Month: December 2021

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Family of NFL star who died suddenly aged 33 believe they know cause

The family of former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who died suddenly on Thursday at age 33, believe they know the cause of their relative’s death.

Five-time Pro Bowl star and 2016 Super Bowl winner Thomas passed away at his Georgia home, with his former team the Denver Broncos in mourning and many ex-colleagues revealing they were “heartbroken” by the news.

READ MORE: NFL icon dead at age 33 after ‘medical issue’

It was originally unknown what had caused the untimely passing, with Roswell police saying “preliminary information is that his death stems from a medical issue, and our investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise”.

On Friday, however, Thomas’ family shed light on health issues faced by the constantly smiling star, who retired in June this year.

“He had been suffering from seizures for over a year, and we believe he had a seizure when he was showering,” revealed his cousin LaTonya Bonseigneur as per AP.

“We’re not sure when he died. We just spoke with him yesterday.”

Bonseigneur, to whom Thomas was close, said that a friend called his driver when he “couldn’t get a hold of him,” and asked him to check if her cousin was alright.

Granted free access to Thomas’ residence by his family due to the seriousness of the seizures he had been suffering, the driver discovered him in the shower.

In spite of this, an official cause of death has still not been set for Thomas, who would have turned 34 around a fortnight from now on Christmas Day.

Also joining fellow GOAT candidate Peyton Manning – who won the Super Bowl alongside Thomas – in tribute to the deceased was another legendary quarterback in Tom Brady. 

“I’m so sad to wake up this morning to hear about the passing of my friend Demaryius Thomas,” said Brady, who played with him at the New England Patriots in 2019. 

“We were all blessed with his humility and positive spirit, and we will all miss him. This photo is from the Hall of Fame this past August, a source of light as always. RIP,” Brady finished, referencing a selfie of the pair also uploaded.

Catching his last competitive ball at the New York Jets, Thomas is best remembered for nine impressive seasons at the Broncos where he became their all-time receiving yards in a game (226) and season (1619) record holder as well as the holder of the most touchdown receptions (14).

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‘That was insane’: Fans wowed by crazy ‘Superman punch’ KO at Moscow MMA event (VIDEO)

An MMA fighter has thrilled the sport with a fantastic “Superman punch” in mid-air that felled his opponent and ended their fight at an Eagle FC event in Moscow.

Mehdi Dakaev took on Makkasharip Zaynukov on Friday night in the headline bout at EFC 43 in the Russian capital.

The promotion run by Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the Chechen served up exactly the kind of highlight-reel clip that will help the ex-UFC lightweight champion in his plans to make the company expand.

Approaching 0:42 in the second round, Dakaev, also a lightweight, first missed with a big left hook.

As his opponent thought he was slipping away from danger, however, and making his way across the octagon, Dakaev noticed Zaynukov wasn’t protecting his chin and threw himself into the air. 

Connecting with another huge left, he knocked Zaynukov out cold which caused the referee to dive in and stop Dakaev from reigning down hammer blows on top of him. 

Fans reacted on social media as footage of the incident spread, calling the “Superman punch” things such as “unbelievable” and claiming it to have been a first in MMA history.

“Mehdi Dakaev has entered the chatroom for KO of the Year. That is some Patrick Mahomes stuff,” commented one, in reference to the way the NFL quarterback often pulls off mid-air throws when all seems lost on a play.  

“Never seen anything like that. Gonna be a tough one to beat,” agreed someone else, and there were also comparisons to the legendary basketballer Michael “Air” Jordan.

“Every fighter who tries to fall forward into a jab as their lead leg gets low kicked is mad right now,” was another observation.

“This is how I fight in dreams but the other person laughs at me instead,” it was also admitted elsewhere.

“Insane accuracy and commitment,” a separate enthusiast remarked.

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Cameroon women’s handball players ‘disappear’

Police in Spain are looking into the disappearance of four members of Cameroon’s women’s handball team, who have allegedly gone missing during an ongoing tournament.

Their sport’s world championships started on December 1 in Valencia and will run until Sunday next week. 

Cameroon’s women were drawn into Group B with the Russian Handball Federation, Serbia and Poland, and lost all three games against their opposition.

Readying to return to their homeland, however, four members of the team have allegedly absconded from their hotel. 

Amelie Sevani Mwua, Apollene Michel Abena Ekobena, Yasmine Yotchum and Jodelle Clarice Majufang reportedly did not show up for a Covid test at the accommodation scheduled for 7:30 am.

They haven’t been seen since Wednesday evening, when they got into a taxi outside the building, but officials have revealed their reasons for concluding that the disappearance was on their own terms. 

