BY KRISHNA MISTRY

Twenty-three-year-old, Léonice Huet, is one of the few Black representations in badminton. Huet, a French badminton player, started her career at BadBonneval Club, and soon in 2014, she joined the CLT Orleans, another badminton club.

She then debuted in the BWF, Badminton World Federation, competing in the VII Portuguese Junior 2015, where she played women’s singles and mixed doubles. She moved on to play in many junior international series in: Poland, Hungary, France, Latia, Romania, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Germany and many more countries worldwide.

Huet has had the opportunity to play in many series, allowing her to grow as an athlete and gain more opportunities in badminton. Huet has played a total of three-hundred and sixteen matches in her career, two-hundred and thirty-eight matches in singles with one-hundred and thirty-nine wins and ninety-nine losses, fifty games in doubles with thirty wins and twenty losses, and twenty-eight in mixed events with nineteen wins and nine losses.

She has won a total of ten titles in her career, from 2015 to 2024, four being gold medals and six being silver. This year alone, Huet has competed in many series. She started her 2024 by competing at the VICTOR Swedish Open, from January 18^th to February 21^st.

Huet played extremely well, allowing her to proceed to the quarterfinals, where she played Ágnes Kőrösi, a Hungarian player, which she won both sets, progressing her to the semi-finals. She played an Azerbaijan player named Keisha Fatimah Az Zahra, whom she easily beat. It was now time for the finals, where she played an Indian player named Devika Sihag.

It was a tough match, Huet was able to win the first set, twenty-one to eighteen. The second set rolled around, and it did not look too well for Huet, who lost fourteen to twenty-one. It was time for the third set, the tiebreaker.

Would Huet win the finals, starting her year with a great start and receiving gold or would she lose and receive a silver medal?

Unfortunately, Huet lost the third set by two points and received a silver medal. She has competed at the: Azerbaijan International, YONEX German Open, Orleans Masters Badminton by VICTOR 2024, and the Orlen Polish. The latest championship she competed in was the 2024 European Championship in Germany.

She won all the rounds in this tournament, except for the quarterfinals. Huet was against Carolina Marin, a Spanish player, who ranks fifth in the BWF. This was a great learning opportunity for Huet as this will help her move up the ladder.

Huet is currently ranked seventieth, which is impressive as there are four hundred and ninety-nine players in the BWF. She has big dreams. To improve, to be better and to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic 2024, which will be held on her turf.

Huet takes inspiration from Serena Williams, twenty-three-time grand slam winner, as she bids to qualify for the home Olympics in Paris 2024.

She has told the BWF, “It is very important for Black people to know that they are capable of achieving great success in life. It is essential to convey this kind of powerful message to inspire them.”

Will Huet be competing at the Summer Olympics Paris 2024? Unfortunately, the list of competing athletes has not been released. The Olympics takes one-hundred and seventy-two badminton athletes to compete: eighty-six women and eighty-six men. The qualifications started on May 1^st, 2023, and ends April 28^th, 2024.

The final eligibility list will be published two days after the deadline, April 30^th.

BY KRISHNA MISTRY

The American track and field athlete, Sha’carri Richardson, is currently ranked fourth globally in the women’s category. Richardson, a twenty-four-year-old, has quickly jumped up the ladder in the course of her professional career.

After her first year at Louisiana State University, Richardson became a professional track and field athlete in 2019. At her first meet, she ran the one-hundred-meter race with a record of 10.75 seconds, breaking the collegiate record at the NCAA Championship Division, making her one of the ten fastest women in the world at eighteen.

She competed at the United States Olympic Trials in 2020, winning gold in the one-hundred-meter event. This was a significant moment, as no US woman had won a gold in this event since 1996. Richardson was determined to win in this event, as it had been twenty-four years, but also wanted to prove people wrong. Richardson stands tall at five feet and one inch, and many had told her that this was not the profession for her.

She proved them wrong and won gold in this event at a speed of 10.86 seconds. This led to her qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, on July 1^st, 2020, it was reported that Sha’carri Richardson had tested positive for THC metabolites, indicating recent use of cannabis and putting her US Trials event in doubt. Richardson then made an official announcement that she had taken the drug to cope with her mother’s death.

Unfortunately, she was not able to compete at the 2021 Summer Olympics, but soon returned to track where she competed at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, where she placed ninth (last place) with a time of 11.14 seconds.

In 2022, Richardson could not make it to the World Championship as she did not qualify in the one-hundred and two-hundred-meter events in the US National Championship.

