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.

BY KRISHNA MISTRY

The Caribbean has a lot in store for cricket as this year the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be hosted by Antigua (An-tee’ga) and Barbuda (Bar-byew’da) in June of 2024. The T20 World Cup will be held from June 1^st to June 29^th, where eight matches will be played at the Sir Vivian Richard’s Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda.

There are a total of twenty teams that qualified some being South Africa, West Indies and Papua New Guinea. On February 22^nd, 2024, the T20 tickets went on sale and are selling out fast, so get them as soon as you can to watch these thrilling matches.

The Antigua and Barbuda Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, Charles Fernandez has said, “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase the whole of Antigua and Barbuda. It will be an amazing boost for our economy, as visitors explore the country, and experience our: hotels, excursions, restaurants, and support businesses within the communities.”

Antigua and Barbuda have the chance to showcase its: rich history, vibrant culture, award-winning resorts, delicious cuisine, and stunning pink and white sand beaches. Antigua and Barbuda are open for all cricket lovers to come and enjoy this experience. During the month-long tournament, tourists can enjoy the thrilling cricket action, while experiencing the great hospitality that the twin islands have to offer.

A few things Antigua has to offer to tourists are the Antigua and Barbuda Wellness Month, run in Paradise, Antigua Sailing Week, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua and Barbuda Restaurant Week, Antigua and Barbuda Art Week and the annual Antigua carnival, which is also known as the Caribbean’s greeted summer festival.

Barbuda is Antigua’s smaller sister island, which lies twenty-seven miles northeast of Antigua, a fifteen-minute plane ride, and is a go-to celebrity hideaway. Barbuda is known for its eleven-mile pink sand beach and the home of the largest Frigate bird sanctuary in the western hemisphere.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is not the only prestigious tournament that is being held in Antigua; the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League will also be taking place in Antigua from August 17^th, 2024, to September 25^th, 2024.

This cricket tournament is scheduled all over the Caribbean, but key matches are scheduled to be played in Antigua at Sir Vivian Richard’s Stadium. There are a total of thirty-three matches scheduled to be played in the Caribbean Premier League this year, with the final match held in Guyana.

The Caribbean Premier League is an annual tournament that was founded in 2013 and is sponsored by the Republic Bank. The CPL is played by six teams, which are divided into group stages and knockout stages.

In the group stages, each team plays a total of ten matches, and a total of six venues are used, one from each country competing in the tournament. The countries competing at this year’s CPL are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

This year is crucial for Antigua and Barbuda in the cricket world, as they are hosting two cricket tournaments this year and approximately five hundred and eighteen million people all around the world will be tuning in to watch the ICC T20 World Cup.

In addition to these tournaments, in November, the England men’s cricket team once again will be on tour to the West Indies for a white ball season. There will be many matches across Antigua and the Caribbean, which will be announced this spring.

Get ready for a busy cricket year as the Caribbean hosts bewildering tournaments and matches. The full list of T20 matches hosted by Antigua and Barbuda are:

• June 9^th, 2024 – Oman vs Scotland
• June 11^th, 2024 – Australia vs Namibia
• June 13^th, 2024 – England vs Oman
• June 15^th, 2024 – Namibia vs England
• June 19^th,2024 – A2 vs D1
• June 20^th,2024 – B2 vs D2
• June 22^nd, 2024 – A1 vs D2
• June 23^rd,2024 – C2 vs D1