by Kelly Eric Ehor | Nov 18, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, International, Other Sports
As anticipation builds for the World Athletics Awards 2024, the finalists for the coveted Athlete of the Year honours have been unveiled. Among the 12 outstanding athletes—six men and six women—three African athletes have been recognized for their record-breaking and historic achievements in 2024.
African Finalists for World Athlete of the Year
Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya)
Set a world marathon record of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October, becoming the first woman to finish under 2:10.
Claimed her third Chicago victory and improved her personal best by over four minutes.
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana)
Made history as Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist with his 200m victory at the Paris Olympics, clocking an African record time of 19.46 seconds.
Secured a silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay and placed sixth in the 100m final.
Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)
Won the Olympic marathon in Paris with a record-breaking time of 2:06:26, surpassing the previous Olympic best set in 2008.
Finalists for Athlete of the Year Categories
Women’s Track Athlete of the Year: Julien Alfred (LCA), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA)
Men’s Track Athlete of the Year: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), Letsile Tebogo (BOT)
Women’s Field Athlete of the Year: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR), Nafissatou Thiam (BEL)
Men’s Field Athlete of the Year: Mondo Duplantis (SWE), Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE)
Women’s Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year: Ruth Chepngetich (KEN), Sifan Hassan (NED)
Men’s Out-of-Stadium Athlete of the Year: Brian Pintado (ECU), Tamirat Tola (ETH)
Voting and Awards Ceremony
The first round of voting, which combined votes from the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and the public, determined the top two finalists in each category. A second round of voting, conducted from November 4-10, will decide the overall World Athlete of the Year.
The winners of each category and the overall World Athlete of the Year will be announced during the World Athletics Awards 2024 ceremony on December 1 in Monaco.
by Kelly Eric Ehor | Nov 18, 2024 | Africa, Athletics, International, Other Sports
World Athletics has revealed the three finalists for the 2024 Women’s Rising Star Award, honoring the year’s top U20 athlete. The nominees reflect remarkable performances across major events, including the Paris 2024 Olympics, World Athletics Indoor Championships, World Athletics U20 Championships, and more.
Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew, who broke the championship record to claim the women’s 3000m steeplechase title at the World U20 Championships in Lima, is the only African nominee in the top three. She is a strong contender for the prestigious award, which will be announced on December 1 via World Athletics’ platforms.
Finalists for the 2024 Women’s Rising Star Award:
Sembo Almayew (Ethiopia): World U20 3000m steeplechase champion, fifth place at the Olympics.
Angelina Topic (Serbia): World U20 high jump champion, Olympic finalist, and fifth place at the World Indoor Championships.
Yan Ziyi (China): World U20 javelin record holder and World U20 champion.
by Kelly Eric Ehor | Nov 17, 2024 | Africa, International, Nigeria, Other Sports
President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s readiness to host the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup African Qualifier C, scheduled from November 23 to 28 in Abuja. The tournament will test the country’s cricket infrastructure and event management capabilities as Nigeria’s national team, the Yellow Greens, begins its quest for World Cup qualification.
The competition will feature six African nations—Nigeria, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, St. Helena, and Sierra Leone—battling for two spots in the next round of qualifiers. Matches will take place at the Twin Oval, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Highlighting Nigeria’s rising profile in cricket, Akpata stated, “This is an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s unique cricket culture and organizational strength. Hosting this event will not only advance talent development but also present a new perspective of Nigeria to the global cricket community.”
Currently ranked 36th in the T20 global standings, Nigeria is the highest-ranked team in the competition. The national team, coached by Steve Tikolo, has been in camp in Abuja, with players like Isaac Okpe, Chiemelie Udekwe, and Isaac Danladi bringing valuable international experience from the Zimbabwean National Cricket League.
As the team gears up for the event, Akpata emphasized the dual goals of securing qualification and creating unforgettable experiences for both fans and visitors.
by Kelly Eric Ehor | Nov 17, 2024 | Africa, Nigeria, Other Sports
The much-anticipated grand finale of the 2024 Nigerian Rugby League takes place today, Sunday, at the Turf Arena Sports Centre in Abuja. In a thrilling North-South clash, the Lagos Bulls will face off against the Kano Lions in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The women’s final begins at 1:00 PM, followed by the men’s final at 3:00 PM.
Kano Lions emerged as champions of the Northern Conference, which included Zazzau Bulls, Zaria Bees, and Kano Gazelles. Meanwhile, Lagos Bulls secured the top spot in the South-West Conference, ahead of Eko Trinity, R2 Finesse, Lagos Rhinos, Lagos Haven, and De Kings.
by Kelly Eric Ehor | Nov 17, 2024 | Africa, International, Nigeria, Other Sports
The Rebels, Raptors, Spartans, and Outlaws have secured their places in the Showtime Bowl Series XI playoffs after decisive Week 8 victories in the regular season finale.
Rebels vs. Wolverines (44-22):
Kalada Kienka led the Rebels with an early touchdown, supported by Beatrice Abolade and Odunayo Komolafe. Despite a third-quarter resurgence by the Wolverines with touchdowns from Stephanie Chinaza and Oluwabukola Onamakinde narrowing the gap to 30-22, Takim Agbor’s interception return sealed the game for the Rebels.
Raptors vs. Panthers (46-14):
After Kayode Mafe gave the Panthers an early lead, the Raptors stormed back with touchdowns from Ridwan Adekanmbi, Clement Tolulope, and Amanda Okafor, who scored twice in the second half. Defensive efforts from Fatima Badmus and Seun Bamidele secured a dominant Raptors win.
Spartans vs. Mavericks (56-22):
Nedy Udombat, Kate Johnson, and Uju Ngene set the tone for the Spartans, while Olamide Oladoyin and Ebube Njere tried to keep the Mavericks in the game. Moyosore Badejo’s late touchdown and Farouk Folawiyo’s interception cemented the Spartans’ commanding victory.
Outlaws vs. Hawks (51-23):
Onyinye Udueze shined for the Outlaws with a hat-trick of touchdowns, supported by scores from Eric Favour and Harrison Blessing. Despite late efforts from Afeye Momoh and Peace Ikhuoria, the Hawks could not overcome the Outlaws’ early dominance.
With flag football set to debut at the Olympics, the playoffs highlight Nigeria’s burgeoning professional coed league. The Wolverines, Panthers, and Hawks ended their seasons outside the top eight, as 12 teams competed this year.
