Manchester United is set to step up their bid to prise Wayne Rooney away from Everton after booking their place in the Champions League proper. A 3-0 win over Dynamo Bucharest in Manchester on Wednesday put Alex Ferguson’s side into the money-spinning group stage of the tournament, guaranteeing a £15-million windfall.
Injuries to a number of Bafana Bafana players for their 2006 World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has almost turned head coach Stuart Baxter into an ambulance man. ”I was running around nursing injuries,” said Baxter on Thursday before announcing his 17-member squad.
Roland Schoeman, the most decorated Olympian in South African history, cleared the air regarding the controversy that has rocked South African swimming after he and his teammates won the gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Schoeman, Ryk Neethling and Lyndon Ferns addressed a media conference on Thursday.
Swimmers ‘must leave if they want to’
Tiny Stephanie Sandler is the baby in the South African Olympic team. On Thursday she performed her heart out in rhythmic gymnastics to finish 23rd in the hoops and ball disciplines and ended with a flurry of confidence that bodes well for when she competes in the baton and ribbon events on Friday.
Special Report: Olympics 2004
South African canoeist Alan van Coller bowed out of the Athens Olympics 500m K1 in a titanic semifinal in which he finished fourth. The 36-year-old from Bryanston, who is a hero and role model to thousands of paddlers, drove himself to his physical limits in the effort to secure a top-three finish and a place in the final.
Special Report: Olympics 2004
Alwyn Myburgh — the pick of the South African 400m hurdles crop after a nail-biting semifinal on Tuesday night — failed to win any medals in the final on Thursday night. Felix Sanchez redeemed himself on Thursday to win the event — giving the Dominican Republic their first-ever athletics Olympic gold medal.
Special Report: Olympics 2004
Sundowns were fortunate to gain maximum points when they beat Santos 2-0 in a Castle Premier League game played at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday night. Two glaring mistakes by rookie Santos goalkeeper Ryan Wuest cost Santos dearly. The first goal came in the 42nd minute.
About 2 000 ecstatic Zimbabweans rolled out a red-carpet welcome to swimmer Kirsty Coventry, the country’s first-ever triple Olympic medal winner. At a reception party held in Coventry’s honour, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe gave her 000 (United States dollars) for her achievement.
The Olympic women’s hockey tournament ended on a high note for the weary South African team. They beat sixth-ranked Spain 4-3 after extra time in a play-off for last place in the final game of the tournament. ”I am going to have a beer now and spend some time on the beach with the girls,” said relieved coach Ros Howell.
Wearing a reminder of his painful failure four years ago, Felix Sanchez redeemed himself on Thursday to win the Olympic gold medal in the 400m hurdles. Three days after capturing the 800m Olympic medal, Kelly Holmes of Britain kept alive her hopes of a rare double when she cruised into the final of the 1 500m.