Category: Sports

Tunisian Wafa Mahjoub (-61kg) bagged the gold medal at the 2023 Karate 1-Premier League Rabat, after defeating Kazakh Asil Kanai 7-2.

Mahjoub had qualified to the final, after defeating Moroccan Fatma Ezzahra Chajay 3-2.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Namibian upcoming sprinter, Hatago Murere, has set his sight on reaching the qualifying standards for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games set for Paris, France.

The 23-year-old was recently crowned as the national 200 metre (m) champion at the Athletics Namibia National Championships held in Windhoek during April.

In an interview with Nampa on Saturday, the Otjwarongo-based athlete said 2023 has been a good year for him on the track but his biggest goal is to become the first male track and field athlete to emulate Frank Fredricks.

“Since Frank Fredricks retired from sprinting, the country has struggled to get male sprinters to qualify for the Olympics. Next year, Paris will be hosting the 2024 Olympic Games so I have set my goals to at least reach the qualification standards of that championship,” he said.

Murere, who recently ran his personal best of 20.74 seconds in the 200m sprint during the Athletics Namibia National Championships, added that to qualify for the Olympics means he must first do better at the African Games that will be held in Ghana in 2024.

“The Olympics qualifying standard in 200m is 20.16 seconds and my record is 20.74 seconds. If I keep working hard in the 200m, I can reach those times,” he said, adding that despite being hopeful of improving his time in the 200m, he has a long way to go with his 100m sprints.

The sprinter, who is making his maiden appearance as a guide for the Namibia Paralympic Committee team currently on a tour of the World Paralympic Athletics Grand Prix, stated that taking on the guide task is an experience he is enjoying and believes will improve him as an athlete.

“I know schooling is not my strongest point, I therefore pay all my attention to becoming a great athlete like Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, who is my inspiration at the moment. I would one day like to win as many medals internationally as Frank Fredricks did,” he said.

Murere also said being crowned national champion in the 200m is not something he takes lightly and will fuel him to continue working hard so his teammate Gilbert Hainuca cannot usurp him, given that he is equally talented.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Namibian athletes with disabilities won 10 medals on the opening day of the World Para Athletics (WPA) 2023 Jesolo Grand Prix underway in Jesolo, Italy.

The fifth round of the WPA Grand Prix is being held at the Armando Picchi Stadium as Para-athletes celebrate the 10th anniversary of the WPA Grand Prix.

On the opening day of the championship on Friday evening, Namibia’s track and field athletes walked away with 10 medals (five gold, three silver and two bronze) from the 100 metres (m) and 400m events.

The first athlete to win a medal for Team Namibia was T11 female sprinter, Lahja Ishitile, who scooped a gold medal in the 400m sprint with a time of one minute, one second and 17 tenths of a second (01:01.17). Her second gold medal was in the 100m sprint with a time of 12.95 seconds.

Meanwhile, another female sprinter, Lahja Ipinge, who competes in the T12 category, was disqualified in the 400m race, while in the 100m race, she finished fifth with a time of 13.58 seconds. World record holder and Cuban sprinter Omara Elias Durand won the T12 100m race with a time of 12.11 seconds.

In the T11 100m men’s category, Namibian athletes dominated the track after occupying all three podium places. Ananias Shikongo won gold, while Chris Kinda and Alfredo Bernado came second and third respectively.

T13 sprinter, Johannes Nambala, added two more medals to team Namibia’s tally with a gold in the 400m sprint and a silver in the 100m. French sprinter Axel Zorzi took the gold in the 100m with 11.24 seconds while the Namibian was just behind in a photo finish with a time of 11.26 seconds.

The T11 400m category, saw Kinda taking a silver medal with a time of 53.49 seconds, while Shikongo took the bronze with a time of 54.01 seconds. Eduardo Man Novas Uceda of Spain walked away with a gold medal in a time of 53.42 seconds.

Bradley Murere braved the rainy conditions in the 100m sprint. The Namibian sprinter who competes in the T46 category clocked a time of 11.36 seconds to walk away with a gold medal.

Meanwhile, T37 sprinter, Petrus Karuli, had an impressive start to his 400m race but pulled a muscle with 120m to go, which saw him settling for a silver medal. Karuli was disqualified for a false start in the 100m sprint.

Nine athletes and five guides are representing Team Namibia at the championship.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Burkinabè Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, congratulated the national cadet football team for their qualifications on Thursday for the CAN semi-finals and for the next World Cup in their category .

Burkina Information Agency

Read the full message

"Proud Stallions, your qualification for the last four of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations which ensures the presence of our country in the final stages of the next World Cup, is a source of great pride and a mark of the resilience of our People.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to send you my sincere congratulations on this stage victory and to convey to you the blessings and prayers of all our compatriots in town and country.

May this spirit of combativeness and victory which has always accompanied our predecessors guide you towards final victory. Victory for our People, Victory for our Fighting Forces, Victory for Our Nation, Go Stallions. »

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Tunisia's CF Moknine defeated Sporting Club 29-25 (half-time: 15-13) at a day-2 game of the Handball Women's African Club Cup Winners championship (group A), played Wednesday in Cairo. The other game of the group saw the Congolese DGSP beat the Cameroonian Fanz (27-22). Group B is made up of Al Ahly of Egypt, AS Otoho of Congo, US Nouasser of Morocco and C.Habitat of Cote d'Ivoire.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse