England and AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori, believes his career took a good swing after he joined Italian big club AC Milan on January 2021.  Looking back at his long journey from England to Italy, the 24-year-old, says the Milan city club side, have helped him stay focused and becoming a better player.

His career kicked off nicely with money-bag Chelsea, in 2016, so he thought, before he was loaned out to Brighton and Hove Abion the following year. Then, to Hull City (2017) and Derby County in 2018.

By 2019, when he felt he was ready to head back to Stanford Bridge, AC Milan came for him, albert, on a temporal basis.   He was loaned out of England outrightly before AC Milan decided to keep the defender permanently last season.

The Nigerian descent hit the headlines last weekend as his goal played a big role in AC Milan getting back on the right track in Serie A.

Tomori had struggled in the Champions League meeting against Chelsea, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the other Blues attackers causing havoc to a usually solid AC Milan defence.

He, however, got his groove back when Milan confronted Juventus as the Rossoneri dispatched Serie A strugglers Juventus by a two-goal margin at the San Siro.

Goals on the stroke of half-time by the defender, and then in the 54th minute by Brahim Diaz ensured order was restored for Stefano Pioli’s side, who, in all honesty, looked rather off-colour in the English capital on Wednesday during the week.

That win now has the red side of Milan back in third place in the log table.

The confidence of rising to defend their title is also reinforced by the victory.

According to Tomori, the goal was manufactured on the training ground as he looks forward to repeating it in the other matches of the club.

Read Also: Tomori ticks Milan’s Scudetto win as best moment

FEELING UPBEAT

He said: “Oh yes, we worked on that in training!” he said via Football Italia. “No, obviously, I was a little fortunate, but I am happy with the goal, the clean sheet and the victory.”

Whether it was Rafael Leao’s non-pressing or the ineffectiveness of the midfield, Tomori knows that mistakes were made at Stamford Bridge on match day 3. He listed just where it went wrong.

“We want to do more on the pitch, not just in terms of performance, but also aggression. We had a bit more determination in the game against Juventus, and will try to replicate that same attitude in subsequent matches, whether in Europe or league.”

Tomori discusses his brilliant spell at AC Milan too, stating that he and his teammates were delighted to be able to prove their doubters wrong this past season and go on to win the Scudetto.

“A lot of people didn’t believe we were really going to do it and win the title. For us in the changing room to have that relief and joy, proving people wrong and that we were a good team, was sweet for all of us.

“It was just crazy. The celebrations were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. So many people. It was like a three, four, five kilometre drag of fans, but it took hours on the bus. Stopping at all the lights. Obviously, I’ve seen the fans down in Milan, but to see everyone in the streets like that for the whole afternoon, I can’t really describe it, just mad.”

The defender was also keen to provide an insight into how he’s improved as a defender in Italy, stating: “The way they are as defenders [in Italy] – I wouldn’t say it’s personal but it’s: ‘I need to make sure what I’m doing is on the money and no one’s getting past me’. They have that pride.

Former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa will make his professional wrestling debut this week, Sportsmail can exclusively reveal. Akinfenwa, renowned for his impressive physique and charismatic personality both on and off the field, said he’s looking forward to the debut fight alongside close friend Anthony Ogogo, an Olympic star.

‘I was always asked when I was coming to retirement what I was looking to do and the response was always new experiences’, he said. ‘I was lucky enough to do the thing I love for 22 years but it was a profession. When you retire, it’s just freedom and experiences.

‘It’s always been in the background because of my love for wrestling. I’ve known Ogogo for a while, years. We came across each other when he was a boxer and stayed in contact and the wrestling thing never went away.

‘He unfortunately couldn’t box anymore and he found that love with wrestling and he hit me up and said: “Listen, you want to try a few bits?”

‘When you find something that you enjoy it makes it a little bit easier. But then the mindset is to try new things and if it lands, it lands. I enjoy it, I’ve enjoyed the workouts, I enjoy that it’s intense.’

Read Aso: I nearly quit wrestling after Tokyo Olympics, admits Adekuoroye

Despite the entertainment side of things, the two have formed quite the personal rivalry in recent weeks, and Akinfenwa insisted he didn’t hesitate when he was called for back-up.

