Sports

Kelechi Iheanacho vows to help Leicester City bounce back

Published

4 months ago

May 31, 2023

Nigerian international, Kelechi Iheanacho has vowed to remain with his relegated English Premier League side, Leicester City and help the team bounce back from the Championship next season.

Iheanacho who, alongside other African stars, compatriot Wilfred Ndidi and Zambian Patson Daka, could not help Leicester City maintain its premiership status, expressed hopes that the club could recover immediately and get back to the EPL after one season in the lower league.

Iheanacho who spoke to English journalists, displayed his emotions to the point of tears, and insisted that despite insinuations that he would dump the team following the relegation, he was determined to stay and help the team get back to where it belonged as quickly as possible.

“I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m so disappointed. I don’t know what to say. I just need to thank the football club, the fans, everyone who has supported us from the start to now,” the Nigerian striker said.

“I know it’s a hard one to take but if life kicks you, you just need to stand up and keep going. Whatever it is, we just keep going, stay strong, and hopefully we get back up.

“Nobody’s really happy at this time. It’s a bad time for the club and everyone. We need to take it on the chin and move on. It’s really not what we want but we can’t go back now. We have to move forward.”

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Sports

Nigerian couple makes history with Paralympic qualifications

Published

1 day ago

September 23, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Nigerian para-table tennis players, Kayode Alabi and Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi, have made history by becoming the first African couple to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, after securing their maiden ticket at the ITTF African Para Championships in Giza, Egypt.

Alabi came out tops in the men’s Class Six category to qualify for his first Paralympic Games, while his wife also picked her maiden ticket in the women’s Class Five.

At the qualifying tournament, Nigerian players dominated in the men’s singles category and claimed the bulk of the tickets, with four of the six entrees making their Paralympic Games debut.

Nigeria also added extra tickets in women’s Classes Nine and Five in successive sessions, with Kehinde Lawal and Ikpeoyi topping their events as champions.

Other athletes who picked tickets for the Paralympic Games include Olufemi Alabi and Victor Farinloye, who both competed in the men’s Classes 10 and Eight at the last games in Tokyo.

Others are Isau Ogunkunle, Bolawa Akingbemisilu, Kayode Alabi and Abiola Adesope who all won their respective classes and will be on the plane to Paris.

Sports

Sorry Namibia pounded 96-0 by France in Rugby World Cup

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Namibia’s participation at the ongoing Rugby World Cup in France took a big dent when they were trounced 96-0 by the host who reached the quarter-finals of the competition with their biggest-ever win.

The one-sided Pool A encounter on Thursday evening at the Marseille’s Stade Velodrome saw France running up the huge score against the Africans, showing the gulf in class between the two teams.

In the match, Damian Penaud scored a hat-trick, while Jonathan Danty, Charles Ollivon and Louis Bielle-Biarry all scored twice to make mince meat of their opponents.

Thibaud Flament, Dupont and substitutes Baptiste Couillard and Melvyn Jaminet also scored, while Thomas Ramos kicked 12 conversions.

The host nation made 12 changes from their 27-12 victory over Uruguay, bringing back their big names and from the first whistle, dominated and outclassed a sorry Namibian side.

But it was not all good news for France as skipper Antoine Dupont was forced off the field with a head injury and will be sweating on his fitness ahead of the quarter-finals match.

Dupont was struck by Namibia captain Johan Deysel in the side of his head a few minutes into the second half and immediately left the field, being taken to hospital for a suspected fractured cheek.