No tennis without Sabine Lisicki - but lately it had become quiet around the German athlete. In 2020, a severe cruciate ligament injury put her out of action. But after almost a year and a half, there is now good news: Lisicki is back on the court.
And deliver properly to boot, she edged out competitor Ena Shibahara of Japan in the Bonita Springs qualifier. "For me, just being on the court and playing a full match was a success," Lisicki commented on her comeback in the Bild newspaper. "And that after such a serious knee surgery, where everything was broken that could be broken." Respect for this fighting spirit.
Continue with boxers Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, who took women's boxing to a whole new level. It was the first main event fight ever between women at Madison Square Garden - in front of nearly 19,000 fans, sold out. There's never been more attention for a female boxing match. And Serrano and Taylor really delivered a match made in heaven. "I had to put it all out there, put on a career-best performance," Irishwoman Taylor said of her victory. "People will definitely be talking about me and Amanda Serrano for years to come." And not to kill the hype right away, the two plan to fight each other again soon. Go, Girls!
The last European badminton championship was really a massive disappointment for Mark Lamsfuß - just before the doubles final he had to withdraw from the competition because of a corona infection. Annoying especially because he and colleague Marvin Seidel were the favorites. "It felt like a stolen title," Lamsfuß now told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung."
The whole frustration seems to have Lamsfuß converted into energy. At the European Championships in Madrid, he now cleared the title in both doubles and mixed with partner Isabel Lohau. Congratulations on this well-deserved success - and last year is hopefully thus also forgotten.
Otto Addo and Ghanaian soccer are simply a dream team: Between 1999 and 2006, the native Ganaer himself stood for the national team on the pitch. Most recently, he successfully coached them through the playoffs directly into the World Cup as a transitional coach - no one has managed that since 2014.
Otto Addo's main job, however, is to train the talented players at Borussia Dortmund. After some talks, he now got the go from the club for his heart project: Addo will compete with his "Black Stars" also during the World Cup in Qatar as a national coach against top clubs like Portugal, South Korea or Uruguay. The necessary fighting spirit he brings in any case: "If we are at 100 percent, we can beat anyone," he said in the Sportbuzzer interview.
Exclusion because of facial hair? That's exactly what happened to one of Germany's best basketball referees, Benjamin Barth (his last name probably couldn't fit this sad incident any better). The Europa League told him that coaches and sports directors do not like beards - and for this reason he was no longer allowed to whistle international games.
Shaving would probably have been the easier solution, but Barth stood firm. And had success. The Europa League relented with this statement: "The recommendation to Mr. Barth not to wear a beard was a mistake."
Both thumbs up to the referee for standing up to this discrimination against his appearance!
In time for the canoe world championship in July, the city of Augsburg has renovated the old canoe slalom course. And took for it 21 million euros in the hand. After all, the artificial canal has a history: It was used for the Olympic Games as early as 1972 and has also been a World Heritage Site for a few years now. Thanks to floodlights, athletes can soon train virtually around the clock.
The best news about it: the German Canoe Association and the city of Augsburg are demonstrating with the project that the construction of sports facilities can also be sustainable. Renovate instead of demolish and build new - we like.
Muscle building through animal products, jetting around the world to competitions, massive use of resources for gigantic stadiums - the world of sports is in many places anything but sustainable. That there's also a different way is shown and lived by the Forest Green Rovers from England.
The FC strives for complete climate neutrality, there's nothing but plant-based food on the plates for the players and n addition, the club wants to build a stadium only from wood. The project was already approved last year and awarded by FIFA and the United Nations. And the good news doesn't end there: The club has just secured the promotion to League One for first time in their 133-year history. Keep it up!
