Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, left Chelsea FC of London after almost 11 years of service. The 29-year-old, who had been sidelined by his new manager, Antonio Conte, decided to begin another phase of his football career with Tianjin TEDA of China. In 10 years at Chelsea , Mikel played over 350 games and won 10 major trophies that included the UEFA Champions League and Europa League – the firsts in Chelsea’s history. Here is wishing Mikel the best of luck in the Chinese Super League.
Athletics power couple retired
Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton have both called time on their athletics careers. The husband and wife competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where Ashton won the gold medal for the United States in the decathlon, while his wife Brianne won the bronze medal for Canada in the heptathlon event. They jointly announced their retirement on Instagram – “The past 8 years have been truly awesome. Getting to do something that we love everyday and going after our dreams has given us so much fulfillment in our lives. But now we’re ready to move on to the next thing, the next passion and the next chapter of our lives. We’re retiring from track and field. Thank you for sharing the journey with us!”
Chelsea lose for the first time in 3 months
Chelsea went on a 13-match winning run that started in October 2016 and included a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in late November. But Tottenham got their revenge by stopping their London neighbours from equaling the all-time winning record in the English Premier League by beating them 2-0. Arsenal hold the record of winning 14 consecutive EPL matches from the 2001/02 season to the beginning of the 2002/03 season.
Butler hits 50 in the NBA
Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler last week became the eighth player in this NBA season to post a 50-point game, which tied the NBA’s single-season record.
Butler scored 52 points to lead the Bulls to a 118-111 home victory over the Charlotte Hornets – his second career 50-point outing put him alongside Houston Rocket’s James Harden, Boston Celtic’s Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, Washington Wizard’s John Wall, Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson and New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis on the list of players to post a 50-point game already this season. Thompson has the high mark within the group, with 60 points against Indiana Pacers on December 6.
Fans pay manager’s fine
League two side, Morecambe, have again shown that fans are the lifeblood of sports. Morecambe fans came together to pay a £1,000 fine imposed on their manager, Jim Bentley by the Football Association.
The 40-year-old manager was fined £1,000 and given a two-match touchline ban after being sent to the stands during their game against Cheltenham on 17 December.
But the club is currently facing financial pressure and are operating under a transfer embargo because the Professional Footballers’ Association have helped pay wages. Bentley was handed the cash on television and was visibly moved by the generosity.
Real Madrid match Barcelona’s record
The reigning World Club champions knocked five goals past Granada to match Barcelona’s 39-match unbeaten run record. Zinedine Zidane’s men will now look forward to next Thursday when they take on Sevilla in the second leg of a Copa del Rey tie, in which they hold a 3-0 lead to beat the record set by their eternal rivals.
And finally…
105-year-old makes cycling history
Robert Marchand, a 105-year-old Frenchman, rode his way into cycling history last Wednesday by covering 22.5 km in one hour on a track near Paris.
Marchand just fell short of his own previous record of 26.927 km in the over-100s category, which he set in 2014 at the age of 102 years old, but secured the record in a new category – the over-105s. Afterwards, he said, “I’m not in such good shape as I was a couple of years back. I am not here to be champion. I am here to prove that at 105 years old you can still ride a bike.” And prove it you did, Marchand! We hope to see you again next year.
Happy New Year to you and hope you take a cue from the 105-year-old man that it is never too late to attempt again. Have a wonderful week ahead.
