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Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Taekwondo boss applauds Anyanacho for securing place

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Stella Ebikefe, the Chairperson of Nigeria Police Taekwondo (NPT) has expressed delight with Elizabeth Anyanacho for becoming the second ever female Nigerian to secure a place in Taekwondo at the Olympics.

The first ever female Nigerian to secure a place in Taekwondo at the Olympic was Princess Dudu at the Athens Games in 2004.

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Anyanacho, 20, qualified for the global multi-sport event by overcoming Gabonese and former African champion Urgence Mouega 12-5 in the -67kg class at the just-concluded Olympics Qualifier in Rabat, Morocco.

Her compatriots Benjamin Okuomose, Chinazum Nwosu and Ifeoluwa Ajayi failed to clinch an Olympic ticket.

Ebikefe said she was proud of Anyanacho for clinching a gold medal in the just-concluded African Qualifications for Tokyo 2020 held in Rabat.

“A big congratulation to Anyanacho, second ever female taekwondo Olympian for representing us well in the tournament. It was a good outing for Nigeria because we have qualified for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“In fact I am very happy and impressed with Anyanacho’s performance. It is a great achievement to us as women, taekwondo family and our great nation, Nigeria.

“To me, she has distinguished herself, having broken a 16-year jinx of Nigerian female Taekwondoists not able to qualify for the Olympics since 2004. It’s a wonderful performance, kudos Anyanacho,” she said.

Ebikefe, a Chief Superintendent of Police, described the nation’s qualifications for the summer Olympics as a milestone achievement, saying it showed that the country’s taekwondo was coming up.

She also commended other athletes in the team, saying that they all performed creditably as their individual performances placed Nigeria fourth among the 10 countries that qualified for the games in Rabat.

“This achievement is something we have been longing for in every Olympic year after 2004 and thank God for a dream come through. Nigeria taekwondo has proved that it’s a sport to reckon with.

“Nigeria won gold and two bronze medal tickets out of the four athletes in the team that represented us in the tournament. They all did well,’’ she said.

She advised Anyanacho who is also the current national taekwondo champion and 2019 African Games medallist to remain focused in her quest to make the nation proud in Tokyo.

“The taekwondo star who is presently a 300-level student of Statistics at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, needs all the encouragement, prayers and support from all,’’ Ebikefe said.

NAN reports that Chinazum Nwosu, Benjamin Okuomose, Elizabeth Anyanacho and Ifeoluwa Ajayi made team Nigeria for the African Qualifications held from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 in Rabat, Morocco in which 63 countries participated.

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Transfer: Gabriel Jesus Could Leave Arsenal as Napoli Show Interest

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Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus could leave the club this summer, with Italian side Napoli reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian forward.

According to Sky Italia, Napoli’s new manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is a long-term admirer of Jesus and is keen to explore the possibility of bringing him to Serie A.

Jesus and Allegri share the same agent, Giovanni Branchini, who was reportedly spotted at Napoli’s pre-season training camp in Castel di Sangro on Friday.

A meeting could reportedly take place to discuss a potential move for the Arsenal forward.

Napoli’s interest could depend on their ability to offload one of their existing strikers. The club would reportedly need to find new destinations for Lorenzo Lucca, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, or Romelu Lukaku before making a move for Jesus.

Arsenal are reportedly willing to consider offers of around £18 million for the 29-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners.

Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 and could now be heading for a new challenge in Italy if Napoli’s interest develops into a formal transfer.

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Transfer: Liverpool Agree Loan Deal for Barcelona Defender Araujo

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Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Uruguay international Ronald Araujo on loan.

According to Sky Sports, the deal could be completed this weekend, with the 27-year-old defender set to move to Anfield on a straight loan arrangement.

Araujo renewed his Barcelona contract last year, extending his stay at the Catalan club until 2031.

However, the defender endured a difficult campaign last season and was subsequently granted an extended leave of absence from the team.

The proposed move to Liverpool would give Araujo an opportunity to revive his career in a new league and country.

The Uruguay international joined Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 before making his first-team breakthrough a year later.

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LaLiga: Mourinho Introduces Four New Rules at Real Madrid

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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly introduced a series of new rules at the club after identifying what he considered bad habits within the dressing room.

Mourinho returned to the Spanish giants for a second spell this summer and has already begun implementing changes to improve discipline and professionalism within the squad, according to AS.

One of the new measures concerns players’ diets. The Portuguese manager has reportedly ended the freedom for players to eat whatever they choose, with the club’s nutritionist now responsible for overseeing their meals.

Under the new system, menus will be carefully structured and determined according to the nutritional needs of the players.

Mourinho has also introduced a disciplinary measure for players who arrive late to training. Such players will reportedly be required to undergo individual gym sessions.

Another rule concerns injury rehabilitation. Players recovering from injuries will now be expected to complete their rehabilitation at the club’s training ground under the supervision of Real Madrid’s medical and fitness staff rather than working independently with external personnel.

The changes are part of Mourinho’s reported efforts to establish greater discipline and control within the Real Madrid squad following his return to the club.

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