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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 14:48:58 GMT
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, MBE (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the current WBC International and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. As an amateur he won a gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the 2012 Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships. Joshua is currently listed as #3 in the British heavyweight rankings A late starter in the sport, Joshua only began boxing in 2007, aged 18, when his cousin suggested he take it up. His club, Finchley ABC in Barnet, North London, is also home to professional heavyweight Dereck Chisora. Joshua won the 2009 and 2010 Haringey Box Cup. Joshua won the senior ABA Championships in 2010, in only his 18th bout, and later turned down £50,000 to turn professional. "Turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn't take up the sport for money, I want to win medals." He also went on to win the same tournament the following year. In 2010 his domestic success earned him a place on the GB Boxing team and later the same year he became British amateur champion at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships after defeating Amin Isa. In June 2011 at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships he beat Eric Berechlin and Cathal McMonagle but was stopped by aggressive Romanian southpaw Mihai Nistor after receiving several standing counts. In October 2011 he was named Amateur Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Club of Great Britain. During the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Joshua marked his sudden arrival on the world scene when he beat Italian reigning World & Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle, and went on to stop Erik Pfeifer of Germany in the semis before losing by a single point to local boxer, Magomedrasul Majidov winning a silver medal. En route to the final, Joshua secured his place at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 91 kg+ division as a relative new-comer to the elite level of the sport. Joshua went into the 2012 London Olympics as a novice on the international scene, despite being a world silver medalist. He received a tough draw in the last 16 of the super heavyweight event, in Cuban Erislandy Savon, ranked #4 in the world by AIBA and nephew of the three time Olympic champion, Felix Savon. The home boxer battled through three tough rounds in his opening contest before being given the result 17:16. This decision caused some controversy with most observers believing Savon had clearly won the bout whilst a few others taking the view that he had won on merit. In his next bout he fought 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist, Zhilei Zhang dropping his taller opponent in the middle round, Joshua won by 15:11 guaranteeing at least a bronze medal. In the semi-final Joshua met Kazakhstan boxer, Ivan Dychko, but despite Joshua's height disadvantage he won by 13:11 victory gaining a place in the Olympic final. Joshua met 32-year-old reigning Olympic Champion and former twice World Champion, Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the closing bout. After conceding the first round to Cammarelle, a man he had already beaten the previous year, Joshua grew into the fight and fought back to level the scores after the third round, Joshua was announced winner via count-back and the new Olympic champion. The final decision was criticized by some boxing experts, being defined as a "home decision". He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to boxing. On 24 July 2013 it was confirmed that Joshua had turned professional under the Matchroom Sport promotional banner. Joshua made his professional debut on 5 October 2013 at the O2 Arena in London in the Main-Event of a card featuring Scott Quigg's successful WBA super-bantamweight title defence against Yoandris Salinas, beating Italian Emanuelue Leo by a TKO in the first round. Joshua's second professional fight was against English Heavyweight Paul Butlin at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield on 26 October 2013. The bout was stopped in the 2nd round when the referee decided Butlin was taking too much punishment and declared Joshua the winner by TKO. Joshua's third professional fight was on the Prizefighter Series card against Croatian, Hrvoje Kisciek, on 14 November 2013. Joshua got a TKO victory in the second round, achieving his third knockout victory in a row. On 1 February 2014 on the undercard of Lee Selby against Rendall Munroe, Joshua scored a 2nd round TKO victory over Dorian Darch to take his record to 4-0. On 1 March 2014 on the undercard of Ricky Burns against Terence Crawford, Joshua defeated Hector Alfredo Avila with a 1st round KO, in Glasgow, Scotland. On 31 May 2014, Joshua knocked out Matt Legg in one round on the undercard of Carl Froch against George Groves in Wembley Stadium. In Joshua's seventh professional fight, on 12 July 2014, in the Echo Arena, Liverpool, he defeated Englishman Matt Skelton via 2nd round stoppage. In Anthony Joshua's eight professional fight, on 13 September 2014, against German Heavyweight Konstantin Airich, Joshua took his undefeated record to 8-0 with a 3rd round stoppage victory, in the Manchester Arena. Joshua was in the Main-Event of a Matchroom Sport card for the second time in his career, in his 9th professional appearance against Denis