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Women’s Singles: 

…The Netherlands’ Britt Eerland ejected China’s Yang Huijiang in a tense, down-to-the-wire matchup that ended with the Dutchwoman gaining a 4-3 victory (8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11). “Keep playing, keep moving, keep fighting” was Eerland’s rally cry to herself throughout, she said afterward.

…Japan’s teen phenom Hina Hayata prevailed over Korea’s Shin Yubin 4-2 despite opening the match by dropping two games to Shin. Hayata fought on to achieve the victory (7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4, 12-10). To finish, she eliminated Czech hope Tamara Tomanova in four games (11-5, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5).

…Wu Yang of China has yet to play a match in Olomouc that lasts more than four games. Her latest victims: Japan’s Minami Ando, who fell to Wu (11-4, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6) in the morning, and Germany’s Sabine Winter, who was defeated (11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8) in the afternoon.

…Also advancing to the main draw for China: Liu Xi, who won 4-2 over Russia’s Paulina Mikhailova (11-7, 11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9), Feng Yalan, who took out the Netherlands’ Li Jie 4-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4), Gu Yuting, who defeated countryman Mu Zi 4-0 (11-1, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4) and Li Jiayi, who eliminated Stephanie Loeuillette of France 4-1 (11-8, 12-10, 11-6, 4-11, 11-7). The hardest fought battle, however, came between Liu Weishan and Germany’s Nina Mittelham, where Liu fought back from a 1-3 beginning to prevail 4-3 (11-6, 11-13, 8-11, 11-13, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6). 

Men’s Singles: 

…Marcos Freitas’ hot streak continues. Faced with 2018 Swedish Youth Olympian Truls Moregard today, the Portuguese star emerged with a 4-1 win (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-13, 11-8) to sail into the main draw. 

…With the defeat of Jon Persson, an injury to Kristian Karlsson and Truls Moregard’s loss at the doors of the main draw, Sweden hasn’t had it easy in the Czech Republic. A bright spot for the nation was Anton Källberg, who survived an encounter with China’s Xiang Peng 4-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4, 12-10) to advance.

…Zhao Zihao rode into the Czech Republic on a high after making the final in Bulgaria last week, but there will be no repeat appearance this time for the Chinese player: Ma Te prevailed over his compatriot by a margin of 4-1 (11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9). 

…Germany’s Bastian Steger outlasted teammate Steffen Mengel 4-3 (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7) to ink his place in the main draw.

…Romania’s Cristian Pletea, who prioritises having fun, must have thoroughly enjoyed himself in his 4-2 elimination of England’s Samuel Walker (11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5).

Women’s Doubles: 

…Italy, impressive in men’s singles in these early rounds, also boasts a promising doubles pair in Giorgia Piccolin and Debora Vivarelli, who defeated the Czech Republic’s Aneta Kucerova and Katerina Tomanovska 3-2 (5-11, 13-11, 11-7, 12-14, 11-5) only to fall to Korea’s Kim Hayeong and Lee Eunhye, who sealed their win 11-4, 11-3, 11-6.

…There was early glory for the hosts stemmed from Karin Adamkova and Dana Cechova’s comeback against Croatia’s Ivana Malobabic and Petra Petek, as they converted an 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 victory (9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5). Standing between them and the main draw were Russia’s Yana Noskova and Olga Vorobeva, who advanced on the strength of a 3-0 win (11-7, 11-9, 11-8).

…Belarus’ Nadezhda Bogdanova and Daria Trigolos looked promising for the main draw following a win against Poland’s Anna and Katarzyna Wegrzyn, 3-1 (11-4, 16-14, 8-11, 13-11), before being eliminated by Germany’s Chantal Mantz and Wan Yuan, who took things 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 13-11). No luck either for Katsiaryna Baravok and Alina Nikitchanka, who fell early to Serbians Izabela Lupulesku and Sabina Surjan in a 3-0 victory by the Serbians (12-10, 11-3, 12-10). 

…Following her victory in singles play, the Netherlands’ Britt Eerland teamed up with Kim Vermaas to continue her success in doubles. It began as a Dutch day in this category as well: the duo defeated Russia’s Maria Dolgikh and Polina Mikhailova 3-1 (11-8, 15-13, 10-12, 11-7), but like the Italians, later lost, this time to Korea’s Choi Hyojoo and Lee Zion, who took their match 3-1 (11-4, 7-11, 11-3, 11-7).

Men’s Doubles: 

…India is looking sharp in this discipline, with Amalraj Anthony and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran putting away the host nation’s Tomas Tregler and Tomas Konecny (14-12, 11-6, 11-9). Elsewhere, Harmeet Desai and Manav Vikash Thakkar took down Alexander Valuch and Wang Yang of Slovakia in four (11-8, 4-11, 11-5, 11-5).  

