Judy Murray OBE, a former international tennis player, Fed Cup Captain and coach to many champions including her sons Jamie and Andy.
Listen here – https://thegamechangers.libsyn.com/judy-murray
In a bid to extend its imprints into Africa, the ESports World Federation (ESWF) has announced the appointment of Nigerian Sports Media and Marketing Professional, Sayo Owolabi as its Senior Advisor for the Africa Ecosystem Development.
In his role as the Senior Advisor, Africa, Sayo who is the Founder of Africa’s leading full service ESports Organization, the Lagos ESports Forum (LESF) will coordinate the activities of members of the Organization of Africa ESports (OAES) and also serve on the Board of the ESWF advising on the Strategic direction and engagement of the African Ecosystem and chairing the Media Portal Commission of the body.
In a release on the appointment, ESWF President, Arniel Gutierrez described Sayo as an astute Leader whose works with the LESF in the last 6 months is a testament to the qualities required to stir the ship of the African Project for the ESWF and also give sound advisory direction and voice on the Board in relation to the African Ecosystem Development.
The ESports World Federation is a Philippines-based worldwide organization which was founded in 2019 and prides itself as the umbrella organization of all International Federations of electronic sports and digital sports with the objective of creating “ESports For All”.
Get more information about the ESports World Federation on www.eswf.games
A magnificent performance from Jake Smith (coach: James Thie; club: Cardiff) saw him lowered his own British Under-23 half marathon record and move third on the all-time British list with an impressive 60:31 clocking at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland.
Over the near five-and-a-half kilometre loop on the streets of Poland, Smith produced a measured run, keeping pace with the leading group to go through the 10km mark in a PB of 28:43 and continued to challenge with some of the biggest names in the sport as the race wore on.
Into the home straight, the emotion on Smith’s face turned to elation as he looked up to see the time of 60:31 appear, chopping almost 90 seconds off his previous best of 62:00, set at the Vitality Big Half back in February.
His performance spearheaded the team to an overall 10th place finish, clocking a time of 3:06:17, with Mo Aadan (Paul Oppe; Thames Valley) and Kris Jones (Dundee Hawkhill) coming home in 50th and 60th respectively in 62:41 and 63:05, a PB for the latter.
After the race, Smith said: “When I came down that final straight and saw what I was at, at the 20km mark, I couldn’t believe it. I got a 10km PB along the way and I was with the main group when I did that and it was so good. In that last lap, I caught one of the Turkish guys and just worked with him and I knew once we were at the top of the hill, it was downhill all the way.
“I put everything into the downhill and tried to hang on as much as I could. I started crying happy tears on the home straight because I just couldn’t believe it.
“I couldn’t ask for a better team, we all get on so well and we were warming up as a group and I couldn’t ask for anyone else to share this with.”
Aadan went out well and paced his race well to record a season’s best, with Jones working his way through the field after going out strongly in the early stages, ensuring he came away with a PB.
On his senior British debut, Adam Craig (Steve Vernon; Inverclyde) knocked a further 12 seconds off his lifetime best with a 63:12 clocking that earned him 62nd place overall, with Tom Evans (Andrew Hobdell; Belgrave), making his British debut on the roads, 64th in 63:14, a personal best by one second.
On the team spirit and performance, Aadan added: “Our team spirit is and was very, very high. Everyone was up for it. I tried my best to get a PB and got a season’s best instead but I was a little bit out.
“This is my third time out with the British team and I haven’t seen spirit like this. It’s like all of us have been together for a few months, not days. Everyone is proud to wear this vest and I’m so grateful for our wonderkid [Jake], he’s superman today.”
Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) came away with top spot for Uganda in a championship record of 58:49, with Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) and Amedework Walelegn (ETH) rounding out the individual medal spots in 58:54 and 59:08 respectively.
The senior women’s team, which saw all three British athletes making their senior debuts at the championships, were led to 15th position in the overall standings, with Samantha Harrison (Vince Wilson; Charnwood) leading the way in 71:53.
Harrison and Becky Briggs (Mick Woods; City of Hull), the latter of whom was the youngest athlete in the field at just 20-years-old packed well in the early stages but as the pace was quickened, the Brits were made to work hard as field stretched out.
