American star gymnast, Simone Biles Owens, has won her first competition, two years after a difficult run at the Tokyo Olympics.

The athlete faced several difficulties at the 2021 competition including “twisties”, a condition which makes gymnasts lose orientation mid-air.

She also revealed she had been dealing with mental health issues during the period after losing a family member.

Biles withdrew from several events at the games citing concerns for her mental health and physical safety. She however won third place at the beam finals in the competition.

The Olympian made her return on Saturday night at the U.S Classics and thrilled the crowd with her winning performance.

She participated on the uneven bars in which she scored 14.0, her lowest in the game. She also landed 14.8 and 14.9 points for her beam and floor exercises routines respectively. Her vault routine earned her 15.4 points and 59.1 points in total for the competition.

Biles placed first at the competition which was held in Chicago. She was followed by Leanne Wong, who scored 54.1 points in total. The win qualifies Biles to compete at the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships which will take place at California, later in August.

The gymnast recently tied the knot with American footballer, Jonathan Owens in April

A thrilling last-16 encounter between England and Nigeria awaits football fans at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium during the ongoing Women’s World Cup.

The two countries remain unbeaten so far at the women’s football showpiece in Australia and New Zealand.

Randy Waldrum’s side finished second in Group B with five points behind co-hosts Australia, while England are winners of Group D after winning all their three games.

The winners of the highly anticipated clash in Brisbane on Monday will book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Nigeria crashed out of the last edition of the Women’s World Cup in France after they lost 3-0 to Germany at the same stage of the competition four years ago and will hope to do better this time.

Meanwhile, England claimed a fourth-place finish after losing their third-place match against Sweden.

While the 11-time African champions will hope to improve on their best World Cup performance where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 1999, England are aiming to win the competition for the first time, having reached the quarter-finals three times and the semi-finals twice.

The highly anticipated clash is expected to feature key battles across the pitch.

In the spotlight will be the goalkeepers, England’s Mary Earps and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, who have impressively kept four clean sheets in their six combined appearances at the 2023 tournament. Meanwhile, the attacking prowess of players like Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala, a two-time Champions League winner, and the in-form Lauren James will be under scrutiny as they aim to score crucial goals for their respective teams.

For the Super Falcons, securing a victory will hinge on star striker Asisat Oshoala breaking her record of never scoring more than once in a World Cup. The five-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year, known for her goal-scoring prowess, seeks to shine on the world stage once more after her heroics in Europe with Barcelona. Despite her country’s goalless draws with Canada and the Republic of Ireland in the group stage, Oshoala’s third goal against co-hosts Australia showcased her scoring ability at the World Cup finals.

England’s solid defense, which has conceded just one goal in open play since winning the Euro 2022 final, will present a challenging obstacle for Oshoala and the Falcons.

Nnadozie, Nigeria’s 22-year-old goalkeeper, stands as the youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup since her remarkable feat in 2019. The Paris FC goalkeeper’s leadership and impressive save against Canadian legend Christine Sinclair in Nigeria’s opening match earned her high praise from coach Waldrum.

“Chiamaka has done this before and I will say this and I will embarrass her in front of you all, but I think she’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now,” he said.

In light of the formidable opponents, Waldrum assured that the Super Falcons are strategizing and devising a game plan to counter England’s strengths effectively.

“They are all extremely talented players, so we are going to come up with a game plan to make sure we can change the way, we saw how China played.

“The one big difference us and China is that they don’t have the speed and athleticism and our strength,” he said.

The Lionesses won their first meeting with Nigeria, Karen Farley striking twice in a 3-2 victory in the final group game at the 1995 World Cup.

Since then, however, the Super Falcons have emerged victorious in each of the two friendly fixtures between the nations.

They triumphed 3-0 in a friendly against Hope Powell’s England in Reading in April 2004 and were 1-0 winners when the teams met in Norwich in July 2002, Florence Omagbemi’s goal settling matters.