…Spurred on perhaps by the thought of avenging his singles loss, Zhao Zihao and Zhu Linfeng went on the attack against Hong Kong’s Ng Pak Nam and Lam Siu Hang, resulting in a 3-0 win (11-5, 12-10, 11-5).

…Likewise, Swedes Anton Källberg and Truls Moregard stormed their sets against England’s David McBeath and Samuel Walker, resulting in a 3-0 victory (11-9, 15-13, 11-9) despite the strong challenge from the English players.

…Withdrawal by Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Ricardo Walther of Germany resulted in a default win by Kriill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan and Andreas Levenko of Austria, who automatically advance. Same for Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic and Hungary’s Bence Majoros, who received a walk-over following the withdrawal of Belgium’s Cédric Nuytinck and Poland’s Jakub Dyjas.

Mixed Doubles: 

…The still new pair of Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito continues to look like a match made in heaven. The duo coasted past Portugal’s Marcos Freitas and Fu Yu 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4) to earn their places in the main event. 

…Tough time for the Czech Republic continued with Tomas Tregler and Dana Cechova’s 3-2 loss to Brazil’s Gustavo Tsuboi and Bruna Takahashi (11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-4). 

…Germany’s Qiu Dang and Nina Mittelham started well, defeating India’s Manav Vikash Thakkar and Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-2 in a close match (11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-13, 11-9).   

Kody Swanson Tackling Classic 24 At Daytona

Published in Racing
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 13:30

LEBANON, Ohio – California native Kody Swanson will team with former IMSA and Indy Lights driver Brad Jaeger to challenge Daytona Int’l Speedway during the Classic 24 Hours of Daytona on Nov. 13-17.

Swanson is a three-time winner of the prestigious Little 500 sprint car race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway and a four-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion.

The talented race driver and scholar has more wins than anyone in the history of USAC Silver Crown racing, with 28 and counting. He has dominated the discipline, which touts past champions such as A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Tony Stewart, over the past five years.

“This is such a unique opportunity for me and one I didn’t necessarily see coming,” noted Swanson. “I know that I have a lot to learn, but I am excited about the chance to work with Brad, Kevin (Doran) and the team. I will gain as much experience as I can in a new form of motorsports. I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

“I always look forward to racing at Daytona. This year running the Doran Ford GT2 car with Brad Jaeger and Kody Swanson is going to be exciting,” said Doran Enterprises owner Kevin Doran. “We believe that after a few laps, Kody will adapt to a totally different feel in a race car. We are confident, with the skills that Kody has shown in open wheel USAC cars, he will impress during the Classic 24.”

Jaeger has led laps in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, is a past champion in the Pacific Formula 2000 and had set track records at multiple tracks, including Sebring Int’l Raceway.

Doran is well known and highly respected in the road racing community, engineering cars that have won at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Jason White Back With Reaumes At CTMP

Published in Racing
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 15:00

SUN PEAKS, British Columbia – Jason White has been away from the race track for the last few weeks, but he’s been busy with his next big project.

This weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, White will return to action in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, driving the No. 34 Powder Ventures Excavating/YourGMCTruckStore.com Chevrolet for Reaume Brothers Racing.

The last 12 months have been quite a ride in a variety of machines for White. After making his debut in the truck series last year on this same weekend, he’s raced the high-banks at Daytona International Speedway in his first ARCA Series event, competed in his 100thNASCAR Pinty’s Series race and now returns to the Truck Series at CTMP.

“It’s hard to believe what we’ve done over the last year,” said White. “I feel so much more confident in my own ability after some seat time in these trucks and racing against some really good drivers.  I can’t wait to get back at it this weekend.”

Having the familiarity of working with the team at Reaume Brothers Racing also has White eager to return on the track.

“We had such a good chemistry last year right away,” said White. “Josh Reaume has a great operation and I’ll have Doug George back again as my crew chief, so I’m super pumped to get going.”

During the race a year ago White showed plenty of speed, and feels that experience sets the team up for better results this weekend.

“Having that one under our belt, knowing the procedures better, which are a little different than I’ve been used to, I won’t be making a rookie mistake of speeding on pit road this time,” explained White. “Our goal is a top-15 finish, and if things fall our way, we could find ourselves in the top 10. No doubt about it.”

Once again, this year White has partnered with long time friend and business partner Rob Zimmer and the Zimmer Weaton Group in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

“It’s great to have Rob and everyone back again this year; you couldn’t ask for better partners and people.”