Bakhtov on 11 October 2014 at The O2 Arena in London, for the WBC International Heavyweight Title. Joshua won the fight by knockout in the second round taking his record to 9-0. In his 10th professional bout, Joshua defeated Michael Sprott within the 1st round to extend his record to 10 wins all by stoppage. He was supposed to face American boxer Kevin Johnson on 31 January 2015 at The O2 Arena in London, but the bout was cancelled after Joshua sustained a back injury. On 4 April 2015, Joshua beat Jason Gavern as he collected a third-round knockout in his return to the ring in Newcastle. On 9 May 2015, in his 12th professional bout, Joshua defeated Raphael Zumbano Love in a second round knockout in Birmingham. On 30 May 2015, Joshua defeated Kevin Johnson inflicting the first stoppage in Johnson's career. After Johnson was saved by the bell in the first round the fight was stopped by the referee shortly after the beginning of the second round. On 12 September 2015, Joshua won the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight title by stopping Gary Cornish in the first round at the O2 Arena. Cornish had been unbeaten in his previous 21 fights. Joshua is scheduled to fight Dillian Whyte for the vacant British Heavyweight title on 12 December 2015, whilst also defending his Commonwealth Heavyweight title for the first time. The two have previously fought within the amateur rankings in 2009.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 14:51:20 GMT
Olu Famutimi
 Olumuyiwa "Olu" Famutimi (born February 21, 1984) is a Canadian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). Famutimi was first noticed in a high school game at Chaminade College School in Toronto, Ontario, in his freshman year. Less than a year later, he transferred to Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, Michigan. In Michigan, he played for the Flint Northwestern Wildcats and climbed the national ranks as the seventh best player in the country, according to ESPN.com. A career altering injury would change all of that, as he was ushered out of the limelight because of it. Collegiate career Famutimi played two seasons at the University of Arkansas, where he earned All-Southeastern Conference Freshman honors. In 57 games with the Razorbacks, he averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. Against all odds, he declared early for the 2005 NBA Draft and was not selected. Professional career Famutimi was invited to training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers and made appearances in four preseason games (4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) before being waived. He played 47 games for the Arkansas RimRockers in 2005-06, and averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game while shooting .513 (122-238) from the field. Famutimi signed with the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent in 2006, but was waived before the season started. He played in Turkey for two years and also played in France, Germany and Ukraine. On December 17, 2013, Famutimi signed with the Halifax Rainmen of the NBL Canada.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 14:59:14 GMT
Jarome Iginla  Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (/dʒəˈroʊm ɨˈɡɪnlə/; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a longtime member and former captain of the Calgary Flames and also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins before joining the Avalanche in 2014. As a junior, Iginla was a member of two Memorial Cup winning teams with the Kamloops Blazers and was named the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Player of the Year in 1996. He was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded to Calgary prior to making his NHL debut. He led the NHL in goals and points in 2001–02, and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as its most valuable player as voted by the players. In 2003–04, Iginla led the league in goals for the second time and captained the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the playoffs in goals. A six-time NHL All-Star, he is the Flames' all-time leader in goals, points, and games played, and is second in assists to Al MacInnis. Iginla scored 50 goals in a season on two occasions and is one of seven players in NHL history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons. He has scored 589 goals and 1,226 points in his career. He is a past winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award and has been recognized by both the Flames and the league for his community work; Iginla donates $2,000 to the children's charity Kidsport for every goal he scores. Internationally, Iginla has represented Canada on numerous occasions. He was a member of championship teams at the 1996 World Junior and 1997 World Championships as well as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He is a three-time Olympian and two-time gold medal winner, including at the 2002 Winter Olympics where he helped lead Canada to its first Olympic hockey championship in 50 years. Iginla was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in nearby St. Albert. His father, a lawyer, was originally from Nigeria and changed his first name from Adekunle to Elvis when he arrived in Canada. His surname means "Big tree" in Yoruba, his father's native language. Iginla's mother, Susan, is originally from Oregon, and has worked as a massage therapist and music teacher. Iginla grew up with his mother and grandparents after his