He’s one for the future

A few days ago, our good friend Roberto Mandje brought to our attention on his blog his mentee, Abreham Anderson from Ethiopia. Now Roberto is a trail/distance running star and a 2004 Athens Olympian in the 1500m event. Though born in Barcelona, Spain, Rob compete internationally for Equatorial Guinea, his mother’s birthplace. Thus Rob introduced his new […]

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Bach calls for smarter testing, zero-tolerance on doping

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has called for the common fight against doping to be stepped up and strengthened to protect the “majority of athletes who are clean”. Speaking at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s 2013 World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa, the President told delegates that the […]

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Kipsang, others voice support for Athens Classic Marathon

Past and present performers at the forefront of distance running showed their support for the Athens Classic Marathon and its unique status among marathons this past weekend. Receiving his award as the AIMS Best Male Marathon Runner of the Year on Friday evening in Athens, the current world record holder, Wilson Kipsang of Kenya, hinted […]

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Mokoena seeks triple jump glory in 2014

South Africa’s Olympic long jump silver medallist [link id=”230″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Godfrey Khotso Mokoena”] will put his specialist event on the back burner to pursue triple jump glory in 2014. “I need a new passion, triple jump has never left me and I’ve been practising it but I haven’t been competing in it,” Mokoena said. “I […]

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Makhanya motivated by 2013 Grand Prix success

South African women’s 10km Challenge road race champion [link id=”333″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Mapaseka Makhanya”] says she is motivated to raise the bar further in next year’s Grand Prix, after she was won a car for her efforts in this year’s series. Makhanya was crowned the 2013 Grand Prix champion at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg on […]

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2013 Sfax Marathon attracts record entries

More athletes are set to take part in the second edition of the Le Marathon International des Oliviers de Sfax on December 15, 2013 in Sfax Tunisia. The Marathon, which was inaugurated in December 2012, has already attracted top elite athletes across the world including thousands of running enthusiasts that will gather on Tunisian soil to […]

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$65K up for grabs at Obudu African Mountain Running Champs

Five African countries will compete for the US $65,000 at stake at the 5th African Mountain Running Championships which will hold alongside the Obudu international mountain race on Saturday, November 23 at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu, Cross River state. Sir William Archibong, chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the race, said that […]

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Kenyans sweep elite titles at New York Marathon

Kenyans Geoffrey Mutai and Priscah Jeptoo won the men’s and women’s titles at the 2013 ING New York City Marathon on its return after a 1-year forced hiatus due to last year’s Boston Marathon bombing on Sunday. It’s the third time Kenyans swept both the men’s and women’s titles (2002, 2003). The only other country […]

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Semenya eyes World record and gold at Glasgow 2014

London 2012 Olympic silver medallist, [link id=”201″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Caster Semenya”] of South Africa, has her sights set on the world record and Commonwealth Games triumph in [link id=”286″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Glasgow” target=”_blank”] next year, after almost a year’s break from the track. Semenya underwent surgery to her right knee for a long-term injury earlier this year and […]

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Hirum Wandangi – from Tanzania to Italy

Last year, on May 25th, Hirum Wandangi, from Kenya, went to run Ruaha Marathon in Iringa, Tanzania. He didn’t win … but his commitment and his efforts to head the group for the first half of the race have been rewarded by the organization with a special prize: a flight ticket and invitation to run in […]

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Kenyans Kipruto and Kilel storm to Frankfurt Marathon victories

Kenyans [link id=”210″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Vincent Kipruto” target=”_blank”] and [link id=”211″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Caroline Kilel ” target=”_blank”]triumphed in the 32nd BMW Frankfurt Marathon, where stormy and wet weather ruined hopes for record performances. Kipruto braved high winds to clock 2:06:15, beating fellow-Kenyan and debutant Mark Kiptoo by just one second. Elijah Kemboi finished third with 2:07:34. The women’s race also […]

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Glasgow 2014: AFN invites 74 athletes to Abuja camp

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) will open a conditioning camp for athletes based in Nigeria on Sunday in a bid to ensure that her athletes make podium appearance at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. According to a statement signed by Head, Communication Media of AFN, Olukayode Thomas, a total of 74 male and female […]

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Kenya tightens security ahead of 2013 Nairobi marathon

Kenyan police pledged today to boost security for the 11th Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon on Sunday, being staged just over a month since Al-Qaeda linked gunmen killed at least 67 people in a shopping mall. [link id=”81″ tax=”category” text=”Nairobi ” target=”_blank”]is still reeling from the four-day siege on the upmarket Westgate shopping mall by Somali […]

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Burka, Kirwa get ‘lucky’ bibs as Frankfurt prepares for fast races

Gelete Burka of [link id=”82″ tax=”category” text=”Ethiopia” target=”_blank”] and Gilbert Kirwa from [link id=”81″ tax=”category” text=”Kenya”] will both wear the no 7 bibs for men and women races at the 32nd edition of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday. Christoph Kopp, the Elite Race Coordinator for the Frankfurt Marathon, has a habit of giving bib number 7, traditionally considered as […]

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Ethiopians Sefir and Lilesa boost Frankfurt’s field