A 6-1 thrashing of China coupled with the early elimination of Germany and Brazil has Lionesses fans wondering if it really is coming home again this summer.

While the 1-0 wins over Haiti and Denmark in the opening two games were unconvincing, the emergence of Lauren James and a new formation has England fans in far higher spirits as they head into the do-or-die moment of the tournament.

The Super Falcons, unbeaten thus far, are poised to match or exceed their strongest-ever World Cup finish, targeting a coveted place in the quarter-finals. Football enthusiasts eagerly await the spectacle of this high-stakes clash in Brisbane, as both teams fight for glory on the world
stage.

The Netherlands secured a spot in the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals by ending South Africa’s historic run with a 2-0 win in Sydney on Sunday, ahead of a blockbuster last-16 showdown between holders the United States and Sweden.

The Dutch, runners-up in 2019, will now face Spain in the last eight but they suffered some anxious moments in front of 40,000 fans in Sydney and had goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to thank for making several important saves in the first half.

Jill Roord scored after nine minutes to put the Dutch on their way against a team that sits 45 places below them in the world rankings and was featured in the knockout rounds for the first time.

South Africa goalkeeper Kaylin Swart then made a mess of an innocuous Lineth Beerensteyn shot midway through the second half to gift the Dutch a second.

The African champions will be kicking themselves after having numerous chances in the opening 45 minutes, almost all of them falling to their livewire captain Thembi Kgatlana.

Midfielder Roord nodded in the opener from close range following a corner for her fourth goal of the tournament.

The Netherlands then stood firm before adding their second goal on 68 minutes when Swart’s blunder let Beerensteyn’s tame effort slip through her hands.

“Daphne saved us a few times and I was happy to lead 1-0 at half-time,” said Dutch coach Andries Jonker.

“We did much better in the second half and had much more control of the game.

“We deserved to score again and in the end deserved to win.”

His team will now return to New Zealand for Friday’s last-eight game in Wellington against Spain, who outclassed Switzerland 5-1 on Saturday.

South Africa coach Desiree Ellis was proud but felt her side should have won.

“We had a lot of chances, especially in the first half, to kill off the game,” she said.

“The chances we created should have put us out of sight.”

Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum believes knocking European champions England out of the Women’s World Cup would be “transformational” for the sport in the country as the sides prepare to meet in the last 16 on Monday.

The Super Falcons have appeared at every Women’s World Cup going back to the inaugural edition in 1991 but their build-up to this year’s tournament was overshadowed by a row with their national federation over bonuses.

They had even threatened to boycott their opening game but put that behind them to draw with Olympic champions Canada and then beat co-hosts Australia.

A draw with the Republic of Ireland then ensured that they qualified for the last 16 at the expense of Canada and set up a clash with strongly-fancied England in Brisbane.

“It would be a huge win, obviously,” Waldrum said Sunday when asked about what knocking out England would signify.

“Already with what we have accomplished Nigeria is buzzing again, from what I understand.

“I don’t think people expected us to get out of the group and to get the results we have got, so I think it has already been a big success.

“But obviously if you can not only beat the Olympic gold medallists but turn around and beat the European champions then it would be something extremely special back home for all the people in Nigeria, and more importantly for this squad, for what they have worked so hard to do.

“So it certainly could be transformational in a lot of different ways.”

It is the third time that Nigeria have made it out of their group at the World Cup but they have never won a knockout tie. 

Waldrum confirmed that star striker Asisat Oshoala is “fit and healthy” and said fellow forward Desire Oparanozie could feature for the first time since picking up an injury before the tournament.

He also said he was preparing his team to face an England side with, or without, Keira Walsh after the star midfielder missed the Lionesses’ last group game with a knee injury.

Walsh trained with the squad on Sunday for the first time since being stretchered off in England’s 1-0 win over Denmark in their second group game.

But England coach Sarina Wiegman could opt to stick with the three-woman defence which helped them outclass China 6-1 without Walsh, or revert to a back four.

“We have to prepare for both,” Waldrum said of the different tactical possibilities.

