Sports

Kenyan marathon champion, Amos Kipruto ‘embarrassed’ by doping scandals in his country

Published

1 year ago

April 21, 2023

Kenyan marathon world champion, Amos Kipruto, has reacted to recent doping scandals rocking his country, saying he is embarrassed for a younger generation of runners coming through in the Eastern African country.

Kipruto, who is the defending London Marathon champion, said the situation had become worrisome and needs a more concerted effort by the Kenyan Athletics Federation to curb the doping menace.

Kipruto, who is getting set to defend his London Marathon title on Sunday, said younger athletes in his country had been taking shortcuts to success with the connivance of the authorities and compromised medical experts.

Kenyan athletics have been thrown into a mess after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) placed 66 of the country’s athletes on the global ineligible athlete list for breaching anti-doping rules earlier this month.

Coupled with that, at least 45 Kenyan athletes were sanctioned for doping last year, either by the AIU or the Kenyan Anti-Doping Agency, including 2019 Boston and Chicago Marathon champion, Lawrence Cherono, and Diana Kipyokei, the 2021 Boston Marathon champion, who had her title stripped after failing an in-competition drug test at that race.

In early April, the AIU released a report where it said there was evidence of a “medically-savvy operation helping Kenyan athletes cheat” after similarities in at least two recent tampering cases were discovered amounting to “criminal conduct involving frauds on the AIU”.

The 30-year-old Kipruto won the London Marathon title in October 2022 in a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds, and is returning to defend his crown.

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Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Two of Africa’s club giants, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia, will do battle next month over two legs for the right to be crowned champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Title-holders Al Ahly and their long-standing rivals Esperance both booked their places in the final with dramatic semi-final victories over DR Congo”s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa respectively on Friday night.

While Al Ahly, winners of five of the last seven editions of the continent’s top draw tournament, with a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe with a 3-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg after a goalless first leg last Saturday, Esperance surprised Sundowns with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.

The two-legged final will mark the third encounter between Ahly and Esperance in the Champions League final, with the Egyptians winning in 2012 and the Tunisians triumphing in 2018.

In 2023, the two clubs clashed in the semi-finals with Ahly emerging victorious home and away, securing a 4-0 aggregate triumph.

Esperance who are aiming for a fifth Champions League title, will host the first leg in Rades on May 18, with the return fixture scheduled in Cairo seven days later.

Sports

Former Zambian captain Rainford Kalaba discharged from hospital after near-fatal accident

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Former Zambian national team captain, Rainford Kalaba, has been discharged from hospital weeks after he was involved in a near-fatal accident where he sustained serious injuries.

The accident which involved a head-on collision between a Mercedes-Benz car in which Kalaba was in, and a truck, had initially sparked fears for his life and has since been in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zambian University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

The good news on the footballer’s progress was released by the UTH Public Relations Officer, Nzeba Chanda, who informed that the Chipolopolo legend has been discharged after showing positive signs of recovery.

“Mr. Rainford Kalaba has been discharged from the UTH-Adult where he was admitted after being involved in a road traffic accident two weeks ago,” Chanda said, adding that Kalaba will continue his recovery at his family home.

According to local media reports, the 37-year-old was a passenger in a Mercedes Benz when it collided with an oncoming truck in the south-eastern Zambian town of Kafue a week and five days ago.

In his active playing days, Kalaba spent the majority of his club career at TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, winning the CAF Champions League with the club in 2015 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2016.

He also had a spell with clubsides in Portugal including FC Braga, and was a major part of the Zambian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 under Frenchman, Herve Renard.