5th to 11th April
What is the greatest sports achievement of all time? This is a question that could be impossible to answer as one may not be able to single out one event, but more draw up a shortlist based on a success story marked by incredible adversity and sheer determination from the athlete or team. Recently one individual became better known to the world, even though his journey spans over several years. Francis Ngannou was born in Cameroon in September 1986. At age 6 his parents were divorced and by age 10, Francis worked in a sand quarry in his hometown of Batié. In his early years the trap of joining a gang was avoided and instead he focused on becoming a boxer through the influence of his father. Boxing training was stopped when Francis became ill and by age 26 the desire for a better life drew him to Paris and the pursuit of a professional boxing career.
Leaving with very little, Francis began the long journey of crossing the Sahara desert, a distance of over 2800 miles. To add to the danger, was the illegal crossing of the Mediterranean Sea into Spain. After spending two months in a Spanish jail, Francis eventually made it to Paris. From being homeless and living on the Paris streets, a friend introduced him to Fernand Lopez Owonyebe, a former Cameroonian mixed martial artist (MMA) and a current MMA coach. His MMA career began and fast-forwarding to today, Francis currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is the reigning champion in the division, and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Apart from continuing his professional career (now age 34), Francis Ngannou also spends a lot of time back in his country of birth training and inspiring youngsters into making a success of the sport.
This week we have no fewer than 29 sports with major world events to look forward to. Golf fans will be pleased to see the first Major of the year at the famous Augusta National Golf Club. We also have eight World Championship rounds and World Championship tournaments. Until next time, have a great week in sport!
Aquatics
Friday to Sunday - FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2021 Leg 2 - Budapest, Hungary
Archery
Wednesday to Sunday - Antalya European Grand Prix 2021 - Antalya, Turkey
Axe Throwing
Friday to Sunday - World Axe Throwing League - U.S. Open - Atlanta, GA, USA
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Saturday - Charleston International Open IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2021 - North Charleston, SC, USA
Cricket
Wednesday - New Zealand Women v Australia Women (2nd ODI) - Tauranga, New Zealand; South Africa v Pakistan (3rd ODI) - Centurion, South Africa
Saturday - New Zealand Women v Australia Women (3rd ODI) - Tauranga, New Zealand; South Africa v Pakistan (1st T20I) - Johannesburg, South Africa
Curling
2nd April to Sunday - World Men's Curling Championship 2021 - Calgary, Canada
Saturday to 15th April - World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship - Lohja, Finland
Cycling
Monday to Saturday - UCI WorldTour - Itzulia Basque Country - Spain
Sunday - 2021 UCI Men Juniors Nations Cup - Paris-Roubaix - France
Sunday to 12th April - UCI Gran Fondo World Series 2021 - Brisbane, Australia
Dance
Saturday to Sunday - World Rock 'n' Roll Confederation Online World Cup
Darts
Monday to 22nd April - PDC Unibet Premier League Night 1-9 - Milton Keynes, England
Fencing
3rd April to Sunday - FIE Junior and Cadet World Championships - Cairo, Egypt
Golf
Thursday to Sunday - Masters Tournament - Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA, USA
Hockey
Saturday to Sunday - FIH Pro League - Argentina v India (Men) - Cenard, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Judo
Tuesday to Friday - Asia-Oceania Senior Championships 2021 - Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Friday to Sunday - Asian Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament - Almaty, Kazakhstan
Kickboxing
Thursday - 6th International Turkish Open Kickboxing European Cup 2021 - Antalya, Turkey
Modern Pentathlon
Wednesday to Sunday - UIPM 2021 Pentathlon World Cup I - Sofia, Bulgaria
Motorcycling
Saturday - FIM Supercross World Championship - Round 13 - Atlanta, GA, USA
Motor Racing
Saturday - FIA Formula E World Championship - Round 3 - Rome, Italy
Sunday - FIA Formula E World Championship - Round 4 - Rome, Italy
Obstacle Racing
Thursday to Sunday - MCO 2021 9th Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering - Serbia Open - Novi Sad, Serbia
Pickleball
Wednesday to Sunday - IFP Bainbridge Cup - Holly Hill, FL, USA
Polo
27th March to 20th April - US Open Cup - USA
Rowing
Monday to Wednesday - 2021 World Rowing European Olympic and Paralympic Qualifying Regatta - Varese, Italy
Friday to Sunday - 2021 European Rowing Championships - Varese, Italy
Rugby Union
3rd to 24th April - Women's Six Nations
Running
Saturday - C&D Xiamen Marathon - Xiamen, China; Access Bank Lagos City Marathon - Lagos, Nigeria
Sunday - Gunsan Saemangeum International Marathon - Gunsan, South Korea; Beverly Wuxi Marathon - Wuxi, China
Sailing
1st April to Thursday - Mussanah Open Championship 2021 - Asian and African Olympic Qualifying - Al Mussanah Sports City, Oman
Friday to Sunday - Laser Europa Cup - Koper, Slovenia
Ski & Snowboarding
Monday to 16th April - FIS Nor-Am Cup - Aspen/Highland, CO, USA
Sport Stacking
Monday to Sunday - WSSA 2021 World Sport Stacking Championships - Online
Surfing
1st April to Sunday - World Surf League Championship Tour - Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona - Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Tennis
Monday to Sunday - AnyTech365 Andalucia Open (ATP) - Marbella, Spain; Sardegna Open (ATP) - Cagliari, Italy; Volvo Car Open (WTA0 - Charleston, SC, USA; Copa Colsanitas (WTA) - Bogotá, Colombia
Sunday to 18th April - Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (ATP) - Monte Carlo, Monaco
Weightlifting
3rd April to Sunday - EWF European Senior Weightlifting Championships - Moscow, Russia