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• 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

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The Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) has concluded its open training camp in Oklahoma, United States, as Team Nigeria steps up preparations for the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, later this year.

The Oklahoma camp, approved by NWF President Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, was organised for foreign-based Nigerian wrestlers and athletes with valid United States visas.

The camp gave the wrestlers the chance to train in a highly competitive environment and measure their strength against quality opposition ahead of the global championship.

As part of the programme, the Nigerian wrestlers took part in several dual meets against athletes from NCAA Division I universities in the United States.

The competitions provided an important test of their technical and physical abilities against some of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country.

Nigeria’s Women’s Wrestling Head Coach, Akuh Purity, supervised the programme and led the athletes through intensive training sessions and competitive events.

Purity said the Oklahoma camp was important in helping the coaching team identify areas that needed improvement before the World Championships.

“We continue to intensify our training and remain fully focused on improving our performance,” Purity said.

She added that the dual meets provided the team with a valuable opportunity to assess its current level.

“It was a very valuable experience and gave us an excellent opportunity to assess where we currently stand.”

Following the open camp, the team moved into a closed training camp, where the coaches are working to correct the weaknesses identified during the competitions.

“We are using this period to specifically address and correct some of the mistakes and weaknesses I identified during the open camp and duals,” Purity said.

“The girls are working extremely hard, and we remain committed to making the necessary improvements as we continue our preparation.”

The coach also praised the NWF leadership, led by Adeniyi, for its support and commitment to providing the wrestlers with the right preparation for the World Championships.

With the Astana championships approaching, the Nigerian team is expected to continue its intensive training, with focus on technical, tactical and physical development.

The wrestlers will also be hoping to end Nigeria’s wait for a medal at the World Wrestling Championships, with the country’s most recent podium finish coming in 2023.

Team Nigeria will now look to build on the lessons from the Oklahoma camp as it targets a return to the world medal table in Astana and a strong showing on the global stage.

Lindsay Park’s celebrated horse Mr Brightside is set to defend his perfect record in a Group 1 race at Flemington.

Mr Brightside has contested the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday for the past three years, emerging victorious on each occasion.

In his first win, he defeated Alligator Blood, then ran down Pride Of Jenni in 2024, and last year he finished ahead of Aeliana.

Via Sistina, who later secured the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley the subsequent month, finished behind Mr Brightside in his last two Makybe Diva Stakes victories.

The conditions in Mr Brightside’s favour for his three wins included small fields, which allowed the now nine-year-old gelding to control the speed.

Last year, he maintained a slow pace upfront, clocking 1:38.75 and sprinting home the last 600m in 32.66 seconds.

This year’s field has grown to 13 acceptors, but Mr Brightside has drawn well in gate two. With regular rider Craig Williams partnering Sir Delius, Blake Shinn will take the reins.

Mr Brightside’s enduring quality is reflected in his 20 wins from 49 starts and earnings of over $19 million.

He has largely been injury-free, although a small bone chip in a fetlock kept the gelding from racing earlier in the year.

This break allowed Mr Brightside a longer spell than usual and a solid build-up for his return.

J D Hayes, who trains the gelding with his brothers Ben and Will, described Mr Brightside as a ‘freak’ following his first-up second to Beiwacht in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.

“He’s never let us down,” Hayes said.

“He’s a freak and nothing surprises you when it comes to him.

“He was there at the top of the straight, he was vulnerable to the opposition, but he fought like a tiger and held on for second.

“The way it was looking he was going to run fourth, or fifth, we felt, but he dug deep and showed he is a true champion, but the winner was too good.”

Hayes mentioned that Mr Brightside has shown considerable improvement from his Memsie Stakes run, as it was his first race of the year.

“He’s improved, physically, as you would expect out of it after a long time off,” Hayes stated.

“He’s tightened up beautifully and the Flemington mile, plus if there was any rain, it would be great.”

Betting sites offer a wide range of Australian betting sites for this feature race.

Manchester United will have to find an alternative transfer to Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall who has reportedly agreed to a new contract

Manchester United’s hopes of signing Lewis Hall next summer have been dealt a significant blow after revelations about a potential release clause in the left-back’s contract. United pinpointed Hall as their top left-back priority this summer, but were told the England international would not be sold by Newcastle United.

The Magpies parted with Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal, and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham during a chaotic summer transfer window, and were determined not to sell any more key players. United did investigate alternative left-back possibilities, with Alejandro Balde, Ian Maatsen, and Rayan Ait-Nouri touted as potential left-back signings for the Red Devils.

However, they chose to hold fire, with indications that United will instead make a fresh approach for Hall in the summer.

