Connect with us

Sports

Team Nigeria misses out on Olympics women 4x400m ticket despite winning gold in Cameroon

Published

on

Team Nigeria has missed out on the women’s 4x400m relay for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics which will hold from July 26 to August 11, despite winning the gold medal and finishing ahead of the rest of the field in the final of the Africa Senior Athletics Championship in Cameroon.

The women’s 4×400 was the remaining relay ticket to the Paris Olympics which saw the quartet of Ella Onojuvwevwo, Patience Okon-George, Esther Elo Joseph and Omolara Ogunmakinju, clocking a time of 3:27.31 on Wednesday night but it was not enough to get them the ticket to Paris.

Nigeria needed to run faster than 3:26.08 to topple Cuba and qualify for the Olympics but they still defeated Botswana and Zambia who were second and third respectively to win the gold.

The women’s 4x100m relay is the only only other relay race Nigeria has failed to qualify for having picked the other four tickets during the World Relays in the Bahamas in May.

The absence of the team in the Bahamas was hinged on visa issues for some of the athletes, including Patience Okon-George, while the 2023 African Games sensational anchor leg Omolara Ogunmakinju was sidelined by injury.

With just three days to the end of the qualifying window, the hopes of the quartet making to Paris seem to have faded.

Meanwhile, the men’s 4×400 team made up of Emmanuel Ojeli, Sikiru Adeyemi, Dubem Nwachukwu and Samuel Ogazi, also missed out on the podium in their final at the African Championships, finishing fourth in a time of 3:02.93 behind Zambia, Kenya and Botswana, though they had already qualified for the Olympics in the Bahamas.

Sports

Ghanaian winger Fatawu out for season with ACL injury

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

SA football legend Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe passes away

Published

on

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.”

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Tech4 hours ago

Ghana partners with The Gambia to provide free roaming services

Ghana and The Gambia are in the process of launching free roaming services that will enhance a West African connectivity....

Metro5 hours ago

Zambia: APP leader lampoons PF over pledge to reverse forfeited properties

Leader of one of Zambia’s opposition parties, Advocates for People’s Prosperity (APP), Mwenye Musenge, has criticised the Patriotic Front (PF)...

Sports5 hours ago

Ghanaian winger Fatawu out for season with ACL injury

Ghana and Leicester City winger, Abdul Fatawu, has been ruled out of the rest of the EPL season after suffering...

Culture5 hours ago

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at...

Musings From Abroad9 hours ago

Finnish court imprisons Nigeria’s Simon Ekpa for aiding terrorism

  Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian separatist leader based abroad, has been placed under detention by the Päijät Häme District Court...

Metro11 hours ago

Nigerian Senate confirms influx of terrorists from Mali, Burkina Faso into the country 

The Nigerian Senate has raised the alarm over the influx of terrorists from Mali and Burkina Faso who operate in...

Tech1 day ago

Tanzania to host 6th Ocean Innovation Africa summit in February

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has been selected to host the sixth edition of the Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA) summit from...

Culture1 day ago

Miss SA opens up on why she withdrew from Miss Universe pageant

Reigning Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, has opened up on the reasons behind her withdrawal from the Miss...

Sports1 day ago

SA football legend Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe passes away

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

Metro1 day ago

Wanted Zambian MP who escaped from prison custody captured in Harare

A fugitive Zambian Member of Parliament (MP), Emmanuel Banda, who escaped from custody at the Chipata Prison in Eastern Province...

Trending