The 27-year-old Venezuelan driver has been with Williams since 2011, but he did not set the world on fire, last season; indeed, it was a massive struggle all round. However, in 2012, he looked good fighting for fifth in Malaysia, until being forced to retire.

Then at the Spanish Grand Prix, he qualified second, only to be promoted after Lewis Hamilton was penalised, and he took full advantage of that by holding off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to win his first race in his 24th outing.

It showed the dramatic nature of the season, so far, as Maldonado was the fifth different winner in the first five races in the season. It ended a barren run for Williams, as it was their first victory in 132 races. The result will have delighted fans who love sports betting with www.betvictor.com.

Maldonado’s confidence will have been given a massive boost with that top-of-the-podium finish, and he admits that Williams are now “looking forward to winning some races” and “to getting a couple more podiums”.

The star may be getting ahead of himself after this one win, but he even predicts that he can challenge for the World Drivers Title, despite some much more experienced faces ahead of him in the standings.

“For sure we are a little bit backwards [on points] compared with the leaders, with Fernando and Vettel, but we need to keep working. We are not the best team at the moment”, Maldonado said.

“The car looked pretty good, but I think we need to keep pushing some particulars at Williams, especially in the car, but everything is possible. The gaps are so close at the moment, I’m driving well, and I have a good feeling with the team, with the car, so everything is possible.”

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso currently top the championship standings, with the Spaniard stating he is “very, very proud” to be in that position, given how his Ferrari has looked fairly uncompetitive at times.

Enjoy betting at Bet Victor.

However, even after defeat in the AFC Championship Game – 23-20 to the Patriots – Lewis made it clear that he was returning to play for the 2012 season.

He does though have a desire to avoid questions about how much he will play this year and could he go beyond this season with his playing career.

It’s true that his contract actually runs through to 2015 and the Ravens showed confidence in Lewis when they once again didn’t draft his eventual replacement in April. It must be said that he started last season very strongly and punters who bet on NFL  will note that he was once again amongst the top performing inside linebackers in the league.

But the second half of the season was not such a success. A toe injury saw him miss four games and that really started all of the retirement talk. Not that Lewis is having any of that type of talk and he says that he is planning to keep playing for as long as he can.

His legacy in the NFL when he does finally quit will be a great and possibly legendary one, he has truly been one of the hard men of the game. The 222 games that he has played puts him second in the rankings amongst current active players, only behind kicker Jason Hanson and he is longest serving Raven by some six seasons, with Ed Reed trailing him six seasons back.
Lewis is now entering a 17th season in the NFL, but having just turned 37, will it be his last?

For those with tickets though, it is the chance to see a sport that combines grace, elegance and artistry, along with physical strength, as the competitors enthral and amaze those watching with their prowess on the floor and equipment.

This is the event that gave us the iconic picture of 14-year-old Romanian Nadia Comaneci picking up a perfect score of seven 10’s across the board at Montreal 1976. And who can forget the performance of 17-year-old Russian Olga Korbut on the Uneven Bars in Munich four years earlier.

The old Soviet Union used to churn out the medallists every four years, so much so that they managed to rack up a total of 72 gold medals before the Eastern Bloc was split up. Since then the Asian countries have come to the fore, and at Beijing it was China that collected seven of the eight golds on offer, but in the four years since then they have not really asserted their dominance.

So basically, looking at the various disciplines as a whole, it is hard to say that any one country will sweep the board in London. Russian teenager Aliya Mustafina sprung to prominence with five medals to her name at the 2010 World Championships, and it is to be hoped that she is fully back to her best after picking up a knee injury last year.

The USA will be hoping that Jordyn Wieber can translate her undoubted promise to the big stage, while in the men’s section, reigning Individual All-Around gold medallist Wei Yang looks set to once again battle it out with the man he beat in Beijing, Kohei Uchimura of Japan.

For the latest odds, tips and previews ahead of the Olympics including a look at all the key movers and shakers in the Athletics Betting , head over to the dedicated Betfair London 2012  page.    