Two years ago Berlin and Frankfurt produced two fascinating marathon races within an interval of just over a month. First [link id=”301″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Patrick Makau” target=”_blank”] ran a world record at the BMW Berlin Marathon, when he clocked 2:03:38. Then [link id=”299″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Wilson Kipsang” target=”_blank”] took the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, going agonisingly close to the […]

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In Berlin, a tale of two Kipsangs

Against the backdrop of [link id=”299″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Wilson Kipsang”]’s historic and sensational world record run at the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday was a side story of the little-known Kenyan, [link id=”298″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Geoffrey Kipsang”] – the unknown runner. As the 31-year-old Wilson strode to the new 2:03:23 record, taking 15 seconds off Kenyan colleague […]

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IAAF names four Africans in 2013 World athletes award shortlist

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) today announced the names of the 10 men and 10 women who have been shortlisted for the 2013 World Athlete of the Year Award. Among the candidates, who have been selected by an [link id=”175″ tax=”post_tag” text=”IAAF”] panel of athletics experts* are four African star athletes (2 men […]

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Kipsang shatters marathon world record in Berlin

After spending two years being known as the man who came agonisingly close to matching the marathon world record, Wilson Kipsang of Kenya broke that record handsomely in Berlin on Sunday morning, clocking 2.03.23, thus taking 15 seconds off compatriot Patrick Makau’s 2.03.38, set in this same race two years ago. In only his second […]

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AIMS set to announce 2013 Marathon awards in Athens

The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) Best Marathon Runner of the Year award will be presented to a male and female athlete for the first time on November 8th in Athens. This was announced by the AIMS who will stage a Gala in cooperation with the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), the organiser of […]

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Rio 2016: Namibian athletes to train in Jamaica

Five of Namibia’s top athletes left for Jamaica last week as part of a long term training programme with the aim of improving Namibia’s chances of winning medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Under the programme, the Namibian athletes will train with Jamaican superstars like Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell while they […]

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Bekele wins, Jeptoo edges Ethiopian pair at Great North Run

Ethiopia’s distance running star Kenenisa Bekele bossed the field to win the men’s race at the [link id=”221″ tax=”post_tag” text=”2013 Bupa Great North Run”] in a sprint finish ahead of Somali-born Briton Mohammed Farah on Sunday. The world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder won the 13.1-mile course across Newcastle and South Shields comfortably in 1:00:09, despite […]

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Okagbare gets presidential reception, US$20,000 reward

Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday hosted [link id=”158″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Blessing Okagbare,”] Nigeria’s double silver medallist at last month’s IAAF [link id=”144″ tax=”post_tag” text=”World Championships “]held in Moscow, Russia, and her developmental coach Daniel Dan Etsebiminor at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. President Jonathan made a cash reward of 3 million naira (about US$20,000) to […]

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Athletics Nigeria director claims 2013 victories ‘not a fluke’

The technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Navy Commodore [link id=”148″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Omatseye Nesiama” target=”_blank”], has declared that the recent successes for Nigeria in continental athletics championships are no fluke but dividends of concerted efforts by the Federation as well as other concerned government sports institutions. The AFN technical chief was speaking […]

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Hassan, Ndlovu set African junior championships records in Mauritius

Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan and South Africa’s Sabelo Ntokozo Ndlovu both set Championships records on day two of the [link id=”270″ tax=”post_tag” text=”11th African Junior Athletics Championships”] at the Stade Germain Comarmond in Bambous, Mauritius. [link id=”278″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Ahmed Hassan”] continues Egypt’s supremacy in the throws with a new championships record of 19.59m in the men’s Shot Put […]

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Defar, Sum and Kiplagat triumph at Zurich Diamond League Final

Meseret Defar’s outstanding 5000m win over her compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba was the highlights of the first of this season’s IAAF Diamond League finals on Thursday, writes Phil Minshull for the IAAF and the IAAF Diamond League. [link id=”274″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Defar “]and [link id=”249″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Dibaba”], the 5000m and 10,000m gold medallists respectively from the 2013 IAAF […]

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Athletics Nigeria drops nine ‘age cheats’ ahead Mauritius 2013

The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba, has explained the rationale behind dropping  nine out of the 35 athletes originally selected to represent the nation at the [link id=”6830″ text=”2013 Africa Junior Athletics Championship”] in Bamboo, [link id=”173″ tax=”am_venues” text=”Mauritius”] this week. According to Ogba, who addressed journalist in Lagos, the dropped athletes were […]

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Le Marathon International des Oliviers de Sfax gets AIMS membership

Le Marathon International des Oliviers de Sfax, [link id=”85″ tax=”category” text=”Tunisia”] have been granted the associate membership of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) effective in 2013. The membership approval was communicated by the AIMS President, Paco Borao, to the Marathon Sfax organisers led by Messrs Naamen Bouhamed and M. Ahmed Oueslati. “I am pleased […]

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More than 380,000 attend Moscow evening sessions

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has said that at the conclusion of the final competition session, 268,548 stadium spectators had attended the eight evening sessions at the 14th edition of the IAAF World Championships, Moscow 2013. According to the IAAF statement,  the evening audience totalled 396,548 including VIPs, guests, media and athletes seats. […]

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