“As a coach, I would expect her to go with a back three because they played ever so well in the last match with that and I don’t know why she would change.”

Of Walsh, he added: “Obviously she is a key player in their midfield for them.”

“But England also has so many weapons. You go down the list and you look at their players and all of them play in a high-profile setting so there are certainly more that can do damage to us than just her.

“They have given us a lot of challenges to prepare for and that will be just another one if she comes in.”

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses have been told what they need to do to make it past Nigeria in the round of 16, and Fara Williams insists World Cup triumph is achievable Down Under

England legend Fara Williams highlighted two Nigeria stars the Lionesses need to be wary of as she tipped them for Women’s World Cup glory.

Sarina Wiegman’s side cruised through to the knockout stages of the tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with a 6-1 victory over China on Tuesday (August 1) to make it three wins from three.

That’s set up a round-of-16 clash with Group B runners-up Nigeria, who themselves have drawn 0-0 twice and won once. England are therefore heavy favourites to progress.

But Williams, the Lionesses’ highest-capped play with 172 international appearances, knows there’s work to be done to make that happen come next Monday (August 7).

She said: “Nigeria have had a great start to the tournament, their performance against Australia was a standout for me. Toni Payne in midfield is a talent and Asisat Oshoala from Barcelona, everybody knows how good she is.

“Nigeria do sit in like China did, so we need to attack the game the same way we did, defensively we need to be mindful that they pose more threat than China did. They’re physically strong, in a similar way to Haiti were in our first match.”

Despite winning the Euros last years, expectations haven’t been all that high for England. Two 1-0 wins against Haiti and Denmark failed to convince.

After watching them demolish China, however, Williams reckons they have enough to reach their first-ever World Cup final and triumph over whoever they face.

Nigeria 200m record holder, indoors and out, Favour Ofili and triple jump queen, Ruth Usoro will be in action this weekend at the 2023 Ed Murphey Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Ofili has not raced since June 8 when she ran 22.93 to finish fifth in the semifinals of the 200m event at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships held in Austin, Texas.

The pretty, 20 year old missed the Nigerian track and field championships early last month but looks to be included in Team Nigeria’s contingent to the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary later this month.

Ofili will thus be using the 2023 Ed Murphey Classic to gauge her preparedness for her third trip to World Athletics’ flagship event and will be seeking to go a step further than her semifinal finishes in 2019 (400m) and 2022 (200m).

She holds a 22.58 personal season’s best but knows she will need to break 22 seconds like she did in April last year.

Also back in action after her first Nigeria long jump title triumph early last month is Usoro who is also returning to the world outdoor stage to make history as the third Nigerian to win a long jump medal.

The last time the 25 year old made the trip to the World Championships, she finished 11th in the final classification.

Usoro holds a 6.82m personal season’s best but will have to become the fourth Nigerian to hit the 7m mark before she can be in contention for a place at the podium.

Also listed to compete at the meeting are 400m runner, Chidi Okezie who seems to have recovered from the injury he copped at the Lagos Athletics series and two-time Nigeria 100m king, OGHO-oghene Egwero.

First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu was a key inspirational figure as the Super Falcons rounded off their preparations for Monday’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash with England.

The former Enyimba FC supremo stayed all through the training session at the Perry Park pitch and expressed confidence in the nine-time African champions to overpower the Three Lionesses at Monday evening’s shootout at Lang Park.

“I am very impressed with the form the team has shown so far, and what I have seen at today’s training sessions. We have a strong squad capable of doing the business and we are backing them to go all the way.

“They were exceptional in the group stage, finishing without losing a single match, which in itself is a record for an African team. The clash with England is an opportunity for the Super Falcons to continue their groundbreaking feats at the FIFA World Cup.”

Anyansi-Agwu drummed support for the ladies while praising the efforts of the Nigeria High Commission in Australia and the Nigeria community in mobilising Nigerians to come and support the Falcons at the Lang Park in previous games.