‘We are part of the same agency, when he first came on the scene boxing in the Olympics we came across each other then,’ the former Wycombe forward said.

‘He won’t admit it, but I think he always wanted to be as big as me, cause he’s a lightweight, so he started banging in the gym. But I saw the process of how big he got and we’ve worked out a few times together. This is more his domain than mine but he’s showing me a few tricks.

Akinfenwa persona is built on his workout routines, with his slogan ‘They say I’m too big to play football’ based on his love for fitness and the gym.

‘I tried it, and I ain’t going to lie, it hurts,’ he said. ‘Anybody that watched me play football knows that when I went down it took me a while to get up, and it takes me even longer to get up in wrestling when I try to move.

He commented on how the training ‘hurts’ more normal and that he takes longer to get up

‘The training is training, but there are dif

Ogun state athlete and gold medalist at the National Sports Festival in Kaduna (KADA 2009), Abimbola Ogunkoya has a thing for marksmanship sports.  In a clime where ball sports are extremely popular, the gold medalist for Ogun state at KADA in Shooting, dumped two ball sports Volleyball and Handball for Shooting because of her love for precision and mental alertness.

“Before taking up shooting, I used to play volleyball and handball, which I began playing at Mayflower School Ikenne. I played the sport at the state level with the Ogun State Sports Council under the tutelage of late Coach Femi Akindele.

“I later dumped the ball sports for shooting because it has no age barrier and unlike volleyball, is an individual game where you get to prove yourself via your personal performances.

“Shooting as a precision sport has a lot to do with one’s mind thinking and stability. In Nigeria, many people view shooting as something associated with only uniform personnel, however, shooting as a sport is totally different from the live ammunition shooting done by security personnel. It is a sport that demands total concentration, mental thinking, and stability. If I am not shooting, I will surely be engaging myself in the sport of archery”

A graduate of Mass-Communication, Ogunkoya, who went on to win a gold medal at the KADA games, said the country stands to gain more if shooting is encouraged and invested in.

She said: “There are lots of challenges participants face in the sports of Shooting as it’s difficult for individual shooters to get access to air gun ownership, training equipment like cans of pellets and accessories like the shooting Jackets and other things, which are not readily available. This is because they are all imported and the exchange rate is not smiling on any common man now.

Read Also: Nigeria retains U-19 African volleyball title

“If State Sports Councils through their state government as well as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, can help develop this sport by investing in the procurement of the needed equipment for the sport, this Olympic sport will surely have a role to play in Nigeria’s medal hauling at International Championships.

“It is internationally recognised up to the Olympic level and there are many medals to be won. It is a sport where a handful of shooters can amass scores of medals. And, it has no age barrier.”

Luckily for Ogunkoya, her parents did not kick against her choice of sports. “I had a smooth ride into sports as my parents and family allowed me to live my life as it suits me. In shooting as a sport, we have air pistols and air rifles. I am into air pistols and in this, we can wear any sporting outfit to shoot.”

Ogunkoya, who has been a part of the Lagos Women Run since its inception, said she desires to improve on her personal best and represents the country internationally.

“As a shooter, I look forward to improving on my personal best and raising the nation’s flag in the nearest future.

“In 2014, I was called to the national camp in Lagos as a result of my outstanding result from a competition held in Dec 2013, thereafter, I took a sabbatical leave.

for close to nine years for personal reasons. I returned to the sport actively last year and since then I am focused on revamping my game.”

Crystal Palace star player Eberechi Eze has hinged his soccer success on support from childhood friends, and family members.    Raised in Greenwich, south London, Eze was able to form a cohort of friends with a unique shared career, as a pupil at the John Roan School,

Eze played alongside Middlesbrough’s Marc Bola and Worthing’s Dajon Golding, with Cardiff City’s Ebou Adams, and Fenerbahçe’s Bright Osayi-Samuel in the county team.

He remains close with his fellow south London professionals, explaining that as a group they push one another to success.

“My friends have been amazing. I have quite a few friends and close people I played football with and grew up with from young. Their support is the same as my family’s.

“Players that play elsewhere, people that play non-league; the mindset is still the same for all of us, regardless of what level we’re at. It’s still that you have to put in the work… if they see me doing something, resting or relaxing or not taking whatever, I’m doing seriously, they’ll be on me.