The Togo frontman has spent a successful season with Tottenham, after joining the Londoners from Manchester City on loan last year. While Spurs have made no secret that they are desperate to sign the striker on a permanent deal this summer, however, the club’s current wage structure makes such a move highly unlikely.

Plenty of soccer betting tips  have reported that the Red Bulls would be able to stretch to Adebayor’s apparent $280,000 a week salary; something only a few clubs in the world are able to do. Playing alongside Henry may be a tempting offer for the 28-year old, however, it remains to be seen whether Adebayor would be willing to leave Europe while still very much in his prime.

It would certainly be a transfer that bucked the current trend of world class players heading to the US during the closing stages of their careers. Adebayor will be one of the most in-demand players on the market this summer should his career at Manchester City appearing to be over, certainly under current manager Roberto Mancini.

Henry has been ably assisted by Kenny Cooper in the goals department so far this season, helping the club to a decent second place in the Eastern Division. The former Dallas star will be looking to prove he is more than capable of being the man to play alongside Henry during the rest of this season.

For punters should go here if they like to bet on soccer games  in the MLS, Premier League or La Liga.

Saints face an almighty test against a rampant Quins, who dominated the regular league season from start to finish to seal top spot.

Although head to head, there has been little between the two sides this term, and it’ll be interesting to see where Aviva Premiership betting selections have been placed ahead of the game.

Harlequins were 26-13 winners when the two teams met at the beginning of the season, but the Saints gained revenge in the new year, producing an excellent performance to beat the competition pace-setters 24-3.

And it is that level of performance that Northampton will need to produce again on Saturday if they are to overcome Quins in the play-offs.

“Harlequins will quite rightly be confident because they have been the most consistent team in the league and have been at the top of the tree from start to finish,” said Mallinder.

“They have won the most games by a large margin so they deserve to be described as favourites by many people”

“But we will go in there and we will quietly give it a go. We have a bit of momentum and I believe that can take us far.”

Northampton head into the match having won four of their last five and on the back of a resounding 42-14 win over Worcester.

Quins were also victorious in the final round of Premiership matches, but tasted defeat a week earlier at home to Leicester, much to the surprise of many punters from within the online Betfair community.

And with their opponents’ vulnerabilities visible, Saints boss Mallinder isn’t afraid of talking up his side’s chances.

“We really fancy this one. It’s a game everybody at the club wants to win and the players have the ability to make it happen.”

Two of the biggest rivals in La Liga away from the powerhouses of Real Madrid and Barcelona clash for what should be a momentous occasion at the National Arena – a game made all the more curious by the numerous sub-plots.

The two clubs are both under the stewardship of Argentinian coaches, wear near-identical kits and their names almost sound the same.

“A final is something unique and not to be repeated and that is the difference,” said Athletic Club coach Bielsa.

Atheltic embarrassed Manchester United over two legs to make the rest of the competition sit up and take notice, and, in principal striker, Fernando Llorente, possess arguably one of the most sought-after goal-getters in European football.

Bielsa said Athletic might need a performance similar, if not better, than the aggregate win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League champions to cap an astonishing season.

He added: “What we need to do is to live up to that level and to show as much as we can the team’s potential.”

Atletico won this competition two years ago and boast a goal-machine of their own, Falcao who was last season’s final match-winner. They are also unbeaten in seven matches heading into the Romania showpiece and the soccer betting tips are tipping them to lift the trophy again.

Bet365 has priced Atletico Madrid up the 7/5 favourites to win in 90 minutes, while the draw is available at 12/5 and Atheltic Club can be backed at 19/10.

Simeone, known as ‘El Cholo’ and a member of Atletico’s 1996 La Liga and Copa del Rey winning squad, said the occasion must not get the better of Falcao and his team-mates.

“A final is always special,” he said. “We have to live it with the hunger of a boy who’s just started out and the experience of a player who’s been around a long time.”

The winner’s time was five seconds slower than that clocked by Trumpet Major, when he defied the best racing odds, to land the Craven Stakes over course and distance, just a couple of weeks earlier.