parents divorced when he was a year old. While his mother is a Buddhist, he identifies himself as Christian, his father's faith. In addition to hockey, Iginla played baseball as a young man and was the catcher on the Canadian national junior team. He credits his grandfather for his hockey career, as with his mother working and father attending law school, he would not have had the opportunity to play sports at a high level if not for his grandfather's support.Iginla grew up admiring other black hockey players, including Edmonton Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr. Emulating Fuhr, Iginla played goaltender in his first two years of organized hockey before switching to the right wing. He played his entire minor hockey career in St. Albert, leading the Alberta Midget Hockey League in scoring as a 15-year-old with 87 points for the St. Albert Midget Raiders in 1992–93 Iginla married his high school sweetheart, Kara, and the couple has three children: daughter Jade and sons Tij and Joe. They had been dating since they were in the eighth grade.[4] He has two half-brothers, Jason and Stephen, and two half-sisters, Theresa and Elizabeth. Theresa played for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team for two seasons from 2003 to 2005. Jarome is an avid golfer and a regular participant in the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic. Iginla is well known for his kind-hearted nature. Former Flames General manager Craig Button described Iginla as being grounded: "He doesn't carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He's confident in his abilities. He's self-assured. He's genuine. He's a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is."[106] In 2002, while in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympic Games, Iginla struck up a conversation with four Calgarians sitting next to his table, and found out they were sleeping in their car outside of the hotel. He excused himself from the conversation, and booked them accommodations at his own expense at the hotel his family was staying in. Since 2002,[108] he has operated the Jarome Iginla Hockey School in Calgary as a non-profit organization, donating proceeds to the Diabetes Research Association. In 2004, he was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award for his community service and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his humanitarian contributions. Iginla supports many charities. In 2000, he began donating $1,000 per goal he scored to KidSport, a figure he doubled to $2,000 in 2005. Between 2000 and 2013, he donated more than $700,000 from this initiative. Iginla is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, for whom he played during his junior hockey days. He purchased a minority share in the franchise, along with fellow NHL players Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, in October 2007.[112] He is also an ambassador with the NHL Diversity program, which supports youth hockey organizations that offer economically disadvantaged kids the opportunity to play. Since 2008, he has been a hockey spokesperson for Scotiabank, appearing in commercials and at events supporting its grassroots hockey programs, as well as for Samsung Canada. |
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:04:44 GMT
Jamize Olawale Jamize Olawale (born April 17, 1989) is an American football fullback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at North Texas. Olawale attended three high schools (Long Beach Poly High School, De La Salle High School and St. Ignatius College Preparatory). He played two seasons at El Camino Junior College, before transferring to the University of North Texas. After not being selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, he received a tryout invitation for rookie-minicamp where he was converted from wide receiver to running back, and performed well enough to be signed as an undrafted free agent on May 14. Although he enjoyed a great preseason,[2] he was waived on August 31, after the team decided to keep Phillip Tanner. He was signed to the team's practice squad. On December 4, 2012, the Oakland Raiders hampered by injuries to running backs Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson, signed Olawale from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad and played in 3 games during the season. On December 21, 2014, he scored his first professional touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Olawale is a core special teams player. In 2013, he registered 8 special teams tackles (third on the team). The next year he tallied 7 tackles on special teams.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:08:54 GMT
Johnson Bademosi Johnson Bademosi (born July 23, 1990) is an American football safety and special teamer for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was a member of the football, rugby, and track and field teams at Gonzaga College High School and went on to play college football for Stanford University. Bademosi was a three-year starter at Cornerback for Stanford. He recorded his first career interception against Washington during the 2010 season. An All-Conference honorable mention at Stanford for his participation in track and field. Bademosi played sparingly during his rookie season, but gained notice when being forced to play against the Dallas Cowboys, where he had multiple pass breakups. Bademosi also was a standout on special teams as a rookie. Bademosi received the Maurice "Maus" Collins Award for excellence and leadership on and off the football field while in high school. He was a history major while attending Stanford.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:13:51 GMT