Harrison showed good pace through the 10km split, sitting in 31st position, breaking the split in 33:29 and held kept her consistency through until the line, leading the scoring in 47th spot.
Clara Evans (Chris Jones; Cardiff), making her maiden appearance in a British team, found herself in a sprint finish with Briggs in the closing stages, Evans cutting the tape in 73:11.
After the race, Harrison said: “I was really happy with that, the course was much tougher than I anticipated it being and it really took it out of your legs. I started off well but as the race wore on it all just started to take its toll.
“I’m happy with it for my senior debut, I gave it all that I could and I’m happy to be inside the top 50 on my first appearance in a British vest.”
Briggs added: “You look around you and the level of competition is insane. I’m only 20 but what an amazing experience to be in the same race as some of these girls, especially when they’re breaking the world record like they have done today.
“A lot of young athletes don’t step up to the bigger distances until much later in their career but I feel like I’m ready to compete on world events and on that stage. Hopefully in years to come I’ll have the opportunity to do so again and I’ll have more miles in my legs. That performance out there is just a stepping stone to what is to come later.”
Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir produced a world record run to take her second World Half Marathon title, clocking 65:16, as Germany’s Melat Yisak Kejeta set a national record of 65:18 for silver, with Yalemzerf Yehualaw claiming bronze in 65:19.
Full results from the race are available on the World Athletics website.
Astralis, Cloud9 and Patrick “es3tag” Hansen have agreed to a the terms of a transfer sending Patrick “es3tag” Hansen from Astralis to Cloud9. The transfer will be effective after DH Open Fall.
Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis Group:
– This is not something we saw coming when we signed Patrick only four months ago, but player transfers will always be a part of the game. We will not be commenting on any specifics around this agreement, but I do believe it is one of the biggest transfers on record and the conditions offered to Patrick are also of a kind, he wanted to pursue.
– We have an obligation towards our own business and towards the player and as such we are pleased to have finalized this agreement with Cloud9. As a player and as a professional, Patrick will be missed by everybody here, and I hope one day, he will yet again be a part of Astralis. We wish him the best of luck!
Patrick “es3tag” Hansen:
– Things have gone extremely fast. I am proud to represent Astralis, I love the fans and I never for a second thought, I would be move on to a different team this early. I just won my first big title and I truly enjoy working with all the guys on and around the team. Over the past 6 months, I have grown as a person and a player, and I owe a lot to the organization.
– That being said, what Cloud9 is offering me is something I needed to consider seriously. I love the ideas behind the project, and I believe it will be a team to consider in the top of CS for the years to come. While I am sad to leave Astralis and all the people here, I look forward to the challenge in Cloud9. Thanks to the fans for the massive support they have shown me, I will always have Astralis and the fans very close to my heart!
Kasper Hvidt, Director of Sports at Astralis Group:
– Needless to say, the timing is not optimal, but player transfers are a part of the game and I wish Patrick only the very best. I have worked with him twice now, and he is a stand-up guy and a rare professional, who understands what it takes and who will always work his hardest for himself and his teammates.
– The transfer leaves an open spot but having Andreas “Xyp9x” back leaves us with 6 of the best players in the world. Having worked and gained a lot of experience with a 6-man set-up, it is obvious that this is something Danny, our coach, is comfortable with, and we are in no rush to increase the roster short term. Possible future transfers and securing consistency in the overall performance might mean we will have 5 or 7 players in shorter periods, though, but this is not a part of the plans right now.
– Ultimately, we are working towards a full 2-team roster with 10 players like the set-up we have in League of Legends. This is something we will present at a later stage, right now I just want to thank Patrick for his time and hard work and wish him the best of luck in the future.
Astralis and Cloud9 have agreed not to discuss further financial details of the agreement.
*Photo of Patrick “es3tag” Hansen with Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander (credit Astralis Group)
Story courtesy of https://www.esportspress.co.uk/historic-transfer-astralis-to-sell-es3tag-hansen-to-cloud9/
‘The first’ is a phrase that crops up time and time again when reflecting on the incredible career of Tessa Sanderson CBE, one of Great Britain’s greatest ever track and field athletes.
