This week we examined the final round of qualifiers for next year’s World Cup including how Mexico was barely saved from an embarrassing elimination.
While the men’s national team is under turmoil and on Friday hired its fourth head coach in forty days, another much younger squad has served as an example of unity and resiliance.
A children’s team representing the indigenous Trique community triumphed at a mini-basketball tournament held in Argentina this month. Nicknamed “the barefoot mice from Mexico” since several members of the team are short and prefer not to use sneakers, the hoopsters from Oaxaca won all six of their matches against squads from around the world.
The Trique youngsters’ triumph was recognized by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies with a one-minute standing ovation while President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted that the team’s effort “makes Mexicans proud.”
The forty players, which include five girls, are between the ages of eight and eleven and are allowed to participate as long as they have good grades at school, do their chores at home and speak their native language.
The following video shows the team’s homecoming to Mexico as well as an interview with one of the players who was proud of his impoverished community “that could use more resources so we can all have better lives”:
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, September 6, 2012
London Calling: Perseverance
On September 15, 2001 racing driver Alex Zinardi lost both of his legs after he crashed at a European racetrack. Nearly eleven years to the day of that accident, the Italian won a gold medal in the H4 handcycling time trial at the London Paralympics.
Much like Zinardi, other disabled athletes competing at the Paralympics were formally able-bodied individuals. One Latin American example of this is several members of the Colombian men’s wheelchair basketball team:
As noted in this article from BBC Mundo, four players on the squad that makes its debut in the Paralympics were not born with their respective disabilities. All of them were victims of the violence that has poisoned Colombia for decades.
Much like Zinardi, other disabled athletes competing at the Paralympics were formally able-bodied individuals. One Latin American example of this is several members of the Colombian men’s wheelchair basketball team:
As noted in this article from BBC Mundo, four players on the squad that makes its debut in the Paralympics were not born with their respective disabilities. All of them were victims of the violence that has poisoned Colombia for decades.
Monday, August 6, 2012
London Calling: One Hour of Glory
The London Games are shaping up to be one of the most successful Olympics for Latin American athletes. The strongest proof of this occurred on Monday when six competitors from the region won medals all in the short span of one hour.
At the Olympic Stadium, Dominican sprinter Felix Sánchez captured the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.63 seconds. The 34-year-old runner, who won in the same event in 2004, coincidentally clocked the same time that gave him gold eight years ago in Athens.
“I just wanted to make her proud so I’ve got her name on my spikes,” said Sánchez in dedicating his win to his grandmother who died while he was competing in the Olympics in 2008. As seen in the images in the video below, Sánchez wept openly after running with a picture of his grandmother under his uniform and then while on the medal stand:
Sánchez wasn’t the only Latin American to shine in the men’s 400-meter hurdles finals. Javier Culson won bronze and thus became the first Puerto Rican to achieve an Olympics medal in a sport outside of boxing.
The runner from Ponce was a favorite to win the race and according to The Guardian “in his eyes there were tears as the 28-year-old stared in disbelief” for finishing third. Nevertheless, he received plenty of adulation via Twitter from Boricuas including Gov. Luis Fortuño and Calle 13 musician René “Residente” Pérez.
Minutes after Sánchez and Culson won their respective medals, Cuban wrestler Mijain López successfully defended his gold medal in the men's 120-kg Greco-Roman wrestling. The four-time world champion beat Heiki Nabi of Estonia by scores of 2-0 and 1-0 in order to retain his Olympics title.
“Cuban supporters cheered wildly as Lopez did a lap of honor of the packed arena with his country's flag draped over his shoulders,” according to Reuters on the crowd’s reception to the man who was Cuba’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies.
From the wrestling mat we return to the athletics track where Liguelin Santos completed a historic double for the Dominican Republic. The eighteen-year-old became the youngest man to medal in the men’s 400-meter dash after finishing second with a time of 44.46 seconds.
According to ABC Online “world junior champion Santos, the third fastest man this year, was billed as main rival (to eventual gold medal winner Kirani James of Grenada) due to the absence of (defending champion LaShawn) Merritt but he never looked like seriously threatening”. Nevertheless, Santos has a promising career ahead and should be viewed as a favorite to win gold in Rio in 2016.
