Olympics
What’s happening on Day 13 of Paris Games this Thursday?
The Olympics are in their home stretch with four days left at the Paris Games and more than 30 medals will be up for grabs on Thursday.
Medals will be awarded in athletics and sailing while finals will also be held in boxing, taekwondo, wrestling and track cycling.
Marathon swimming is set to get underway amid concerns over water pollution in the river Seine.
SPRINT DOUBLE FOR LYLES?
Newly-minted world’s fastest man Noah Lyles takes to the track again as he aims to complete the prestigious sprint double by adding the 200 metres title to his 100m victory last week.
If he succeeds, Lyles will be the first American to achieve the sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984.
In what could be a good night for the United States, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the hot favourite to win a 400m hurdles final that is also expected to be lightning fast.
A world record is not unlikely for the Olympic champion who has already broken her own record three times.
FORMER BOXING CHAMPS VIE FOR MEDALS
Two boxing golds are up for grabs, with France’s Billal Bennama facing 2016 champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the flyweight final and China’s Chang Yuan taking on Turkey’s Hatice Akbas in the women’s bantamweight.
Cindy Ngamba, who ensured a first-ever medal for the refugee Olympic team by reaching the women’s middleweight semi-finals, meets Panama’s former world champion Atheyna Bylon for the bronze.
EGYPT V MOROCCO FOR FOOTBALL BRONZE
Egypt and Morocco clash in Nantes for their countries’ first-ever podium finish in the men’s football tournament.
Egypt were close to knocking out hosts France but ultimately lost 3-1 in extra time, while Morocco fell 2-1 to Spain in the semi-finals.
JONES LOOKS FOR THIRD TAEKWONDO GOLD
Britain’s Jade Jones will seek a third gold medal in the women’s featherweight category, aiming to put away her dismal performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where she was beaten in her first bout by the then Refugee Team athlete Kimia Alizadeh.
Iran-born Alizadeh will compete again at these Olympics but under the Bulgarian flag and starts off with a first bout against her former roommate Nahid Kiyanichandeh.
China’s 2022 world champion Zongshi Luo is one to watch while men’s world champion Yushuai Liang will also aim for top spot on the podium and Ulugbek Rashitov, the first Uzbekistan athlete to win gold in taekwondo in Tokyo, is also a contender.
WRESTLING WIN STREAK ON THE LINE
In the women’s 53kg freestyle, Japan’s Akari Fujinami will look to extend her record 130-match win streak to claim her first Olympic gold.
Ukraine’s Zhan Beleniuk will be out to defend his title in the men’s 87kg Greco-Roman event, while Cuba’s Luis Orta will seek a second successive gold having moved up to the 67kg from 60 in Tokyo.
FINUCANE SEEKS SECOND TRACK CYCLING MEDAL
Action continues in the velodrome with Britain’s Emma Finucane one of the favourites to win the women’s keirin after already picking up a gold in the team sprint.
CARRINGTON IN HUNT FOR SEVENTH MEDAL
The first medals in the sprint disciplines are up for grabs and Lisa Carrington, New Zealand’s most successful Olympian, will look to add to her impressive haul of five golds and a bronze when she takes part in the women’s kayak four 500m final.
VARFOLOMEEV UNDER PRESSURE IN RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev, ranked the top rhythmic gymnast in the world, will compete with nine others to qualify for Friday’s individual all-around final.
She faces stiff competition from gymnasts from Bulgaria and Italy, which have typically been successful at the Olympics.
Varfolomeev is under pressure to deliver as Germany have not medalled at rhythmic gymnastics since the sport’s Olympic debut in 1984.
ANOTHER CLIMBING RECORD?
American Sam Watson will be looking to repeat his world record-setting run up the 15-metre wall in the speed climbing final.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Morocco’s senior women’s national team will on Wednesday learn their opponents and qualification pathway to the football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games when the Confederation of African Football stages the official draw in Cairo.
The draw, billed for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, marks the starting point of Africa’s qualifying campaign, with 35 nations set to battle for just two coveted Olympic slots.
For Morocco, the exercise represents another significant step in the country’s rapidly rising profile in women’s football. The Atlas Lionesses, who have emerged as one of Africa’s most improved sides in recent years, will be aiming to secure a historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
The North Africans will face stiff competition from traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana, alongside other ambitious sides including Zambia and Senegal.
Also in the race are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
CAF confirmed that the qualifiers will unfold across five rounds, with the field gradually trimmed down until only two teams remain to represent Africa at the Olympics in the United States from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Morocco are expected to be among the seeded teams for the early rounds, a reflection of their recent performances on the continental stage, including their strong showing at recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Wednesday’s draw in Cairo will therefore be crucial in determining Morocco’s early matchups and the potential obstacles on their path, as they seek to translate recent progress into a maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
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