“It’s hard to find people like that. I have to be the same with them. I’m a bit more chilled than them but it’s all the same, it’s all out of love and wanting each other to be the best we can be.”

Eze says Bola and Golding are particularly close friends of his, with he and Bola, who has 160 career appearances, even attending the Arsenal Academy together. He remembers: “We’d both go to training together – my mum would drop us or his dad would drop us. So, it was the bond being formed from early.

Read Also: Eberechi Eze scores as Crystal Palace beat Leeds United

“It’s weird to make it in football, to make it to a high level from the same year group. That (Bola) is literally my best friend. I’ve only started to realise how weird that is. It’s not normal.

“I put it down to faith in God. I then put it down to application and working every single day, because we played football every single day. And, I put it down to having the support system around you that believes in you almost as much as you believe in yourself.

“I think that’s hugely important: having parents, brothers and sisters willing to do anything to help you achieve that goal. That’s a big thing and, again, not many people are fortunate enough to have that.

“It motivates you and it stops you from relaxing and tuning out and getting into a rut. I have people around me that won’t allow that at all, and I’m hugely grateful to them.”

Be it Academy releases, injury, or even the danger of indifference, Eze insists on showing the positive side to life. He is the first to pass praise onto others, and it’s clear that supportive family, friends and club staff have each played their part so far.

“People are different,” Eze says. “They’ve gone through their own struggles and everyone has their own journey. Mine has helped me.” There no pausing now.

After 12 months in the limbo following an Achilles injury last season, he quips that he did not feel alone due to the support system around him.  “I wasn’t prepared at all. I knew it would be tough. Being honest, it took a week or so of just being lost and not sure what to do; what I actually do with myself and trying to gather myself. It’s a traumatic experience, especially when it’s your first.”

Alex Iwobi’s Everton journey to date is one of the most extraordinary in recent history.

Sell-out Goodison crowds and away allocations up and down the country expect both. While an obvious privilege, the Royal Blue jersey can be a heavy one to wear.

However, Iwobi has firmly established himself as one of the most important players in the squad and, despite his characteristically modest reflections, a clear fan favourite.

But was there ever a moment where he thought things wouldn’t work out at Everton?

“No,” Iwobi explains, without hesitation. “I never had the mindset that it wouldn’t work here.

“I had the mindset that I’d turn it around and when the opportunity came with the new manager, I used it as a new chapter of my life and said to myself, ‘Forget the past. What’s happened has happened… Now let’s go again’.

“What I realized here is fans appreciate 100 percent, as long as you show that you can do everything because there’s a reason you’re here at Everton – because you have the ability.”

Overcoming adversity is a necessity for any footballer harbouring hopes of reaching the summit of the game and, having become accustomed to the cut-throat nature of professional football as a teenager, Iwobi is well-versed in dealing with testing periods.

After joining Arsenal while still in primary school, the now 26-year-old narrowly escaped being released by the North London club at 14 and again at 16 after being told he was not good enough.

“In football, you’re not always going to have highs,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of lows before I even came to Everton and I’ve always been able to overcome them.

“I have a good support system around me – my family, my friends, and people at Everton who are there to talk to you and help you through difficult situations. And, at the same time, every footballer is going through similar things. It’s good having people to talk to.

“I like to remain positive as much as I can. I remember what made me, what got me to where I am.

“I use the difficult moments as motivation and drive to move forward – to prove people wrong, to make sure an obstacle doesn’t get the better of me.

“If you don’t go through losses, you won’t learn. Going through those rough patches only made me stronger mentally.”

One figure has been crucial to Iwobi’s upturn in fortunes with the Toffees and unlocking what he describes as the best period of his career to date.

When Frank Lampard was confirmed as the Club’s manager on 31 January, Iwobi was on his way back from a frustrating Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Nigeria, culminating in a bizarre red card in second-half stoppage-time during a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia as the Super Eagles bowed out of the competition at the Round of 16 stage.

“I feel like he probably didn’t really know what to expect from me,” admits Iwobi. “Especially if he was thinking about what he’d seen in the past with previous managers and off the back of the red card in AFCON.

“He was possibly a bit surprised at how I train – I always give 100 per cent in training and it’s just getting that out in matches.