“It seems the women left of their own accord,” said a police spokesman.

Elsewhere, it was added that the incident is not being treated as suspicious “as the players took all their belongings.”

“In principle, there is nothing that would allow us to say that this is an enforced disappearance,” it added.

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Weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko pictured in action in 2018. © Getty Images
Ugandan weightlifter who ‘fled Tokyo Olympics to seek work’ found in Japanese city

Athletes often use sporting spectacles abroad to escape poor living or training conditions in their homeland and seek asylum.

During this year’s Olympics, 20-year-old Ugandan weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko also fled his hotel, leaving a note that said he didn’t want to go home and wished to find work in the host country.

Four days later, he was found in central Japan unharmed and with his ID, before being arrested at Entebbe Airport upon re-arrival in Africa.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, seven Cameroonians – five male boxers, a female footballer, and a male swimmer – disappeared from the Olympic Village and were believed to be searching for “greener pastures”. 

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F1 ad ignites fury with ‘Merry Christmas’ message (VIDEO)

Broadcaster Sky Sports has been forced to pull a ‘disrespectful’ TV advert which wished F1 fans a “Merry Christmas” while showing footage of Max Verstappen’s shocking crash at the British Grand Prix earlier this season.

Red Bull racer Verstappen and Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton are gearing up for a thrilling finale this weekend as they head into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points.

The build-up to the race has been tense with challenger Verstappen accused of reckless driving last time round in Saudi Arabia, where Hamilton took the checkered flag to move onto 369.5 points alongside the Dutchman.

Hamilton and Verstappen are preparing for a thrilling end to the season. © Reuters



The pair have clashed frequently throughout their title battle this season – including at Silverstone back in July, when a collision resulted in Verstappen plowing into the trackside barriers.

The Dutchman reportedly lost consciousness in the impact and was airlifted to hospital for precautionary checks before being cleared. 

Predictably, there was outrage among some F1 fans when Sky Sports used the incident in an advert aired during a practice session at Abu Dhabi on Friday.

After a slow-motion reply of the crash, a “Merry Christmas” message appeared on screen, making clear Sky’s loyalties to British star Hamilton as he seeks to win a record eighth world title.

“Who thought of this? Who edited this? Who approved of this? This is so disrespectful to use a crash as a Christmas greeting,” tweeted one angry fan who shared the ad. 

Red Bull officials are said to have complained to the broadcaster, which pulled the ad from its coverage.

“A 51G crash where the driver was airlifted to hospital being used as a Merry Christmas message is very poor taste indeed,” a team spokesperson told Racing News 365. 

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has already accused rivals Mercedes of waging a smear campaign against the 24-year-old Verstappen in a bid to portray him as a reckless racer and face more scrutiny from stewards.

Verstappen has faced accusations of dangerous driving. © Reuters



“Of course it’s been a concerted campaign by Mercedes. Totally,” said Horner.

“It’s been part of a narrative to put as much pressure on the stewards to act differently from any other race.      

“This is a campaign that’s been driven covertly to put the spotlight on Max, give him a tag-line, portray him as this mad, irresponsible driver, put as much pressure as you can on him, on the team, and ultimately on the governing body.

“We saw in Brazil, the comments about the penalties being laughable, or Lewis being persecuted. Mercedes have got one of the smartest media arms in the paddock and they use every tool they can.”

In the event that neither Hamilton nor Verstappen finishes Sunday’s grand finale at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, it would be the Dutchman who claims a maiden championship as he has won more races throughout the season.

Perhaps in anticipation of some heated racing, governing body the FIA has emphasized that rules are in place for points to be deducted from drivers in the event of “unsportsmanlike” racing or actions which are “contrary to sporting ethics.”

“I think with all the controversies we had in the last few races, it is very good that the FIA have come out with a reminder of what the ISC [international sporting code] stands for,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Hamilton, 36, is targeting a fifth world title in a row and an unprecedented eighth overall, which would move him ahead of German legend Michael Schumacher at the top of the all-time list.

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Chess ‘traitor’ row erupts in Russia after Carlsen world title win

Prominent figures from Russian chess have reacted with shock to the news that one of their countrymen helped to prepare Magnus Carlsen for his world title match against Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Carlsen wrapped up a dominant defense of his crown by beating Nepomniachtchi in Game 11 of their best-of-14 series in Dubai on Friday.

That gave the Norwegian an unassailable 7.5-3.5 lead as he emerged victorious in a fifth world title match to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever to play the game.

