Germany’s Dennis Schroder poses with the net and a medal after winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup finals against Serbia on September 10. (Credit: Stringer/Anadolu Agency)
THE GREAT NORTH RUN, NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND. SEPT 10: Sir Mo Farah, one of the greatest British athletes of all time, finished fourth in the final race of his career at the Great North Run on September 10.
The 40-year-old four-time Olympic champion slipped off the pace early in the famous 13.1-mile race from Newcastle to South Shields. He finished three minutes, 30 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who won in 59 minutes, 58 seconds.
“It’s very emotional. A lot was going through my mind,” Farah said. He told BBC Sport: “All I know is running, and that is what has made me happy for so many years. Running is everything to me. Running is what saved me.”
Farah retires with a glittering CV. He became the first Briton to complete the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m doubles with victory in front of a joyous home crowd in London 2012 and defended his titles at Rio 2016. Only five Britons have more Olympic medals than Farah, who also won six world, five European, and two European indoor titles, as well as the Chicago Marathon, in a career dating back more than two decades.
Farah waved to the crowd during the final 200m of the Great North Run before jogging back down the finishing straight to high-five fans, many of whom were carrying ‘One Mo Time’ signs.
2023 FIBA WORLD CUP: August 25 – September 10. Dennis Schröder inspired Germany to beat Serbia 83-77 to lift basketball’s World Cup on September 10. Schröder, crowned the tournament’s most valuable player, carried Germany with a game-high 28 points, way above his average of 17.9 points per game, and added two rebounds and two assists.
Despite going down 26-23 in the first quarter, the Germans, playing in their first-ever final, refused to be overawed by the occasion. Inspired by the intensity of Isaac Bonga on both sides of the ball and Toronto Raptor Schroder’s three-point magic, they responded by taking an early four-point lead in the second.
After weathering a rally from Serbia, the teams went into halftime locked at 47-47. The lead had changed hands 15 times by this point, a testament to a high-quality but even contest.
With a capacity crowd at fever pitch, Germany stepped on the gas in the third quarter to open an 11-point lead when Serbia called a timeout. Showing superior shooting accuracy from the likes of Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner, the Germans extended their lead to 69-57 at the buzzer.
Spearheaded by Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia battled furiously in the fourth quarter to get back within 3 points, but Germany survived the thrilling final minute to close out the match and spark wild celebrations on the court.
Pakistan pace bowler Naseem Shah has been ruled out of their squad for the 50-over World Cup in India because of a shoulder injury. Shah suffered the injury on September 11 in Pakistan’s Asia Cup match against India and requires surgery, followed by three to four months of recovery. The 20-year-old has taken 32 wickets in 14 one-day internationals (ODIs). Fellow right-arm quick Hasan Ali, who has taken 91 ODI wickets in 60 games, replaces Shah. Haris Rauf, another right-arm quick bowler, is included as he recovers from a right-side strain suffered in the Asia Cup.
TRANSFERS
SEPT 3: Nottingham Forest have signed PSV midfielder Ibrahim Sangare for a fee believed to be around £30 million. The Ivory Coast international has penned a five-year deal and becomes the club’s most-expensive signing, topping the initial £25 million paid for Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves in 2022, though that could eventually rise.
SEPT 1: Manchester United have signed Fiorentina’s Morocco midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat. United will pay an £8.6m loan fee with an option to make the deal permanent, which would cost £17.1m plus £4.2m in add-ons. Amrabat, 27, said he was now “representing the club of my dreams”. He spent three seasons at La Viola, making 92 league appearances and scoring once. The Morocco midfielder, who starred for his country as they finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has 49 international caps.
Championship side Blackburn Rovers have signed German striker Semir Telalovic from Borussia Monchengladbach. The 23-year-old joins on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, with the option to extend his stay at Ewood Park for another 12 months beyond June 2026.
Sunderland have signed midfielder Adil Aouchiche. Aouchiche, 21, arrives from Lorient on a 5-year deal. The Algerian left PSG for Saint-Étienne before moving to Lorient and has played 86 first-team games in total.
AUG 27: West Ham have completed the signing of Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus in a deal worth at least £38 million. The 23-year-old scored a hat-trick in Ajax’s Europa League play-off win over Ludogorets in Bulgaria on August 24. “I’ve been dreaming of playing in a league like this since I was a kid,” said the Ghanian, as West Ham confirmed his Premier League arrival.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: PARIS, FRANCE, SEPTEMBER 2: UFC: Volkan Oezdemir turned back the clock, capturing his first Octagon finish since 2019 with a first-round submission stoppage over light heavyweight newcomer Bogdan Guskov. Guskov was making his debut, but his knockout record suggested he could pose a threat to Oezdemir. Unfortunately for Guskov, Oezdemir was at his best. The former title challenger grabbed a full mount on a fatigued and highly compromised Guskov after hitting some crisp power shots on the feet. That’s when Oezdemir was able to roll him over and finish with a rear-naked choke.
