Won First ATP Singles Title in 2004

Joachim Johansson born on July 1, 1982, is a professional male tennis player from Sweden.

Johansson was born in Lund and currently lives in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. He won his first ATP singles title in 2004 when he overcame Nicolas Kiefer in the Memphis final. In 2005 he won another two titles (Adelaide and Marseille).

He caused a huge upset at the 2004 US Open when he beat defending champion Andy Roddick in five sets in the quarterfinals. An unusual aspect of the match was that Roddick won 24 points more than Johansson but was defeated nonetheless. Johansson subsequently lost his semifinal against Lleyton Hewitt.

Unsurprisingly for a player who is 198 cm (6'6") tall, Johansson's most effective stroke is his serve while his greatest weakness is his footwork. For a while he held the (unequaled) record for most aces served in one match as he aced Andre Agassi 51 times in the 4th round of the 2005 Australian Open (though he still lost the match in four sets). In the post-match press conference, Johansson said he felt he could have served better. The record was equaled at Wimbledon 2005 by Ivo Karlovic, who also lost that match.

Johansson's father, Leif Johansson, was also a tennis player and represented Sweden in the Davis Cup in the 1970s. Joachim Johansson is not related to former Australian Open champion and fellow Swede Thomas Johansson.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Titles: Memphis 2004, Adelaide 2005, Marseille 2005

Highest Entry Ranking: 9 (14 February 2005)

- jumped 101 ranking positions in 2004

- finished 2004 as the No 1 Swedish player for the first time

James Toseland : It's a man's world

World Superbike star James Toseland, lets us in on a few of his fashion and grooming secrets. He also reveals how scared he was posing naked for a women's magazine and why he has to wear kangaroo skin.

I wear kangaroo skin. My racing leathers are made from kangaroo, because it’s light and durable, and titanium is used on the main impact points across the elbows, shoulders and knees. If I’m sliding across the tarmac at 200mph I don’t want to get friction burns. Motorcycle racers are like jockeys. The lighter we are, the faster the bike goes.

Toseland said :

I weigh 70kg and the bike weighs 165kg, so I need a lot of strength manhandling it round corners. Getting your knee down is a technique you learn. If I had a pound for every time I was asked how to do it I’d be very wealthy. Posing naked for a women’s magazine scared me to death. It was for the Everyman testicular cancer campaign. There were three guys and two women in the room, and let’s just say I wasn’t quite covered at times.

I felt better when I saw Ronan Keating’s picture. All he had was a pint of Guinness to cover his manhood. At least I had a whole motorbike! I once had a £1,000 suit tailored for me in a day. I was 23 and the World Superbike Champion. I’d been invited to an awards ceremony, but I heard that morning I had actually won one. So I rushed out and had a suit tailored for me – in a day.

It was a single-breasted, light brown linen suit that I wore with a matching cream shirt and tie, and brown leather brogues. It’s the most I’ve ever spent on one outfit, but it was money well-spent. My gruesome-looking biker mates are the nicest people I’ve ever met. They have tattoos, earrings and piercings, but they are the softest people. You should wear what you feel comfortable in – it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, it’s what’s inside that counts.

I love playing piano – but I was so embarrassed I kept it quiet for years. I started playing when I was little, and was classically trained to Grade 6. My stepdad gave me my first bike, a Yamaha TY80cc, at the age of nine. I suddenly had street cred and about 15 new mates! By the time they found out I played the piano I was so good they liked listening to me. I jammed 12-bar blues with Jools Holland in front of 25,000 people. I went to see him play at Newmarket and he called me on stage. He asked whether I wanted to play in G or E. I picked G because there are fewer black notes.

My most treasured possession is my Steinway grand piano. My title sponsor in 2003 told me he’d buy me one if I won the next World Championship. He kept his word when I won, even though it cost him £83,000. James Bond is my ultimate style icon. I wore a tux to play piano with the world’s first motorbike orchestra [to raise awareness of motor- cycle safety] and one of the bikes got a flat battery, so there I was, running through Hyde Park to jumpstart it, wearing a tux. Very 007. My girlfriend likes me to smell natural. I don’t believe in preening, it masks the natural smell, which my girlfriend loves. I’m a Sure roll-on deodorant kind of a guy, and I’ll maybe use a bit of Nivea moisturiser on my face.

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From : Daily Mail

Bambang Pamungkas, Go International.

Personal information

Full name : Bambang Pamungkas

Date of birth : June 10, 1980 (1980-06-10) (age 27)

Place of : Salatiga, Indonesia

Height : 171 cm

Playing position : Striker

Club information

Current club Persija Jakarta

Senior clubs1Years Club 1999-2000

Persija Jakarta (Indonesia)2000-2001

EHC Norad (Netherlands)2001-2004

Persija Jakarta (Indonesia)2005-2006

Selangor FA (Malaysia)2007

Persija Jakarta (Indonesian) 2007 - now

National team Indonesia : 1999- now

Bambang Pamungkas is an Indonesian footballer. His natural position is central forward. Bambang made his name in South East Asian football when he scored the lone goal for Indonesia at the 2002 Tiger Cup against Malaysia. His header was dubbed 'The Killer Header' by Malaysian newspapers.Bambang spent most of his playing career in Indonesia. According to Bambang's agent in Europe, Anthony van Dalen, there were several clubs in Europe that would hand him trials, such as Roda JC Kerkrade from Holland, and FC Koeln and Borussia Mönchengladbach from Germany. However, Bambang did not let dream to play for the European elites to take over his career, and decided to join EHC Norad, a Third Division club in Holland. First team football was the main factor behind his decision. Playing in the lower league would help him adapt to European football.

