Weekend In Perspective, August 19 - 20.

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 BUDAPEST 23: HERE WE GO...


The World Athletics Championships finally kickoffs tomorrow with track and field competitions of the highest caliber being held in Eastern Europe.
The 2023 World Athletics Championships will take place in Budapest, at the brand-new Hungarian National Athletics Centre from August 19–27.
49 sets of medals will be given out throughout the course of the nine days of competition in Budapest, and for the first time, there will be a special medal plaza where competitors and spectators may celebrate the medal winners.Six of the 49 events, including two marathons and four race walks, will be held on Budapest's streets through the city's historic district.
On the first day of competition, four medals are up for grabs. The men's 20 km race walk will take place in Heroes' Square first thing in the morning.
All eyes will be on Ryan Crouser, the current world champion in the men's shot put, when the evening's finals get underway. He holds the event's world record and has improved his previous best mark by approximately 20 centimeters just this year. Now armed with a new technique, can the only man to have thrown past 23.5m extend that further?
The preliminary round of the men's 100-meter race begins in the morning, and at 7:43 p.m. local time, the heats get underway with participation from reigning champion Fred Kerley and the challengers for his title.
The women's 10,000-meter race, in which Sifan Hassan will attempt a third treble, and the mixed 4x400-meter relay are the other finals for the day.

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: ALL TOO SOON
The final game of this year's FIFA Women's World Cup is between Spain and England on August 20 at the Sydney Olympic Stadium 10:00am GMT.
Both countries have reached the FIFA Women's World Cup final for the first time in their histories with the Lionesses seeking to complete a memorable tournament double following last year's UEFA Women's EURO triumph.
En route to winning on home soil last year, Sarina Wiegman's side overcame Spain in the quarter-finals, with England coming from behind to win 2-1 in extra time thanks to Georgia Stanway's stunning 20-yard drive.
Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo struck in a thrilling 3-1 win over co-hosts Australia to maintain Wiegman's 100 per cent record of reaching major tournament finals.
On the part of Spain, Jorge Vilda's side struggled to break down a resolute Sweden defence until Paralluelo's introduction as a substitute prompted a flurry of action in the final 10 minutes. Paralluelo gave Spain the lead before Sweden equalized with two minutes left only for captain Olga Carmona to instantly respond with a thumping strike which sent her team into the Women's World Cup final for the first time.
Which among these two countries will be only the fifth side to clinch the coveted trophy after USA, Japan, Germany and Norway.


SERIE A RETURNS: NEW FACES, SAME OLD AMBITIONS
The resumption of Serie A is eagerly anticipated as defending champion Napoli faces off against their rising opponents. When the new season begins, teams like Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, and perhaps even Lazio will be aiming to both match and surpass the Neapolitans after an exciting campaign last time around.
In less than 3 months after lifting the scudetto at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli will start the 2023/24 Serie A campaign at newly-promoted Frosinone with far higher expectations than 12 months ago, and fellow title hopefuls like AC Milan, Inter and Juventus will be keenly focused on the threat posed by the Partenopei.
At the other end of the standings, Hellas Verona just about avoided the drop last term with a relegation playoff victory over Spezia in June. If the Gialloblu don’t show improvements this time out they will not be so lucky, given the return to the top flight of a reinvigorated Genoa under new ownership alongside Claudio Ranieri-led Cagliari and Serie B champions Frosinone.

EPL: HOTSPUR VS RED DEVILS
The headline game in this weekend's round of matches in the English Premier League is the mouth-watering encounter between Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United at the New Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Manchester United will travel to the capital after opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford, but an underwhelming display has left supporters and pundits alike questioning their credentials. Manager Erik ten Hag was pleased his side "found a way to win", but the Dutchman is bound to be concerned after seeing Wolves fire in 23 shots on their goal - only once in the 22/23 PL season did they face more (a 3-2 loss to Arsenal).
Tottenham on the other hand began life without Harry Kane in entertaining fashion when held to a 2-2 draw by London rivals Brentford at the weekend. New boss Ange Postecoglou urged his side to be "more creative" in the wake of his Premier League debut, and the Australian will be particularly keen to avoid seeing Spurs fail to win either of their first two games of a new league season - a fate they have not suffered since the 2015/16 season.
A win for either side will do their momentum a world of good and both managers and players will be keen on getting just that.

Joshua Afari | afarijosh99@gmail.com

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