SYDNEY (AP) — Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi is preparing to compete at her third Olympics after being selected for the Paris Games from her training base in Australia.
Yousofi, Afghanistan's flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Tokyo, has been living in Australia since 2022.
The Australian Olympic Committee on Tuesday congratulated Yousofi on her selection for the women’s 100-meter sprint.
“It’s an honor to represent the girls of my homeland once again,” she said in a statement released by the Australian committee. “Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one.
“I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don’t have the authority to make decisions as free human beings — they don’t even have the permission to enter a park.”
She said she's “deeply grateful to all those who have stood by me on this journey and made this possible ... who helped us for every step, for coming to Australia and joining together and chasing our dreams and making a new life,"
Yousofi was among the athletes and families who were resettled in Australia, in her case via Iran, after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and imposed harsh restrictions on women and girls.
Dozens of other Afghan athletes, including members of the women's cricket and soccer teams, have moved to Australia.
AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said Yousofi's story is "one of inspiration for women and girls in Afghanistan, and anywhere in the world, who are denied basic rights, including the right to freely practice sport.”
Afghanistan Olympic Committee president Yonus Popalzay said there'd be three women on the team for Paris.
“We are delighted having three female athletes for the first time in an Olympic Games," Popalzay said in a statement. “We highly appreciate the AOC for the support extended to Kimia Yousofi."
The Afghan National Olympic Committee operates outside of Afghanistan to support and encourage athletes.
John Quinn, Yousofi's Australian-based coach, will travel to the Olympics as head coach of Afghanistan's track and field team.
He said when he started working with Yousofi they had to communicate via a translation app because they didn't speak the same language, “so we've come a long way in less than two years.”
The Olympics in Paris will be “a Games where she's not really running for herself, she's running for women from Afghanistan and she's showing what's possible," Quinn said. "She provides, for them, hope. And she shows what optimism looks like.”
Quinn said Yousofi has improved vastly on the track in a technical sense but also made strides outside of the sports arenas.
“When you consider everything else she has had to juggle — training, a new language, getting her family here, all those things,” he said, "she has been amazing.”
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AP Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
FILE - Kimia Yousofi, front left, and Farzad Mansouri, of Afghanistan, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Afghan sprinter Yousofi is preparing to compete at her third Olympics after being selected for the Paris Games from her training base in Australia. The Australian Olympic Committee on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, congratulated Yousofi on her selection for the women's 100-meter sprint. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag savored the “perfect night” after routing third-division Barnsley 7-0 in the English League Cup on Tuesday.
It was United's biggest margin of victory under the Dutchman, who has been in charge for more than two years.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored two goals each in the third round match at Old Trafford, with Antony also on target.
“Not for me, but for the team, this is the perfect night. I think we could do everything that we planned to do. We won, (we are in) next round, scored some great goals, entertained the fans and we worked on our game model, so we are happy,” Ten Hag said.
The size of the victory surpassed United's previous best under Ten Hag: 4-1 wins against Real Betis and Chelsea in his first season at the club. It was the biggest since a 9-0 win over Southampton under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.
Encouragingly for Ten Hag, Rashford's scoring touch appears to have returned after a troubled season last year when he managed just nine goals.
Rashford's double came after he ended a 12-game barren run with a goal against Southampton over the weekend.
“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency," Rashford said.
Garnacho also scored in that 3-0 win in the Premier League and emulated Rashford by making it three goals in his last two games.
Eriksen struck twice late on.
Rashford blasted United in front after cutting inside Marc Roberts in the 16th minute. Antony doubled the lead when winning and then converting a penalty in the 35th.
Garnacho poked home from close range in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
United overpowered Barnsley after the break with Garnacho scoring his second when racing through on goal in the 49th. Rashford scored again in the 58th.
It was the first time Rashford has scored more than one goal in a game since February 2023.
Eriksen's double came in the 81st and 85th.
Bottom of the Premier League and without a point, Everton’s troubled campaign went from bad to worse after it was eliminated by second-to-last Southampton — losing 6-5 on penalties.
The Merseyside team had taken the lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure in the 20th at Goodison Park, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis evened the game in the 32nd.
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved Ashley Young's penalty in sudden death to seal Everton's fate.
Eberechi Eze struck the winner as Crystal Palace beat second-division Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and Brentford survived an early scare against third-tier Leyton Orient to win 3-1.
Brandon Cooper fired Orient ahead in the 11th, but Fabio Carvalho, Mikkel Damsgaard and Christian Norgaard eased Brentford to victory.
Second-division Preston secured the biggest shock of the night by beating Fulham 16-15 in an epic penalty shootout.
The game ended 1-1 at full time with Ryan Ledson putting Preston ahead in the 35th and Reiss Nelson equalizing for Fulham in the 61st.
What followed was the longest shootout in League Cup history with Preston eventually triumphing after 34 spot kicks.
After 32 penalties were successfully converted, Fulham's Timothy Castagne missed the target and Ledson made no mistake to fire Preston into the fourth round.
It was a different story as Stoke overcame Fleetwood 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Sheffield Wednesday beat Blackpool 1-0.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Crystal Palace's Eddie Nketiah, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Queens Park Rangers' Karamoko Dembele, left, and Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell in action during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Queens Park Rangers QPR and Crystal Palace at the Loftus Road Stadium, London, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Leyton Orient's Sonny Perkins, left, and Brentford's Christian Norgaard battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Preston North End's Ryan Ledson, center, celebrates scoring during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Preston and Fulham at Deepdale, Preston, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)
Everton's Michael Keane, left, and Southampton's Adam Armstrong battle for the ball during the English League Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho is celebrated by Manchester United's Casemiro after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring the 6th goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, top, is tackled by Barnsley's Barry Cotter during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag claps hands prior to the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford scores the opening goal against Barnsley's goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Antony, right, reacts to Manchester United's goalkeeper Altay Bayindir at halftime during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Antony, left, celebrates scoring with Alejandro Garnacho during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho, left, after scoring the fifth goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and Barnsley at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
