SPORT - The African Mirror

Jul

19

2024

Olympics: Senegal won silver in 1988 – why it’s never managed to repeat this feat

SPORT

SINCE Senegal first competed in the Olympic Games in 1964, its success has been marked by a single medal, a feat achieved in 1988 by El Hadji Amadou Dia Bâ at the Seoul Games. His remarkable performance in the 400m hurdles secured him a silver medal. Nalla Socé Fall is a scholar of sports policy and Olympic history. He explores the key factors that contributed to Dia Bâ’s achievement, the obstacles holding Senegal back from Olympic success and how the country might reclaim it. What factors contributed to Dia Bâ’s 1988 success? This success was no accident. El Hadji Amadou…

Jul

18

2024

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

From African roots to European glory: Nico Williams’ inspirational journey

FOOTBALL

IN a testament to perseverance and the power of dreams, Nico Williams, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, has become a European champion with the Spanish national football team. This remarkable achievement highlights the continuing impact of African-born players in European football. Approximately 30 years ago, Maria Arthur, pregnant with her first child, embarked on a perilous journey from Ghana to Europe. Traversing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Algeria, she braved the scorching Sahara Desert on foot. Her determination led her to scale the fences of the Melilla border between Morocco and Spain, eventually crossing the Iberian Peninsula to reach Bilbao. Today,…

Jul

18

2024

By LAYCKAN VAN GENSEN

Olympics 2024: what new social media guidelines mean for athletes and their sponsors

SPORT

CELLPHONE cameras are ubiquitous at modern sporting events. Whether it’s a school swimming gala, the local rugby club squaring off against their bitter rivals or a national team fighting for tournament glory, every moment is a potential photograph. The Olympic Games are no exception. More than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries or regions are set to compete in 32 sports in this year’s host city, Paris, giving fans ample opportunity to fill their camera rolls with images of their favourite sporting heroes. And participants, too, will be able to memorialise their time in Paris – far more freely than ever…

Jul

17

2024

By STEPHEN GRANGER, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Road to Paris: How Ethiopia is planning a return to Olympic Marathon glory

ATHLETICS

LESS than four weeks before the start of the Olympic Marathon takes off in Paris, the world’s leading marathon runners are engaged in their final preparations in various parts of the planet. ‘Camped’ in a comfortable hotel in Ethiopia’s northern suburbs are Kenenisa Bekele, Tigist Assefa and the power-packed Ethiopian squad, currently putting the finishing touches to what they hope will be their best-ever Olympic Marathon performance. The Ethiopian team boasts athletes of extraordinary caliber, such as Tamirat Tola, the reigning New York Marathon champion and gold medallist at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, alongside Gotytom Gebreslase, a 2022…

Jul

16

2024

By STEPHEN GRANGER, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Road to Paris: How South Africa is taking on East Africa’s marathon dominance

ATHLETICS

SOUTH African marathon stars Elroy Gelant and Stephen Mokoka are flipping potential intimidation into motivation as continental competitions elevate African distance running standards ahead of the Paris Olympic Marathon. Africa's marathon dominance by East African athletes has historically intimidated competitors from other parts of the continent - and around the world. However, as Gelant notes, this trend is shifting. “In the past, there has often been a fear of the east African athletes,” Gelant related shortly after his win at the Durban RUN YOUR CITY 10k last weekend. “Leading athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia are competing regularly in South Africa…

Jul

13

2024

By Mpho Rantao

Stellenbosch United to play in English Next Gen Cup

FOOTBALL

STELLENBOSCH Football Club, based in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, have a golden ticket to participate in England’s Next Generation Cup, alongside seven invited clubs from England and India. This will be the second time the South African club has participated in the tournament; they lost 5-4 in penalties to England’s Wolverhampton Wolves in the 2023 final of the cup when it was hosted in India. Stellenbosch United’s side will represent as the 2023/24 DStv Diski Challenge Champions, which is a youth reserve team league for the top South African football teams in the Premier Soccer League, in the fifth…

Jul

12

2024

By WYCLIFFE W. NJORORAI SIMIYU

Faith Kipyegon: from walking to school in rural Kenya to setting world athletics alight

ATHLETICS

FAITH Kipyegon has broken her own 1,500m world record just weeks ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics – where she has set her sights on her third consecutive gold over the distance. No athlete in history has won three Olympic 1,500m titles and it would make 2024 a huge year for the Kenyan star, who also competes in the 5,000m event. Kipyegon was in the headlines throughout 2023 - and particularly at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. That’s because she broke three world records in less than two months on her way to Hungary, where she lifted…

Jul

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Former marathon star banned for 7 years in doping scandal

ATHLETICS

LAWRENCE Cherono, once the world's top-ranked marathon runner, has been handed a seven-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for multiple anti-doping violations. The 35-year-old Kenyan athlete, who has won two major marathons and is the 12th fastest marathon runner in history, admitted to three Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs). The AIU found Cherono guilty of using the prohibited substance Trimetazidine, detected in an out-of-competition test on May 23, 2022. Trimetazidine, classified as a hormone and metabolic modulator, is known to enhance athletes' endurance and recovery time. In addition to the doping offence, Cherono was charged with tampering with the…

Jul

10

2024

By STEPHEN GRANGER, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Road to Paris: Ethiopia’s marathoners hope to relive legendary Olympic triumphs

ATHLETICS

WHEN Abebe Bikila ran barefoot over the cobbles in Rome to break the tape in the Olympic Marathon in world record time of 2hr 15 min 16 sec, he gave notice to the world of a sea-change in the sport of distance running. The year was 1960 and Bikila’s win signalled the start of African domination in the sport which has increased to a crescendo with the passing years and set a marker that many of his compatriots were to follow over the next six decades. At 28, Bikila became the second African to win Olympic marathon gold, following South…

Jul

09

2024

By STEPHEN GRANGER, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Road to Paris: African Olympic hopefuls shine in Durban ahead of the Paris Olympics

SPORT

JUST a month before athletes head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, some of Africa's top marathoners gathered in the port city of Durban on July 7 to compete in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10k — and the results highlighted a depth of talent that suggests the Paris Olympics will be a spectacle of African running superiority. South African Olympian Elroy Gelant raced to victory in his life-best 10km of 27 min 47 sec, while Glenrose ‘Supercharger’ Xaba beat Elana Van Zyl Meyer’s 33-year-old national 10km record to cash in on lucrative incentives. Both Gelant and his teammate…