David Olatokunbo Alaba Alaba was born in Vienna to Gina and George Alaba and has one sister.His mother emigrated from the Philippines to work as a nurse, his Yoruba Nigerian father is a prince from Ogere who is also a rapper and works as a DJ. He is a Christian and a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His middle name "Olatokunbo" means "Wealth from across the sea" or "Wealth from a foreign land" in the Yoruba language. Pep Guardiola: David Alaba is Bayern’s “God”
Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has hailed David Alaba as the team’s “god” because he has played in all ten outfield positions, via Sport. Alaba has been with Bayern since 2008 and under Guardiola he has really become one of the most complete players in world football. The Austrian broke into the team as a left-back but he has often been used in the midfield and as a centre-back as Guardiola has moved players about. Speaking at his press conference before the game against Koln on the weekend Guardiola praised his player’s versatility. “David Alaba is our god. He has already played almost all 10 positions.” He is primarily a full-back still for his club but he has been the heartbeat of Austria’s successful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in the middle of midfield. He doesn’t have many weaknesses and it is no surprise that Guardiola has loved working with him since he took over at Bayern Munich. When Philipp Lahm eventually retires it will be interesting to see whether Alaba is put in midfield permanently then but of course he may have already won his position on merit. Alaba’s versatility and all-around ability has drawn praise from all angles and many point to him as the perfect player if you had to make an XI out of just one player playing in every position.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:15:52 GMT
Dele Alli - Bamidele Jermaine Alli Dele Alli: the ‘unreal’ rise of Tottenham’s fearless young man in a big hurry
In his first newspaper interview as a Tottenham Hotspur player, Dele Alli said “unreal” and “surreal” on a number of occasions. Then again, he was speaking after making his first start for the club, in the showpiece friendly against Real Madrid at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, in front of 70,000 fans and, 24 minutes in, he had nutmegged Luka Modric. Alli said that he and Real’s superstar midfielder had “had a laugh about it in the tunnel afterwards”. Modric, according to Alli, had called him a “little bugger – or something like that”. It was an episode to raise a few smiles but one that highlighted, at a stroke, Alli’s talent and confidence, and how far he had come. At the end of last season, he was playing for MK Dons in League One. The 19-year-old has now made another giant stride forward to confirm the impression that here is a young man in a big hurry. The box-to-box midfielder has won his first call-up to the England squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania – and after only three Premier League starts. Expect to hear him say “unreal” and “surreal” rather a lot in the coming days. It is a measure of Alli’s impact at Tottenham that Roy Hodgson, the England manager, who took in all three of the club’s games at White Hart Lane last week, has been sufficiently enthused to pick him, as injuries bite in central midfield. Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson and Fabian Delph are among those unavailable to him. Alli has made three further Premier League appearances as a substitute, one start in the Europa League and, when he came on in last week’s Capital One Cup tie against Arsenal, the White Hart Lane crowd roared their approval. Already, they have taken him to their hearts and they have come to consider him as somebody who can make the difference. Alli has a crowd-pleasing style, being direct, fearless and combative; he has five yellow cards in his fledgling top-flight career. Then, there are the skills – he seems destined to be a regular on Soccer AM’s Showboat – and, most fundamentally, the hard running. When Alli joined Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham squad in the summer, having signed in February for £5m but been loaned back to MK Dons for their successful promotion push, he impressed everybody with his stamina. Members of the staff rated him as the fittest player at the club. Alli moved to Tottenham because he knew that Pochettino would give him a fair chance, as the Argentinian does with many young players, and the wisdom of that decision looks sound. Tottenham’s regular central midfield pairing from last season of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason have suffered from injuries this time out and Alli, together with Eric Dier, has taken advantage. Dier, too, had been tipped for the senior England call only to miss out. Hodgson said Alli first came to his attention via his assistant Ray Lewington, whose son, Dean, is a defender at MK Dons and played with the midfielder there. “Ray goes to watch his son play,” Hodgson said. “His son is the captain of MK Dons so he has seen him play many times and mentioned him to me a while back, not as a potential England player because the lad was only a teenager and in League One. But when he got the move to Tottenham we thought: ‘This is interesting, to see how this transpires. If he gets into the Tottenham team and plays as he does for MK Dons, he could be a very interesting player.’ And that is exactly what’s happened. “We weren’t at all surprised when Tottenham bought him. We thought it was a good buy. He’s done even better. I think he was bought with a view to getting experience but he has broken into the team and he is playing well so it was an opportunity now with the absence of quite a few players in the central midfield area to have a look at him. We think, going forward, if he continues his rate of progress he could be very interesting for us.”Pochettino’s reaction will be mixed. He is happy and proud, obviously, but there will be the fear of how the emotions that relate to such a breakthrough can affect a young player, not to mention the hype machine. When Harry Kane was called up for the first time by Hodgson in March, and responded with a goal against Lithuania with his third touch, Pochettino felt that his form dipped for a few weeks afterwards. Pochettino understands why, having been there himself. He made his debut for Argentina against Holland in 1999. “I was up on cloud nine for one month and when I got back to my club, Espanyol, it was difficult,” he told the Observer, in April. “I came back and I said: ‘Oh, but now I play with Redondo, Batistuta.’ You feel like a superstar and then you have to go back to Espanyol. My players at Tottenham are balanced, mature and humble but it’s just that this is the reality.” When Pochettino was asked last week about the prospect of an England call-up for Alli, he made it clear that he felt it would be too soon. “It is the same situation as with Harry Kane last season,” Pochettino said. “Be careful with the young players that arrive in the Premier League. It is not easy. “You can see that Dele is very mature and a player who shows great quality. He has a great personality and good character. But it is too much of a rush to talk about bigger steps for him. Always in football, you need to take it step-by-step, game-by-game.” The excitement that Alli has generated has held sway.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:16:46 GMT
Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu
 Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu was born in Hackney, on 30 December 1978, to Nigerian parents who were, as he puts it, 'from a low-income background'. He was brought up on an estate, his father was in and out of prison, and Idowu spent some of his youth in foster care. He is uncomfortable talking about his early years, visibly squirming when asked about them and politely but firmly evading most questions. What he does admit is that he had an authentically poor Hackney upbringing. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the hipsters and bohemian mummies had yet to move into the borough. Growing up out East, says Idowu, 'You saw things: drugs, crime, which were just normal.' Was he involved? A crooked half-smile. 'I'm not going to sit here and say that I did any of that, but yeah, I had friends who were.' Could he have seen himself having gone down the same route? 'Yeah. Definitely.' Fortunately for Idowu, while he was at school he showed athletic promise and that prevented him from being swept up by street culture. Tall and strong (he is 6ft 5in), he was a very good basketball player. So good that he thought he could make a career of it. 'I thought I would go to America and play in the NBA,' he says. 'But I had a PE teacher who more or less forced me to do athletics.' Very soon he realised that track and field might provide an escape. 'Athletics was a chance to get out of Hackney.' Literally so: 'I was going to Mile End to train, and then later to Crystal Palace.' He trained compulsively and by any means possible. 'If I didn't have enough money to get into the athletics ground, I'd jump over the fence.' One way and another that jump training paid off. Idowu excelled at triple jump. In 1997, aged 18, he won the English Schools Championships and placed fourth in the European Junior Championships. Three years later he finished sixth at the Sydney Olympic Games. In 2002 he won silver in the Commonwealth Games, behind Britain's last great triple jumper, Jonathan Edwards. As Edwards wound down to retirement, it was clear that Idowu was the future. Yet throughout this impressive rise, athletics was an intensely personal, almost secretive pursuit. 'My parents never watched me compete,' he says. 'Like a lot of African families they wanted me to concentrate on my schoolwork. They saw athletics as a distraction from that. Athletics was something I did for myself.' While other young athletes were cheered on by their proud relatives, Idowu was all alone. Was that strange? 'No, not really. What was strange for me was seeing people with two parents coming to watch them.' Even now, he says, 'My sister probably only watched me compete for the first time two years ago. I don't know if my brother has ever watched me.' Idowu has reacted to the dysfunction of his upbringing by ploughing every scrap of his energy into his own young family. He has two children with his partner Carlita: D'Karma, four, and Prince, who will be two next month. Do they watch him compete? Well, sometimes, but that, too, can be tough. 'My daughter used to get upset watching me,' he says. 