UCL: Red Star draw at Young Boys; Olympiakos win

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 18:13

Red Star Belgrade's Champions League qualifying odyssey continued on Wednesday when the former European champions drew 2-2 away to Young Boys after being pegged back by a late penalty in the first leg of the playoff round tie.

Russian side Krasnodar, who eliminated former European champions Porto in the last round, were thumped 4-0 at Olympiakos while Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb beat Norway's Rosenborg 2-0 in ties which will earn the winners a place in the lucrative group stage.

- When is the Champions League group-stage draw?

In a gripping match, Red Star fell behind to an early goal, then hit back to lead 2-1 before Young Boys substitute Guillaume Hoarau levelled with his first touch of the ball.

While the Swiss side had qualified directly for the playoff round, Red Star battled their way through three rounds, overcoming opponents from Lithuania, Finland and Denmark with the last tie against FC Copenhagen going to a remarkable 22-penalty shootout.

Both teams took part in the group stage for the first time last season and it was Young Boys who went ahead in the seventh minute when Roger Assale was sent clear of the defence and the Ivorian forward drove his shot past Milan Borjan.

Milos Degenek levelled 11 minutes later with a looping header at the far post which caught goalkeeper David van Ballmoos out of his ground.

Borjan made three outstanding saves to keep Red Star level at halftime and they went ahead immediately after the restart.

Marko Gobeljic sent in a low cross from the right and Argentine Mateo Garcia turned it in at the far post for a goal on his debut.

The drama continued as Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu burst into the Red Star area and went down under a challenge from Richmond Boakye. The referee initially gave a goal kick but changed his mind after a VAR review and Hoarau fired in the equaliser.

A late flurry from group-stage regulars Olympiakos virtually settled their tie against Krasnodar.

Miguel Angel Guerrero curled in the first on the half hour and, although Krasnodar kept it down to a single goal until the 78th minute, they were undone by a brace from substitute Lazar Randjelovic.

The Serb opened his account two minutes after coming on and netted the second from outside the penalty area in the 86th minute. Daniel Podence produced a neat dinked finish for the fourth.

Dinamo Zagreb's hopes of qualifying for the seventh time got an early boost when Marius Lundemo bundled over Bruno Petkovic who converted the penalty himself in the eighth minute.

The Croatian champions added a second with a route one goal as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic's clearance came off the head of a defender and fell into the path of Mislav Orsic who shot under Andre Hansen.

BILBAO, Spain -- Iñaki Williams made history on a night when he wasn't even expecting to make it on the pitch.

With Athletic Club Bilbao's main striker and goal scorer, Aritz Aduriz, sidelined by injury, then-manager Ernesto Valverde (now of Barcelona) bypassed proven veteran Kike Sola and tapped Williams, an unrefined, 20-year-old speedster, to make his Europa League debut on a chilly February evening. Maybe a shot of energy was what it would take to give his tired squad a chance in the hostile climes of Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Athletic had just crashed out of the 2015 Champions League, dropping into Europe's secondary competition as a consolation, and the Torino faithful smelled blood in the water. The Italian squad hadn't allowed a goal at home in the past eight Europa League games, and if the cacophony raining down on Williams and his Athletic teammates served as any indication, the Toronesi were already celebrating a ninth shutout. But with the haze of pregame pyrotechnics still wafting above the pitch, an Athletic through-ball found Borja Viguera streaking down the left wing. Extending his touch, he avoided a clumsy tackle near the touchline and slid a curling ball across the box.

Despite having five defenders there to handle the cross, Torino's "iron curtain" parted, and a streaking Williams buried his first touch into the top-right corner.

The ninth-minute strike left the crowd stunned, but few were more surprised than the goal scorer. Running to the corner, he screamed, wide-eyed, "I scored a goal! I scored a goal!"

In theory, a first club goal should carry that type of raw emotion, but Williams knew his strike was more than that. With one sparkling touch, the young forward forever altered the history of his club and started a new kind of story in the process.

The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Williams was born in Bilbao, the largest city in Spain's Basque Country. That night in Torino, he became the first player of African descent to score a goal representing the rojiblanco, and only the second to play for Athletic's first team when he made his professional debut in 2014 adding a new chapter to more than a century of club history. Five years on, he hasn't stopped, emerging as the club's top scorer and one of the fastest attacking threats in La Liga. He was linked to Manchester United in the 2019 summer transfer window and recently signed a nine-year contract extension with Athletic that sets his release clause for potential suitors up to 120 million.

Perhaps more importantly, he has challenged what it means to be Basque, a cultural identity once associated solely with being white, and fought to become the leader of Spain's most insular club entering a new era.

"It gives me pride to be a part of this club. I think it opens a lot of minds," Williams said from Athletic's training ground in Lezama. "It gives me an immense pride to say that I am one of the first blacks to be a part of Athletic, score goals for the club and leave a legacy here."


