Boxing / Olympics / Sports

Ben Whittaker and Pat McCormack wins secure boxing medals

Whittaker edged a 3-2 split decision win against Brazil’s Keno Machado to reach the light-heavyweight last four.

McCormack, meanwhile, beat Uzbekistan’s Bobo Baturov via a 4-1 split decision to reach the welterweight semi-final, where he faces Ireland’s Aidan Walsh.

It means both Britons will leave Tokyo with at least a bronze medal.

There could be more medals in boxing for Britain, with Caroline Dubois one win away from securing one of them after a split-decision win against USA’s Rashida Ellis to reach the women’s lightweight quarter-finals.

Whittaker, from West Bromwich, will return to the ring on Sunday to fight for a place in the gold medal round.

“It was difficult, you never want to look too far ahead but I can’t help myself,” Whittaker Said.

“The people on my side of the draw are big swingers – I’m a confident, arrogant lad but I won’t lie – when I came out my belly was doing flips, my legs were gone, but as soon as the bell went it went away.

“It doesn’t matter if it was split or unanimous – a win’s a win.”

Whittaker now has his sights set on returning home with an Olympic title, adding: “I want to come back with the gold medal and become the mayor of Wolverhampton and call all the shots.”…

Athletics / Olympics / Sports

Okagbare, Nwokocha advance to 100m semi-finals

For the first time since 2012, two Nigerian athletes will be running in the semifinals of the women’s 100m after Blessing Okagbare and Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha qualified from their respective heats Friday in Tokyo, Japan.

Nwokocha had to run a new personal best of 11.00 seconds to secure her qualification to the semis in what is her debut Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old has also moved into fifth in the Nigeria all-time list behind Okagbare (10.79), Glory Alozie (10.90), Mary Onyali (10.97), and Damola Osayomi (10.99).

The Nigerian-based athlete, who ran 11.09s personal best at the time, back in March, to secure her qualification for the Olympics at the MOC Grand Prix in Lagos, will, however, need to make further history by breaking the 11-second barrier to stand a chance of joining Onyali and Okagbare as debutants who ran to the final of the 100m event.

She has been drawn to run from lane nine in the third semifinal heat with the fastest woman alive, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, Daryl Neita of Great Britain, Teahna Daniels of the USA and fellow African, Muriel Ahoure, of the Ivory Coast.

While Nwokocha qualified for her first semifinal, Okagbare will be running in her third since she made her debut in the event at the 2012 Olympics in London.

The 32-year-old ran 11.05 seconds to win her first-round heat.

She has been drawn in the first semifinal heat alongside two heavyweights of the event, defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, who ran 10.82s to win her first-round heat, and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the 200m world champion two years ago in Doha, Qatar, who ran 11.07s to come second in her first-round heat.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics long jump silver medalist will be in action at exactly 11.15 am Nigerian time on Saturday.…

Olympics / Sports / Swimming

Australia’s Emma McKeon wins Olympic gold in women’s 100m freestyle, bronze to Cate Campbell

Emma McKeon has won Australia’s ninth gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics, with victory in the women’s 100 meters freestyle final.

Leading from start to finish, McKeon touched the wall in an Olympic record time of 51.96 seconds, which was 0.31s ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey.

Australia’s Cate Campbell claimed bronze with a time of 52.52s.

The win secured McKeon’s first individual gold at an Olympics, and she became just the second person ever to swim under 52 seconds in the event.

“I’m so proud of you,” Campbell could be heard telling McKeon over the lane rope after the race.

McKeon spoke to Channel Seven after the win, thanking everyone back home for their support.

“Honestly, my emotions are a bit all over the place right now,” she said.

“I know all of my family back home are watching and I felt them with me in my race.

“I know all the support they’ve given me over all the years of me swimming. They’re part of it all.”

McKeon paid a special tribute to her coach.

“He’s just put so much hard work in and I honestly wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.

“I can’t believe it. Honestly. It doesn’t feel real.”

‘It’s been a really long journey’

A tearful Campbell reflected on her Olympic journey after claiming yet another medal.

“I think that coming into this morning’s performance, I really wanted to put forward my best performance,” she told Channel Seven.

“And that is pretty much a season’s best, and to do that in an Olympic final, off a very, very challenging year that I’ve had, I’m really happy.

“My emotions are going to start to get the better of me. But it’s been a really long journey to get here and I’m incredibly proud of that performance.

“These aren’t sad tears at all. I’m so thrilled and I just want to thank everyone who stood behind me and got me to this point. Because I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Kaylee McKeown and Emily Seebohm …

Basket Ball / Sports

US women basketball team beat Nigeria’s D’Tigress

The Nigerian national women basketball team, D’Tigress. on Sunday could not hold their own against their US counterparts as they lost 62-93 in a friendly in Las Vegas.

In the game arranged to prepare both sides for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Americans were totally dominant of the D’Tigress.

The Nigerian side were restricted to just 30.6 per cent shooting during the game, while their foes shot 53.8 per cent overall.

The American side also outscored Nigeria in all four quarters of the game, though only by one point in the third quarter.

Atonye Nyingifa led the scoring charts for Nigeria with nine points, while center Elizabeth Williams scored four points.

Both teams will meet again very soon in the group stage of the Olympics in Tokyo on July 27.…