Sports

American publication crowns Kenyan stars, Faith Kipyegon, Kelvin Kiptum 2023 World Athletes of the Year

Published

5 months ago

December 20, 2023

American athletics publication LetsRun.com has named Kenyan marathon duo, Faith Kipyegon and Kelvin Kiptum, as the 2023 World Athletes of the Year, a week after the controversy that trailed the decision of World Athletics to split the award into three this year.

The publication wrote that Kipyegon and Kiptum were the outstanding athletes of the year following their record-breaking performances at different circuits in 2023.

The decision was made by a panel of experts constituted by LetsRun.com, as well as athletic fans who voted in favour of Kipyegon and Kiptum ahead of other athletes who were up for votes.

Explaining why they settled on Kiptum, LetsRun.com said the world marathon record holder did not only have a near-perfect run when he won in London and Chicago, but also his winning margins set him apart.

Kiptum ran an astonishing 2:01:25 in London to record the second fastest time in history at the time and also recorded the fastest half-marathon split ever in a marathon, having completed the first half in 61:40 and the rest in 59:45 of which the final 12k he ran alone.

“This wasn’t a choreographed sub-2 event with pacers in perfect conditions. This was a 23-year-old making himself an instant distance legend on the rainy streets of London,” said LetsRun.

“Kiptum’s winning time of 2:01:25 took more than a minute off Eliud Kipchoge‘s 2:02:37 course record and was the second fastest time in history (now third).”

“We know that in an era of super shoes, times don’t necessarily mean as much as they used to. But please appreciate how dominant Kiptum was in London; the race that annually attracts the best fields in the sport (although neither Kipchoge nor Evans Chebet was in London this year.

“Prior to Kiptum, a man hadn’t won London by more than a minute since 2012. Eliud Kipchoge has won the London Marathon four times in his life.

“His margins of victory were as follows: five seconds, 46 seconds, 32 seconds, and 18 seconds. So, Kipchoge’s total margin of victory is 1:51 seconds over four races. Kiptum won London by 2:58 this year, the largest in the race’s history.

“No man had even won Chicago by more than 30 seconds since 2011. In the professional era (prize money started in 1982), no man had ever won Chicago by even two minutes. The largest margin of victory in the pro era was 1:57,” the publication said.

It added that Kipyegon’s was an easy pick following her three world records in 1500m, 5000, and mile in the Diamond League before claiming a rare double at the World Championships where she won gold in 1500m and 5000m.

Kipyegon lowered the 1500m world record in Florence, clocking 3:49.11 to shave nearly a full second off Genzebe Dibaba’s 3:50.07, following her season-opening win in Doha.

She went on to repeat the same feat a week later in Paris, beating previous record holder Letesenbet Gidey to run 14:05.20 in her first 5,000m in eight years, before she obliterated the mile world record, running 4:07.64 to take more than four seconds off the previous mark, in Monaco in July.

“Kipyegon became the first woman to sweep the 1500 and 5,000 at a global championships and demonstrated unparalleled closing speed – she ran her last lap in 56.63 to win the 1500 and 56.59 to win the 5,000,” LetsRun.com said.

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Sports

Fifa honours Mercy Akide, the first African woman to play professional football in the USA

Published

8 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

World football governing body, FIFA, has poured encomiums on former Super Falcons star, Mercy Akide-Udoh, who is on record as the first African woman to play professional football in the now-defunct Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) league in the USA.

From playing for local club, Jegede Babes FC of Lagos in the burgeoning Nigerian women’s league, Akide-Udoh grew to become one of the most decorated female footballers on the continent.

The lethal striker was named the first African Women Footballer of the Year in 2001, and played for the Falcons of Nigeria in three FIFA Women’s World Cups and also helped Nigeria’s Super Falcons to three African Women Championships (AWC) titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002, and was a 1999 and 2004 FIFA World All-Star.

Akide-Udoh’s presence in female football symbolized Nigeria’s accomplishments, with FIFA acknowledging her as “the most renowned figure in African women’s football and one of the most formidable attacking players of the previous decade.”

A citation on Akide-Udoh on the FIFA website said the most decorated female African footballer, through her contributions, significantly increased the visibility of African women in global football.

“Her journey began in Port Harcourt in 1975, where she honed her skills by playing with boys in her neighbourhood.

“Subsequently, she progressed to join a local team and later relocated to Lagos to play for Jegede Babes.

“After displaying outstanding performances during the 1999 World Cup in the United States, Akide received a four-year scholarship to Milligan College in Tennessee.

“During her time at Milligan, Akide demonstrated exceptional performance. Her achievement of scoring 42 goals in 1999 was instrumental in Milligan achieving its most successful season in the history of the football program.

“Akide also holds three Milligan’s football records of the most goals scored in a single game (7) and single season (42) and most points in a single season (99).

“Subsequently, she transitioned to playing for the Hampton Roads Piranhas of the W-League and later for the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association in California.

“It was during her time at San Diego Spirit that she became the first recipient of the CAF Best Female Player of the Year Award in 2001.

“In 2003, Akide returned to Hampton Roads, where she dedicated three seasons of her career.

“In her first season back with the Piranhas, Akide achieved the league’s Most Valuable Player Award as a result of scoring the winning goal in the National Championship game.

“Following her collegiate career, Akide represented Nigeria in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (Sweden 1995, USA 1999, and 2003) as well as the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) respectively.

“Upon retiring, Akide ventured into coaching and took on the role of youth development director for several U-16 and U-13 teams in the United States.

“She received the FIFA World All-Star recognition in both 1999 and 2004. While in 2005, FIFA appointed her as an Ambassador for Women’s Football. Akide was inducted into the United Soccer Leagues’ Hall of Fame in 2013.

“In 2019, Akide-Udoh was recognized as the Regent University athletic department’s Coach of the Year in the United States.

“Her expertise in the sport was further acknowledged in 2021 when she was appointed to the football advisory panel of the International Football Association Board, the entity responsible for determining the laws of the game.

“Akide, who was featured on the cover of the official program of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, got married to football journalist, Colin Udoh in 2004.

“Presently, Akide and her husband live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, alongside their two children and is currently the Assistant Team Director of Steel United, Virginia, a youth football team based in the United States.”

Sports

Cricket: Bangladesh defeats Zimbabwe by nine wickets to seal T20 series

Published

1 day ago

May 7, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Bangladesh on Tuesday overcame Zimbabwe by nine wickets to take a 3-0 lead in the 5-match T20 series with star man, Towhid Hridoy, nicking a quick-fire half-century, while Mohammad Saifuddin picked up three wickets.

The Asian country, however, survived a late onslaught from Zimbabwe’s Faraz Akram to triumph in the third Twenty20 international and seal the five-match series 3-0 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Playing his first match in the series, Faraz hit an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls, a record for any Zimbabwean batting at number 10, but the visitors still finished short at 156-9, with Wellington Masakadza putting on 54 for the ninth wicket to lift the side from 91–8.

The visitors needed 21 runs from the final over but Mohammad Saifuddin bowled Masakadza in the first ball to put Bangladesh back on top.

Reports of the match stated that unlike the first two games where the hosts eased past their opponents, the third game kept both teams at the edge of their seats before Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Tigers won by 9 runs.

After being asked to bat first, Bangladesh lost both their openers, Shanto and Litton Das, in quick succession.

Tanzid Hasan Tamim struggled his way to 21 off 22 before Faraz Akram accounted for his wicket. From there on, Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali Anik took charge, building a handy partnership of 87 runs off 9.3 overs.