AMID THE LUSH GREEN HILLS of Basque Country, Athletic Bilbao has been carving its unique legacy for more than 120 years. Football came to Basque Country in the late 1800s via English dockworkers chasing steel fortunes in newly industrialized Bilbao, and the city's signature club produced some of the most prolific Spanish goal scorers of the early 20th century.

While professional clubs have come to rely on imported talent from around the world, Athletic has fielded only players brought up through the region's academy system or born in Basque Country's seven provinces (four in modern-day Spain and three in France) since its earliest years as a club. It's an antiquated tradition in today's globalized, inclusive sports world but one that has endured Civil War, cultural purge and decades of violence and unrest at home.

Even when the region suffered heavy losses in the Spanish Civil War and the team was forced to change its name to the more Spanish "Atlético Bilbao" for three decades under the Franco dictatorship, the club remained a rallying point for Basqueland.

"This team's function is to bring together a society that is traditionally very fragmented," said Beñat Zarrabeita, a reporter with Basque news program Hamaika Telebista, whose father photographed the club's most recent league championship in 1984.

"The people don't ask where you are from, but they will sit next to you in San Mamés. I think [the club] has been a motor to celebrate the positive for a group of people that have had to overcome a lot."

The club has not only survived the region's tumultuous history; it has competed. It is one of three teams in Spain's La Liga to never be relegated from the top division (the other two being Real Madrid and FC Barcelona), having won 24 Copa del Reys and eight league titles while drawing talent from a population roughly the size of Chicago. Bilbainos take pride in their club's achievements and even more in the manner it has accomplished them.

Athletic Bilbao has taken on the world's best clubs without the help of outsiders. In the process, they have created a Basque football archetype steeped in pride, isolationism and, as a result, demographic singularity. But Bilbao is no longer the cultural vacuum of its ancestors. Over the past 20 years, a growing population of immigrants have settled in and around the city, forgoing the traditional hubs of France and England for economic opportunities in Basque Country. Today, the city's San Francisco neighborhood, a collection of buildings that once housed a Catholic convent, is a bustling patchwork of Halal markets, Latino pastry shops and Asian restaurants.

Still, it's a change that has been slow to take root on the field.

"The diversity that exists in society needs to exist in [soccer]," said Hanneke Heuseveldt, the director of youth programs at the Red Cross in Bilbao. "If we are all fans of [Athletic Bilbao] and there are only white players, it doesn't demonstrate the reality of our country."

In fact, it wasn't until 2011 that Athletic took its first step in that direction. Jonás Ramalho, the Basque-born son of an Angolan father and Basque mother, became the first black player to represent Athletic Bilbao in a regular-season match, coming on as a substitute against Sevilla.

"It was a bit of a bomb going off that a player of black roots was on the first team and could play for Athletic after all these years," Ramalho said. "But in every moment, I felt support. It was like [the community] wanted me to make my debut."

Ramalho played just eight games for the rojiblanco, but that was enough to open the door for Williams, who has been rewriting one of Spanish soccer's oldest traditions at a furious pace. His 15 goals across all competitions in 2018-2019 led Athletic, putting the striker among the top 15 goal scorers in Spain's top flight. Clocked as the second-fastest player in La Liga behind Gareth Bale, Williams adds a vertical attacking dynamic that has attracted the eyes of clubs such as Serie A's Napoli and Champions League winner Liverpool, giving the Basque club its first consistent goal-scoring threat in years.

But for Williams, life has been anything but a direct run at goal.

Shortly after the forward's birth, his parents, Félix and Maria Williams, relocated to Pamplona, the capital of Basque province Navarra, seeking work in the asparagus fields outside the city. Williams' parents had arrived in Europe with next to nothing, and the next decade proved to be a revolving door of jobs -- on farms, for night cleaning services, in geriatric care, at restaurants and airports -- in hopes of keeping the young family afloat.

With work drying up in Spain, Félix moved to London and worked as a night security guard to send money back to his wife and son. Iñaki saw his father just 15 times over the next seven years, and though his mother worked nights to spend days with her son, he spent long days home alone, eating meals with family friends in the low-income immigrant neighborhood of La Rotxapea. When his brother, Nico, was born in 2002, Iñaki, 8 years old at the time, dressed and fed his younger sibling every morning and brought him along to play with friends in the street.

"Iñaki has matured very quickly -- he's had to," said Félix Tainta, a Williams family friend and Iñaki's agent. "He's had to be a dad to his brother and a support to his mother. Every day that passes, that maturity has helped him. You can see he works differently on the field."

