Sports

Kenyan runners sweep Boston Marathon on 10th anniversary of bombing

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2023

Kenyan athletes, Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri, on Monday, made a clean sweep at the Boston Marathon on the 10th anniversary of a bombing at the races that killed three people and wounded hundreds more in 2013.

Chebet who is the defending champion in the male event, won a time of 2:05:54 in a strong field that included world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, Gabriel Geay of Tanzania, who took second, and 2021 winner, Benson Kipruto of Kenya, who finished third, among the top stars on parade.

The 38-year-old Kipchoge, a 12-time major marathon winner who was hoping to add a Boston Marathon victory to his unprecedented running resume, fell to the sixth position.

Kipchoge, who has won two Olympic gold medals and four of the six major marathons, and was competing in Boston for the first time, said after the race:

“It’s never guaranteed, it’s never easy. Today was a tough day for me. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but sometimes, we must accept that today wasn’t the day to push the barrier to a greater height”.

“I live for the moments where I get to challenge the limits,” Kipchoge added in a statement distributed by the race organizers.

In the women’s race, Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000m, won in a sprint to finish in an unofficial 2:21:38 and complete the Kenyan sweep.

The memorial Boston Marathon, for the first time, included a nonbinary division, with 27 athletes registered.

A dozen former champions and participants from 120 countries and all 50 US states were in the field of 30,000, in a race that also included 264 members of the One Fund community made up of those injured by the 2013 attack, their friends and family and charities associated with them.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, a robotic dog named Stompy belonging to the Department of Homeland Security patrolled the start line before the race began, trailed by photographers capturing the peculiar sight.

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Sports

Ghanaian winger Fatawu out for season with ACL injury

Published

20 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghana and Leicester City winger, Abdul Fatawu, has been ruled out of the rest of the EPL season after suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury during Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Angola in a 2025 AFCON match during the international break.

Leicester coach, Steve Cooper, who announced the news on Thursday, said the 20-year-old enterprising player suffered a “serious” knee injury which will see him out for the rest of the season.

“It’s not good, it’s a serious injury,” Cooper said ahead of his side’s home tie against Chelsea on Saturday.

“He’s had an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury that is going to rule him out for the rest of the season. It’s a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.

“Albeit, it can be quite common in sport and in particular football, but it’s still a serious injury. For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.

“He’s obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.

“It’s only a pause and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case,” the gaffer said.

Fatawu has been a key player for the Foxes, helping them gain promotion last season and has played 11 times for them in the league during the present campaign, scoring two goals.

Sports

SA football legend Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe passes away

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African football legend, Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe, has passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with illness.

According to South African media, Moripe lit up the country’s football fields in the 1970s and became a rallying point for football in the country, especially in the apartheid era.

“Moripe, who mesmerised opponents and spectators alike during an injury ravaged career, spent his last years confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke, and died at his home on Tuesday at the age of 71,” one media report said.

“Moripe, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the country has produced by those who saw him play, was called “the god of football”’ by adoring fans during the early 1970s in a nod to his natural talents.

“He was feared by defenders and goalkeepers and his style of play was synonymous with flair, finesse and the golden era of South African football.

“In recent years Moripe was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a mild stroke that was worsened by the effects of a long-term knee injury that stopped his playing career in the late 1980s.

“Throughout his career, Moripe played for the Orlando Pirates and the Pretoria Callies, winning the respect of both teammates and supporters.

“In 2010, the Atteridgeville Super Stadium was renamed the Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium in honor of his noteworthy achievements to South African football. Major football games are still held at this stadium, which now stands as a tribute to his legacy.

“Moripe’s career highlights include leading Pretoria Callies to victory against top clubs and earning the 1973 NPSL Player of the Year and Sportsman of the Year titles.

“He also played internationally for Caroline Hill in Hong Kong and briefly for Orlando Pirates. Persistent knee injuries ended his playing career in the late 1980s.”