At Los Angeles 1984, not only was she the first and only British athlete to win an Olympic throwing event, the javelin legend was also the first black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Sanderson’s remarkable longevity at the top is also unmatched, becoming the first and only British woman to date to compete at six successive Olympic Games over two decades.
She is a trailblazer in every sense of the word but as is so often the case with pioneers, her climb to the pinnacle of her sport was not without its obstacles along the way.
Born in Jamaica, Sanderson was raised by her grandmother before following her Windrush generation parents over to England when she was six years old.
And it was not just the extreme drop in temperature in Wolverhampton she had to quickly acclimatise to as her parents also warned her about the prejudice she would face.
“We slotted in with everything but one of the good things about having the parents we did was that they were really level-headed and taught us all about what to expect,” she said.
Full story – https://www.teamgb.com/article/black-history-month-the-story-of-tessa-sanderson/4VwxAG5V0MxIAyMdKqGsNw
The latest episode of The Game Changes podcast features British sailor Tracy Edwards MBE who made history when skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.
Speaking to host Sue Anstiss MBE, Tracy discusses the challenges and triumphs she’s experienced throughout her life and career in sport. From overcoming seasickness to work on a Mediterranean charter yacht and getting expelled from school, right through to learning to navigate, being introduced to racing and making history on Maiden – the first all female boat to take part in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.
Throughout the episode Tracy talks about the push back she and her team-mates faced as women taking on the race, the encouragement she received from her mentors, her mum in particular. And the mental struggles she faced after the race.
The Game Changers is available across all platforms including apple podcasts, Spotify, Google and Stitcher, or listen here https://podfollow.com/1464596772
You can find out more about all the guests at fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers
Image courtesy of https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/cruising/tracy-edwards/
| Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Mike Di Meglio narrowly misses out on a famous home win and places second in an epic seven-lap MotoE finale at Le Mans. |
 After the earlier Moto2 race started in damp, drying conditions, the 4.1km Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans was fully dry for the final MotoE race of the 2020 season. |
| Courtesy of finishing as runner up on Saturday in race one, Mike Di Meglio started the 7-lap race two from second on the grid. |
| In a dramatic exchange at the first chicane, which led to two riders crashing out, Di Meglio emerged in the lead and led Niki Tuuli and Josh Hook in an exciting three-way fight for the win. |
| Despite matching the fastest times from race one, Mike was unable to break clear of his pursuers. Tuuli passed the Frenchman for the lead on the run to turn one with two laps to go and even though Mike was close, he couldn’t pass the Finn for the lead at the end. |
| Still, his second runner up position in two days were enough to lift Mike to fourth in the final World Cup Classification with 75 points to his name, 39 back of 2020 World Cup Champion Jordi Torres. |
HONG KONG, Oct. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Esports and lifestyle brand Talon Esports has completed its seed funding round. Hana Ventures lead the investment round with other participants including Widus Strategic Investments, New Wave Esports Corporation, Sprout Investments, Gavekal Family, EMC Capital, Animoca Brands, HZL Capital, Felix LaHaye (United Esports) along with various family offices and individuals. With the USD $2.0MN seed funding Talon will seek to expand into new countries, titles and further develop its lifestyle value offering.
“Since being founded in 2017 we have seen Talon grow from competing in local competitions to making it onto biggest stage of esports: the League of Legends World Championship. We can’t afford to slow down and with the seed funding we will look to enter new markets and explore lifestyle and fashion opportunities and build a brand that pushes the boundaries of performance and imagination,” said Sean Zhang CEO and Co-Founder of Talon Esports.
“We are very excited to embark on this journey with Talon. The team’s strong focus on growth, combined with the rising demand and interest for e-sports in Asia, will make Talon one of the major leaders. We look forward to supporting Talon by bringing our e-sports knowledge from Korea as well,” notes Hana Ventures’ Director and Head of Global Investment Henry Choi. Hana Ventures is the investment arm of Hana Financial Group, one of the largest financial groups in Korea.
“Talon’s cross border aspirations in Asia mirror our own goals of breaking down borders and cross-pollinating innovation across markets. We look forward to working closely with Talon’s experienced management team by not only investing, but also providing strategic value to help foster Talon’s ambition of becoming the number one esports franchise in Asia,” said Jason Park, Partner and Head of Principal Investments at Widus Partners. Widus Strategic Investments is a subsidiary of Widus Holdings and an affiliate of Widus Partners Limited.
