PARIS: Refugee Paralympic Team triathlete Ibrahim Al Hussein said Monday he had come to “give a message of hope” after taking part in his third Paralympic Games.
Born in Syria, Al Hussein fled the civil war in his homeland, first seeking refuge in Turkiye before settling in Greece in 2014.
But prior to his managing to flee Syria, the future Paralympian was injured during the war and lost his right foot as well as the joint of his left foot in 2012.
“I came to give a message to everyone, a message of hope,” said Al Hussein after completing his race at the Paris Paralympics.
“Everyone, from where we are in the world, is going through a difficult time. Everyone can reach their destination.
“With serious work, with hard work, everyone can achieve their goal. It’s not just the athletes. Everyone can achieve their goal.”
Al Hussein overcame the hardships of war, injury and displacement to participate in para-swimming at Rio 2016 and then at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Now in his third Paralympics, the 35-year-old competed in the triathlon, finishing sixth in the men’s PTS3 race — the category for athletes with significant disabilities.
“I am very happy. It was a very good result for me.It was my goal to be in the top six,” said Al Hussein after recording a time of 1hr 12min 34sec.
“I want to thank the International Paralympic Committee for giving me this opportunity,” he added.
“And I want to thank the UN Refugee Agency for believing in me.”
Refugee Paralympian Al Hussein brings ‘message of hope’
https://arab.news/pzxh5
Refugee Paralympian Al Hussein brings ‘message of hope’
- Born in Syria, Al Hussein fled the civil war in his homeland, first seeking refuge in Turkiye before settling in Greece in 2014
- The future Paralympian was injured during the war and lost his right foot as well as the joint of his left foot in 2012
Leverkusen’s Boniface sidelined with leg injury
Nigerian media reported Boniface could miss the remainder of 2024 but Alonso was optimistic the striker would be back soon
BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface is set to miss “a few games” after returning from international duty with a leg injury, coach Xabi Alonso said Friday.
“He’s got a small injury in his thigh muscle, it’s a shame,” Alonso told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Heidenheim.
Nigerian media reported Boniface could miss the remainder of 2024 but Alonso was optimistic the striker would be back soon.
“He won’t be there tomorrow or against Salzburg (Champions League).
“We hope he will play again this year. We have to wait and see, but it’s not going to be six or eight weeks.”
Forward Patrik Schick, who has started just twice in the league this season, is expected to step up in the Nigerian’s absence.
“He is always ready — we don’t just need him now, but always.”
The defending champions, who did not lose a game in Germany last year on the way to an unbeaten league and cup double, have stuttered this season.
Leverkusen are currently in fourth, nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. Alonso’s men have dropped 13 points so far this season, one more than the 12 they leaked in the entirety of the last campaign.
Boniface is Leverkusen’s highest scorer in the league, with six goals and an assist in 10 games.
Wagner puts on a late show as Magic stun Lakers
- Wagner, 23, finished with 37 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead the Magic scoring
- San Antonio Spurs improved to 8-8 for the season after scrapping to a 126-118 win over the Utah Jazz
LOS ANGELES: German international Franz Wagner drained a three-pointer with three seconds remaining as the Orlando Magic ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ unbeaten home record with a dramatic 119-118 victory on Thursday.
Rising star Wagner took full advantage of wayward Lakers shooting from the free throw line in the closing seconds of a see-saw battle at the Crypto.Com Arena to give Orlando a hard-fought win.
Wagner, 23, finished with 37 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead the Magic scoring, with older brother Moritz adding 19 from the bench and Jalen Suggs scoring 23.
The in-form Lakers, who had gone into Thursday’s encounter on a six-game unbeaten streak, were left ruing some wasteful shooting from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, where they made just three of nine attempts.
The Lakers had looked poised to close out the win after opening up a four-point lead with 27 seconds remaining at 118-114.
But Franz Wagner closed the gap to 118-116 with a driving layup, and then Anthony Davis missed two free throws to give Orlando a glimmer of hope with 19 seconds remaining.
Wagner then punished the Lakers profligacy, coolly knocking down a step-back three from 26 feet to give Orlando what turned out to be the winning lead.
Davis led the Lakers scorers with 39 points while LeBron James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Rookie Dalton Knecht added 17 points.
Orlando improved to 10-7 while the Lakers slipped to 10-5 and are now fourth in the Western Conference.
In other games, the San Antonio Spurs improved to 8-8 for the season after scrapping to a 126-118 win over the Utah Jazz.
Utah had seemed poised to claim only their fourth victory of the season after surging into a 20-point lead in the second quarter against a Spurs side missing the injured Victor Wembanyama.
But San Antonio erupted for 75 points after half-time to outscore Utah by 24 points and snatch victory.
Harrison Barnes led San Antonio’s scoring with 25 points and 10 rebounds while rookie Stephon Castle and Zach Collins added 18 points each on a night when eight Spurs players finished in double figures.
Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points for Utah, who slipped to their fourth straight defeat.