Nevertheless, reports emerged earlier this week that Hall had reached an agreement with Newcastle over a new deal, and is expected to sign a two-year extension at St. James’ Park.

There were some suggestions that the new contract may include a release clause, but that too seems to have been dismissed.

According to the Daily Mail, Hall’s new deal at Newcastle won’t feature a release clause, meaning United will have to pay a premium to attract him to Old Trafford.

Alongside the squad changes, Newcastle also appointed a new manager at St. James’ Park this summer.

Matthias Jaissle took over from the outgoing Eddie Howe, and speaking about the recently-installed boss, Hall said: “There was a lot of negativity before everything happened and as soon as the gaffer came in, he’s been top, as well as all of the coaching staff.

“The way he’s got us playing is amazing and I can speak on behalf of everyone – we’re really enjoying playing under him. We knew it was going to be tough.

“Whenever you come away in the cup, anything can happen, so we’re really proud of the win and to keep a clean sheet as well.”

Meanwhile, United manager Michael Carrick has hinted that Patrick Dorgu could fill in at left-back when required, with Luke Shaw the only senior player in that position.

Manchester United have taken the next step in their plans to build a new stadium

Manchester United have now officially appointed Foster + Partners as the architects for the new £2billion stadium project. Lord Norman Foster is a close friend of United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and has been involved throughout the planning process.

The Daily Mail says sources have now confirmed that Foster + Partners have been appointed after an update at a recent fans’ forum, with ‘the focus now shifts to the design phase of the new stadium in partnership with Foster + Partners.’

The club had previously been asked why an open tender had not been held regarding the redevelopment of Old Trafford, in line with the club’s fiduciary duty to shareholders. That followed on from a Foster + Partners unveiling a controversial tent design of the new stadium.

The ambitious new project is expected to cost in the region of £2billion, with a 100,000 capacity which has been dubbed the ‘Wembley of the North.’

United have now, unsurprisingly appointed Foster + Partners, clearing the next hurdle in on route to building a new ground.

Speaking about the decision to build a new stadium back in March 2025, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “Yeah, we spent a lot of time looking at the pros and cons of refurbishing the existing stadium, which has obviously got all the history of building a new stadium.

“And you know, it wasn’t the easiest of decisions in a way, because, you know, the history of Manchester United is so important. But, ultimately, I suppose where we finished up was that we’ve got a ground at Old Trafford today, which is a bit piecemeal, isn’t it?

“You know stadiums which were built or stands that were built at different times: they don’t fit together very well. The roof leaks. It hasn’t got the finest infrastructure. The players can’t arrive underground and all that type of stuff.

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“It’s right next to the railway, which compresses the fans when they arrive, so we can’t get people into the ground that easily and out of the ground. You know this expression: don’t spend good money after bad. I think what would have happened if we tried to refurbish the stadium, we would have discovered that it actually would probably have been 70 per cent of the cost of building a new stadium.

“And in 25 years’ time, we’d be talking about building a new stadium because it wouldn’t be perfect. So then we looked at the option of a new stadium and, of course, you can design the perfect stadium then – you can build a very large stadium.

“You can, you know, the access in and out, the sort of interesting things you can do around the stadium. Like you can build a museum, you can build shops, you could build a fanzone where people can watch matches, away matches, you know, with big screens and all that sort of stuff.

“Ultimately, it came down to, you know, what’s the wisest way of spending Manchester United’s money? Because at the end of the day, it’s Manchester United’s money that effectively will be behind it. We talked to lots of fans as well; they’ve obviously got a great sort of attraction and sympathy with that old ground.

“But, ultimately, I think what we were hearing was that, if this really was a fabulous, iconic new stadium, then they would accept that that was a good decision. So we did try to think about it from the fans’ point of view. That was the conclusion we came up with, that it would be a good way to invest money.

“And you know, we’re not leaving behind the tradition and history of Manchester United. It’s the same team that’s going to be playing. And it’s, you know, it’s still got the same soul of Manchester United.”

The Mountain West sees its second conference game of the season in Week Two when North Dakota opens conference play at Air Force.

One of those teams will join UNLV at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, the Rebels have their second tough non-conference matchup in three weeks against a team from the American.

The only other FBS matchup of the week sees Hawaii host New Mexico State in a late-night battle.

Here are my previews of this weekend’s matchups.

UNLV at North Texas

Saturday, September 5
12:45 PM PT,  ESPNU

Line: UNLV –3.5
Over/Under: 57.5

For the second time this season the Rebels will tangle with an opponent from the American.

After falling at home to Memphis in the opener, UNLV will now take their 1-1 record to Denton, Texas for a meeting with North Texas.