Nearly sixty minutes after Sánchez won gold, Yarisley Silva of Cuba earned second place in the women’s pole vault.
Silva cleared 4.75m along with Jennifer Suhr of the U.S. but the Cuban was awarded the silver medal since she had missed one more jump than Suhr.
Five medals by five athletes in the space of sixty minutes. Day ten of the 2012 Summer Games was surely one of the most historic and memorable in the history of Latin American sports.
In other notable results from Monday:
At the Olympic Stadium, Dominican sprinter Felix Sánchez captured the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.63 seconds. The 34-year-old runner, who won in the same event in 2004, coincidentally clocked the same time that gave him gold eight years ago in Athens.
“I just wanted to make her proud so I’ve got her name on my spikes,” said Sánchez in dedicating his win to his grandmother who died while he was competing in the Olympics in 2008. As seen in the images in the video below, Sánchez wept openly after running with a picture of his grandmother under his uniform and then while on the medal stand:
Sánchez wasn’t the only Latin American to shine in the men’s 400-meter hurdles finals. Javier Culson won bronze and thus became the first Puerto Rican to achieve an Olympics medal in a sport outside of boxing.
The runner from Ponce was a favorite to win the race and according to The Guardian “in his eyes there were tears as the 28-year-old stared in disbelief” for finishing third. Nevertheless, he received plenty of adulation via Twitter from Boricuas including Gov. Luis Fortuño and Calle 13 musician René “Residente” Pérez.
Minutes after Sánchez and Culson won their respective medals, Cuban wrestler Mijain López successfully defended his gold medal in the men's 120-kg Greco-Roman wrestling. The four-time world champion beat Heiki Nabi of Estonia by scores of 2-0 and 1-0 in order to retain his Olympics title.
“Cuban supporters cheered wildly as Lopez did a lap of honor of the packed arena with his country's flag draped over his shoulders,” according to Reuters on the crowd’s reception to the man who was Cuba’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies.
From the wrestling mat we return to the athletics track where Liguelin Santos completed a historic double for the Dominican Republic. The eighteen-year-old became the youngest man to medal in the men’s 400-meter dash after finishing second with a time of 44.46 seconds.
According to ABC Online “world junior champion Santos, the third fastest man this year, was billed as main rival (to eventual gold medal winner Kirani James of Grenada) due to the absence of (defending champion LaShawn) Merritt but he never looked like seriously threatening”. Nevertheless, Santos has a promising career ahead and should be viewed as a favorite to win gold in Rio in 2016.
Nearly sixty minutes after Sánchez won gold, Yarisley Silva of Cuba earned second place in the women’s pole vault.
Silva cleared 4.75m along with Jennifer Suhr of the U.S. but the Cuban was awarded the silver medal since she had missed one more jump than Suhr.
Five medals by five athletes in the space of sixty minutes. Day ten of the 2012 Summer Games was surely one of the most historic and memorable in the history of Latin American sports.
In other notable results from Monday:
Friday, August 3, 2012
London Calling: Nothing but Net
Yesterday was a very eventful day at the Olympics for several athletes from Latin America and the Caribbean who were able to gain medals. Before we get to them, however, we’re going to take a look at a wild finish in men’s basketball.
Both Russia and Brazil entered their preliminary round duel with undefeated records after two games. Late in the contest Brazil held a slim 70-65 lead but Russia mounted a quick comeback to tie the game at 72 with forty seconds left. Brazilian captain Marcelinho Huertas then knocked in a layup with 6.1 seconds to go, which set the stage for last-second heroics by Vitaliy Fridzon:
(Click here for an alternate link from Telemundo in case the above video does not work).
The 75-74 loss does not eliminate Brazil since they have two more games in group play: on Saturday against China and Monday versus Spain.
