Sports

12-Year-Old Boy Wins NAF 10Km Walk

Published

6 years ago

August 13, 2018

A 12-year-old boy, Agbama Daniel, who participated in the Air Force 10 Km Annual Walk/Run/Jog exercise, organised by the Tactical Air Command (TAC), Makurdi, last Saturday in Makurdi, won the fastest Base Boy prize.
Agbama, who lives with his Airforce father at the NAF Base, was declared the fastest out of many other boys that competed in the race.
The boy said he had been running and jogging longer distances.
No official recording of the time within which the exercise was completed was given.
The event was organised for both security personnel and their families living at the NAF Base.
Tidesports source reports that more than 200 personnel drawn from the various security and paramilitary organisations also participated in the exercise in Makurdi.
Tidesports source also reports that the event, which holds annually, seeks to boost inter-agency cooperation among sister security agencies and promote healthy lifestyles of officers and men.
All activities were divided into male and female categories and competed for by both officers and men.
For the female category of Joggers, Flight Lieutenant OC Moses, emerged the only winner with a finish time of 1:11:27 seconds.
The first position of the Female Officers Walk was won by Squadron Leader EE Danjuma, who completed the exercise in 1:22:21 seconds, while the second position was won by Flight Lt. AJ Enemanna, with a time of 1:22:54 seconds. No one came third.
For the Air Women Joggers, Cpl. Awokoya, who finished the exercise in 52’5seconds came first, Air-Craftswoman (ACW) RN Nebo came second with 58.18 secs, while ACW-JC Onyezim was third with 1:40 mins.
Master Warrant Officer Emeghauabe, won the first position in ACW Walkers category, having finished in 1:15:16secs.
His closest rival Flight Sgt. BM Sofekum, finished with a time frame of 1:21:45secs, while another Master Warrant Officer Nwo Onyilo, came third with 1:25:75secs.
For the Officers’ Walkers category, Group Capt. A Idris, won with 1:12mins, Air Cdre BA Sani came second, recording 1:18:20secs, while AVM Idi Lubo, was third with 1:21:51secs.
In the Air Wives Association , two winners emerged, they are Patricia Omaka and Ukindigh Beatrice who finished their walk in 1:3mins and 1:09 minutes respectively.
Olakama, a Youth Corps member, serving at the NAF base was first in the race finishing the 10 Km run in just 43 minutes.
His rival Nwaiwa Andrew came second with 47 minutes, while Onyeogbo Kido was third with 1:52 minutes.
Speaking at the presentation of prizes, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) TAC, AVM Oladayo Amao, charged soldiers to do regular exercises to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Oladayo said such regular fitness exercises enabled them to achieve mental, physical and emotional balance needed to carry out their duties.
“The exercise is meant to keep personnel physically, mentally and emotionally stable to cope with the demands and challenges of defending the country’s territorial borders,” he said.
He also commended the Chief of Air Staff( CAS), Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar, for providing the logistics for the event and charged soldiers to take advantage of it to ensure regular exercises to maintain healthy bodies.
According to him, the exercise is in line with the CAS vision to reposition the Airforce to be highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective and timely response to national security imperatives.
He said the exercise also provided a platform for sister security agencies to interact and build mutual relationships healthy for the task of defending the country.
He expressed happiness that there was no casualty during the exercise and commended the officers for their professionalism during the exercise. Rector, Army Institute of Technology, Makurdi,
Also, Maj-Gen Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, said physical fitness was central to military operations and charged security personnel to exercise regularly.
“For us in the military, we must be physically and mentally fit to perform our constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties as well as fight and defeat external enemies and overcome threats to territorial integrity,” he said.
He commended those who won laurels and urged them to train hard to keep the record, while also encouraging those who never won prizes to strive hard to win in the next edition.

Sports

Barcelona Open: Nadal’s Comeback Ended By World No 11

Published

12 hours ago

April 18, 2024

The Tide

Rafael Nadal’s injury comeback was ended by Alex de Minaur as the 12-time champion waved goodbye to the Barcelona Open for possibly the final time. Nadal, 37, returned to court on Tuesday after a three-month absence, making light work of 21-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli in a straight-set win.
A day later, Nadal lost 7-5 6-1 to world number 11 De Minaur in round two.
Nadal, a 22-time major winner, has indicated he plans to retire in 2024 if he is unable to compete regularly.
The former world number one, now ranked 644th, has only played five matches since January 2023 because of hip and abdominal injuries.
Nadal is hoping to be fit enough to make a return to the French Open, where he won a record 14 men’s singles titles, next month.
Facing a player of De Minaur’s pedigree was always likely to be a considerable step up, and a truer test of his level than his comeback outing against 62nd-ranked Cobolli.
The 25-year-old Australian tried to test Nadal’s movement by using drop shots early in the match, an effective tactic which helped him move 2-0 in front and tee up another break point for 3-0.
But Nadal survived to hold and improved his level, producing a number of explosive cross-court backhand winners as he fought back to lead 4-3.
Another backhand winner, this time down the line, even drew a clap of the strings from De Minaur and teed up another break point for Nadal.
Taking the chance would have left Nadal serving for the set, but De Minaur recovered and won 19 of the next 24 points to win an opener lasting more than an hour.
After so long out, and with playing on consecutive days, Nadal’s endurance was always going to be tested, particularly against an opponent known for his athleticism.
De Minaur played smartly in a one-sided second set and broke Nadal’s serve three times, silencing the Barcelona crowd in the process, to secure an impressive victory.
Nadal left the court bearing his name – for what could be the final time – to a standing ovation and rapturous send-off.
Meanwhile, British men’s number two Jack Draper reached his 10th ATP Tour quarter-finals at the BMW Open in Munich.
Draper, 22, fought back after a rain delay to earn a 4-6 6-1 6-1 win over
German world number 179 Rudolf Molleker at the clay-court event.