The result clearly indicated that the ground was far more testing than the official description of ‘good to soft’, so, under the circumstances, Hannon’s colt ran particularly well on going that would never have played to his strengths.

Never far from the pace under Richard Hughes, the son of Arakan took up the running, just over two furlongs from home, and, after seeing off Caspar Netscher, looked briefly as though he might be on his way to classic glory.

But, on the uphill run at the furlong pole, he began to tire on the testing terrain, and could give no more when both Camelot and French Fifteen came surging by, eventually having to settle for a commendable fourth place, as a result of Hermival dashing home on the far rail to grab the minor honour.

Hughes was quick to suggest that, given a better surface, he would expect Trumpet Major to prove a serious force to be reckoned with for the rest of the term over a mile. Place a bet on racing, and share in Trumpet Major’s future successes.

The obvious next step is a crack at the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, in June, a race that could also see the reappearance of his unbeaten stable companion, Harbour Watch. Hannon once again has a particularly strong hand, this term, in the three-year-old miling division.

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Most NFL fans whether they are Broncos or Eagles supporters or not will be sad to see Dawkins leave the NFL as he will be remembered as one of the players who could really make a difference in a game with his monster hits and vocal leadership on defence. There was no denying either that plenty of players looked up to him as a role model and he was very well respected by the majority and he’ll be missed by plenty.

During his career, Dawkins racked up some impressive numbers and finishes with statistics – 1,131 tackles, 26 sacks, 37 forced fumbles and 37 interceptions. He was also selected to nine Pro-Bowls and earned All-Pro honours on six occasions during his time in the NFL. He also won an NFC Championship in 2004 and was voted a member of the NFL’s 2000’s All-Decade team.

Drafted in 1996 in the second round by the Eagles he played with them until 2009, when he signed a deal with the Denver Broncos. He had become a free agent this off-season but that is history now as Dawkins is over and done with the NFL. He’s not sure what he going to do next but whatever it is if he does it as well as his time spent in the NFL he’ll be a success at it.

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If you like seeing the Chicago Bears then the 2012 schedule is just right for you as they appear on Monday Night Football on three occasions, more than any other team. Their divisional rivals the Packers start with a couple of home games at Lambeau Field but comfortingly for the Packers who love playing in frozen conditions, they will still have three home games to come in December. It could be tough for the third NFC North team this year, the Detroit Lions with only three games on their own “turf” before Thanksgiving and three sets of back-to-back road games before that – the 2012 schedule has not been kind to the Lions. Making up the numbers in the North are the Vikings who will be getting a good look at the drafts first two picks this year as they are the only team that will face both Luck and Griffin.

Superbowl champions the NY Giants have a brutal schedule, and they will do well to retain their title, possibly another Superbowl champ that fails to make the playoffs the following season. Around them in their division, the Eagles have a far softer group of games, the Cowboys will be meeting the Giants far earlier this year than last and the Redskins have a brutal stretch to finish the year, with a final seven games that include two against the Eagles, two against the Cowboys, one against the Giants, and a game against the Ravens – welcome to the NFL Robert Griffin III.

Over in the West, will last season’s surprise team the 49ers find life tougher this time, well 13-3 is hard to duplicate especially with their schedule – life may be a lot tougher this year. Seattle are starting to shape up and finish with home games which will be an advantage, while the Cardinals had better do well early season as their final nine games include the 49ers twice, at Green Bay, at Atlanta, at the Jets, at Seattle, and home games against the Lions and Bears – ouch!. The Rams well they’ve been touted as dark horses over the last few year, can they finally make a run at the division title, well if they are 4-4 going to the bye week they may well have a chance.

Finally, the South, the Saints will be the Saints although it remains to be seen what all the off the field events have done to team morale and unity and their annual battle with the Falcons will be interesting especially as Atlanta get the chance to get off to a quick start this year. That leaves the Bucs and the Panthers, the latter still have the wonderful Cam Newton which gives them a chance but only a chance and Tampa Bay had better start well as they face trips to the Giants and the Cowboys in Weeks 3 and 4.

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