The London Games are near the halfway point but it appears that it will be one of the most successful Olympics in terms of medals for Latin American and Caribbean competitors. On Thursday, for example, three female athletes from the region reached the podium:
Both Russia and Brazil entered their preliminary round duel with undefeated records after two games. Late in the contest Brazil held a slim 70-65 lead but Russia mounted a quick comeback to tie the game at 72 with forty seconds left. Brazilian captain Marcelinho Huertas then knocked in a layup with 6.1 seconds to go, which set the stage for last-second heroics by Vitaliy Fridzon:
(Click here for an alternate link from Telemundo in case the above video does not work).
The 75-74 loss does not eliminate Brazil since they have two more games in group play: on Saturday against China and Monday versus Spain.
The London Games are near the halfway point but it appears that it will be one of the most successful Olympics in terms of medals for Latin American and Caribbean competitors. On Thursday, for example, three female athletes from the region reached the podium:
Monday, August 8, 2011
Daily Headlines: August 8, 2011
* Venezuela: Leaders of Venezuela’s main political opposition group are reportedly against a U.S. Congressional bill backed by several legislators critical of President Hugo Chavez to cut off funding to the Organization of American States.
* Haiti: Rest in peace Jean-Claude Bajeux; the Haitian human rights activist and scholar passed away Friday at the age of 79.
* U.S.: Los Angeles businessman Alex Meruelo will reportedly become the new owner of the Atlanta Hawks and, thus, the first Latino to own a major stake of an NBA team.
* Mexico: An accused “top Mexican drug trafficker” from the Sinaloa gang claimed that he has legal immunity based on his supposed work as an informant.
Image – Getty Images via The Telegraph (According to The Washington Post, a letter was sent by Venezuela’s United Democratic Coalition to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voicing their concern over a proposal to eliminate U.S. funding of the OAS).
Online Sources- Washington Post, CBS News, AHN, Reuters
Friday, May 6, 2011
Daily Headlines: May 6, 2011
* Brazil: In a decision one Brazilian gay rights activist described as "a historic achievement," the country’s Supreme Court almost unanimously ruled in favor of recognizing same-sex unions.* U.S.: Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela will supposedly leave his post.
* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez said that he would seek additional investors to boost the country’s gold mining industry.
* Dominican Republic: University of Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari has reportedly accepted coaching the Dominican Republic’s squad.
Image – Nelson Antoine/Associated Press via CBC News (“Revelers hold a giant flag during the 2009 Gay Pride Parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Millions of people took to the streets of South America's biggest city for its 13th annual gay pride parade.”)
Online Sources- CNN, AFP, Bloomberg, Canadian Press
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Daily Headlines: September 9, 2010
Before we get to today’s headlines I would like to take a moment to apologize for the absence of posts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately this week I have been hit hard by a terrible cold and bronchitis, which meant that blogging had to take a back seat. Posting for the remainder of this week will be light and hopefully we can resume a normal schedule next week. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you very much for reading this blog.* Argentina: Luis Scola’s 37 points helped push Argentina into the quarterfinals of the World Basketball Championship with a 93-89 win over Brazil.
* Guatemala: A trio of former soldiers will go on trial after having been accused of participating in the bloody Dos Erres massacre during Guatemala’s civil war.
* Venezuela: With less than three weeks to go before legislative elections President Hugo Chavez claimed that his rivals allegedly sabotaged Venezuela’s power grid.
* El Salvador: In order to combat gang-related violence Salvadoran legislators backed a bill banning membership in street gangs.
Image – The Telegraph
Online Sources- Canadian Press, Reuters, MSNBC, AP, The Latin Americanist
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Daily Headlines: October 20, 2009
* Honduras: Negotiations between ousted president Manuel Zelaya (image) and de facto leader Roberto Micheletti have stalled again as each figure keeps blaming the other for worsening the Honduran political crisis.* Mexico: Despite an increased push to combat drug gangs and other criminal elements, authorities estimate that over 4000 Mexican soldiers have deserted since 2003.
* Uruguay: The country’s Supreme Court voted to drop an amnesty statue for Dirty War-era military crimes.
* U.S.: The National Basketball Association will run a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign designed to attract Latinos to the sport.