In Charlotte, Brandon Miller produced a flurry of scoring in overtime to finish with a career-high 38 points as the Hornets defeated the Detroit Pistons 123-121.
Miller rattled in eight overtime points to help Charlotte claim a win which improves their season record to 6-9.
The Toronto Raptors (4-12) upset the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 110-105.
Egypt’s El Dafrawy riding momentum into PFL MENA
- The 29-year-old will face Kuwait’s Mohammad Alaqraa on Nov. 29 for the Welterweight title honors
RIYADH: Egyptian Welterweight standout Omar El Dafrawy is heading into the first PFL MENA Championships in Riyadh on Nov. 29 with plenty of momentum.
The 29-year old comes in off the biggest win of his career, a stunning upset victory over title favorite and Middle Eastern MMA icon Jarrah Al-Selawe at the PFL MENA Playoffs back in September.
Now he is set to meet a familiar foe in Kuwait’s Mohammad Alaqraa, this time for the inaugural PFL MENA Welterweight Championship.
Apart from a spot in the championship bout, the win over Al-Selawe has given El Dafrawy a massive confidence boost, one he will need when he steps inside the SmartCage to face the undefeated Alaqraa.
“I don’t fear any fighter, whether it’s Alaqraa or anyone else,” El Dafrawy said. “I’ve defeated the best fighter in the Middle East in just three minutes, so stepping inside the SmartCage is something I’m completely used to.”
While that may sound somewhat arrogant, El Dafrawy maintains none of that stems from his huge win over two-division champion Al-Selawe.
“There’s no arrogance after beating Jarrah, who was a top contender for the title,” he said. “I’m a fighter who strictly follows the game plan set by my coaching staff, that’s how I beat Jarrah.”
While Alaqraa was victorious in their first meeting back in 2023, El Dafrawy claims it will be a different result second time around.
“I am a completely different fighter from the one Alaqraa faced in our first bout,” he said. “Back then, I wasn’t mentally ready and was going through some difficult personal circumstances. Now, the situation is entirely different, and I’m ready to give my best in the finals. I hope Alaqraa does the same.”
With a championship on the line and a possible pathway into the PFL’s million-dollar global tournament, the stakes are definitely higher in this matchup.
“Alaqraa doesn’t know who he’ll be facing on Nov. 29. I’ve become a completely different fighter with many surprises. No matter how much he studies my previous fights, he won’t be able to predict what I’ll do,” El Dafrawy added.
“He’ll see for himself in the cage.”
The complete PFL MENA Championships fight card:
PFL MENA Featherweight Championship: Abdelrahman Alhyasat (5-0) vs. Abdullah Al-Qahtani (9-2)
PFL MENA Welterweight Championship: Mohammad Alaqraa (7-0) vs. Omar El Dafrawy (12-6)
Amateur Women’s Atomweight Bout: Hattan Alsaif vs. Lilia Osmani
PFL MENA Bantamweight Championship: Ali Taleb (11-1) vs. Rachid El Hazoume (15-3)
PFL MENA Lightweight Championship: Mohsen Mohammadseifi (6-1) vs. Georges Eid (10-4)
Showcase Fights:
Lightweight MENA Showcase: Mansour Barnaoui (21-6) vs. Alfie Davis (17-4-1)
Heavyweight MENA Showcase: Slim Trabelsi (7-0) vs. Abraham Bably (5-0)
Featherweight Global Showcase: Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (19-4)
Featherweight Global Showcase: Asael Adjoudj (8-1) vs. Jose Perez (9-1)
Middleweight Global Showcase: Costello van Steenis (15-3) vs. Joao Dantas (7-1)
Michael Thorbjornsen and Maverick McNealy share lead in PGA Tour finale
- The RSM Classic is the final tournament of the year, and the focus is on the top 125 — this is the final year the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings earn card
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Georgia: Michael Thorbjornsen is over his knee surgery and shed the brace in time to post an 8-under 64 on the Plantation course Thursday and share the lead to par with fellow Stanford alum Maverick McNealy at the season-ending RSM Classic on the PGA Tour.
McNealy had an 8-under 62 on the Seaside course at Sea Island, which was more exposed to the chilly wind that ripped through the Golden Isles.
Thorbjornsen wasn’t the most prominent player with knee issues and a brace. Ludvig Aberg, the No. 5 player in the world, had not competed since the Tour Championship, taking time off for meniscus surgery and returning to the site where he tied the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record.
That record appears safe, at least from him. Aberg’s flawless swing looked strong as ever. It was the short game — chipping and putting — that held him back in his round of 73 at Seaside.
“It was hard. Obviously, it was a rough day,” Aberg said. “It was a lot of rust I felt like, but I also felt like the good was pretty good but the bad was really bad. A little bit of everything today, but all in all, pretty happy to be back playing golf again.”
Ditto for Thorbjornsen, who earned a card as the top-ranked player in PGA Tour University. He was going along well until he felt a pop in his knee while getting ready for the Black Desert Championship in Utah in early October.