Williams caught Tainta's eye as a youth player for one of Pamplona's local clubs, Club Natación. He had started playing with neighbors between aging apartment complexes, passing much of his alone time with a ball at his feet. As a 10-year-old, Williams possessed a raw speed and hunger for goal that impressed the veteran agent from Pamplona. After several meetings with Williams' mother, Tainta helped Williams move to nearby CD Pamplona, and through an agreement between the club and Athletic Bilbao, Tainta was soon driving the young forward the three hours from Pamplona to Athletic's Lezama training ground twice a week. Tainta even gifted Williams his first pair of leather cleats and frequently had him over for family meals.

The investment paid off, and an 18-year-old Williams signed with Athletic's youth squad in 2012. He scored at a rate of almost a goal a game (and finished the season with 36 goals) and put himself on the tip of the Athletic faithful's tongues.


TODAY, THE WILLIAMSES WATCH THEIR son from a private box in San Mamés. Although he has suffered goal droughts in his young career, Athletic's most potent striker still stirs the stadium into a frenzy, with his long runs terrorizing La Liga opponents and offering glimpses of a homegrown star arriving on the big stage. Against Europa-bound Sevilla last season, Williams netted a brace in Athletic's 2-0 home victory, the second a blazing 60-yard solo run that La Liga pundit Sid Lowe could only explain as "genuinely exhilarating."

The club holds particular importance for a young son of immigrant parents. Two decades earlier, Félix and Maria Williams had left Ghana behind, crossing the Sahara in a walking caravan, evading Spain's national police force and scaling the razor wire fences separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Like the growing wave of immigrants pouring into Europe, they had come to Basque Country seeking a future for their children. When their son was born months later, they named him Iñaki after a local priest. It is a name inherently tied to the region and a nod to the culture into which their son was born.

For Williams, that culture has always revolved around the red and white stripes of Athletic.

"Here in Basque Country, since you are born, since you are little, your biggest hope is to play for Athletic," Williams said. "They are a humble team ... that I have always identified with. I never wanted to be anything else but a player for Athletic."

Following Ramalho, Williams realized that dream on Dec. 6, 2014, when he started in front of a home crowd that included his family and friends from Pamplona. After his historic goal at Torino, the wiry forward hit his stride the following year, netting 13 goals across all competitions.

In 2014, he called his father and told him it was time to come home.

In Santurtzi, a blue-collar suburb of Bilbao, the official Iñaki Williams Peña, a local fan club, has taken root. Thanks to the club president's nephew, the peña has its own Iñaki Williams crest, blending the striker's face with a lion, the mascot of Athletic Bilbao. Every game day, members fill up Bar Eurobilbo, with a group of old Bilbainos sipping Patxaran and supporting an Athletic they might not have recognized 10 years before.

"We are still in the process of developing a new Basque society," Zarrabeita said. "Sports is symbolic of this, and Athletic [Bilbao] is our reference."

As Williams has gained acceptance among the Athletic faithful, he has continued the club's unifying legacy. However, instead of bringing together villages throughout the Basque hillsides, Williams' success has helped Athletic embrace the growing global current at home. With Spain emerging from the shadows of the Franco regime and the country offering improved public services to immigrants, the migration of South Americans and Africans such as the Williams family to Basque Country increased from around 9,000 per year in 1992 to more than 41,000 per year by 2016, according to the latest data from the Basque Institute of Statistics.

In Williams, an expanding immigrant population has found both its bridge and its mirror, a connection to a foreign culture through a familiar face and a global game.

"Lots of people of African descent see me and know it could be their kids tomorrow or the next day," Williams said.

The first generation of Basques born to immigrant parents are now in their late teens and early 20s, and local clubs are witnessing a brand-new surge of talent. For a club such as Athletic, which must mine deeper into an increasingly thin player pool each year to stay competitive as top clubs around Europe inevitably swoop in for the best players -- the likes of Ander Herrera, Javi Martinez and Aymeric Laporte have been sold in recent years -- this evolution provides a unique opportunity for salvation. In fact, for the first time, the club's youth academy teams feature a growing collection of homegrown players of African and South American descent, including Williams' younger brother, Nico.

Williams, it seems, is the leading edge of a much larger movement.

"Williams' [story] is a form of visualizing what is happening here [in Basque Country]," Heuseveldt said.

Williams sings the Athletic hymn alongside his teammates but travels to Ghana to visit family in the offseason and is outspoken when it comes to his love of traditional African food. In fact, when the club isn't on the road, Williams eats dinner at his mom's house, forgoing regional delicacies such as pintxos (finger foods) and chuleton (T-bone steak) for fufu, a traditional Ghanaian pastry made with semolina or plantains. Last season, Williams invited the team over for a home-cooked Ghanaian meal, and in addition to Spanish, he speaks Akan (Ghana's most widely spoken language) and can communicate in Basque and English.