Finally, 2023 rolled around in hopes of being the year for Richardson. She won the one-hundred-meter final at the Miramar Invitational, with a time of 10.57 seconds. Moreover, she secured her career’s first Diamond League victory in Doha. This annual day-long track and field meet is held in Doha, Qatar.

Richardson competed at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Eugene, Oregon, clocking in at 10.82 seconds in the one-hundred-meter event, qualifying her for the World Championship.

This was a memorable meet, as seconds before the race, Richardson took her orange wig off and revealed her original braided hair. When asked about her actions, she told the media, “The reason why I decided to do the wig reveal… Last time I was at the big stadium here, I had my orange hair. I wanted to show you guys that I’m still that girl, but I’m better. I’m still that girl, but I’m stronger. I’m still that girl, but I’m wiser.”

With this great win, Richardson competed at the World Championship, where she won the title. The World Championship was held in Budapest, Hungary from August 19^th to August 29^th.

Richardson proved her athletic skill in Budapest by winning the one-hundred-meter world title with 10.65 seconds, leaving behind Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Jackson is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the one-hundred, two-hundred, and four-hundred-meter events.

In the one-hundred-meter event, she is the fifth-fastest woman of all time, in the two-hundred-meter, she is the fastest woman alive, and the second-fastest woman in history. Fraser is also a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the sixty, one-hundred and two-hundred-meter events and is widely known as one of the greatest sprinter.

The year 2024 has a lot in store for Sha’carri Richardson, as she will attend her first meet of this year on April 6^thl at the 2024 Miramar Invitational alongside Shericka Jackson. She is also training for the 2024 Paris Olympics as it will mark her debut in the Olympics.

BY KRISHNA  MISTRY

As the National Basketball Association (NBA) season comes to a midpoint, we can see the progress many teams have made throughout the season. In the NBA, thirty teams compete: twenty-nine American teams and one Canadian team.

All competing teams are equally divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences. The teams in each conference compete with one another to proceed to the playoffs. The top six teams automatically advance to the playoffs in both conferences, and the two final spots are determined by play-in tournaments.

In the Eastern Conference, the standings are as follows: the Boston Celtics are in the lead with fifty-one wins, and the Washington Wizards are fifteenth with eleven wins. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunders are first with forty-seven wins, and the San Antonio Spurs are in last place with fourteen wins.

The Raptors are competing in the Eastern Conference, where they currently stand in twelfth with twenty-three wins. Though the Toronto Raptors have not won many games, there is still hope for a turnover, as they still have seventeen games remaining to play. With the departure of key players Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka, the Raptors are still in the transition phase as a team.

This season has been a trial run for the Toronto Raptors, as they: lost some important players, had changes in the roster, adjustments in strategies, and the departure of their head coach. Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Toronto Raptors for ten years, was hired to coach the Philadelphia 76ers in June 2023. The Philadelphia 76ers are also in the Eastern Conference, where they are placed seventh overall with thirty-six wins.

Nurse departed, leaving the Raptors with their tenth head coach, Darko Rajaković. Rajaković has coached three teams previously before signing with the Raptors as their head coach. He began his coaching career when he was sixteen years old in Serbia. He then started coaching teams in 2009, where he coached the Espacio Torrelodones, the Tulsa 66ers, and was an assistant coach to the Oklahoma City Thunders.

With a fresh coaching style, the Raptors are seeking to get to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, but the chances are slim with them in twelfth. Raptors are known for their determination and resilience on the court. This season, the Raptors have faced many obstacles, but they have overcome them and will continue to do so, which is one of the many strengths the Raptors have.

Over the years, the Raptors have been known for their tenacious defense, being able to intimidate opponents on the court, and giving their team a chance of winning.

The Toronto Raptors are also known for their adjustability, whether it is adjusting playing styles to match an opposing team, or integrating players into the roster seamlessly, but the most important thing that the Toronto Raptors are known for is the love they receive from many fans worldwide.

Though they are loved by many fans, the NBA is rumoured to be playing favourites. Head Coach Darko Rajaković shares at a conference, “What happened tonight, this is complete BS. This is a shame. Shame for the referees. Shame for the league to allow this. They had to win tonight? If that’s the case, just let us know so we don’t show up for the game. Just give them the win. What is happening over here during the whole season, I’ve been holding it back. It’s complete crap!”

Rajaković expresses his anger towards the league after the Raptors and Lakers game on January 10^th, 2024, where the Lakers were allowed twenty-three attempts for a free throw in the fourth quarter while the Raptors were only allowed two. Rajaković was then fined $25,000 for speaking about this controversy publicly.

The Raptors are a rising team, but the chances of them making it to the playoffs are very slim. The Toronto Raptors have the opportunity to train and come back next season and give it their best.