Nepomniachtchi – known as ‘Nepo’ – had held Carlsen to five draws to open their showdown before cracking in a marathon Game 6.

The Russian never fully recovered and made several big blunders on his way to defeat, including a reckless attack on Carlsen’s rook with his 23rd move on Friday, paving the way for his resignation.

While the result was on the cards, there was shock afterwards when an online clip revealed the team who had helped Carlsen prepare for his meeting with Nepomniachtchi.

Among them was Russia’s Daniil Dubov, the 2018 world rapid chess champion.   

“It’s kind of important for [Carlsen] to actually like the guys,” Dubov, 25, says in the clip as Carlsen introduces his team. 

“For instance, the Russian team it’s exactly the opposite. Normally they would bring all the biggest guns in, it doesn’t matter if they’re fighting or they are friends, or whatever. You just use all the power.

“Here it’s a European approach, mostly you care about the atmosphere and so on, and only then you need people to work well.

“Still, sometimes I feel like I’m responsible for the chess part. All these guys are nice guys, and I’m not a nice guy, but someone has to work. It’s a kind of a problem, otherwise I would never be in the team. I’m joking of course, in general I think [Carlsen] kind of likes us and tends to trust us.”

The news stunned some fans online, with one replying: “Dubov is a big surprise to me.”

Dubov is a former world rapid chess champion. © Sputnik



There was disappointment among some in the Russian chess community that Dubov had aided a foreigner for such a vital showdown with one of their own.

“Oh, Danya, Danya… Why? How much for? Why could you not take a break for one match or commentate on it on any internet stream – brightly and talentedly!” wrote Russian grandmaster Sergey Shipov on his Telegram account.

“And now the seeds of discord have been sown in the Russian team. It’s turned into a classic situation of a ‘stranger among his own’. PS. I think that now Dubov won’t play for the Russian team. And that’s correct,” he added.   

Russian chess star Sergey Karjakin, 31, was similarly dubious about Dubov’s actions.

“The idea wouldn’t even come to my head. I wouldn’t even consider it, just as I would not try to entice any of the Norwegians [to my team],” said Karjakin, whose own world title defeat against Carlsen was settled by rapid tiebreaks in New York in 2016.

“I would never do that in my life, but let it be on his conscience. Danya is a strong grandmaster, but I don’t understand his actions.

“It’s hard to say how much this affected Carlsen’s victory – he has a large team. But Dubov was on the team, he made a contribution – that’s for sure.”

Karjakin was unimpressed with Dubov’s actions. © Sputnik



Former Russian Chess Federation president Ilya Levitov said he had struggled to digest the news.

“Yesterday evening it became known that Daniil Dubov helped Magnus. To be honest, first of all I didn’t believe it, but it turned out to be true,” Levitov wrote.

“I can’t get this idea into my head. Daniil loves to say how proud he is to represent Russia, that we are a great chess superpower and that we should always win.”

However, speaking to Championat, Dubov himself played down the row.

“The fact that someone might not like it isn’t news,” he said.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this. I take this relatively calmly.

“It’s not a problem for me. I don’t think [it’s a problem] for Ian either.

“I don’t know where the idea comes from that a Russian should not help a foreigner prepare for a title match with a Russian. Not from a great mind, perhaps.”

“There are some imperial ambitions – everyone is against us, everyone is enemies. Especially if something doesn’t work out for us.”

“In general, logically, you can look at all this differently. From the point of view of the Russian national team: one of the best Russian chess players, relatively young, worked with the best chess player in history – he gained experience that will help in his career.

“For example, after my previous collaboration with Magnus, I won the World Rapid Chess Championship. This is also how you can look at the situation. Or you can see it in the context of ‘your own and strangers’.”

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Magnus Carlsen beat Ian Nepomniachtchi to win the world chess title in Dubai. © Twitter @chesscom
‘Blunder after blunder’: Russia’s Nepomniachtchi accused of surrender as Carlsen wraps up chess title

Carlsen bagged 60% of the €2 million ($2.26 million) prize money for his victory and said he was “satisfied” with his performance.

“It’s hard to feel that great joy when the situation was so comfortable to begin with, but I’m happy with a very good performance overall,” said the 31-year-old.

“You can point to things you could have done differently in every game of course, but overall I’m happy with my play, very proud of my effort in the sixth game, and that sort of laid the foundation for everything.”

Nepomniachtchi, 31, rued a missed opportunity but said he would learn from the experience.

“These things which happened here, they have never happened to me at basically any events… In my career I lost quite some stupid games but not as many in such a [short] time,” said the Russian.