“He told me to play the way I train and he wanted me to go out and express myself. He gave me the confidence to do that.

“My first game – my first start – was against Leeds and he told me to do my stuff and to enjoy it. Ever since then it’s been working out.

“I spoke to a few Chelsea players around the time he came in and they all told me that, because he was a player recently, he understands what everyone goes through as a player mentally.

“He keeps the environment positive and I’ve seen that for myself.

Read Also: I knew I would succeed at Everton, says Iwobi

“Obviously, we were in a difficult time when he came in last season but he still managed to make sure everyone was up and focused on trying to win games, even when it was hard.

“The coaching staff, too. There’s some tremendous experience between Joe Edwards, Ashley Cole, Paul Clement, and Chris Jones. They’re easy to talk to and they’ve made it feel like we’re one big family, that every player in the squad is going to be needed and every player is involved.

“The manager and the staff have ideas that they’re getting across and all of the players are buying into them. It’s good and we’re enjoying it. There’s a lot more quality that has been brought in over the summer, so that’s upped the standard as well.

“This season, it’s similar in that the manager wants us all to stick together and give 100 percent because when we do that, we know we have the ability to beat any team.

“Of course, we’re still waiting on a first league win but there’s a good feeling and we feel like the performances are better – we’re resilient at the back and it’s just a matter of getting more goals, which will come.”

Now a key cog in Lampard’s side, Iwobi has been deployed in a range of positions, including on the wing and as a wing-back, before settling into a central midfield role – albeit in different capacities – this term.

As a tonic to negativity, Iwobi, and his friends have used music as a means of expressing their feelings – positive and otherwise – about their respective journeys since they were schoolchildren.

Iwobi, now settled in the northwest, where he lives with two dogs – Luna, an all-white Husky, and Snow, a Pomeranian Husky cross – regularly hosts loved ones, and it is there, in his small music studio, where they like to spend most of their downtime.

“I’m comfortable up here,” he says. “It’s very peaceful compared to down south.

“Obviously, the initial settling-in period was always going to be difficult, moving away from where I call home – away from my family and friends and where I grew up, but I always keep them close.

“I’ve got a few friends up with me now, being rascals in the house, as well as my dogs!

“I love having company. The people who have helped me to get where I am, are always with me on this journey.

“I’ve always listened to music and it’s a way to switch off. I like to listen to all sorts. It depends on what mood I’m in but it could be anything.

“As a kid going to school I’d listen to music on the bus and I’d go home and my family would always have music playing in the house. I like to stay at home, so I ended up building a small studio, which is nice.

“I’d say 80 percent of the time we’re in there chilling, even if we’re not listening to music!

“I started going to a music studio when I was around 17 or 18 but even before that, we’d just be freestyling in the playground after school.

“I’m not good – it’s just a bit of banter – but I still write now.

“We use it as a kind of therapy, talking about life and expressing ourselves through music.

“But first and foremost, I love football. I always have done it since I started playing as a kid and it’ll always be football first.

“Yes, there is the pressure that comes with it but I wouldn’t change anything about it.”

 

Culled from evertonfc.com

EX-SUPER Eagles captain Mikel Obi has described his time under Jose ‘The Special One’ Mourinho as rewarding, as he called time on his career at 35.

Though, many of his fans have repeatedly claimed the Portuguese coach ‘killed’ his attacking prowess, which landed him Nigeria’s iconic number 10 shirt, he said, he won the most trophies as a defensive midfielder in Chelsea.

Mikel won every major honour possible in his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge

Mikel told Pulse Sports: ‘Obviously, I was such a creative midfield player, I was so creative. I was so gifted with the ball, I never lost the ball, and that’s why I played the number 10 role. I was this guy who made everything happen.

‘And then going to Chelsea, obviously with those big-name players, massive players, you have to kind of give something.

‘And then, he [Mourinho] looked at it and said, “I can’t really get you to play it [No 10] because we have the likes of Joe Cole playing there. We have massive names playing there, you’ll have to change something,” and we had a chat about it.

‘I thought it was a positive chat, and after that, he said, “I see you playing there [deeper in midfield].”‘

It may have harmed his attacking output, but in hindsight, Mikel’s positional switch under Mourinho eventually proved a masterstroke – and helped Chelsea write a new chapter in their decorated history.

