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Jailed SA ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius takes freedom battle to Constitutional Court

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Jailed South African paralympian champion, Oscar Pistorius, has filed an appeal at the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court or ConCourt, in a bid to regain his freedom.

The Olympic and Paralympic athlete, who was nicknamed the “Blade Runner” in his heyday as he ran on prosthetic blades due to the amputation of both legs when he was 11 months old, is currently serving a 13-year sentence for the 2013 murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot dead on Valentine’s Day.

At his initial court appearance, Pistorius had argued that he thought an intruder had broken into his home and was hiding in the bathroom, and he only realized that it was his girlfriend after he opened the door.

After several appeals for an early parole fell through early this year, the convicted murderer has now taken his battle for freedom to the ConCourt.

Previous attempts at the South African Supreme Court of Appeal in March had seen Pistorius denied parole, with the board ordering that he should remain behind bars after it found he had yet to spend the minimum required time behind bars to qualify for parole.

The Department of Correctional Services spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, while addressing a news conference, said the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) would only grant Pistorius another hearing in August 2024.

“The reason provided is that the inmate did not complete the minimum detention period as ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal,” Singabakho had said.

However, on Thursday, the disgraced athlete’s lawyers approached the ConCourt seeking to clear up the confusion around his sentence and parole.

According to court report, Pistorius is contesting the ruling of the board which he sees as an infringement on his fundamental rights and hopes that the confusion will be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

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Italian couple name new born baby after Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman

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An Italian couple have reportedly named their new born baby after Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, after he scored a spectacular goal against Olympic Marseille of France in the Europa League semifinal second leg match to take Atalanta to the final.

The Nigerian striker opened the scoring for Atalanta before Ruggeri and Toure sealed the win in their second-leg semi-final tie to set up a mouth-watering final tie with Victor Boniface’s Leverkusen.

According to reports from EuroFoot on X, Ademola’s performance was recognised by the couple who live in Palosco, a district in Bergamo where the Italian club is based.

“Somebody named their child after Ademola Lookman following his goal which helped send the Italian club to the Europa League final!” EuroFoot said in the post.

The post added that Lookman’s contribution to Atalanta’s advancement to the Europa League final caught the attention of the adoring Italian couple who decided to name their child after him.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian international was on Friday, named the Europa League Player of the Week following his outstanding performance in Atalanta’s 4-1 aggregate victory over Marseille in the semifinal.

According to UEFA’s official website, Lookman’s performance also included three attempts, further highlighting his influential role in Atalanta’s dominant display

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AIU suspends Kenyan marathoner Josephine Chepkoech over alleged use of prohibited substances

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The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Kenyan half distance runner, Josephine Chepkoech, over alleged use of prohibited substances during the Barcelona Half Marathon held on February 17, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain.

The AIU, in a statement on Thursday, said Chepkoech was suspended following allegations of doping involving the prohibited substance, testosterone.

In the statement, the AIU said Chepkoech had been served with a Notice of Allegation for violating Article 2.1 and Article 2.2 of its anti-doping regulations.

“The AIU has provisionally suspended Josephine Chepkoech (Kenya) for Presence (Testosterone Metabolites)/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Testosterone),” the AIU stated.

Chepkoech ran a personal best marathon time of 2:22:38 in February at the Seville Marathon, but with the suspension, the record is not likely to stand.

The AIU said the move was part of its crackdown on prohibited substances in athletics which has seen a rising number of Kenyan athletes penalized.

The 35-year-old had made her marathon debut in 2018 at the Nairobi Marathon, dominating the women’s race with a winning time of 2:33:11.

Her provisional suspension means she cannot participate in any competition until a final decision is reached which could result in an acquittal or a formal ban.

She faces a two-year ban pending a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal.

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