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Ali Al-Nakhli of Saudi Arabia finished in sixth place in the Men’s 100m final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Friday afternoon.
The 22-year-old achieved two personal bests in the Olympic Stadium, first posting a time 11.57 seconds to qualify to the final, where he improved on that with run of 11.53 seconds.
Nick Mayhugh of the USA won the gold medal with run of 10.95 seconds, with Andrei Vdovin of the Russian Paralympic Committee finishing second and Saptoyoga Purnomo of Indonesia third.
FLORIDA: Ill Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe will not travel to Charlotte for the team’s Club World Cup match against Pachuca, a club source told AFP Saturday.
The French superstar was taken to hospital on Thursday for tests and treatment after suffering gastroenteritis, before later being released.
Mbappe is improving “bit by bit” said the club source, but he will not fly with his team-mates for Sunday’s match against Mexican side Pachuca.
The 26-year-old missed the opening game with the same illness as Madrid were held 1-1 by Al-Hilal in Xabi Alonso’s debut as coach.
Madrid B-team player Gonzalo Garcia, 21, started in Mbappe’s stead and opened the scoring for Real Madrid against their Saudi Arabian opponents.
Mbappe finished as the European Golden Shoe winner in his first season at Real Madrid with 31 goals in La Liga and 43 across all competitions, but Los Blancos finished the season without a major trophy.
BERLIN: Marketa Vondrousova brushed aside world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Berlin on Saturday to reach her first final since lifting the Wimbledon title two years ago.
The 25-year-old Czech, ranked 164 in the world rankings, dominated Sabalenka 6-2. 6-4, to set up a Sunday title clash with the winner of the other semifinal on the grass in Berlin between Wang Xinyu and Liudmila Samsonova.
Vondrousova plummeted down the rankings from sixth after missing several months with a left shoulder injury for which she underwent surgery last year.
“I didn’t play for a long time,” said Vondrousova, who was appearing in her first WTA semifinal since April last year.
“I’m just happy to be back healthy, and so grateful to play these matches.
“When I saw the field here, I was like, ‘OK, let’s just try to win the first round,’ and then, you
know, now this is happening.”
Sabalenka’s first serve let her down in the opening set, but the Belarusian fought back to start the second with a break.
Two games down Vondrousova levelled at 2-2, then broke to lead 5-4, wrapping up the win — her first ever over a world number one — but not before saving three consecutive break points, with an ace after one hour five minutes of play.
Sabalenka, 27, was losing only her first semifinal in eight last four appearances in 2025.
China’s Wang beat French Open champion Coco Gauff on Thursday then reached the semis after Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired having lost 6-1 in the first set.
Her opponent, Samsonova, continued her excellent form on the grass after seeing off defending champion Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and last weekend’s Queen’s finalist Amanda Anisimova this week.
LOS ANGELES: Youcef Belaïli scored in the 70th minute, goalkeeper Ben Said saved a penalty deep in second-half stoppage time and Esperance Sportive de Tunis defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 to keep their FIFA Club World Cup hopes alive in a dramatic contest Friday in Nashville, Tennessee
The victory takes ES Tunis (1-1-0, 3 points) level with Chelsea in Group D, after the English side lost 3-1 to Brazil’s Flamengo earlier on Friday.
Referee Espen Eskas awarded a very late spot kick following a video review, ruling Khalil Guenichi had felled Marlon in the area.
But Denis Bouanga drove his ensuing penalty kick into the dive of Ben Said, the final salvo in a result that eliminated LAFC (0-2-0, 0 points) from tournament contention.
The winner of ES Tunis’ meeting with Chelsea on Tuesday in Philadelphia will move on to the knockout phase, with Chelsea advancing on a draw based on superior goal differential.
The Tunisians also had an earlier penalty decision go against them 20 minutes before Belailis opener, when the Algerian attacker believed he had earned a spot kick after driving past Bouanga on the dribble.
But Eskas was summoned to the monitor, and after consulting replays, ruled Bouanga wasn’t guilty of a foul, and booked Belaili for simulation.
That failed to halt the match momentum for Tunis, however, who were superior for most of the encounter and didn’t allow LAFC to record a shot on target until second-half stoppage time.
They were eventually rewarded when Amine Ben Hamida made a marauding run from the left flank near the midfield stripe into the penalty area.
He was halted by an LAFC defender’s challenge. But Belaili was first to the loose ball, and he drove his finish low and hard through LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
It appeared LAFC’s fading tournament hopes would be given a lifeline after Eskas’ second pivotal penalty decision, with the Gabon international Bouanga stepping forward.
But Said dove to his left, and with Bouanga’s placement very poor, the Tunisian ‘keeper kicked the ball wide of danger with his trailing leg.
NAIROBI: Kenya’s football association confirmed Saturday it had suspended one of its referees over social media clips appearing to show the official harassing protesters in the capital.
Tensions have risen in the east African country ahead of the anniversary of last year’s massive Gen Z-led demonstrations, with small rallies breaking out in Nairobi this week.
Demonstrators were attacked by armed thugs known as “goons” during anti-police brutality protests in the city on Tuesday. The scenes, widely recorded and shared on social media, have provoked fury in Kenya.
Football Kenya Federation’s (FKF) county sub-branch chairman Bernard Omondi confirmed to AFP they had “launched an investigation” against one of their Nairobi-based referees.
The individual, who AFP is not naming but who adjudicates lower league matches, was investigated “after video footage, which was widely circulated on social media, identified his participation in the aggression against the protesting youth and the police on Tuesday,” Omondi said.
“He will not be allowed to referee any matches,” Omondi said, adding that he would appear before the body’s disciplinary committee.
“Further action will be taken against him after a hearing,” he added.
Kenyan football has long been mired in corruption and match-fixing scandals, with players and officials suspended over the years.
In 2021, the government disbanded the national football federation over corruption allegations and sought to prosecute its officials.
PARIS: Qatar Sports Investments, majority owner of UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, has signed an investment and strategic partnership agreement with Kevin Durant, one of the US’s most decorated basketball players and a leading investor in sports and entertainment properties.
The deal will see Durant, via his media and investment arm Boardroom with entrepreneur and long-time business partner Rich Kleiman, acquire a direct minority stake in the football club. The share purchase and strategic partnership agreement were signed earlier this week.
In August 2024, Durant — the two-time National Basketball Association champion, four-time Olympic gold medalist, Most Valued Player and 15-time NBA All-Star — partnered with Paris Saint-Germain through Arctos Partners, a minority shareholder in the club.
Durant said: “It is an honor to partner with QSI and be a shareholder in Paris Saint-Germain — a club and a city that is so close to my heart. This club has big plans ahead, and I can’t wait to be a part of the next phase of growth, and to explore new investment opportunities with QSI.”
As part of the relationship, Boardroom and Qatar Sports Investments will partner on a variety of commercial, investment and content initiatives. Durant will also support the club in its diversification and growth, including co-developing merchandise and original media content, advising on US and international market strategy, supporting PSG for Communities — the club’s charitable foundation and fundraising arm — and consulting on PSG’s multi-sport strategy including potential plans for basketball.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of QSI, said: “QSI is pleased to welcome Kevin Durant as a direct shareholder in Paris Saint-Germain and strategic partner of our group. We continually seek to elevate the club and our broader portfolio through high-impact partnerships that bring strategic value, innovation and global perspective. Together with Kevin, we look forward to developing ambitious initiatives that will drive the continued global growth of Paris Saint-Germain and QSI.”