On Tuesday Mikel, who featured 372 times in a trophy-laden 11-year stint with the Blues, announced his retirement from football aged 35 following a curtain-closing spell in the Kuwait Premier League.

He scooped up every major honour there was to win at the Bridge, lifting the Premier League twice, the FA Cup three times, and also capturing the League Cup, Europa League, and Champions League.

Mikel recalled his most cherished performance in the 2012 Champions League final – which helped the Blues topple Bayern Munich in their own backyard to become European champions-though under a new coach.

Following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, interim boss Roberto Di Matteo reintroduced a number of key men ostracised under the previous regime, including Mikel.

The latter was one of several warhorses who helped guide Chelsea to the unlikeliest of Champions League final triumphs that season; which included a three-goal comeback against Napoli, a heroic recovery with 10 men away at Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and, most memorably, a dramatic victory against Bayern Munich in their own backyard.

Read Also: Terry, Kalou, lead tributes for retiring Mikel Obi  

They say big players rise to the big occasions, and on May 19, 2012, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Mikel produced a performance for the ages as Di Matteo’s men stunned Bayern to win the big-eared trophy on penalties.

Didier Drogba’s last-gasp bullet header and tournament-winning penalty are the images that spring to mind for most when reminiscing about that final.

But across the 120 minutes of action, Mikel was comfortably Chelsea’s top performer on the night. In fact, he was perhaps even the best player on the pitch.

His defining moment in a Chelsea shirt came in the 2012 Champions League final in Munich

Mikel’s phenomenal display in midfield helped Roberto Di Matteo’s men spark a huge upset

The elegant, classy midfield anchor did not tire of breaking up Bayern’s offensive efforts on the night, providing a much-needed shield in front of a barely-fit Gary Cahill and David Luiz at the back.

In a clip that went viral on social media last year, Mikel’s outstanding defensive work and silky play in midfield that evening is clear for all to see. Quite simply, he performed out of his skin.

Without that majestic display, Bayern may well have been out of sight by the time Drogba powered home his equalising header at the death. His legendary penalty to crown Chelsea as champions of Europe for the first time may also have never come.

‘I had lots of good games, but given what was at stake, that is my best game for Chelsea,’ he told The Athletic last year. ‘We were playing on their home ground, in their stadium. It added to the pressure. defensively and going forward. It’s a game I’m proud of. What makes it more special is I saved my best performance for Chelsea’s biggest ever game. Not bad, eh?’

“I had a great game. The whole team kind off said so after the game and whenever I watched the clip, I think I played that role with some quality.”

IT’S been a whirlwind few days for 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. But Arsenal’s record-breaking debutant is used to that.

Rewind to February 2020 and the teenager is playing in attack for Arsenal’s Under-14s away at West Ham. Storm Ciara had hit the UK all week and the youth team players on the pitch were put in unchartered territory – but a 12-year-old Nwaneri would not be thrown about.

Nwaneri becomes PL’s youngest ever player

Brentford 0-3 Arsenal – report and highlights

“He was from the Under 13s, playing in the age group above – even then he was one of the better players in that group,” a Premier League scout who was watching that game tells Sky Sports.

“The conditions were terrible – it was really windy and rainy and it’s normally difficult to assess these players in that environment. But I picked out bits like his body language, his character and the way he reacted to the conditions.

“He scored in that game and has an eye for goal, but he really wanted to be involved in the build-up play and had good ball control.”

The midfielder spent three minutes on the west London pitch, and didn’t touch the ball, but the experience of senior football was there for a player who was born after the Emirates Stadium was built – and was 12-years-old when the UK went into the first coronavirus lockdown.

“When I saw him, he was different gravy,” the same scout adds. “I first spotted him when I was working at other Premier League clubs when he was playing for Arsenal’s Under-13s as an 11-year-old.

“But it was a few years later – when I was watching him as a Manchester United scout – that he had developed into what we call a Grade A academy player.

“I would have marked him as a signing at United if it was down to me but trying to get a player from Category One academy team to another one is difficult.