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The Mean Green have an entirely different roster in the first season under former West Virginia head coach Neal Brown. They opened at defending champion Indiana last week, falling by a big number, but holding their own for a large portion of the game.

North Texas looked like they belong and certainly will not be without confidence entering their home opener.

Jackson Arnold is coming off a big game against Hawaii, a huge conference win for the Rebels. In the win, the QB ran for 89 yards but only managed 116 yards through the air on 8-of-16 passing.

The Mean Green did a good job of bottling up what should be a good Indiana ground attack, but did give up a big run late to the Hoosiers’ backup QB due to a blown assignment.

If UNT can’t shore up their assignments against the QB run, Arnold could make them pay.  I think the Mean Green will be more disciplined this week, and the late-game errors could prove to be a good learning experience moving forward.

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Similar to UNLV with Arnold, North Texas has a QB with Power 4 experience in Tayven Jackson, who started his career at Tennessee before moving to Indiana and UCF.

Jackson is athletic with a live arm and could do some damage against the Rebels with his legs and his arm.

UNLV would like to carry momentum into their open week, but I think it is North Texas that pulls the upset this week.

Winner:  North Texas
ATS:  North Texas 
O/U: Under

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Northern Colorado at Wyoming

Saturday, September 5
1:00 PM PT,  MW+

Line: Wyoming –23.5
Over/Under: 48.5

UNC is 0-2 following a tight loss to Weber State in Week 0 and falling to FCS power South Dakota last week.

The Cowboys are coming off a difficult opener at Colorado State in a game in which I thought they would perform much better.

The Bears could prove to be the elixir to fix what ails UW.  The Pokes are 53-12-1 all-time in non-conference home openers and that 80% win percentage should get even better this season.

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Despite the opening loss to CSU, Wyoming had some bright spots.

Esaia Bogar’s 11 tackles were the third-most for a Cowboy defensive lineman since 2012. Ethan Stuhlsatz tallied 15 tackles in the opener, third-most per game nationally in this very young season.

The Cowboys will need more consistency on offense this season, and I expect a better performance from Tyler Hughes in this one.

Winner:  Wyoming
ATS:  Wyoming
O/U: Under

North Dakota State at Air Force

Saturday, September 5
7:00 PM PT, FS1

Line: North Dakota State –2.5
Over/Under: 47.5

The Mountain West era for North Dakota State gets underway in full this week with a conference visit to Air Force.

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If the Bison are to crash the MW party this season and shock the world with a conference crown in Year One, this is a must-win. NDSU faces all four of the perceived top teams in the conference on the road, including this visit to Colorado Springs.

Both teams are coming off shutout wins over FCS opponents; for the Bison, this is game three as they also picked up a Week 0 win over Jacksonville State.

NDSU has looked pretty dominant in its first two wins as an FBS member, and the Bison look like they might continue their dominance in many games.

Air Force certainly got their running game going early, rushing for 431 yards on 71 carries in the blowout win over Duquesne.

Running the ball will not be as easy against the Bison, who have limited opponents to just 52 yards per game on the ground this season. But NDSU has not seen a running game like the Falcons’ this season.

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The Falcons will get their yards on the ground, but I think NDSU will also move the ball on Air Force. NDSU will pick up a critical road win in their first Mountain West game.

This one stays tight, but look for the Bison to get the win.

Winner:  NDSU
ATS:  NDSU
O/U:  Under

Montana State at Nevada

Saturday, September 5
7:30 PM PT, The CW

Line: Montana State –3.5
Over/Under: 50.5

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Okay, Montana State is a power at the FCS level. Nevada has struggled recently, but the Wolf Pack are coming off a huge win over a solid Western Kentucky squad.

Yet, here we are with the Bobcats installed as the three-and-a-half-point favorites on the road. And that number is even down a bit from the opening line of 5.5. That says quite a bit about this matchup.

Jeff Choate had a big part in building the Bobcats into a powerhouse while guiding MSU. Now he hopes to do the same thing in Reno.

Montana State is coming off a national title last season and returns 12 starters and multiple All-Americans. The Bobcats have won their opening two games by a combined 105-24.

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But Nevada has a 35-point win over an FBS opponent under their belt. This one has to go the way of the home team, right?

Well, for me it comes down to the way the Pack beat the Hilltoppers, and it was done on the ground. Nevada ran for 323 yards at 7.7 yards per carry against WKU.

That was a physically dominant performance.

If a team can run the ball like that, it says a lot about their dominance up front. And that is where Nevada will have the edge; as talented as the Bobcats are, the depth will just not be there.

