Okagbare Races To First Diamond League Win In Rabat; Clocks New 100m Season’s Best.

Former Commonwealth Games double sprint queen, Blessing Okagbare -Ighoteguonor on Sunday evening ran a 11.05 seconds personal season’s best to win the 100m event at the Rabat, Morocco leg of the 14-leg IAAF Diamond League meetings.

The long-legged and elegant Nigerian defeated her closest challenger, Cote D’Ivoire’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou by four hundreth of a
second (11.09) to secure the win while Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers disappointed as she ran 11.32 seconds to place fifth.

The win catapaulted Okagbare to the top of the women’s 100m standing in the Diamond League with 15 points after garnering
eight points in Rabat to add to the seven she got in the opening leg of the meetings in Doha last month with her second place finish. She also got $10,000 for her effort.

Okagbare’s focus now will be to break her first 10 seconds in the 100m event this year before setting her sight on the IAAF World Championships in September/October in Doha where she will be hoping to return to the podium six years after she won a silver (long jump) and bronze (200m) in Moscow 2013.

Nadal wins 12th French Open crown

Rafael Nadal captured a record-extending 12th French Open title by overcoming the fierce challenge from Dominic Thiem to win 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 on Sunday.

In a rematch of last year’s final, the Spaniard proved to be the king of the red dirt of Roland Garros as he became the first man or woman to win the same Grand Slam tournament 12 times – moving clear of the 11 titles won by Margaret Court at the Australian Open.

An 18th Grand Slam title overall moved Nadal to within two of Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record.

Barty wins French Open and maiden Grand Slam title

Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian singles winner of the French Open in 46 years as she demolished Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.

Barty bamboozled the unseeded 19-year-old to win 6-1 6-3 in an hour and 10 minutes to claim her maiden Grand Slam title and become the first Aussie winner of the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen since the legendary Margaret Court in 1973.

Barty, 23, was a teenage phenomenon, winning the Wimbledon junior title at 15. She spent 18 months away from tennis and was ranked outside the top 600 just three years ago, but she can now call herself a major champion for the first time in her career.

Barty, who will be ranked second in the world on Monday, is the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Sam Stosur at the US Open in 2011.

Barty paid tribute to her opponent, saying: “Marketa, your whole season has been unbelievable, this is just the very start. I have absolutely no doubt you’ll be in grand slam finals in the future.”

Barty delighted with her French Open title

Real Madrid confirm signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea in deal that could rise to £150m… making the forward their most expensive player ever

Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea in a deal which could rise to more than £150million.

Hazard will move to Spain for an initial fee of £88m on a five-year contract worth more than £400,000 a week, and is set to be presented as a Real player on Thursday after international duty with Belgium, subject to a medical.

Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Chelsea forward Eden Hazard in a £150million deal

Chelsea will receive additional payments depending upon a series of add-ons, some of which are understood to be basic and very achievable

He leaves with the blessing and goodwill of Chelsea who will bank a fortune for a player with only one year left on his contract and has provided them with seven years of service since he was signed for £32m from Lille.

Hazard has won the Premier League twice, the Europa League twice, the FA Cup and the League Cup, and was voted Footballer of the Year in 2015, which he recently referred to as his best season in English football.

In a statement Hazard said: ‘It’s no secret that it was my dream to play for Real Madrid since I was a young boy. I have loved every moment at Chelsea and not once did I consider leaving, nor would I have left for any other club.’

Chelsea director Marina Granoskaia said: ‘Although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Eden and we made it absolutely clear to him the club wished him to stay we respect the decision he has made to take on a new challenge in a different country and follow his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid’.