“Even when he was around 12 or 13 years old, you could see that he was the pick of the bunch, the best player on the pitch – even for the year group above. Every time he got on the ball, he looked to make things happen. He always posed a threat, took set pieces and put in good deliveries with them.”

The coaches at Arsenal have continued to play him above his age group, but his rise over the past 12 months has been nothing short of dramatic. Last season, he was a regular for Arsenal’s U16s aged 14 but only made his first start for the U18s in February of this year.

The teenager made an immediate impact, scoring two assists in a 4-2 win over Reading U18s as his stock at Arsenal grew even further.

“He’s someone very highly thought of here as there are other boys at Hale End as well,” said Under-18 coach Dan Micciche after that game.

Read Also: EPL: Arsenal beat Brentford 3-0, return to top

“The first time I met him, I looked into his eyes and I had that feeling. I really liked what I saw,” said Arteta after he gave Nwaneri his debut.

“[Academy manager] Per Mertesacker and the academy staff are giving me really good information, [sporting director] Edu as well.”

The Arsenal first-team are noticing something special too – none more so than midfielder Granit Xhaka, who has coached Nwaneri’s Under-16s team recently as the Gunners vice-captain works towards his coaching badges.

“He looks old when I see him but the club can be proud of a player like him,” said Xhaka after Arsenal’s win at Brentford.

“You can see a big difference with him and the other guys. He is very, very special.

“Of course you have to protect him as he is very young but if he keeps going like this with his hard work he has a big, big future.”

So, what now for Nwaneri? The history books show that the path forward for the Premier League’s youngest ever players are unclear.

The Arsenal teenager has taken over the record from Harvey Elliott, who is now a regular starter at Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Aaron Lennon is now the fourth-youngest player in Premier League history and has spent nearly two decades as a Premier League player.

Meanwhile, Arteta adds: “It’s just one step and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward then backwards and then forwards. That’s, unfortunately, this industry and the football career of any player.”

‘Arsenal and England have the new Fabregas’

Alexander Tardios – Ethan Nwaneri’s headteacher at St John’s School, Enfield – speaking to Sky Sports News:

“Ethan is a very humble boy. He’s been on the radar of clubs since he was nine years old so he’s used to the attention.

“But what is best about him is his parents and the way they have brought him up. They’re dedicated to him, they support him in every way possible. They focus on his education because they want him to have a safety net and they’ve kept him humble, which is something he is going to need now he’s been thrust in the public eye.

“They are constantly in the school checking if he’s falling behind. His father said that if Ethan didn’t pass his end of year exams, he wouldn’t let him play for Arsenal.

“His father told me something that has stuck in my mind which is the triangle: Family, the football club and education. If you have those three pillars, you have a humble boy. That’s what Ethan is.

Her story will inspire this generation and the next. At 29, Jacinta Umunnakwe made her international debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she competed in the middleweight category with a bronze medal for her efforts in the ring. Three years ago, she dropped off temporarily to give birth and returned to win the trials and golden bronze in Birmingham. It is a story of defying the odds to live her dream, OLALEKAN OKUSAN writes.

FROM FOOTBALL TO BOXING 

Jacinta Umunnakwe has tasted football and athletics but since she started romancing boxing, she has been glued to the combat sport.

When she started in 2010, she never envisaged that she would be representing Nigeria on a global stage like the Commonwealth Games but she is not ready to let down the gauntlet at 29 with the aim of another shot at the title at the 2023 African Games.

“I did not choose boxing when I started sport because I have been playing football and competing in athletics since my primary school days. I never thought of boxing until when I came to Bayelsa in 2010 and a boxing coach known as coach Peace invited me to the ring. She told me I had the physic to do boxing and I joined her where I saw boys fighting against girls. After attending the training for two days, I just fell in love with the sport and that was how my romance with boxing started,” she said.

 

INSPIRED BY COACH PEACE

Despite falling for boxing, it was the efforts of coach Peace that motivated Umunnakwe to continue with the sport. “Coach Peace is the person that really inspired me and she is not just there to convince me or lie to me, she is there as a practical instrument. She takes me every morning for road work and long distances while she also taught me how to tie bandages, punch bags, and do what they call one two, and three four. Of course, they have four basic punches which are the straight jab, right jab, hook, and uppercut. She taught me all these things and this really inspired me.”

