The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Paris, France | AFP |
ATHLETICS
“There you go. I’m the greatest.” – Usain Bolt on securing his ‘triple triple’ of 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds at the Rio Olympics
“I have to make a new bucket list now. I’ve achieved all I wanted to in track and field.” – Jamacian sprint star Bolt
“I don’t consider myself a traitor. I simply revealed the shameful truth, which our country doesn’t want to confront, and the only reason I told the truth about it all, was to try and put a stop to it.” – Whistleblower Yulia Stepanova who exposed Russia’s state-backed oping programme
SWIMMING
“This is how I wanted to finish my career. I’ve lived a dream come true. Being able to cap it off with these Games is just the perfect way to finish.” – Michael Phelps after winning his 23rd Olympic gold medal in Rio
“Sun Yang, he pisses purple!” – French swimmer Camille Lacourt on Chinese rival Sun Yang, the Olympic 200m freestyle champion who served a doping ban in 2014
“It was quite hard to think that you are a swimmer and you might end up dying in the water.” – Syrian refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini who competed in the Rio Games
FOOTBALL
“I came like a king, left like a legend.” – Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his departure from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester United.
“The ugly duckling went and scored. Now he’s a beautiful swan. ” – Portugal coach Fernando Santos on Euro 2016 hero Eder
“From the beginning when something was wrong I’ve been saying: ‘Dilly-ding, dilly-dong, wake up, wake up!’ So on Christmas Day I bought for all the players and all the staff a little bell. It was just a joke.” – Leicester’s Italian manager Claudio Ranieri’s warning to players not to slip up in training as they charged towards the Premier League title
GYMNASTICS
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles.” – Biles after winning the women’s all-around gold in Rio
BOXING
“I’ve done lots of cocaine. Lots of it. That ain’t a performance enhancing drug.” – Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury
OLYMPICS
“(A) shocking new dimension in doping with an unprecedented level of criminality.” – IOC President Thomas Bach on allegations of Russian doping at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
CRICKET
“I got a call yesterday, it was probably 30 seconds, from the chairman of selectors telling me that they’ve reviewed the captaincy of the Twenty20 team and I won’t be captain anymore and that my performances have not merited selection in the squad.” – Darren Sammy after being sacked as captain of the West Indies team despite leading them to a second world title in 2016.
“I woke up at 5:00 am thinking I’d missed the bus so I jumped out of bed and panicked about where everything was.” – England batsman Keaton Jennings after marking his Test debut with a century against India in Mumbai
“I’m sleeping with him tonight.” – South Africa captain Faf du Plessis on fast bowler Kagiso Rabada who took seven wickets in the win over Australia in Perth
TENNIS
Reporter to Venus Williams at the US Open: “Just talk about the joy quotient versus the win quotient.” Venus: “The what?”
“Seems like doubles players today would be getting callouses from shaking hands after every point, whether won or lost.” – Coaching guru Nick Bollettieri on the vogue for celebrations during doubles matches
GOLF
“Look, it’s my opinion. I think my opinion is shared by a few people, but some people may think it’s wrong, and that’s fine. I’ve spent seven years trying to please everyone, and I figured out that I can’t really do that, so I may as well be true to myself.” – Rory McIlroy defends his decision not to play in the Olympics, and says he would be watching the “stuff that matters” at home
“Big picture, it feels good to be back out here playing again, competing and trying to beat the best players in the world. I missed it. I love it.” – Tiger Woods on competing again at the Hero World Challenge after nearly 16 months away from the PGA Tour
FORMULA ONE
“I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right.” – World champion Nico Rosberg on his decision to retire
“It appears currently the ‘guy above’ doesn’t really want me to win right now.” – Rosberg’s Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton, who ended runner-up.
RUGBY UNION
“It says a lot about how he looks after kids because they were all over the place.” – Ireland coach Joe Schmidt after a young and injury-hit Ireland beat Australia 27-24 in November. He was responding to Ireland’s Simon Zebo, who said it was like a creche and he felt like the old guy on the pitch as Ireland become first Northern Hemisphere side since England in 2003 to beat all three of the traditional Southern Hemisphere giants in a calendar year.
“I said a prayer on the way over, ‘Please, Jesus, let him have shaved!” – Olive Foley, widow of former Ireland and Munster No8 Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley, giving the eulogy at his funeral — flanked by their two young sons — adding a piece of dry humour about the trip to Paris to collect his body after the Munster head coach died aged 42 on eve of a European Champions Cup clash with Racing 92.
CYCLING
“I wanted it to end like this and not with some crappy little race in northern France — Paris-Tours — climbing off in the feed zone. It’s brilliant.” – Bradley Wiggins after winning a fifth Olympic gold and British record eighth medal in his fifth Olympics at Rio
