SPORT - The African Mirror

May

03

2026

ATHLETICS HISTORY MADE IN GABORONE: The “Awesome Foursome” bring down the house

ATHLETICS

THE National Stadium fell silent for just a moment - the held breath of an entire nation - and then it erupted. When Collen Kebinatshipi burst free from South Africa’s Zakithi Nene on the home straight and charged across the finish line in 2:54.47, the noise that rose from Gaborone was the sound of history being made. Botswana had done it. The Awesome Foursome had delivered. In the final race of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, the host nation's men's 4x400m team produced a performance so blazing in its ambition and so precise in its execution that it…

Apr

29

2026

By SIMON D. ANGUS

Kenya’s Sawe breaks the 2‑hour barrier: what’s next for the men’s marathon world record?

ATHLETICS

WELL, well. Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe has officially broken through the fabled “sub-2-hour” marathon barrier. On a reportedly perfect Sunday, 26 April 2026, in London, the 31-year-old Sawe ran through the finish gate on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace’s gilded architectural flourishes in an official marathon time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds. This betters the marathon world record by a whopping 65 seconds, the largest single improvement since 2018. The previous world record was held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, also of Kenya. Kiptum’s 2 hours and 35 seconds, set in Chicago in 2023,…

Apr

28

2026

By IVAN VODOHI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Girls Who Golf

SPORT

THE morning sun is still soft when Jackline Cherop Sirai kneels beside a small hole in the ground, a young tree resting carefully in the soil. She leans forward, scooping a handful of sand and pressing it gently around the base of the seedling. She pauses for a moment, then smiles as she adds another layer of soil and covers the roots completely. Around her, members of the community move between freshly dug patches of earth. For Sirai, outdoor mornings like this sit naturally alongside another defining part of her life: golf. Sirai is a golfer, entrepreneur, and the founder…

Apr

25

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Africa’s athletes are the new media: Continent’s Creator Festival launches game-changing sports summit

SPORT

IN the heart of Soweto, on the very ground where champions are forged, and dreams are born, a revolution was declared. On 23 April 2026, the Africa Creator Festival (ACF) launched its inaugural Sports Creator Summit at the iconic Nike Sports Centre - and nothing in the relationship between African sport and African media will ever be quite the same again. This was not a conference. This was a reckoning. A bold statement that the athlete's story does not end when the whistle blows - it begins. "Athletes are no longer just competitors on the field. They are becoming media…

Apr

23

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Africa’s giant enters basketball immortality

BASKETBALL

SHE carried the weight of a continent on her shoulders and made it look effortless. On Tuesday night in Berlin, the basketball world finally gave Clarisse Machanguana the honour her extraordinary career has always deserved - a place in the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Mozambican centre, one of the most commanding and influential figures to emerge from African basketball, was formally inducted at a ceremony on 22 April in the German capital, joining a distinguished Class of 2026 that includes United States legend Sue Bird, France's Céline Dumerc, German icon Dirk Nowitzki, Chile's Ismenia Pauchard, Turkey's Hedo Türkoğlu, China's…

Apr

21

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Dressed for glory, Ready for battle: South Africa’s U-23 men’s softball team fires up for Colombia — and the world is watching

SPORT

WHEN South Africa's Under-23 men's softball squad assembled at Kempton Park one Sunday morning, it was with a clarity of purpose that leaves little room for doubt: this team is ready. The 25 April opening pitch at the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup in Sincelejo, Colombia - a tournament running through to 3 May 2026 - is no longer a distant aspiration. It is an imminent reality, and South Africa arrives at the starting line with boots laced and eyes blazing. Two powerful threads run through this story: a team forged in fire on the training diamond, and a…

Apr

18

2026

By The African Mirror

Agent confirms uncertainty over Pule Mmodi’s future at Kaizer Chiefs

FOOTBALL

KAIZER Chiefs winger Pule Mmodi is facing an uncertain future at the club, with his representatives confirming that discussions regarding his future have been placed on hold for now. Despite enjoying one of their most promising campaigns in recent years, Amakhosi are dealing with uncertainty surrounding several key players, with a number of contracts set to expire at the end of the current campaign. Among those in a similar position to Mmodi are defender Dillan Solomons, goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma, former Stellenbosch FC midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa, as well as Gaston Sirino. Having featured in 25 matches across all competitions, registering one…

Apr

18

2026

By The African Mirror

Stanley Nwabali tipped for lucrative Kaizer Chiefs switch over Europe dream

FOOTBALL

FORMER Nigerian and Moroka Swallows goalkeeper Peterside Idah says he would have no problem seeing Stanley Nwabali join Kaizer Chiefs, but believes the Super Eagles shot-stopper is good enough to secure a move to Europe. Nwabali is expected to decide on his future this summer after spending the last few months without a club. The 29-year-old has never played outside Africa, having started his career in the Nigerian Premier Football League before moving to South Africa. In the past, he was linked with English side Crystal Palace and a host of Saudi Arabian clubs, but those speculations have since cooled without…

Apr

16

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

History in the paint: Madina Okot becomes first Kenyan drafted into the WNBA

BASKETBALL

ON the night of the 2026 WNBA Draft, the Atlanta Dream called a name that had never been called before in the history of that league. With the 13th overall pick, they selected Madina Okot - 21 years old, six feet six inches tall, born in Mumias, raised on the basketball courts of Kenya, and now, officially, a member of the best women's basketball league on earth. Kenya did not wake up to a statistic on Wednesday morning. It woke up to a new frontier. "Your journey is proof that even the boldest ambitions are within reach." President William Ruto…

Apr

16

2026

By ABDOULAYE SAKHO

Afcon controversy: what a sports law specialist says about Senegal being stripped of the title

FOOTBALL

TWO months after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, which was won by Senegal in January 2026, the appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) decided to strip them of the title and give it instead to their opponents, Morocco. This was because the Senegalese team had walked off the pitch for about 10 minutes. CAF’s ruling is based on Articles 82 and 84 of the African football body’s regulations. It goes against the referee’s decision to resume play and see the match through to its conclusion. What does sports law say on this matter? And…