“Our High Commission officials have been super-committed to the noble project of supporting our ladies here, and they did a marvelous job in all the three matches of the group phase, from the first match against Canada in Melbourne. The High Commissioner, Ambassador Anderson Madubike and his top officials have been amazing. So also, have been the leaders of the Nigerian community.

“I want to encourage them to do even more as we get set to play the Round of 16 match. It is a big match and we need all the support.”

Penalty shootout triumph follows Leandro Trossard’s late, deflected strike for first trophy of season

How Arsenal turned this Community Shield  around, we may never know.

Behind in the tenth minute of injury time, they nonetheless forced penalties, won the shootout, and lifted silverware for the first time since 2020. Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola’s once-apprentice, had the better of his master once Kevin De Bruyne had smacked the bar and Rodri trickled the ball tamely against Aaron Ramsdale.

For once at Wembley, it was those dressed in sky blue teeming out of a Wembley final first, while Arsenal’s fanbase stayed for a hearty rendition of ‘Rocking All Over the World’ — and, of course, the trophy lift.

What a bizarre end to a bizarre game. In the throes of a final attack late, late in stoppage time, with Arsenal queueing up in the Manchester City box, onto the ball came substitute LeandroTrossard. Never will a twice-deflected shot mean more to him than the 101st-minute equaliser that turned this Community Shield in Arsenal’s favour.

No sooner had he scored via nicks off both Julian Alvaraz and Manuel Akanji than the match was over and penalties would decide both sides’ fate.

De Bruyne struck the bar, Rodri scuffed into Ramsdale’s reach, and Arsenal had their first silverware since lifting this trophy three years ago. For City, one that got away. For the Gunners, a happy ending out of nowhere.

High intensity

While a trophy was on offer here and it won’t be in two months’ time, this was a less important encounter between Arsenal and City than their Premier League meeting at the Emirates on October 7 will be. And yet it was played at a quite scintillating pace.

Granted, there was no 13th-second goal like when Ilkay Gundogan scored at the very beginning of the FA Cup final here in June. Indeed, there was no Gundogan either, the German having swapped Manchester for Barcelona this summer.

But there was, at least, the brooding intensity of a Premier League match, brought forward a week and incorporated into the Community Shield.

Declan Rice’s best quality comes to the fore

It was not a performance typical of a fresh-out-the-box £105million signing. To begin with, at least.

Rice came to the fore in the second half here, stamping his authority on the match with an unstinting performances — turning over the ball, playing his teammates into good positions. He has that knack of distributing the ball in front of his defensive teammates, allowing them to come forward onto the ball rather than check back.

This was Arsenal’s day, and Rice put in a workmanlike shift. When he came off for Eddie Nketiah on the 80th minute, he looked shattered. He hadn’t half covered some ground.

Holders USA have been knocked out of the Women’s World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Sweden. 

It has been a fantasitc tournament with surprises everywhere, with the final group-stage action serving up a Germany exit as Morocco became the third African nation to reach the knockout stages.

Women’s World Cup 2023 last-16 fixtures

Saturday, August 5

Switzerland 1-5 Spain

Japan 3-1 Norway

Sunday, August 6

Netherlands 2-0 South Africa

Sweden 0-0 USA (5-4 Penalties)

Monday, August 7

England vs Nigeria – 8.30am, Brisbane

Australia vs Denmark – 11.30am, Sydney

Tuesday, August 8

Colombia vs Jamaica – 9am, Melbourne

France vs Morocco – 12pm, Adelaide

Quarter-final schedule

Friday, August 11

Spain vs Netherlands – 2am, Wellington

Japan vs Sweden – 8.30am, Auckland

Saturday, August 12

Australia or Denmark vs France or Morocco – 8am, Brisbane

England or Nigeria vs Colombia or Jamaica – 11.30am, Sydney

Final group tables

Group A

Thursday, July 20

New Zealand 1-0 Norway

Friday, July 21

Philippines 0-2 Switzerland

Tuesday, July 25

New Zealand 0-1 Philippines 

Switzerland 0-0 Norway 

Sunday, July 30

Switzerland 0-0 New Zealand

Norway 6-0 Philippines 

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Switzerland	3	1	2	0	2	0	+2	5
2	Norway	3	1	1	1	6	1	+5	4
3	New Zealand	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	Philippines	3	1	0	2	1	8	-7	3