A few months after starting boxing, Umunnakwe represented Bayelsa at the 2011 National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt and she returned home with a silver medal. “Less than one year after I started boxing, I was selected to represent Bayelsa at the Garden City Games in 2011 and I settled for silver while I also won the same medal at Lagos 2012. Since then, I competed in several local tournaments while in 2018 in Abuja, I claimed the gold medal.

 

FROM LABOUR ROOM TO RING 

“In 2019, I gave birth to my baby, and this stopped me from boxing a few months before the 2021 editions in Benin City I returned to the ring where I had to settle for the bronze medal.

“After the Benin City bronze medal, my coach was not too impressed with my performance and we started training again for the national championships in Kaduna where boxers would be selected for the Commonwealth Games. The training prepared me well because we started intensive training twice daily combined with a lot of physical exercises and this really put me in good shape for the tournament. Through this rigorous training, I was able to beat an experienced opponent to clinch the gold medal in Kaduna and made the camp for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. “To be honest, God really intervened for me for the Commonwealth Games because He chose me as I didn’t choose myself. I don’t even know if I can make the team but I saw myself there and to God be the glory He crowned me with a golden bronze medal which I cannot tell how come but I was victorious in Birmingham,” she added.

 

FIRST COMMONWEALTH GAMES @ 29

Umunnakwe admitted that Birmingham was a leaning field for her. “My experience in the Commonwealth Games was a worthwhile one because I realized that fighting at the international level is quite different from the local level because how we do boxing, is a slight difference from my observation in Birmingham. I noticed that other boxers are faster and they don’t stand one-on-one. But in Nigeria, we used to stand waiting to punch each other but in Birmingham, most boxers prefer moving around and they don’t like standing boxing. If you cannot weave your head, you move it to the left or right and just try and do something that will let them know you are fit. By this, it makes it flexible in terms of entertaining the fans and that was another experience I picked from the games.”

Read Also: Ifeanyi Onyekwere: Birmingham 2022 hero dreams fresh conquests

She added: “It was not that tough for me in Birmingham and the only difference is that I learned from the technique which I hope to make use of in my next international tournament. I will do more than what I have done because I have learned, seen and I now know how it goes which I can also flow with. We used to look out for knockout but I realized that people used more technique in the ring which I am going to deploy in my next competitions.”

 

GOLDEN BRONZE

Despite not winning the top prize, Umunnakwe is satisfied with her bronze medal. “I’m not disappointed at all that I did not win a gold medal. I was even very happy from the depth of my heart because there are many champions that could not even get the bronze medal. I’m not disappointed at all, I am just happy because I have learned that next time I will know what to do and how to go about it to get the silver or the gold medal, It is not easy to get there in the first place but I am happy where I got to by settling for the bronze medal.”

She, however, blamed the lackluster performance in boxing on late camping which she said affected most of the boxers at Birmingham. “Another lesson I took from the games is that hard work pays. If I have not prepared myself earlier than this before now, I don’t think I will get any medal. To be sincere, we did not enter camp early as we started two weeks before the games. The people we fought against have been training for more than six to four months because I heard them talking about it. What can you do in two months and go to international games; win a medal and come back? But it is better you prepare yourself very well because, in Nigeria, anything can come up at any time. As if I know Nigeria was not going to call up camp; as if I knew there was no money anywhere to sponsor us; I just kept training with my local coach and the rest of my local people in the gym. We gather ourselves morning and evening as what we do is just to train—no time for jokes, no time for play, no relaxation, just training.

“I said it earlier that is the only thing that keeps us moving, that is what I know. The earlier you prepare yourself, the better for you. If they call for camp good, if they don’t fine, what you have you have, what God has a plan for you will not depart from you; you will get it except you are not ready. That is why I said earlier, the way you prepare your bed is the way you will lie on it.”

 

BUSINESSWOMAN

Apart from boxing, Umunnakwe engages in business which she said helped to augment her living but she is ready to give up on her dream of becoming a champion in her weight category.

“I think boxing is getting interesting and what we need is just support from the government because we cannot continue training without competing. After the Commonwealth Games I had expected we would consolidate on our performance by attending the African championships in Mozambique, unfortunately, the usual no money syndrome came up again. We cannot continue like this and the government needs to support boxing. For me, I would not give up as I am looking forward to the 2023 African Games in Ghana,” she said.

