Sports

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

Published

5 days ago

June 27, 2024

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.

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Sports

Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay makes history at Tour de France

Published

4 mins ago

July 2, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Unheralded Eritrean cyclist, Biniam Girmay, on Monday, made history by becoming the first Black African rider to claim victory in a Tour de France stage.

Girmay crossed the finish line ahead of tour favourites, Fernando Gaviria and Arnaud De Lie, completing the stage in 5 hours, 26 minutes, 48 seconds.

Girmay won stage three of the 2024 Tour in Turin after a crash in the peloton, three kilometres from the finish, dashed Mark Cavendish’s hopes of becoming the Tour’s record-breaking stage winner for yet another day.

The 24-year-old Girmay who rides for the Intermarché-Wanty team, had already won a stage in the 2022 Giro d’Italia and of the Belgian classic Gent-Wevelgem, and took his first Tour success after sprinting ahead of Fernando Gaviria and Arnaud De Lie.

Speaking after the race, the Eritrean said:

“Ever since I started cycling, I’ve always been dreaming of the Tour. But to win in my second Tour, in a big bunch sprint, is unbelievable. It means a lot, personally for me, and for the continent.

“I remember my father really liked to watch the Tour every July. He always showed us the Tour de France on TV. One day, I asked him if it was possible to be part of the Tour, and he said: ‘Keep going and everything is possible.’

“Today, everybody will believe African riders can succeed in the World Tour. We must be proud, now we are really part of the big races, now it’s our moment, our time.”

Girmay’s victory came on the third day and the longest stage of this year’s race, spanning 230.8 kilometers (roughly 143 miles) between Piacenza and Turin.

Girmay had previously achieved a milestone in Italy two years ago by winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia, making him the first Black African to secure a victory in a Grand Tour, which includes the Giro, the Tour de France, and the Spanish Vuelta.

Sports

Samuel Eto’o threatens to sue CAF after match-fixing hearing

Published

22 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Isaac Dachen

President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o, has threatened to institute a lawsuit against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following a disciplinary hearing over match-fixing allegations against him.

The Cameroonian football legend announced the threat after he was invited for questioning over the allegations.

The ex-Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter Milan striker has been a subject of match-fixing allegations in his capacity as head of the FECAFOOT after he was accused of having orchestrated the promotion of a team owned by a close associate of his.

Apart from the match-fixing allegations, Eto’o is also accused of spreading false information, making threats, inciting violence and abusing power, in a scalding report sent to FIFA.

According to the report, Eto’o was charged by CAF over the alleged offences and on Wednesday, June 26th, he appeared before a disciplinary panel.

Though the outcome of the hearing are yet unknown as CAF is yet to publish an official statement, Eto’o says he is not satisfied with the process and will be seeking redress in court.

“I have mandated my lawyers to file a complaint against CAF and for responsibilities to be established,” Eto’o said while addressing journalists.

“It was too easy to tarnish everything I had built during these few years in the world of football. CAF launched a press release much too early. This is unacceptable behaviour.”