Group B

Thursday, July 20

Australia 1-0 Rep of Ireland

Friday, July 21

Nigeria 0-0 Canada

Wednesday, July 26

Canada 2-1 Rep of Ireland

Thursday, July 27

Australia 2-3 Nigeria

Monday, July 31

Canada 0-4 Australia

Rep. of Ireland 0-0 Nigeria

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Australia	3	2	0	1	7	3	+4	6
2	Nigeria	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5
3	Canada	3	1	1	1	2	5	-3	4
4	Republic of Ireland	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1

Group C

Friday, July 21

Spain 3-0 Costa Rica

Saturday, July 22

Zambia 0-5 Japan

Wednesday, July 26

Japan 2-0 Costa Rica

Spain 5-0 Zambia

Monday, July 31

Japan 4-0 Spain

Costa Rica 1-3 Zambia

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Japan	3	3	0	0	11	0	+11	9
2	Spain	3	2	0	1	8	4	+4	6
3	Zambia	3	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3
4	Costa Rica	3	0	0	3	1	8	-7	0

Group D

Saturday, July 22

England 1-0 Haiti

Denmark 1-0 China

Friday, July 28

England 1-0 Denmark

China 1-0 Haiti – 12pm

Tuesday, August 1

China 1- 6 England

Haiti 0-2 Denmark

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	England	3	3	0	0	8	1	+7	9
2	Denmark	3	2	0	1	3	1	+2	6
3	China	3	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3
4	Haiti	3	0	0	3	0	4	-4	0

Group E

Saturday, July 22

USA 3-0 Vietnam

Sunday, July 23

Netherlands 1-0 Portugal

Thursday, July 27

USA 1-1 Netherlands

Portugal 2-0 Vietnam

Monday, August 1

Portugal 0-0 United States

Vietnam 0-7 Netherlands

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Netherlands	3	2	1	0	9	1	+8	7
2	United States	3	1	2	0	4	1	+3	5
3	Portugal	3	1	1	1	2	1	+1	4
4	Vietnam	3	0	0	3	0	12	-12	0

Group F

Sunday, July 23

France 0-0 Jamaica

Monday, July 24

Brazil 4-0 Panama

Saturday, July 29

France 2-1 Brazil

Panama 0-1 Jamaica

Wednesday, August 2

Panama 3-6 France 

Jamaica 0-0 Brazil

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	France	3	2	1	0	8	4	+4	7
2	Jamaica	3	1	2	0	1	0	+1	5
3	Brazil	3	1	1	1	5	2	+3	4
4	Panama	3	0	0	3	3	11	-8	0

Group G

Sunday, July 23

Sweden 2-1 South Africa

Monday, July 24

Italy 1-0 Argentina

Friday, July 28

Argentina 2-2 South Africa

Saturday, July 29

Sweden 5-0 Italy

Wednesday, August 2

Argentina 0-2 Sweden

South Africa 3-2 Italy

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	3	3	0	0	9	1	+8	9
2	South Africa	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
3	Italy	3	1	0	2	3	8	-5	3
4	Argentina	3	0	1	2	2	5	-3	1

Group H

Monday, July 24

Germany 6-0 Morocco 

Tuesday, July 25

Colombia 2-0 South Korea

Sunday, July 30

South Korea 0-1 Morocco

Germany 1-2 Colombia

Thursday, August 3

South Korea 1-1 Germany

Morocco 1-0 Colombia

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Colombia	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	6
2	Morocco	3	2	0	1	2	6	-4	6
3	Germany	3	1	1	1	8	3	-4	4
4	South Korea	3	0	1	2	1	4	-3	1