Tokyo Olympics | Football’s big names take a tumble
The Hindu
Brazil advances along with Ivory Coast, Spain and Japan
No third gold for Argentina. No return to the final for Germany. No defensive ability for France. Some of football’s biggest nations have fallen at the first stage in the Tokyo Olympics men’s tournament, failing to advance from the group stage on Wednesday.More Related News
Unlike most of the Olympic-bound athletes, who opt to train abroad before the big event, boxer Amit Panghal prefers training in home conditions prior to Paris 2024. A former World championships silver medallist and a World No. 1, Panghal won the 51kg quota place in the only chance he got. He wants to follow his own plans to script success in Paris.
The other men’s semifinal Friday is Norway’s Casper Ruud, twice the runner-up in Paris — to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and to Novak Djokovic in 2023 — against Germany’s Alexander Zverev, a finalist at the 2020 U.S. Open, an Olympic gold medalist and into the final four at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.