Sports

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe soars to victory at Prague Half-Marathon

Published

3 weeks ago

April 6, 2024

Kenya’s World Half-Marathon champion, Sabastian Sawe, was at his best on Saturday when he smashed course record with a sensational time of 58 minutes and 24 seconds to win the Prague Half-Marathon in the Czech Republic.

World Athletics report that the Kenyan athlete showed strong resilience to clinch the victory after outpacing a strong competitive field to secure his triumph as well as improving his personal best and setting a new benchmark in the event’s history.

“Sawe, 29, entered the race on the back of a seventh-place finish at the recent World Athletics Cross Country Championships,” World Athletics wrote.

“Despite this, he arrived in Prague with confidence, buoyed by a previous personal best of 58:29 from his victory at the 2022 Bahrain Royal Night Half Marathon.

“His performance in Prague not only surpassed his own expectations but also broke the course record of 58:47 set by Ethiopia’s Atsedu Tsegay.

“The race saw Sawe taking a decisive lead from his compatriots, Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba and Patrick Kabirech Mosin, at the 10km mark.

“Kipchumba and Mosin, known for their performances in previous marathons, could not match Sawe’s pace, finishing second and third with times of 60:02 and 60:15 respectively, securing a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish.

Speaking after the race, the excited Sawe said:

“I am absolutely happy that I managed to achieve my personal best and to break the race record as well.

“I had a great run, the course was fast and enjoyable. The fans drove me forward, I didn’t experience any critical moment.

“Prague is a beautiful city. I liked it during my training, but today the beauty of the city got me completely.”

The victory came just a week after Sawe placed seventh in the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, though he was part of the Kenyan gold medal winning men’s team.

He was tipped to be among among the favorites but fell short as Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda defended his title successfully.

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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.