He thought he could walk it off until he could hardly walk at all. It turned out to be sprained ligaments in his left knee, which required time off instead of surgery. He returned without missing a step, thankful to no longer be wearing a thick brace.
“It’s actually kind of funny, I was practicing with Ludvig a little bit back in Sawgrass and we both had like matching left knee braces,” Thorbjornsen said. “It was a little embarrassing. I think this is my third day playing without the brace on, so it feels good.”
The RSM Classic is the final tournament of the year, and the focus is on the top 125 — this is the final year the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings earn cards.
The PGA Tour put together Zac Blair (No. 123), Joel Dahmen (No. 124) and Wesley Bryan (No. 125). Bryan had a 70 on the Plantation, Dahmen damaged his hopes with a 73 and Blair came in with a 72.
The other key number is to finish between No. 51 and No. 60 in the FedEx Cup, which would earn spots in $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera early next year.
McNealy has done enough to secure those spots. He was more interested in how swing changes are taking effect, and he had some impressive moments. McNealy chipped in from behind the 15th green for eagle. What got his attention were two shots that led to par considering the strong wind on the exposed Seaside course.
He started on No. 10, which during practice was a driver over the bunkers and a sand wedge to the green. With the wind, he couldn’t cover the bunkers and was left a 5-iron to the green.
“Just had to hit two great shots in the middle of the green,” he said.
On his closing hole, the ninth, he faced a hard wind off the right.
“I just steepened left and was able to hit the window (of his target) and spin that ball a little bit left-to-right to hold the wind, and that’s a shot I wasn’t very comfortable with six months ago,” McNealy said.
Andrew Novak, coming off a runner-up finish in Bermuda, had a 7-under 65 on Plantation. Given his location a week ago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where gusts came close to 50 mph, he felt Sea Island was a breeze.
“Today wasn’t as windy as Bermuda and I felt like I could get after some putts and got some to go in,” Novak said.
Arsenal, Man City and Bayern advance to Women’s Champions League quarterfinals
- Arsenal, Bayern and City join Chelsea, Lyon and Real Madrid in the quarterfinals
- Two-time defending champions Barcelona routed Austrian champion St. Polten 4-1
LONDON: Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all advanced to the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with with two games to spare on Thursday.
Late substitute Lina Hurtig scored the winner in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Juventus in London.
Khadija Shaw scored twice for City in a 2-1 win at Swedish club Hammarby. City stayed perfect in Group D with four victories and reached the last eight for the first time since 2021.
Bayern Munich was held 1-1 at Vålerenga in Norway and still earned a quarterfinal berth after Juventus’ loss.
Arsenal, Bayern and City join Chelsea, Lyon and Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
Two-time defending champions Barcelona routed Austrian champion St. Polten 4-1. The Catalan club trails City by three points in their group and is in a strong position to advance.
Bayern tops Group C with 10 points, Arsenal has nine followed by Juventus (3) and Vålerenga (1).
Back to winning
Man City responded to their first loss of the season, 2-0 at Chelsea in the Women’s Super League on Saturday.
Still without injured star Vivianne Miedema, Shaw took charge, proving her scoring instincts after half an hour.
The forward scored from inside the penalty area with a deflected shot that flew over goalkeeper Anna Tamminen to frustrate more than 20,000 noisy fans at the Stockholm Arena in the Swedish capital.
Ellen Wangerheim equalized soon after the interval from close range to rejuvenate the crowd but Shaw struck again to restore the lead just minutes later.
This time, she delivered a powerful right-footed finish from the edge of the area.
Bayern and Harder contained
Bayern dominated possession but could not translate it into goals until the 75th minute. It had to rely on substitute Jovana Damnjanovic, who gave the visitors a late lead after connecting on a pass from Giulia Gwinn.
The Norwegians, who have retained their domestic title, equalized in the 88th on Elize Thorsnes’ header following a corner.
Pernille Harder, who found the back of the net five times for Bayern in the previous three games, could not do it again on Thursday and was substituted.
Hurtig’s night
Hurtig came on with 10 minutes remaining and made her presence immediately felt with several headers.
She finally made the breakthrough with a minute remaining in regulation, tapping in from close range after Juventus’ poor clearance of a low cross by Stina Blackstenius.
Hurtig won the Italian title with Juventus in 2021 and 2022 before joining the Gunners.
Juventus seemed to learn a lesson from its 4-0 loss to Arsenal last week as its defense held firm till Hurtig’s arrival.
Putellas scores her 200th Barcelona goal
In an 11-minute span in the first half, Francisca Nazareth netted twice and 18-year-old Vicky Lopez scored once to put Barcelona in control.
Nazareth’s double was followed by Lopez hitting the third with a shot high into the net for her first Champions League goal.
Alexia Putellas made it 4-0 in the second half, finishing a fast attack that tore apart the defense in Vienna. It was her 200th goal for Barcelona and the 100th the club scored in the Champions League’s group stage.
Valentina Madl, an 18-year-old forward, netted a consolation goal for the hosts.
Barcelona have scored 20 goals in its past three games and can still become the first club to win its group in all four years since the introduction of the format.