 

The eight-time Wimbledon champion has announced his retirement from tennis – but his fashion sense will be missed as much as his athletic prowess

Roger Federer. Wimbledon, 2009. The then longest men’s major final in history; a five set, 77-game thriller against Andy Roddick. But of greatest significance? His jacket.

An RF-monogrammed zip-up with gold piping, the jacket sported the number 15 – the record-breaking total of grand slam titles Federer had won upon his match victory – in cursive embroidery.

Was it presumptuous? Had Fed brought it out hidden in his bag in quiet hope? Or did a Nike representative hand it to him before the trophy presentation? Whatever it was, the jacket generated plenty of column inches, just like Federer’s attire throughout that year’s tournament. Take the suit trousers teamed with a military-inspired jacket – a sort of All England Club Sergeant Pepper – under which he wore a tailored waistcoat, only stripping down to shorts after the warmup. Then there were the subtly pinstriped shirts, or even gold-accented trainers. This was the kind of aesthetic panache Federer was becoming known for.

Now, with last week’s news of his retirement, following Serena Williams’ announcement in August, tennis (and sport in general) has lost one of its most stylish protagonists. Federer has had quite the sartorial journey. From a roll call of dodgy hairstyles (peroxide home dye job, awkward top-knot, greasy pony-tail, and wearing his suit trousers back-to-front, to the best friend of US Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Federer is a frequent front-row attendee, Rolex ambassador and designer. Oh, and according to LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, a “living god”.

It is an unfortunate cliche with stylish men, but Federer credits his wife, Mirka, with his initial fashion awakening, once telling GQ: “I used to wear jogging shoes, jeans and a practice shirt, then when Mirka met me, she would look and go, ‘Errr, are you sure about this look?’

“Then, I started really getting into it. I was travelling more and going to different cities and meeting interesting people. The next thing you know, you look around yourself – maybe it’s in Milan, in New York, wherever – and you notice everyone is giving it a good effort.”

Read Also: Djokovic, Serena pay tribute to retiring Federer

Ever since, Federer’s sleek, sophisticated style off the court has matched his gentlemanly one-handed backhand and balletic volleys on it. Off-court, he loves a turtle neck; a smart, well-cut wool coat with the collar worn up; sweater draped over his shoulders; double-breasted suits. But he is also not afraid to mix it up with bomber, denim and leather jackets, gingham button-downs, colourful sneakers.

He has hands-on design involvement with Uniqlo, with whom he signed a $300 million, 10-year deal in 2018, ending his longstanding association with Nike. Federer approached the Japanese brand, famous for its comfortable, pleasing basics, and he collaborates closely with designer Christophe Lemaire, who is creative director at Uniqlo’s research and development centre in Paris; and he has certain edicts (no yellow). Comfort is his number one priority, closely followed by flair.

Separately, Federer has a footwear deal with the Swiss brand On, with his line rather amusingly – to British audiences at least – called The Roger Collection. His signature shoe, The Roger Pro, which began life with a 3D scan of his own foot, sold out when it launched last year. Meanwhile, the Roger Advantage model is Stan Smith levels of understated.

He has become an astute analyst of his personal style past, and that of his sport in general. He recognises, for instance, the long-gone days of the looser fit, and now actively embraces a sleeker silhouette on the court, telling GQ magazine: “Was I crazy to wear XL at 17? You want to think you’re big and buff. Now [players] look stronger and slimmer.”

He is proud of his innovative approach, including his striking all-black ensembles at the US Open, which gave the vibe of a racquet-wielding assassin during night sessions. Of his time with Nike – which he fought for more than two years for the return of the rights to the RF monogram – he told GQ magazine:

“We tried to push the envelope – sometimes a bit too much. But it was fine. These moments stay memorable, and I was willing to take chances. I’ve tried to bring a little bit of style into tennis.”

Sometimes he did go too far. At least, according to the Wimbledon officials who banned his orange-soled shoes in 2013, deeming them a breach of the strict all-white dress policy.

It’s not unfeasible that Federer will move into fashion full-time after his retirement.

• Culled from theguardian.com