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Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has been awarded the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player, and Germany forward Thomas Mueller won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.

Forlan was voted the most outstanding player of the tournament by accredited media after leading his team to the semi-finals.

The 20-year-old Mueller, who helped Germany take third place with his five goals and three assists, also won the Best Young Player award. Forlan, Spain striker David Villa and Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder also scored five times but each had one assist. Villa and Sneijder both failed to score in Sunday’s final, won 1-0 by Spain.

He became the 2010 World Cup's joint leading scorer with a spectacular volley on Saturday before striking the bar from a free-kick in the dying moments of Germany's 3-2 victory.

Forlan's tally of five goals left him level with Sneijder, Villa and Thomas Muller, but the German forward claimed the Golden Boot award because he racked up a higher number of assists (three) than the others.

Muller, 20, who was instrumental in Germany's 4-1 demolition of England and the 4-0 thrashing of Argentina, was also voted the tournament's best young player.

He was suspended for the semifinal as Germany lost 1-0 to Spain but returned to score his fifth goal of the competition in the third-place playoff.

As well as the World Cup trophy, Spain will also fly home on Monday with the FIFA Fair Play Award after collecting only eight yellow cards in the tournament.

Spain's Iker Casillas was awarded the Golden Glove prize for the best goalkeeper after conceding just two goals in the tournament.

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By scoring in Liverpool's 3-0 Premier League victory against Crystal Palace in September 2021, Sadio Mane became the first player in the competition's history to score in nine straight matches against the same opposition.

Sadio Mane scored Liverpool's opener in their 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, September 18, 2021. This goal was not only Mane's 100th goal for Liverpool in all competitions, but also the ninth successive occasion when he had scored against Palace in the Premier League. This goal thus made him the first player in Premier League history to score against a single side in nine straight matches.

Sadio Mane moved from Southampton to Liverpool in July 2016 and has been at the heart of Liverpool's attacking threat since then.

While playing in the Premier League (both for Southampton and now with Liverpool), Mane has taken a particular liking for Crystal Palace, scoring against them at will. In all, Mane has faced Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 14 occasions and has scored 13 goals.

Ten of these 13 goals have come in nine straight appearances against them while playing for Liverpool. This also means that 10 of the first 100 goals that he has scored for Liverpool in all competitions have come against Cystal Palace, his most against a single opponent for Liverpool.

Mane's first Liverpool goal against Crystal Palace came in their home ground Anfield. He scored the only goal in their 1-0 win in August 2017. There's been no stopping him since then as he scored at Selhurst Park (Crystal Palace's home ground) in March and August 2018; at Anfield in January 2019; at Selhurst Park in November 2019; at Anfield in June 2020; and at Selhurst Park again in December 2020.

He scored both goals in their 2-0 win at Anfield in May 2021 and scored for the tenth time against them in nine straight matches when the two teams faced each other at Anfield in September 2021.

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Spain lifted the World Cup for the very first time - and so far only occasion in their history - in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The 19th edition of the tournament was held in South Africa from June 11, 2010, with the final between Spain and the Netherlands played on July 11, 2010.

Spain topped Group H with six points. Despite losing their first game against Switzerland 0-1, they bounced back with 2-0 and 2-1 victories over Honduras and Chile respectively.

They took on Portugal in a heavyweight Round of 16 clash and came out on top 1-0 to progress to the quarters. They didn't let a goal past them throughout the knockout stages as they followed up the win over Portugal with similar 1-0 wins against Paraguay and Germany in the quarters and semis.

The final against the Netherlands at Johannesburg too finished 1-0 in favour of Spain after extra time.

Having scored just eight goals through the 2010 World Cup, Spain set a new record for the fewest goals scored by a World Cup winning team. Their defence and goalkeeper did a splendid job, conceding just two goals and maintaining five clean sheets in seven matches.

Honours and Awards

Losing semi finalists Uruguay and Germany produced the best player of the tournament and the top goal scorer respectively.

Uruguay's Diego Forlan (five goals) and Germany's Thomas Muller (five goals, three assists) took the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. Muller was also named the Best Young Player.

Spain's Iker Casillas deservedly took the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

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After falling three times in major finals, Simona Halep finally breaks through at her favourite Grand Slam event.

