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Breaking: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Begin

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Athletes’ village reopens one week before Tokyo Paralympics begins USA win Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Nigeria finish 74th
Tatyana McFadden (USA)
Wheelchair race legend McFadden already has 17 Paralympic medals to her name — now she’s targeting more as she prepares for her fifth Summer Games.
McFadden, who was born in Russia and raised in an orphanage until she was adopted at the age of six, also competed in cross-country skiing at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
But her influence is not limited to the race track — she’s also an equal-rights campaigner who has welcomed the US team’s decision to award Paralympic medalists the same prize money as Olympians.
McFadden developed blood clots in 2017 that left her fearing her career was over, but she is back for another Games and aiming for more success.
“I’ve come such a long way and am finally getting the speed back and hitting speeds I’ve never hit before,” she told Forbes.
“I’ve changed so much — it’s a new body, a new me, a new mindset. I’ve definitely become stronger. I’m going to really enjoy these Games.”
Shingo Kunieda (JPN)
World number one Kunieda is one of wheelchair tennis’s most decorated players, and a household name in his native Japan.
Diagnosed with a spinal cord tumour when he was nine, he has gone on to win three Paralympic golds and two bronzes, as well as bagging over 100 career titles — singles and doubles combined.
He became the first wheelchair tennis player to win consecutive men’s Paralympic singles titles with victories in 2008 and 2012.
But an elbow injury hampered Kunieda’s chances of winning gold at the 2016 Rio Games, and he is more determined than ever to reclaim the Paralympic title on home soil.
“Winning a gold medal in Tokyo is the biggest goal,” he told the International Tennis Federation’s magazine.
“Even though I have three medals from past Paralympics, gold in Tokyo would be so special and mean so much to me.”
Husnah Kukundakwe (UGA)
Ugandan swimmer Kukundakwe could become one of the faces of the Tokyo Paralympics when she competes aged just 14.
Kukundakwe, who was born without her right forearm and also has an impairment to her left hand, is aiming to change attitudes in her home country, where she says people with disabilities are “not considered normal”.
She says swimming has given her confidence, allowing her to ditch the baggy sweaters she used to wear to cover her arms and hands.
Now she’s aiming to make a splash as the youngest athlete at the Games, after qualifying for the women’s 100m breaststroke.
“I don’t really expect much from swimming at the Paralympic Games since it’s my first time,” she said.
“Just getting the chance to be here and showing other younger people who want to participate in the Paralympics that they should just go for it and do what they believe in.

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Ogba, Others Endorse Niger Delta Sports Festival

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Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”

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Onyedika Not Sure For Super Eagles W’C Qualifiers

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Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.

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‘I Must Win Trophy Before Retirement’

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Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”

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