Nevada will grind out the win in this one.

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Winner:  Nevada
ATS:  Nevada
O/U: Under

writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).

Latest posts by Stephen Vilardo (see all)

Josh Tongue intends to bowl wobble-seam more often after his first attempt at it gave him a wicket as England took charge against embattled Pakistan at Edgbaston.

The delivery which causes unpredictable movement off the pitch has been in-vogue this summer, with Ollie Robinson using it to devastating effect, taking 19 wickets in this series at an average of 6.84.

While Tongue has an impressive arsenal himself, the paceman turned to Robinson for advice on wobble-seam and started bowling it in the nets this week before deciding on unleashing it in the middle.

Saud Shakeel played a lone hand for Pakistan but was bowled through the gate for 43 as Pakistan were all out for a paltry 133, with Tongue earning a grudging nod of respect from the middle-order batter.

“I’ve spoken to Robbo quite a bit about it, obviously he’s unbelievable at that (wobble-seam) and he’s showed that throughout the series,” Tongue said.

“I just tried a couple of things in training the other day. That was the first time I bowled it in a game and it got me a wicket so I’ll be using it again.”

Tongue claimed four for 42 while Robinson and Jofra Archer shared six wickets as Pakistan’s shake-up since going 2-0 down in the three-match series had minimal impact on their miserable fortunes.

England then went to stumps on the opening day on 156 for four and a lead of 23 thanks to fifties from Emilio Gay and Harry Brook.

“An unbelievable performance from everyone,” Tongue said. “The pitch looked a good one and winning the toss and bowling first, there’s probably a bit of pressure on us as bowlers. But we did really well.

“I still want to improve massively and I feel like I’m in the best position I can be at the minute.”

While Brook will resume on 52 not out after surviving a testing period late on from Mohammad Abbas with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps, Gay dragged on off Razaullah, one of three Pakistan debutants, for 60.

Razaullah, a 21-year-old operating at 90mph, had already dismissed England captain Joe Root for his 10th lbw in 13 innings before Gay, having put on 104 alongside Brook, perished to the youngster.

Gay was averaging 23.44 from his first five Tests albeit after batting on a succession of seam bowler-friendly pitches, and he will rue the inability to make a substantial score and ink himself into England’s winter plans.

“The one thing I’ve seen in Emilio is he trains really hard in the nets, he’ll bat for ages putting a lot of hard work in and it’s shown out on the pitch now,” Tongue added.

“Even (in the last Test) at Lord’s, he had two quite horrible dismissals, but he batted unbelievably well on a tricky pitch. He was obviously really disappointed how he got out, it’s not a nice feeling, chopping on.

“But he’s put the team in a really good position for tomorrow. That first hour tomorrow is going to be very crucial, we’ve just got to get through that first bit and hopefully get a bigger lead.”

Pratika Rawal replaces Jemimah (Image: IANS)

Top-order batter Pratika Rawal has been included in India’s women’s cricket squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as a replacement for injured Jemimah Rodrigues.Jemimah continues to recover from a hamstring injury she suffered while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred on August 3. The injury had already ruled her out of the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai and the Asian Games.

Rawal gets Asian Games call-up

Rawal was initially named as Jemimah’s replacement only for the Asia Cup, with no official word at the time on who would take her place in the Asian Games squad. However, a BCCI source confirmed on Wednesday that Rawal’s name was already included in the 15-member squad submitted for the Asian Games, meaning she will travel to Japan as Jemimah’s replacement.The 17-year-old made her T20I debut during the ongoing Asia Cup and has been used at No. 3 by the Indian team management. She has scored 22, 10 and 4 in her three league-stage appearances so far.

A long road back for Rawal

Rawal’s return to international cricket came after a lengthy injury layoff. She had not played competitive T20 cricket since November 2024 before her Asia Cup call-up and was also forced to miss the 2026 Women’s Premier League after an ankle injury suffered during the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. She had been preparing to join Warwickshire for the One Day Cup in England when the India call came. UP Warriorz had bought her for Rs 50 lakh at the WPL auction last year, but she could not feature in the 2026 season.

India head to Japan as defending champions

India will enter the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games as defending champions after beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final of the previous edition in Hangzhou. The eight-team competition is scheduled to run from September 17 to 22, with India joined by Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and China.India’s Asian Games squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh, N Sree Charani and Nandni Sharma.

England took early control of the third and final Test against Pakistan after a day of dominance with bat and ball, closing the day on 156-4, giving the home side a lead of 23 at stumps, after earlier bowling Pakistan out for 133 at Edgbaston.

MATCH REPORT: England v Pakistan – Third Test, Day One

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