reigning World Champion Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200 Metres due to a hamstring injury.
Ofili, a Louisiana State University alumna, delivered her best performance of the year, even as she expressed frustration over the administrative oversight. This was not her first encounter with such issues; she previously missed competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when Nigerian officials failed to ensure US-based Nigerian athletes were tested in time.
St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the Women’s 100 Metre Final with a time of 10.72 seconds, ahead of Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson. Alfred also qualified for the 200 Metre semifinals with a heat time of 22.41 seconds, joining top contenders such as Gabby Thomas of the USA and Daryll Neita of Great Britain.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 5, 2024 | Africa, Basketball, International, Nigeria
Nigeria’s women’s basketball team made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time. Following their first Olympic victory since 2004, a stunning 75-62 win against Australia in their group play opener on July 29, Nigeria triumphed over Canada with a final score of 79-70 on Sunday, August 4.
Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria with 21 points, while Shay Colley paced the Canadians with 17 points. Despite a closely contested first half, where Canada held a four-point lead at halftime, Nigeria’s relentless pressure in the second half forced 26 Canadian turnovers, converting them into 27 points. Nigeria also recorded 16 steals out of those turnovers, a crucial factor in their victory.
Through three games of group play, Nigeria has forced a total of 69 turnovers from their opponents, including 40 steals. With this victory, D’Tigress moves on to the quarterfinals and awaits their next opponent in this historic Olympic run.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 5, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, Europe, Ghana, International
Ghanaian sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu will not compete in the Men’s 100 Metre Finals at the 2024 Olympic Games after finishing seventh in the last of three semifinal heats. Competing in his first Olympics, Saminu ran a time of 10.05 seconds, slightly faster than his qualifying time of 10.06 seconds.
In Heat 3, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson took first place with a time of 9.80 seconds, followed by former World Champion Fred Kerley with 9.83 seconds. South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson secured the third spot with 9.95 seconds. Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, finished eighth behind Saminu with a time of 10.08 seconds.
Fellow Ghanaian sprinter Benjamin Azamati finished ninth in Heat One with a time of 10.17 seconds, in a race that saw Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and reigning World Champion Noah Lyles qualify for the finals.
Akani Simbine of South Africa and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo will represent Africa in the finals after finishing first and second respectively in Heat Two. Defending Olympic Champion Marcell Jacobs finished third in Heat Two but qualified for the finals along with fourth place finisher Kenneth Bednarek as the athletes with the two fastest non-automatic qualifying times.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 5, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, Europe, Ghana, International
Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati described his 9th place finish in the men’s 100m semifinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics as “possibly the worst race he’s had this season.”
Azamati did not advance to the finals after placing ninth in Heat One of the semifinals, clocking a time of 10.17 seconds, slower than his previous heat time of 10.06 seconds which had secured his spot in the semifinals. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Azamati also failed to advance past the semifinals.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won the first heat with a personal best of 9.81 seconds, followed by reigning World champion Noah Lyles with 9.83 seconds, and Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe with 9.97 seconds.
Reflecting on his performance, Azamati acknowledged areas for improvement, stating, “Obviously it was not one of my best races this season, probably one of the worst, but hey, I can’t complain looking back at what this season has been.”
He emphasized the importance of learning from the experience and maintaining a positive outlook. “There’s still Olympics to go, there’s still World Championships next year, so my head is still high,” Azamati said. “Just get back to training hard and come back stronger next time.”
Azamati highlighted the significance of controlling emotions on the bigger stage, noting that running is “more mental than physical.” He expressed confidence in his ability to progress, stating, “Now that we have control of our emotions, I think it’s only going to progress from here.”