Despite being No. 1, Halep had won just one tournament in the past 12 months. But she is now the first Romanian woman in 40 years to win the French Open, the tournament that her mentor and longtime manager, Virginia Ruzici, won in 1978.

Many have offered encouragement in the past four years as Halep tried to rebound from her latest Grand Slam setback. She has questioned herself repeatedly and found a way to improve. She enlisted the full-time help of Cahill, one of the game’s most respected coaches, who also helped Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi win a major title and reach No. 1.

“Darren has been the key man, the key person in her team,” said Ruzici, who was courtside on Saturday. “I think Darren has been fabulous at helping her improve her game on the court, but also helping her to improve her mental attitude. And also she became much more of a relaxed person.”

More recently, Halep has worked with a sports psychologist to learn how to maintain a more positive attitude with titles on the line — and with her home nation supporting her so passionately that it was only increasing the burden.

“They say the destination is more beautiful if it’s a bit of a bumpy road and you eventually get there, and it’s what happened to her today,” Cahill said. “It’s a magical moment for her, and she did it the hard way against a great opponent.”

To manage it, the top-seeded Halep had to fight back from a set and a service break down, just as the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko did against Halep in last year’s French Open final.

Credit : The New York Times 

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At the end of two rounds of fixtures, West Ham were top of the table in the Premier League. They had not only taken all six points like four other teams, but also had a goal difference of five and a superior goals scored record, having pumped in eight goals in two matches.

This meant that West Ham were on top of the Premier League for just the second time ever, having been at the summit on August 22, 2006 as well.

Michail Antonio

West Ham won their first match of the 2021-22 season 4-2 away against Newcastle.

While Benrahma scored an equaliser to make the score 2-2, Antonio made sure of the points scoring the Hammers' fourth goal. Antonio provided the assist for Benrahma's goal and Benrahma returned the gesture by providing the assist for Antonio's goal.

After having drawn level with Paolo Di Canio (47) for most Premier League goals scored for West Ham with his goal in the season opener against Newcastle, Antonio made the record his own with the brace against Leicester City. He celebrated breaking the record in style, raising a cardboard cutout of himself and holding it aloft for everyone in his home ground to see.

Said Benrahma

The Hammers scored four goals again in the second game of their Premier League season, defeating Leicester City 4-1 at the London Stadium, West Ham's home ground. Benrahma scored his side's second goal, while Antonio thumped in the third and the fourth.

Antonio was once again the provider for Benrahma's goal. Benrahma, meanwhile, provided the assist for the opener, scored by Pablo formals.

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Then world number one Simona Halep finally won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2018 French Open. It wasn't easy though, as she had to fight it out, right till the end.

After losing the first set of her first round clash against Alison Riske, she won the next eight sets in the tournament, defeating Riske, Taylor Townsend, Andrew Petkovic and Elise Mertens in the process.

She lost the first set again in the quarter-finals against Angelique Kerber, but bounced back to progress to a semi-final against Garbine Muguruza, which she won in straight sets.

In the final against Sloane Stephens, she lost the first set 3-6 and was down a break in the second set. 0-2. She rallied from that point onwards to win the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 and collect the French Open.

Did you know?

Halep lost the first three Grand Slam finals in which she appeared, before winning the 2018 French Open.

Halep is now 2-3 in Grand Slam finals. After losing to Maria Sharapova at the 2014 French Open, Jelena Ostapenka at the 2017 French Open and Caroline Wozniacki at the 2018 Australian Open, she finally yasted success at the 2018 French Open. She then followed it up with another Grand Slam victory in 2019 at the Wimbledon.

She is only the second Romanian to win multiple Grand Slam titles after Ilie Nastase, who won the 1972 men’s singles US Open and the 1973 French Open.

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Australian Ashleigh Barty has beaten Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open final to win her first Grand Slam singles title and complete a fairytale return to the sport.

The eighth seed won 6-1 6-3 against 19-year-old Vondrousova on the Paris clay.

Barty, 23, quit tennis to play professional cricket in 2014, but returned to the sport 17 months later.

Now she is the first Australian to win a singles titles at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973.

After thumping away an overhead on her first match point, Barty turned to her team and raised her hands in the air, placing them on her head in disbelief before dropping to her haunches on the red dirt.