'She would see me in the hotel the night before and then not again until I stepped out on to the runway. Then she'd start crying because she wanted to come and hug me. I found it hard to switch out of being Daddy. It's easier when they're watching me on the TV, when they can jump up and down and shout "Go Daddy!" ' He still finds the conflict between family and athletics hard to resolve. Last summer he was very close to abandoning Team GB when they travelled to Daegu in South Korea for the World Championships. 'I nearly didn't go,' he says. 'My final was on the same day as my daughter's birthday. I'd never missed her birthday before and I seriously thought about not going. It was like there were two options: either take them with me, or don't defend my title.' In the end he went but failed to defend his title, narrowly bumped into the silver medal spot by a spectacular jump from the American athlete Christian Taylor. Idowu takes a veteran's attitude towards his failure. 'What I've always said about triple jump is that it only takes one good jump,' he says. 'You have six attempts and you only need one of them to be good enough. Even when Christian jumped 17.96m [the winning jump] I was still confident I could beat it. But World Championships are always about building towards the Olympics. And I still jumped more consistently than pretty much any other athlete in World Championships history.' But dig a little deeper and there is the sense that jumping was not the only thing on his mind last summer. 'Being away in Daegu, and knowing I was missing D'Karma's birthday, my heart wasn't really in it,' he says. Fortunately for Team GB, neither D'Karma's nor Prince's birthday conflicts with the London Games, a fact Idowu acknowledges with a laugh. Obviously, you can't interview Idowu without asking about his hair. He may be Britain's best triple jumper, and an MBE, but it is the colour of Idowu's barnet that really screams for attention. At various times it has been pink, white, red and yellow. Combined with his numerous facial piercings, shaved eyebrows and trademark 1980s towelling headband, Idowu's space-punk vibe has made him perhaps the most instantly recognisable of all Britain's Olympic hopefuls. When I enquire how often he dyes it, he shrugs with a smile. 'I really haven't dyed it that many times,' he protests. 'It has been red for most of my titles, but when I'm not competing, it's like it is today.' Which, for the record, is a neatly cropped, au naturel black. The whole point, for Idowu, is having an image that he can manipulate at will. 'It's the same with the piercings. It wasn't like having tattoos that were permanent.' (Currently visible: lip, eyebrow, ears.) Idowu talks about his Dennis Rodman-esque, almost cartoonish image without a hint of resentment, just a touch of bewilderment that it has become such a big deal. What started as one element in his love of fashion ('I love Gieves & Hawkes three-piece suits. Most of the time I'm in a tracksuit so it's nice to get dressed up') has now become part of his brand. With the London Games approaching, the pressure is naturally on Idowu to complete his East End story: to return to the deprived part of London from which he emerged and win the one gold - Olympic - that has so far eluded him. It would be some return: 'To have the Olympics not only in your hometown, but in your manor... that doesn't happen for many athletes.' Winning gold would not just cap the extraordinary rise of Phillips Idowu, it might even give people more to talk about than just his hair.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:18:39 GMT
Temitope "Topsy" Ojo
 Ojo was born in Tottenham, London. His father, Akin Ojo, a thoracic surgeon, and his mother Bola Ojo (née Ibidapo-Obe) are from south-west Nigeria, where Temitope is a common Yoruba name. Topsy Ojo started to play rugby union at Dartford Grammar School at the age of eleven, as well as going on to captain the 1st XV. He also represented Kent and London & South-East Schools at both U16 and U18. After he starting playing some under-19 trial matches and being recommended for the London Irish Academy he went on to join the Sunbury based Academy in July 2003. Temitope 'Topsy' Ojo has evolved into a skilful winger come centre since his debut for London Irish in 2005. Having shone as a junior in the London Irish academy system, Ojo was promotoed to the senior squad and with pace to burn, impressed from the offset. A quality season in 2007-08 earned Ojo a call up to the England national set up where he made his debut in the summer tour of New Zealand. Ojo's career has recently been hampered by injury which hasn't seen him involved in England squads since his debut international season.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:19:38 GMT
Dominic Ayodele Solanke
 Born 14 September, 1997, he plays for Dutch club Vitesse on loan from Chelsea. Although Solanke prefers playing as a striker, he can also play as a winger on either side and as an attacking midfielder. He has represented England up to under-19 level. 1 Like
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:20:48 GMT
Giannis "Antetokounmpo" Adetokunbo
 Antetokounmpo was born December 6, 1994, in Sepolia, Athens, Greece to Nigerian parents. He officially gained full Greek citizenship on May 9, 2013, with the official legal spelling of his name being Giannis Antetokounmpo. His nickname is "The Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Play at All 5 Positions for Bucks