"People that come from other countries have it harder to integrate, but Williams is a model that can motivate them to chase their dreams," Heuseveldt said.

It's a journey that Williams has shared with Heuseveldt's youth program, made up primarily of immigrant youth struggling to find footing in a new society.

"I know what it's like to be there," Williams said.

The young forward continues to inspire a new generation in Bilbao and beyond and says he intends to do so from the region where he was born for as long as he can. Though Athletic has arguably stretched its rules to include players like Fernando Amorebieta (born in Venezuela but brought up through Athletic's youth systems) and Aymeric Laporte (whose only connection to the region are his Basque great-grandparents), Williams was born and raised in the land of the red and white. He is still proud of his African roots: he identifies as Basque and is fiercely loyal to the place that gave his family a chance in Europe.

"It might seem [that] to be black, you can't be Basque," Williams said. "But I was born here. I grew up here. I have in my blood what it means to be Basque."

In fact, Williams says he can't recall anyone ever questioning his race or "Basque-ness" at home. When Sporting Gijón supporters hurled racist chants at Williams during an away match in 2016, Athletic and its faithful were the first to step in and defend their striker. The club publicly condemned the events in Gijón and members of the Iñaki Williams Peña still talk about that game. A pair at the bar perks up, saying that would never happen "here [in Bilbao]."

Like former lion Fernando Llorente and starting Chelsea goalkeeper (and newly crowned Europa League champion) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Williams' future might lie outside of San Mamés, despite his success with Athletic's academy and first team. Still, this month he extended his contract with the club through 2028, spurning Liverpool's attempted €88 million contract buyout this spring before his club resisted overtures from Manchester United this summer. If nothing else, the gesture is a nod of allegiance to the club and the fans who, through Williams, have opened their arms to an evolving future of football talent in their own backyard.

"I feel fortunate to wear the Athletic jersey as a player of African origins," Williams said. "But people remember who you were as a player and as a person, the work you have put in for your club. In the end, I hope they will remember me for that."

Zion filing vs. ex-agent alleges early recruitment

Published in Basketball
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 16:49

Attorneys for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson filed additional amendments to a lawsuit that is attempting to enforce the termination of a signed agreement with a Florida marketing company.

The amendments, filed in U.S. District Court in North Carolina by Williamson's New York-based lawyer, Jeffrey Klein, on Wednesday, include further details of alleged violations of North Carolina state sports-agent laws by the Florida company, Prime Sports Marketing, and its president, Gina Ford. Prime Sports filed a suit in Florida court in June, shortly after Williamson's filing, that seeks $100 million in damages from Williamson and his current representation, Creative Arts Agency, for "breach of contract."

The amended complaint on Williamson's behalf toward Prime Sports include an allegation that Ford and Prime Sports began recruiting Williamson as early as January 2019, when he was still engaged with his freshman basketball season at Duke. Prime Sports and Ford were not certified by the National Basketball Players Association or registered in the state of North Carolina, which is at the crux of Williamson's case to enforce termination of his agreement with Prime Sports.

Many states, including North Carolina and Florida, require by law that agents are registered to recruit or sign prospective professional athletes.

After breaking with Prime Sports, Williamson signed with CAA for his contractual and marketing representation.

The amended suit also includes claims of fraudulent inducement and violations of the North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Williamson's attorneys are also seeking attorneys fees.

According to the suit filed in federal court in North Carolina on June 18, Williamson signed a marketing deal with Ford and Prime Sports on April 20, five days after he had declared his intention to enter the NBA draft.

That agreement included a clause that it could not be terminated for five years. Williamson's family told Ford and Prime Sports on May 31 that it was ending the agreement. The agency responded by saying that if Williamson terminated the deal, it would sue for damages in excess of $100 million. Williamson had since signed with CAA Sports.

According to the original suit, the agreement was unlawful under North Carolina's Uniform Athlete Agents Act because Prime Sports is not certified by the NBPA or a registered athlete agent in North Carolina or Florida. Additionally, the agreement failed to contain a conspicuous notice in boldface type in capital letters informing the athlete that by signing the agreement he was losing his eligibility to compete as a student-athlete, as required under the UAAA.

Klein, Williamson's attorney, told ESPN in a statement at the time of the June 18 filing: "Prime Sports Marketing's actions towards Mr. Williamson blatantly violated the North Carolina statute specifically designed to protect student athletes. Mr. Williamson properly exercised his rights under the law to void his business dealings with Prime Sports Marketing. Prime Sports Marketing's continued threats against Mr. Williamson made necessary the filing of this lawsuit."