Image- BBC News (“Mr. Zelaya has been in Brazil's embassy since returning in September”)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, BBC News, LAHT, Reuters
Friday, July 3, 2009
Notable Quotable: Who’s the real star?
"I'm not going to let him pimp my popularity!"---Basketball star Kobe Bryant reportedly had some harsh words to say about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa during the Lakers’ victory parade last month.
As reported by HispanicBusiness.com, Bryant didn’t want to appear on the same parade vehicle as the mayor though they eventually did. In addition, “Kobe purportedly refused to shake Villaraigosa's hand.”
Villaraigosa took the oath of office Wednesday for a second term. Interestingly, one of Bryant’s teammates- point guard Derek Fisher- acted as master of ceremonies for the inauguration.
Image- fox4kc.com (“Kobe Bryant and family, along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, wave to fans along South Figueroa Street atop a double-decker bus during the Lakers victory parade en route to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.”)
Online Sources- HispanicBusiness.com, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Olympics Spotlight: “Lightning” Bolt strikes twice
* Twelve years ago, I sat in my bedroom and watched the TV in awe as Michael Johnson ran like the wind and captured the 200m in world record time. With his ubiquitous gold shoes covering his feet, Johnson won a unique double after having been crowned “World’s Fastest Man” in the 400m a few nights before.
All these years later and once again I sat in that same cramped bedroom with jaws agape after viewing Jamaica’s Usain Bolt capture the 200m gold in magnificent style. Much like his victory in the 100m, Bolt won with ease and in world record time. “This was an incredible performance,” said Johnson after Bolt’s historic victory; despite his own unique double gold in Atlanta, Johnson recognized the immense talent of Bolt.
Is it any wonder that Bolt was referred to as a “man from another planet” in the Spanish TV’s call of the race?
* In other medal-winning performances:
- Melaine Walker joined Bolt on the medal platform after triumphing in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Jamaican pulled away from the U.S’ Sheena Tosta in the final quarter of the race and won in an Olympic record of 52.64 seconds.
- Cuba's Yipsi Moreno won the silver in the women’s hammer throw with a toss of 74.7m.
Sources- IHT, TVNZ, Los Angeles Times, Guardian UK, YouTube, BBC Sport, Canada.com, Reuters UK
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Spanish tennis also does “slanty-eyed Chinese" pose
Just when you thought the controversy over the Spanish basketball’s team “slanty-eyes” photo was over the country’s tennis squad decided to join in on the act:
The latest photo to emerge shows Spanish women tennis players pulling the pose, apparently in anticipation of their Federation Cup match against China in April…It was apparently taken after the team defeated Italy in the quarter-finals of the competition - the premier team contest for women tennis players - in February. Wine glasses are visible on the table in front of the party…
The photo is still visible on the official website of the Spanish Tennis Federation, where it was spotted.
The original is captioned “Estamos preparados para China”, which translates as “We are prepared for China”.
(The Spaniards won against China in the Fed Cup en route to the finals which have yet to take place).
Meanwhile, this article notes how several Beijing citizens reacted to the offending basquet team photo. None had previously seen the image due to local media controls and most where not offended by the photo. (The piece was via NBC who holds the broadcast rights to the Olympics. Is it any coincidence that the Chinese reaction wouldn’t be outrage in the article?)
Image- The Telegraph
Sources- The Telegraph, MSNBC, Gawker, The Latin Americanist
Monday, August 4, 2008
Today’s Video: An Olympic buzzer-beater
With the Summer Olympics about to begin on Friday this week’s videos will look at several historical moments involving Latin Americans.
The evening of August 28, 2004 was a magical one for Argentina since it was on that date that both the men’s basketball and soccer teams clinched the gold medal. The soccer side had been one of the favorites to win gold after romping through most of its opposition. The basketball team was another issue as they upset several teams including Greece and the U.S. to claim top honors.
One of the hurdles overcome by the Argentines was a victory over world champions Serbia and Montenegro in the group stage. In the brief clip below, Manu Ginobili scores the winning play with 0.7 seconds to play and sends his teammates and fans into delirium:
Sources- BBC News, Sydney Morning Herald, YouTube
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