"It is unbelievable, I'm a little speechless, I played almost the perfect match," Barty said.

"It has been a crazy two weeks.

"It is a special place here for Australian players and I'm incredibly proud of what I've been able to achieve."

Barty will climb to second in the world when the latest standings are released next week, making her the highest-ranked Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in December 1976.

Despite defeat, 38th-ranked Vondrousova will rise into the top 20 for the first time following a clay-court swing where no other female player has won more matches.

Credit : BBC

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The recently concluded T20 World Cup saw the club of bowlers with 100 or more international wickets double. While there were only two bowlers before the start of the tournament, there are now four of them.

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is now the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals. He has picked up 117 wickets so far in 94 matches with a best bowling performance of 5 for 20. He has a bowling average of 19.79 and an economy rate of 6.66.

Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga was the first bowler to reach the 100 T20 international wickets milestones. He finished his career with 107 wickets from 84 matches. Malinga's average is 20.79, economy is 7.42 and his best bowling figures is 5 for 6.

Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman (84), New Zealand's Ish Sodhi (82), and England's Chris Jordan (79) are the only other active players in the top 10 wicket-takers list in T20 internationals. But with Shakib, Southee and Rashid still playing actively, the record for being the top wicket-taker in the format might well change hands frequently in the upcoming period.

Tim Southee

• New Zealand 107 wickets 89 matches Average: 24.57 Economy: 8.19 Best bowling figures: 5 for 18
• Southee started the 2021 T20 World Cup with 99 wickets to his name.
• He became the third person to 100 T20 international wickets and is now tied with Malinga with 107 wickets.

Rashid Khan

• Afghanistan
• 56 matches
• 103 wickets Average: 12.73 Economy: 6.20 Best bowling figures: 5 for 3
• Rashid Khan started the 2021 T20 World Cup with 95 wickets under his belt.
• Rashid took 8 wickets in the 5 Super 12 games that he played to take his tally to 103.

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Ashleigh Barty claimed her first Grand Slam trophy at the 2019 French Open, defeating Marketa Vondrousova - the first teenager in a women's Grand Slam singles final since Caroline Wozniacki at the 2009 US Open - in the final.

Barty, seeded eighth, had straight sets victories in her first three matches as she got rid of Americans Jessica Pegula and Danielle Rose Collins, and Germany's Andrea Petkovic.

Things were a little tougher in the fourth round as she needed three sets to defeat American Sofia Kenin. After winning the first set 6-3, and losing the second by the same scoreline, she dominated the third set, winning it 6-0.

She faced two more Americans, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

While Barty defeated Keys in straight sets, she lost the first set against Anisimova before going on to win the match by clinching the next two sets. In the final against Czech Republic's Vondrousova, Barty had things going her way as she claimed the title in style, defeating her opponent 6-1, 6-3.

With that, she collected her first Grand Slam singles title. She, however, chose not to defend her title in 2020 as she withdrew from the tournament.

Did you know?

This was Ashleigh Barty's first Grand Slam victory. Barty became the first Australian to win a Grand Slam singles title since Samantha Stosur won the US Open in 2011.

Barty became the first Australian, male or female, to win a French Open singles title since Margaret Court achieved the feat in 1973.

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In May 2021, Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka raised concerns about her mental health after withdrawing from the French Open. Prominent sports people from the past and the present including the likes of American tennis star Serena Williams.

Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt and American swimming great Michael Phelps, rallied around Osaka. They not only offered words and deeds of support, but also admiration and praise for courageously bringing to light her own vulnerability, making the world take note of a very sensitive topic.

Not long after, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. American gymnast and multiple gold medallist Simone Biles highlighted the issue once again. Voluntarily sitting out of several events due to mental issues, Biles act kept the global discussion on mental health in sports going.

Physical activity and sports have had a positive role in the mental health make-up of people and this has been the case ever since some form of sports made its way into human society. While this still remains a fact, the brave acts of Osaka and Biles shows that there is a flip side to it as well for an elite athlete.

The unsustainable expectations around high-profile athletes, the constant need to keep on improving the almost unbearable public pressure to win at all costs and the relatively short career spans for most sports people are some of the factors that take a toll on the mental health of an elite athlete.