Mets' Stroman exits with tightness in hamstring

Published in Baseball
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 18:59

New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman left his Wednesday start against the visiting Cleveland Indians after four innings with left hamstring tightness.

Stroman had given up one run with a walk and a strikeout before exiting. He was replaced to start the fifth by Jeurys Familia.

Stroman, who was acquired from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, came into Wednesday night's game 3-0 with a 5.17 ERA in three starts for the surging Mets.

O's allow 258th HR of season, tying MLB record

Published in Baseball
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 18:00

The Baltimore Orioles are Major League Baseball's new home run kings. Kind of.

On Wednesday night at Camden Yards, the Orioles surrendered their 258th homer of the season, tying the 2016 Cincinnati Reds for most round-trippers allowed by a team in a single campaign.

The record-tying homer came in the top of the third inning of Baltimore's game against the Kansas City Royals, when Whit Merrifield sent a 1-1 fastball from Aaron Brooks over the left-center-field wall. The solo homer cut the Orioles' lead to 3-1.

Though Tuesday night's games, the Orioles were on pace to yield 330 home runs. With power numbers up across MLB, Baltimore isn't the only team yielding long balls at a record rate. Entering Wednesday's action, the Mariners, Angels, Yankees and Phillies were all on pace to give up more dingers than the 2016 Reds.

Nearly a quarter of Baltimore's historic 2019 total has come against the division-rival Yankees. In 19 games against New York, Birds hurlers surrendered 61 home runs, shattering the mark for most homers allowed to one team in a single season.

This season, 3.7% of all MLB plate appearances have resulted in homers, up from 3.0% in 2018. Compared to 2014, when the leaguewide rate was 2.3%, home runs have increased by roughly 60%. If the current rate holds through the rest of 2019, it would break the single-season record of 3.3%, set during the 2017 campaign.

The rebuilding Orioles began play Wednesday in last place in the American League East, owners of a 40-86 record that was second-worst in the majors. Their team ERA of 5.94 was the highest in baseball by almost half a run.

GB drawn against Slovakia in Fed Cup qualifier

Published in Tennis
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 06:47

Great Britain will face Slovakia away from home in a qualifying tie for next year's new Fed Cup Finals.

Anne Keothavong's team will play the five-match tie, for a place in the 12-team Finals, on 7-8 February.

This year's finalists Australia and France, hosts Hungary and wildcards the Czech Republic have already qualified for April's Finals in Budapest.

The new format means Great Britain, for the first time since 1993, will begin a year with a chance to win the trophy.

Previously, only the eight teams in the competition's top tier could lift the trophy. Under the new system, 20 teams start the year with the chance to win.

Britain had been in the third tier of the Fed Cup for 26 years until they secured promotion to the World Group by beating Kazakhstan in London in April.

Their trip to Slovakia was one of eight qualifying ties drawn on Wednesday.

Konta likely to be highest-ranked player in tie

British number one Johanna Konta, who is ranked 16th in the world, is likely to be the highest-ranked player in next February's tie.

However, she is the only Briton in the world's top 100, whereas Slovakia have three - Viktoria Kuzmova (54), Dominika Cibulkova (68) and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (96).

Slovakia were Fed Cup champions in 2002 and have competed at World Group level every year since 2006.

If Britain lose the tie they will compete in a play-off round in the same week as the Finals. Victory there would give them another chance to reach the finals in 2021, while defeat would send them back to the Europe/Africa Zone.

The Finals will be played on clay at Laszlo Papp Budapest Sports Arena from 14-19 April.

There is an $18m (£14.2m) prize fund. Of that, $12m (£9.5m) will go to the players, and the other $6m (£4.75m) to their national associations.

Each team will share $500,000 for reaching the Finals, with the winning team dividing $3.2m (£2.5m) between the players.

The Fed Cup, which was founded in 1963, is the largest annual international team competition in women's sport.

The Davis Cup - the men's equivalent team competition - has already undergone significant reform and in November 18 teams will compete for the title in the inaugural finals in Madrid.

Speedy sixteen: Harimoto’s time for redemption?

Published in Table Tennis
Wednesday, 21 August 2019 07:34

by Kabir Nagpal

Adaptability is very much a key to success; when only 13 years old, Tomakazu Harimoto underlined that fact. The following is an excerpt from a member at Butterfly’s Research and Development speaking about the Japanese prodigy:

“Tomokazu is only 13 years old but he is very strong. His father, Yu, selects the equipment for him and Tomokazu uses it to good effect. I have the impression that he can adjust not only his techniques but also equipment thanks to Yu.”- Ma Jia

Champion from the start

Since his days at National Championships, completing a clean sweep of the titles in the age groups from under eight years to under 13 years; if there were any doubts, his exploits in Cape Town in 2016 resolved all. Having become the youngest ever World Junior champion, Harimoto had now had every eye on him, with expectations of a nation completely in love with the sport.