Listed at 6'11" (and possibly still growing!) and having spent most of his overseas career playing point guard, Giannis Antetokounmpo has long been an almost futuristic athlete. Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd apparently plans on taking full advantage of Antetokounmpo's freakish nature, claiming the rising forward will play all five positions at times this season. "He's 20 years old and he's going to play every position for us," Kidd said, per Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "...He never complains. He just goes out there and plays. I think he's showing he's confident in shooting the three. He's confident while he's on the floor and he's doing a lot of good things for us." Of course, fluid positionality is nothing new to Antetokounmpo. According to 82Games.com, the Greek Freak played four of the five positions last season, the lone exception being point guard. He spent an overwhelming majority of his time at the two forward spots, which one would assume will continue this season. Kidd's quotes, however, create an expectation he'll at the very least spend a lot more time with the ball in his hands. Antetokounmpo averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2014-15. He's still a bit more turnover prone than you'd like—his 15.6 percent turnover rate is concerning given how little creative responsibility he had—but he's shown marked improvement. Between his rookie and second seasons, Antetokounmpo cut his turnover percentage by 3.6 percent. The Bucks are also encouraged by his improvement from behind the three-point line. Antetokounmpo has hit a grand total of 48 threes through his first two seasons, only seven of which came a year ago. Kidd heavily emphasized improving his efficiency in his first season as coach, but it appears the team is more willing to give him freedom after a summer full of work. "I feel it's going to come," Antetokounmpo said, per Gardner. "In the middle of the season and the end of the season I'm going to be making them, and you (reporters) are going to be talking how Giannis has improved a lot. I've just got to stick with it." With the Bucks entering 2015-16 banking on a leap from Antetokounmpo and fellow core star Jabari Parker, the Freak's ability to move around the court will be pivotal. Based on what Kidd's saying publicly, all signs point to a breakout.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:21:59 GMT
Abiodun Oyepitan
 Abi was born in Westminster, London to Nigerian parents. Her name "Adesola" means "crowned with wealth" in Yoruba. She attended Bentley Wood High School. She represents Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers athletics club. Her first outing to a major athletics came at the 1998 World Junior Athletics Championships, where she finished fourth as part of the British 4 x 100 m relay team. She continued to perform well at the junior level, but her progress was interrupted in 2000 by an injury. She managed to bounce back the following year, with her comeback including a silver medal at the European under-23 Championships. Abiodun Adesola "Abi" Oyepitan (born 30 December 1979) is a British sprint athlete, who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. She won the 100 m at the 2001 Summer Universiade and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games she took a bronze medal with the 4 x 100 m team. She became one of Britain's best female sprinters, becoming the first British female to reach an Olympic final in a sprint event since Kathy Cook.However, following her performance in the 2004 Athens Olympics, she suffered an injury, which all but brought her career to a halt. She made a winning comeback in 2010, competing in the Diamond League and winning a silver medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in the 200 m and a gold medal when she anchored the 4 x 100 m relay team to a win.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:22:47 GMT
Joyce Oladapo
 Joyce Oladapo (married name Hepher; born 11 February 1964) is a retired English long jumper. Her personal best jump was 6.75 m (22 ft 11⁄2 in), achieved in September 1985 in London. She was born in London. She won a bronze medal at the 1981 European Junior Championships (Utrecht, Netherlands) and a gold medal at the 1986 commonwealth games (Edinburgh, Scotland).
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:23:37 GMT
Danielle Alakija
 Danielle Alakija (born 3 May 1996) is a British-born Fijian athlete of Nigerian descent. She trains in the United States and was part of the silver-medal winning 4x400m relay team at the 2011 Pacific Games. She was selected to compete for Fiji at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and was the Olympic's youngest track and field competitor. She was the youngest athlete at the London Olympics in 2012.
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Post by Shymmex on Dec 4, 2015 15:24:37 GMT
Victor Oladipo (Kehinde Babatunde Oladipo)
 Kehinde Babatunde "Victor" Oladipo (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Oladipo played college basketball with the Hoosiers of Indiana University. In 2013, he was named the Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year, the National Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-team All-American by the USBWA and Sporting News. That same year, he was also named the winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy, given annually to the top player in men's Division I NCAA basketball. Oladipo was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and went on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie first
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