Farid Basharat kept his perfect record intact when the undefeated bantamweight stopped Brazilian challenger Kleydson Rodrigues with a first-round arm-triangle choke. The Afghan was a heavy favourite for this “prelims” affair, and for good reason. Not only has he looked dominant in his short UFC career, but Rodrigues has moved up from flyweight. This was another chance for Basharat to prove his worth and continue his push towards the top 15. As expected, Basharat was able to utilise his wrestling early to secure a takedown and weigh heavily on Rodrigues. Eventually, Basharat was able to break through Rodrigues’ guard and find his chance to sink into the choke. Rodrigues has no choice but to tap. Basharat, 26, is now 11-0 in his pro career and 2-0 inside the Octagon. This was his biggest victory to date and a win that should land “Ferocious” in a bigger matchup next time out.
US OPEN, NEW YORK. AUG 22 – SEPT 10: China’s Zheng Qinwen knocked out last year’s US Open runner-up Ons Jabeur in the fourth round on September 4, with a 6-2, 6-4 win over the Tunisian fifth seed at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Illness had left Jabeur struggling to catch her breath at times earlier in the tournament, and she looked exhausted against Zheng, who will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Mayar Sherif lost (6-3, 7-5) in the first round to China’s Lin Zhu on August 28. The 27-year-old Egyptian has yet to pass the first round of the US Open.
MUSLIM MEDALLISTS WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA. SEPT 4-17: Rules: The objective of the Snatch (S) is to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion. Clean & Jerk (K&J), is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the clean, the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without resting fully on the clavicles. During the jerk, the lifter raises the barbell to a stationary position above the head, finishing with straight arms and legs, and the feet in the same plane as the torso and barbell.
Gold
81 kg, S: Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov UZB – 164 kg
81 kg, C&J: Rahmat Erwin Abdullah INA – 209 kg WR
89 kg, C&J: Mirmostafa Javadi IRI – 215 kg
89 kg, Total: Mirmostafa Javadi IRI – 384 kg
96 kg, S: Qasim Al-Lami IRQ – 175 kg
96 kg, C&J: Karim Abokahla EGY – 213 kg
96 kg, Total: Karim Abokahla EGY – 387 kg
109 kg, S: Akbar Djuraev UZB – 189 kg
109 kg, C&J: Ruslan Nurudinov UZB – 227 kg
109 kg, Total: Akbar Djuraev UZB – 415 kg
Silver
67 kg, S: Eko Yuli Irawan INA – 146 kg
67 kg, Total: Eko Yuli Irawan INA – 321 kg
81 kg, Total: Rahmat Erwin Abdullah INA – 354 kg
96 kg, S: Karim Abokahla EGY – 174 kg
102 kg, C&J: Fares El-Bakh QAT – 218 kg
109 kg, C&J: Akbar Djuraev UZB – 226 kg
109 kg, Total: Ruslan Nurudinov UZB – 407 kg
Bronze
61 kg, C&J: Aniq Kasdan MAS – 166 kg
73 kg, C&J: Muhammed Furkan Özbek TUR – 187 kg
73 kg, Total: Muhammed Furkan Özbek TUR – 334 kg
81 kg, C&J: Gaýgysyz Töräýew TKM – 193 kg
81 kg, Total: Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov UZB – 352 kg
96 kg, C&J: Mahmoud Hassan EGY – 209 kg
96 kg, Total: Qasim Al-Lami IRQ – 379 kg
109 kg, S: Dadash Dadashbayli AZE – 180 kg
109 kg, C&J: Dadash Dadashbayli AZE – 223 kg
109 kg, Total: Dadash Dadashbayli AZE – 403 kg
+109 kg, C&J: Ali Davoudi IRI – 249 kg
MEN’S AFRICAN NATIONS VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, CAIRO, EGYPT. SEPT 3–13: Egypt has reclaimed the Men’s African Nations Volleyball Championship title following a hard-fought victory against Algeria in Cairo. The duel took almost two hours in the capital city and resulted in the hosts prevailing 25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22.
The result marks Egypt’s first gold medal in the event since 2015, as they end Tunisia’s run of three straight victories. It was a remarkable performance from Egypt to beat the side that had dispatched them 3-0 in the preliminary round.
Opposite Haikal Reda led the victors with 15 points through 14 kill blocks and an ace, while being supported by middle blocker Abdelrahman Seoudy and outside hitter Mohamed Mostafa, who both amassed 14 points.
Boudjemaa Ikken replied for Algeria with a game-high 21 points through 18 kills, two blocks, and one ace.
En route to the final, Egypt beat Kenya and Morocco in straight sets in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively, before beating Cameroon 3-1 in the semi-finals.
