Former United star Ferdinand joins QPR

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand signed for Premier League new-boys QPR on a free transfer Thursday and revealed he had turned down more lucrative offers in order to return to London.

 

Ferdinand agreed a one-year deal with the Hoops, ending his search for a new club following his release by United when his contract expired last month.

 

The 35-year-old was keen to move back to London, where he was born, and he has decided to rejoin QPR boss Harry Redknapp, who handed him his professional debut when the pair worked together at West Ham.

 

Ferdinand revealed the prospect of turning out for a club he admired as a boy also persuaded him to move to Loftus Road, where his brother Anton and cousin Les both played with distinction. "I used to sit in the stands, my dad used to bring me here as a young boy. There are great memories for me here and for my family," Ferdinand told QPR´s website. "Anton had nothing but good things to say about QPR and I watched Les (Ferdinand) here as a boy, with the likes of Ray Wilkins, Clive Wilson, David Bardsley and Alan McDonald."

 

Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League during his 12-year spell with United, is Redknapp´s first close-season signing after guiding QPR back into the Premier League via the Championship play-offs. And the former England centre-back admitted he had turned down several more lucrative offers from across the world to sign for QPR. "I spoke to Harry and (owner) Tony Fernandes at length. I think they both looked me in the eye and knew that I still have something to offer -- that I had a genuine desire to come here and play football," Ferdinand added. "I had a lot of offers from all over the world -- some in places with a better climate than here. But the draw for me was to play in the Premier League and back here where it all started. It´s not about money. I had loads of more lucrative offers available to me. I still feel I´ve got something to offer and I´m excited about helping this club cement its place in the Premier League."

 

Redknapp has no doubts Ferdinand can still be an effective performer at the highest level despite some underwhelming displays for United last season. "Rio´s a fantastic player and a great professional. I´m delighted we´ve been able to bring him here," Redknapp said. "I signed Rio as a 14 year-old. He was class on the field and off the field then, and he´s continued in that manner throughout his career. During his time at Manchester United, he was the best defender in Europe, if not the world. To bring him to QPR - when he´s still got so much to offer in terms of his quality, class, experience and know-how - is a remarkable coup for the club."

 

Redknapp appears to have found a central defensive partner for Ferdinand after agreeing a fee with Cardiff to sign their England international Steven Caulker. "We´ve agreed a fee for Steven Caulker, who I like very much," he told Sky Sports News. "I had him at Tottenham as a player and he´s done very well. I think Rio will be a big influence on him. I think for Steven it will be the best education he could ever have in his life to play with Rio." 

First Black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal is Dead.

Track and field star Alice Coachman, who overcame segregation to become the first black woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic games, died in Georgia on Monday at the age of 90.

 

Coachman, who won her gold medal in the high jump at the 1948 summer Olympics in London, died at a hospital near her home in Albany, Georgia, according to Albany State University. "Alice literally set the bar with her accomplishments at the 1948 Games, but Olympic champion is only part of the incredible legacy she leaves behind," United States Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said in a statement. "Alice Coachman Davis has inspired generations of athletes to be their best and she will be missed," Blackmun said.

 

Coachman, who was born in Albany in 1923, the fifth of 10 children, took an interest in high jump after watching a boys track meet and trained herself in the sport using home-made equipment, according to a biography issued by Albany State.

 

The university said Coachman was denied access to public training facilities because of segregation but worked herself into competitive shape, in part by running barefoot on dirt roads.

 

After the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were canceled due to World War Two, Coachman was able to compete in the Olympics for the first time in 1948 and won the gold medal by setting a record for the high jump.

 

She won a total of 34 national titles, was inducted into nine halls of fame and became the first black woman to endorse an international product when Coca-Cola signed her as a spokeswoman in 1954, according to Albany State.

 

She married Frank Davis and was the mother of two children. "Although she will sorely be missed, her achievements outside the fields of competition are on par with the great accomplishments within the athletics lines," the university´s athletic director, Richard Williams, told the Albany Herald newspaper. "We will continue to honor her legacy within the athletic department at Albany State University," Williams said. 

Federer, Djokovic set for final showdown

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will clash in a titanic showdown for the Wimbledon title after crushing an uprising from the next generation in the semi-finals on Friday.

Seven-time champion Federer demolished Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his ninth Wimbledon final, while top seed Djokovic defeated Bulgaria´s Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (9/7) as the threatened overthrow of the established order fell flat.

Federer, 32, who becomes the oldest man to make a Grand Slam final since Andre Agassi reached the 2005 Australian Open final at the age of 33, holds an 18-16 career lead over Djokovic, including a victory in their only previous major final meeting at the 2007 US Open.

Federer has beaten 2011 Wimbledon champion Djokovic in two out of three meetings in 2014 and is looking forward to renewing their rivalry which stretches back to 2006. "Novak and myself always play good matches," he said. "He is a great champion and is used to these occasions. He´s got the trophy here in the past and knows how it´s done. I know I don´t have 10 years left, so I´m going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. That I get another chance to go through these kinds of emotions is great."

Remarkably, Sunday´s clash will be the first final in 19 Grand Slams that won´t feature either Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray.

Canadian eighth seed Raonic, touted as a candidate to shatter the big four´s stranglehold on the sport´s major trophies, never looked capable of troubling Federer in a Centre Court mismatch.

Raonic had fired a tournament-leading 148 aces en route to his first Grand Slam semi-final, yet Federer picked him off with ease to extend his career record to 5-0 against the 23-year-old. "It was down to big concentration really," said Federer, who will be playing in his first Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 2012 when he went level with Pete Sampras as a seven-time winner. "I had to focus on every point. You always say that but today especially I had to be careful on my serve and there were only a few chances when he served. I´ve played some great tennis this week, under pressure at times as well."

The lack of drama in Federer´s victory was an anti-climax after a celebrity-packed Royal Box, including actor Jude Law and golf legend Jack Nicklaus, had been entertained by Djokovic´s gritty win over 11th seed Dimitrov.

Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam winner, rarely hit peak form, but showed all his battling qualities to overcome Dimitrov in a three hour and two minute war of attrition.

The 27-year-old will look to avenge last year´s Wimbledon final defeat against Murray when he makes his 14th Grand Slam final appearance. World number two Djokovic, who lost to Federer in the semi-finals in 2012, can also reclaim top spot in the rankings from Nadal for the first time since September 2013 if he lifts the trophy in his third Wimbledon final in four years. "It was the semi-finals of Wimbledon playing against the future star. He was fighting and playing some great shots, so it was a tough match and it´s a good win for me definitely," Djokovic said.

Djokovic has been beaten in five of his last six Grand Slam finals, with his last major triumph coming at the 2013 Australian Open, and he admitted he is desperate to end that frustrating run this weekend. "I´m looking forward to another championship match, especially considering I have lost the last couple of finals. It´s a big challenge." he said.

After his sensational quarter-final victory over defending champion Murray, Dimitrov fell short in his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance, with Djokovic´s extra experience proving crucial at the key moments. "Of course I´m frustrated," Dimitrov said. "I had a pretty slow start, but I got my act together and I was really playing good tennis. You never know what would have happened if I had taken that fourth set."