Sports

Leverkusen Chief Backs Alonso To Join Madrid

Published

12 hours ago

April 18, 2024

The Tide

Bayer Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro has claimed that Xabi Alonso will coach Real Madrid, while also lending fresh hope to Liverpool.
Alonso’s remarkable success at Leverkusen, who clinched their first-ever Bundesliga crown at the weekend, has positioned him as one of the most sought-after managers in Europe, with Liverpool and Bayern Munich previously leading the chase. Despite the interest, the 42-year-old Spaniard has affirmed his commitment to remain at the helm of the Bundesliga outfit for at least one more season.
However, Leverkusen’s leadership acknowledges the challenge of retaining Alonso over the long term, given his burgeoning reputation and the inevitable interest from top clubs across Europe. Among the potential destinations for Alonso, Real Madrid stands out prominently as Carro expressed his belief that Alonso could eventually return to the Spanish capital, where he enjoyed a distinguished playing career.
Speaking to Tidesports source, Carro also suggested Liverpool still have a chance of striking a deal for Alonso one day, as he stated: “I have no doubt that Xabi Alonso will coach Real Madrid at some point. What I am not clear about is when, but that he will end up at Real Madrid I have no doubt, as it is also possible that he trains Liverpool or Bayern.
There are a lot of clubs interested, that’s how it is, which doesn’t mean that in the future he can’t coach some of the clubs mentioned, especially his former teams as a player. But he feels comfortable here, otherwise he wouldn’t continue. We will maintain our ambition to play in the Champions League next year.”
Despite Real Madrid’s current managerial stability under Carlo Ancelotti, whose contract is due to run until 2026, reports suggest that the club’s hierarchy views Alonso as the ideal candidate to succeed Ancelotti when his tenure concludes. The backing of Real Madrid’s board, including club president Florentino Perez, further solidifies Alonso’s prospects of potentially assuming the managerial reins at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2026. Allegedly aware of the esteem in which the club’s leadership holds him, Alonso has opted to remain at Leverkusen, biding his time for a potential return to Real Madrid.
Alonso is focused on preparing Leverkusen for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final against West Ham at London Stadium on April 18, following their 2-0 victory in the first leg at BayArena.

Sports

Barca Blame Referee, Panic For Loss To PSG

Published

13 hours ago

April 18, 2024

The Tide

Barcelona had a two-goal aggregate lead and were seemingly in control of their UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match against Paris St- Germain in Spain until it all turned to chaos.
A disaster performance from the referee, panic from Barcelona’s players and an unnecessary expulsion, according to Barca sources, were all blamed on a dramatic Tuesday evening at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as PSG ran out 4-1 winners.
Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo’s sending off turned the tide in their Champions League quarter-final as PSG came from 3-2 down in the first leg to win the tie 6-4 on aggregate.
A double from Kylian Mbappe, a long-range strike from Vitinha and an Ousmane Dembele goal against his former club sent Barcelona spiralling out of control – and out of the competition.
As Barcelona turned in a performance riddled with mistakes, referee Istvan Kovacs had a busy evening. The Romanian showed three red cards to the hosts – manager Xavi’s frustrations getting the better of him, before a member of his coaching staff was dismissed for dissent. That only compounded the damage done by Araujo’s red-card inducing challenge on Bradley Barcola early in the first half.
“The referee was really bad. I told him his performance was a disaster. I don’t like to talk about referees, but it had a clear impact in the season and it has to be said,” Xavi told news men.
“We are very upset and angry because the red card was the decisive factor in the match. With 11, we were in a good position, playing well and in command.
“It’s too much to flash a red card in a game like this. There was another game after that… It is a pity that the work of the season was ruined by an unnecessary expulsion.”
Araujo’s early exit allowed PSG to build momentum. The goals flowed; Barcelona collapsed. Joao Cancelo needlessly brought down Dembele in the box, allowing Mbappe to score the first of his two goals from the penalty spot.
“You can’t make mistakes in the Champions League,” former Barcelona striker Thierry Henry said after the game.
“If you make mistakes, you pay the price straight away and that’s why it is so hard to win that competition because you cannot make one mistake.”
Having left Paris with a 3-2 victory, Barcelona got off to the perfect start in their second leg when Raphinha deflected in teenager Lamine Yamal’s cross.
But Barcelona’s lead did not last long and PSG took control in the second half as the cards came from Kovacs.