Showing signs of weakness is often frowned upon, but by raising their hands and getting the conversation started, the likes of Osaka and Biles have not only done good for themselves, but the sporting community at large. What's more, these instances of athletes prioritising their mental health and receiving support world over has had a spillover effect on organisations and workforces across the globe.

Bubble trouble

If playing a sport at the highest level takes a toll under normal circumstances, it has become doubly difficult during the pandemic era. These elite athletes are not only performing at their best on the sporting arena, but are also made to live in a bubble, often away from family and friends.

Sports people and governing agencies throughout the world have tried to reduce the burden on the athletes, as jumping from one bubble to another is costing an individual both physically and mentally.

When England's allrounder Ben Stokes takes the field for an Ashes Test later this year in Australia, he will be getting back after an indefinite break from the game. While this break was partly taken to give himself time to recover from physical injuries, he also made it clear that it was also to give him time away from a sport he loved for his own mental well-being.

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Every time a company releases the list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, there is always a need to search it to find female names. That number has consistently been on the lower end of the spectrum, almost always in single digits and sometimes even with no women on the list.

Participation in sports has been discriminatory for the longest of times, with men favoured over women in most societies. Even though participation of women in sports has scaled up by leaps and bounds in the past few decades, there are a number of biases that are still in play in sports.

Chief among them is probably the wage gap, with men often earning multiple times more than their female counterparts. The issue has been highlighted for nearly half a century now, and even though it is nowhere near rectified, the slow process of bridging the gap is definitely on now.

Apart from the salaries earned by playing a sport, monetary benefits in sports also include endorsement deals, merchandising, media coverage, and ticket sales, among others. With women's sports gaining ground across these aspects, there is reason to believe that the process of making sport more equitable for all is getting faster.

According to a study by BBC across 68 different sports, five out of every six sports now give equal prize money to men and women at the world championship level. Even though this is great news, it is important to note that this is the case only at the highest level and only the cream of each sport actually get there. For the countless others trying to make ends meet at the state, national and even international levels, there's still a long way to go.

FOLLOWING A TRAILBLAZER

One of the first outspoken women on this issue was American tennis star Billie Jean King. Starting in 1973, King raised awareness about unequal pay and led the movement for equal pay for men and women in tennis tournaments, and sports in general.

In recent years, many women have voiced their views on the gender pay gap in their own ways. India's squash star Dipika Pallikal Karthik boycotted the Senior National Championships from 2012, demanding equal pay for women and men. After winning the tournament in 2011, she took part next only after five years in 2016, when the organisers decided to have equal prize money for the women and men at the nationals.

In football, Norwegian superstar Ada Hegerberg decided not to play the World Cup in 2019 to protest against the pay gap. The U.S. Women's National Team, who won the FIFA World Cup in 2019, filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation, accusing them of discrimination on the basis of gender.

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On July 11, 2021, the UEFA Euro 2020 final was played between Italy and England. The match, played at the Wembley stadium in London, finished 1-1 after extra time. Italy won the penalty shoot-out that followed 3-2 to be crowned champions of Europe.

England's Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, who missed their penalties in the shoot-out, were at the receiving end of racist abuse on social media. These three players were specifically targeted and their social media accounts were filled with racist language and emojis.

Rashford said that he would never apologise for who he is, Sancho later said that racists would never win, and Saka said that he "instantly" knew he would receive hate when he missed the final penalty. While social media companies stated that their moderation technology failed to handle the stream of abuse, the bigger problem this incident highlighted was the growing number of cases where hate was perpetrated without a face.

This incident was followed by an outpouring of support for the players who were targeted with other players and governing bodies coming in with strong statements, reiterating their stand and adding that such behaviour, online or otherwise, will never be tolerated.

This isn't an isolated incident and instances like these where players are subjected to harsh treatment online is becoming more and more prevalent. The most recent such incident took place during the T20 World Cup, when India's Mohammed Shami was targeted for the religion he practices following India's loss to Pakistan.

With the online space proving to be an even more difficult place to put in checks and balances, the collective will of everyone would be necessary to weed out such behaviour.

Two sides of a coin

Following the UEFA Euro 2020 final, Marcus Rashford was not only subjected to online abuse, but even a mural of his was vandalised. Others, however, quickly used bin liners to tape over offensive words that were written on the mural, before more people stuck their messages of support on top of the bin liners.