This was only a preview of what was to come, as he rose through 2016 into an even bigger year in 2017. He was crowned the youngest ever (again!) singles champion on the ITTF World Tour when he won in the Czech Republic.

Just like every good thriller story, the tale of Tomokazu Harimoto reached a summit. He won big on home soil, the 2018 Japan Open and then shortly again when became the youngest athlete ever to win the men’s singles trophy at the 2018 World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon, making his fans absolutely ecstatic.

Victim of his own success

Now at this juncture, not only had the world spotted the next big thing for Japan, they also wanted to know what kept him going. Every match video of his was the subject of a million views and his opponents quickly – and critically – analysed him, levelling the playing field. Now, while this is standard procedure given the competitive sport of table tennis, it meant that the upcoming teenager from Japan would hit a roadblock.

During the last three years, Harimoto had gone through consistent changes with his equipment involving both the rubbers and the blades. While his techniques and power increased dramatically from 2016 to 2019, not many people know the fact that he had fine-tuned his equipment along with his growth.

His father and coach, Yu Harimoto had always picked his equipment. He spoke about how his son had to consistently adjust with the choices he made:

“Tenergy 05 was fast for me when I tried it but Tomokazu was still small at that time, so I deemed he would not be able to make full use its performance due to a lack of power. Stability is more important than power in equipment. Weight is also one of the points to be taken into account. So I selected Tenergy 64 for his forehand and Tenergy 64 FX 1.9 for his backhand, considering in particular stability and weight. I wanted to make his racket lighter by choosing softer sponge.”- Yu Harimoto

The most important thing while selecting equipment has to be balance and stability.

At the 2019 Japan Open, defending Champion Harimoto faced Chinese Sun Wen in round one of the men’s singles draw; this was a match Harimoto was anticipated to progress from, but the no.4 seed suffered defeat by a crushing 4-0 score-line (11-8, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8).

The defeat hurt the Japanese more because it came after three competitions of “what-ifs” where he had reached the final in Hong Kong, the semi-finals in China and the quarter-finals in Doha. It felt like his opponents had figured him out, as he could not crack his way through to the latter stages of World Tour events in 2019. In Australia – again – he was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Wang Chuqin, the same Chinese athlete who defeated him weeks ago in Korea at the quarter-final stage.

Time for redemption?

The weight of expectation has been a double blow for Harimoto. As a young Asian table tennis athlete, the danger remains that too much is expected of him. Because of his previous successes, having no ITTF World Tour titles in 2019 was something highly unexpected – meaning his world ranking fell from third to fifth.

It is at such a point when one might want to remember that the legendary Ma Long played in four World Championships before he won one – now the Dragon has three. Perhaps the virtue of patience truly imbibed into Tomokazu Harimoto last week, when he proved to be the one player in Bulgaria who could match the speed of China’s Zhao Zihao:

Up until the final, no one had managed to deal with the 22-year-old’s electric speed play. Harimoto showed that he had simply too much in his experience at the top level and matched Zhao shot for shot.

“I feel very strong mentally and, even though I lost a couple of games during the final, I managed to fight and never gave up. I kept going and ended up winning. I’m not going to take things easy now. I’ll keep pushing on to reach new heights.” – Tomokazu Harimoto

This win was the first time Harimoto had spoken of his plans for the future with such confidence. It was admirable to see how much mental growth the 16-year-old had gone through to come out of a rough patch with such a powerful performance.

From the time of his rubber changes, to the variety his style had to take after being extensively analysed, it is safe to say that his strength is his high quality to adapt to the challenges he faces. Technically speaking, Harimoto uses the skill keeping the ball travelling long when needed and the delicate backspin push to keep the ball short against speedy players like Zhao Zihao.

Opportunity knocks in Olomouc

The manner of his victory in Panagyurishte is the measure of the man he is quickly becoming. It displayed patience and grit, something unseen in a lot of 16-year-olds.

Tomokazu Harimoto had changed the backhand rubber in his equipment to TENERGY 05 FX back in September 2015 and soon changed the thickness from 1.9 to 2.1 mm. These changes have taken time for him to adjust to, but now give him superior speed as well as a greater variety of strokes. We only recently saw what he can do when he’s fully adjusted to the situation at hand.

Now the question remains, can the Japanese prodigy maintain his form with another immaculate showing at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Czech Open?

With such targets for the future, we remain deeply interested where the Japanese will head to next. Follow his journey on the World Tour right here with ITTF and watch his matches on itTV!

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