After a year of playing in Holland, he decided not to extend his contract and returned to Indonesia. Soon afterwards, he received an offer to play in the Malaysian Football League with Selangor FC. He completed the transfer to Malaysia along with national team-mate Elie Aiboy. His first season in Malaysia proved to be a sensational success. He won the treble (Malaysian Premier League,Malaysian FA Cup, Malaysian Cup) and became the top-scorer with 24 goal in 24 matches in Malaysian Premier Leagueleague with total of 39 goals in 3 competitions (Malaysian Premier League, Malaysian FA Cup, Malaysian Cup). The reason behind this sensational achievement was Selangor FC's deadly striking combination of Bambang, Argentinian Brian Fuentes and Malaysian star Khalid Jamlus, supported by playmaker Elie Aiboy. Highlights of Bambang success story was played repeatedly in the South East Asian edition of ESPN and Star Sports. Shortly after, two of his national team-mates, midfielder and captain Ponaryo Astaman and striker Ilham Jayakesuma earned transfers to Malaysian clubs.

Bambang is well-known for his aerial prowess, strong determination and natural goal scoring instinct. Despite only being 171 cm (5ft 7in), he is able to outjump the opposing defenders and his heading ability is among his top attributes. He developed his aerial abilities back in the youth academy in Salatiga, where the pitch condition was very poor to play short passes.He idolizes his former striking partner in the national team, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, who also had a brief spell in Europe. Nevertheless, the two did not enjoy much time playing alongside each other for the national team. Before being promoted to Indonesian senior national team, he played for the Central Java youth team. He was chosen Most Valuable Player in the 1996 Haornas Cup, the most prestigious tournament for young footballers in the country. He, with the Indonesian youth team, won the top-scorer in Asian Cup U-19 Group V, collecting 7 goals in the process. With his achievement in the youth level, the transition to the senior national team was a smooth one. He has been linked with a move to Perth Glory.

Steve Nash : Small Biography

Could 2005 be the year that the Phoenix Suns finally win the NBA Championship? Back in 1993 the Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, and Dan Majerle led Suns had a great shot at the title but were stopped short by the phenomenon known as Michael Jordan and his team, the Chicago Bulls. In fact, lots of franchises had their best shot at winning during that Bulls dynasty, yet fell short due to the unparalleled, unstoppable Windy City juggernaut of the early 90s.

Now, in an era where more than just a mere handful of highly talented superstars are almost equally distributed throughout the league, it's anybody's game. One such superstar, Steve Nash, using his talent, unique style of play, and strong leadership abilities, has led Phoenix to the best record in the NBA at 62-20. The mark also ties the team record for wins, set by that very 1993 team.

Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Feb. 7, 1974, and grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He attended Santa Clara University, where he played college hoops and was twice named West Coast Conference Player of the Year. In 1996 he was drafted by the Suns as the 15th pick overall but was traded to the Dallas Mavericks two years later. While in Dallas, Nash and teammate Dirk Nowitzki led the team in becoming one of the NBA's elite. But in July 2004, Nash re-signed with the Suns, landing a $65 million contract over five years (with an option for a sixth).

Nash has excelled with the Suns. The 6'3" point guard has the keen ability to drive inside to the basket, creating plays on the fly, and is a master of the fast break. His ability to quickly dish the ball to teammates led him to a career high average of 11.5 assists per game and is superb from behind the three point line. He is virtually flawless at the free-throw line, and his animated on-court leadership has him in a position to vie with Shaquille O'Neal for the 2004-05 MVP.

Nash's abilities aren't limited to basketball. He has also excelled in lacrosse, hockey and soccer, the latter of which he is a big fan; and his father and brother have both played professional soccer in England. He is also very charitable. Nash sponsors a youth basketball league with over 10,000 members in his native British Columbia, purchases blocks of tickets to each game he plays and distributes them to local charities, and has donated $10,000 to sponsor the YMCA's basketball court renovation.

A strong season put the Suns in the 2004-05 playoffs, and Phoenix fans hope that Nash, along with superstar teammates Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, and Amare Stoudemire, can finally bring home the title. Recently, Nash's long-time girlfriend Alejandra Amarilla gave birth to twin girls, Lola and Bella.

Liverpool through to Champions League decider

Liverpool are the first team to progress to this season's European Champions League final after beating Chelsea 4-1 on penalties at Anfield this morning. All four Liverpool penalties were successful while Pepe Reina saved attempts from Chelsea's Arjen Robben and Geremi to send Liverpool through to the final in Athens on May 24 (Australian time) against either Manchester United or AC Milan.

Reina, who had also been the hero in Liverpool's shoot-out victory over West Ham in last season's FA Cup final saving three of the four penalties, was typically modest. "It was an important win. We've reached the last step and now we must climb it," he said.

The second leg of the semi-final ended 1-0 after extra time with the only goal coming after 22 minutes following a cleverly-taken free kick from Steven Gerrard. He sent a hard, low cross towards the edge of the Chelsea penalty area rather than an expected high ball to the centre of it.

Daniel Agger played his part perfectly, sweeping in a well-struck shot that swerved just inside the post and into the Chelsea net out of the reach of goalkeeper Peter Cech. For Gerrard, it was a nice way to respond to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's remarks that Liverpool were a "little" side. "Jose Mourinho has been a credit to English football," Gerrard said.

"However he makes us laugh some times. It was a bit disrespectful to call us a little club, yeah a little club that has reached two European Cup finals in three years." Chances were few and far between for both sides with Peter Crouch seeing a header saved by Cech's feet on the line after 55 minutes and Dirk Kuyt heading against the Chelsea bar after 59 minutes.

At the other end Didier Drogba drew a fine save from Reina after 32 minutes. Kuyt had a second goal ruled out for offside in extra time, but scored the final penalty to give Liverpool their 4-1 winning margin.


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Reuters/AFP