A street artist then worked on the mural again to repair it and restore it to how it was. Other murals were also created to support the three players who were subjected to online abuse.

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Racist incidents in sports have been around for a long time, both amidst players and between fans and players. While the outburst of racism in sport is well documented, the frequency of these occurrences is what is now alarming.

There have been a growing number of incidents where players have been subjected to racist taunts from fans in the stadium. Cheering and booing is one thing, but when fans resort to abusive behaviour, it doesn't bode well. Not just for the sport, but for society in general.

In football black players in particular have been on the receiving end of rough treatment from fans. From a chorus of monkey chants to targeted abuse, players have often had to deal with more than just the pressure of playing at the highest level of the game.

While authorities, both those running the game and those that run a country, have tried to be more proactive in trying to set these right, it is still a long process. Educating the fans, taking a strong stand and sticking to it are some of the first steps that most sports are trying to adhere to.

Sending out a positive message about the issue has also been on the agenda of many sports. These are achieved through public service announcements at the start of the game and by using catchy slogans that send out a clear message.

Did you know?

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has played for several clubs across countries during his successful football career. He has been at the receiving end of several racist chants from fans, both those of the opponents and even from those of the clubs he has played for.

Not one to be cowed down, he stands up and speaks vociferously on the subject, making his point as often as he can. He strongly believes that it should not be tolerated and hopes that others after him will not have to endure it either. His message has always been to keep fighting and keep getting stronger.

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South African middle-distance distance runner Caster Semenya is a double Olympic champion and triple world, Championships gold medallist in her chosen distance, the 800m race. Her career, however, has come to highlight how authorities handling sports treat athletes whose bodies fall outside the standard ranges.

Semenya has a medical condition known as hyperandrogenism which makes her an athlete with differences in sex development and elevated levels of testosterone in her body. When she burst onto the big stage with a world title as a teenager in 2009, the governing body made her take a sex verification test More than a decade later, she continues to be embroiled in questions about her sex and the battle against rules imposed on her due to conditions she was born with dominates her life.

In 2011, the governing body said that all female athletes with higperandrogenism had to lower their testosterone levels with medication. The ruling was lifted in 2015 after Indian 100m sprinter Duter Chand had legally challenged it.

In 2018, however, a ruling was created that forbade women with similar conditions to compete internationally in middle distance races between 400m and 1,500m, unless they took medication Semenya contested it, but the ruling was upheld first by the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) in 2019 and then in a subsequent appeal court in 2020.

While the governing bodies maintain that rules like these are laid out in order to ensure a level playing field, athletes like Semenya believe that they are being discriminated against for something they are boen with Semenya feels she is being targeted and she is working to try and set things right for the coming generations.

What is hyperandrogenism?

Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition in women, and less commonly in men. It is characterised by high levels of androgens, thereby giving the condition its name. hyperandrogenism.

Androgens are hormones that contribute to the growth, development, and reproduction in both men and women. While androgens are usually thought of as male hormones, a small amount of it is usually produced by females naturally.

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The word karate means 'empty hands', fighting without weapons. Karate is a fast dangerous fighting sport using punches, kicks and throws. Originally from China, karate has been developed in Japan where the first school (dojo) was set up in 1924. Karate can be used for self-defence or attack.

In sporting karate and sparring (kumite) in training, blows and kicks are stopped short, preferably within an inch of contact. Sporting matches commonly last about three minutes, to a decision, if neither contestant has scored a clean “killing” point in the estimation of the judges. Contests of form (kata) are also held, in which single competitors perform predetermined series of movements simulating defense and counterattack against several opponents. Performances are scored by a panel of judges, as in gymnastics.

Karate evolved in East Asia over a period of centuries, becoming systematized in Okinawa in the 17th century, probably by people forbidden to carry weapons. It was imported into Japan in the 1920s. Several schools and systems developed, each favouring somewhat different techniques and training methods. Karate, like other Asian martial-arts disciplines, stresses mental attitude, rituals of courtesy, costumes, and a complex ranking system (by colour of belt). There is some overlapping of technique with other fighting styles.

Credit : Britannica 

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