“Upon meeting with Sean and Jarrold, and having them meticulously explain their vision for Talon, it was an obvious choice for United Esports to invest in Talon, providing great synergies to both of our teams, and expending our mutual reach globally,” noted United Esport’s CEO Felix LaHaye. United Esports is a leading North American esports media organization.
About Talon Esports
Established in 2017, Talon Esports is an esports organization founded by Sean Zhang and Jarrold Tham and headquartered in Hong Kong. The organization has teams competing League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Overwatch, Rainbow 6, Clash Royale, Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V. Talon Esports won the Pacific Championship Series Spring Split 2020 and represented the PCS at Worlds 2020 in Shanghai as PSG Talon with a partnership with footballing giants Paris Saint Germain penned prior to the Summer Split. Operating out of Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand with creative studios in each location, they are one of the fastest growing teams in Asia Pacific with millions of fans globally. Visit https://www.talon.gg/ or contact info@talonesports.com for business opportunities.
Media Contact:
Jarrold Tham
Jarrold.tham@talonesports.com
+852 9105 8895Source: Talon EsportsRelated Links:
Story courtesy of https://www.esportspress.co.uk/talon-esports-raises-2m-seed-round-to-accelerate-growth-in-asia-pacific/
SAS is delighted to announce that it will continue to provide its world-leading analytics solutions to British Rowing until December 2021 through the rearranged Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer.
SAS will work with British Rowing to develop powerful data solutions across the business including the GB Rowing Team, as well as investing in grassroots rowing. Since becoming the Official Analytics Partner of British Rowing in 2014, SAS has helped British Rowing maximise the use of data to inform decisions across the whole organisation.
Charles Senabulya, VP & Country Manager, SAS UK & Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to continue our support for British Rowing in what are extremely challenging times for all organisations. Coaches and athletes have had to adapt, just like businesses, to remote training away from the water and communicating virtually rather than face‐to‐face. On a positive note the postponement of the Olympics and Paralympics until next year at least gives British Rowing more time to use analytics to uncover important insights from performance data.”
Commenting on the extension of the partnership, Andy Parkinson, British Rowing CEO said: “In challenging times for the sport, it’s fantastic that SAS has agreed to continue its support beyond the Olympics and Paralympics next year. Through this partnership, we’ve been able to significantly accelerate our understanding of our data and build infrastructure that is now helping us make decisions and optimise our long‐term strategy.”
Through the partnership, SAS’ advanced analytics software and consultancy are being used across broad areas of the business including membership analysis, competition ranking algorithms (the SAS Ranking Points Index) and performance data analysis. In recent years, significant progress has been made in building data‐led models of performance data, helping British Rowing better understand the precise factors that can influence and affect an individual’s performance.
Nick Scott, Head of Performance Support explained how the partnership is helping the GB Rowing Team: “Rowing is an incredibly data‐rich sport, but just having lots of data does not mean you will automatically find the next competitive advantage. With this latest SAS project, we are using advanced analytics to link and interrogate never before combined data sources to do two things ‐ confirm what has made us successful in the past and find novel ways of optimising our training for the future.”1
Brendan Foster, Olympic medallist and founder of the Great North Run, has been knighted for his services to sport and culture in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The 72-year-old won 10,000m bronze at the Montreal 1976 Games but his influence in athletics far from ended on the Olympic podium.
Five years later, Foster founded a race which has become the biggest half-marathon in the world, with the Great North Run raising millions of pounds for good causes each year since its first edition in 1981.
His legacy has remained and his voice has been a mainstay of British athletics coverage, with the former long-distance runner commentating for the BBC between 1980 and his retirement in 2017.
“It is a real privilege to receive this honour,’ said Foster.
“I’ve been lucky enough to spend my whole life doing something that I’ve loved from childhood; participating, sharing my enthusiasm through broadcasting and encouraging thousands to run for pleasure.”
Full story – https://www.teamgb.com/article/team-gb-olympians-recognised-in-queens-birthday-honours/5FS2zlAbXnGSqtBiLgdwzD