2024-12-22

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Dreams come true: 800m runner makes Nigerian Olympic team 12 years after writing the vision as a teenager

Edose Ibadin will head to the Paris 2024 Games as Nigeria’s first 800m runner to compete at the Olympics since Seoul 1988, a dream that took twelve years to achieve.

Nigerian 800m record holder Edose Ibadin is thrilled to make the Paris Olympic team twelve years after writing the vision down as a teenager.

Ibadin qualified for the Paris Olympics after running a blistering 1:44.65 on July 30, 2023, which was within the qualifying window to surpass the automatic standard of 1:44.70.

By making the team, the 31-year-old will become the second Nigerian to run in the event at the Olympics since Ado Maude at the Seoul 1988 Games.

Expressing his excitement on his X page, the experienced runner quoted his tweet in 2012, affirming he’ll be at the Olympics one day.

“When I tweeted this, I was 18(soon to be 19) and a freshman in college. 12 years later, I’m now 31 headed to my first Olympics later this month. Only had one scholarship offer, Never made an NCAA final, didn’t have a contract coming out of college. Always bet on yourself.”

He also took to his Facebook page to show gratitude to everyone who has helped him achieve his dream

“After not making the Tokyo Games, I was sad and at the same time reminded that weeping may last through the night but joy comes in the morning. To everyone who has invested in this journey, I just want to say thank you.

“To Every coach I’ve had to every person I’ve trained with, I thank you. From prayers, encouraging words, tough love, none of it was in vain.

‘I’ve learned a lot of on this journey and I am glad that Paris gets to be a part of it.” he wrote.

2026 Athletics Championships: Ghana wins hosting rights

Ghana has been awarded the rights to host the 2026 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Seniors Championships, triumphing over Botswana in a competitive bid.

The country’s athletics governing body, Ghana Athletics announced on Saturday via its social media handles that the West African nation will host the 2026 edition.

Out of the 15 countries that voted for the next competition host, Ghana garnered 12 votes, while Botswana managed only three.

Ghana’s successful bid was led by a delegation including Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Bawa Majeed, President of Ghana Athletics Bawah Fuseini, and Vice President in charge of administration Charles Osei Assibey.

Following the CAA General Assembly in Douala where it was announced that Botswana and Ghana are the countries being considered, the latter was encouraged to bid for the prestigious event, leveraging its world-class facilities showcased during the recent African Games 2023 and the CAA Region II Seniors Championships.

The country is now expected to deliver another exemplary event in 2026.

In the ongoing championships, three Ghanaian athletes have advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m events. Isaac Botsio and Edwin Gadayi secured their places in the men’s 100m, both finishing second in their heats. Deborah Acheampong also advanced in the women’s 100m, finishing second in her heat.

2024 Nigeria Olympic Trials: Favour Ofili storms to first national title and Paris qualification to become Nigeria’s fastest woman

Favour Ofili is Nigeria’s new 100m champion and automatic qualifier for the Paris Games after winning the Olympic trials in Benin to become the fastest woman in the country.

Delayed but not denied, Favour Ofili made a triumphant return on home soil by winning the women’s 100m national title at the Nigeria Olympic trials as her time also surpassed the Paris Olympics qualifying standard.

Ofili, who last raced in Nigeria in 2021, continued with her brilliant 2024 season at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. She came to the trials not just as the favourite to win, but most importantly, with another chance of hitting the Paris Olympic qualifying 100m standard.

The talented speedster began her chase with a statement victory and Season’s Best (SB) of 11.17s in the semifinals – the fastest overall time.

Less than two hours later and in the absence of her fierce rival Rosemary Chukwuma in the final, Ofili had just one goal in mind – secure her Olympic ticket and win her first national senior title.

She did both astonishingly by blazing to an impressive new SB of 11.06s, a time good enough to automatically surpass the Olympic qualifying standard of 11.10s.

African Games revelation Olayinka Olajide was second in 11.37s, while Justina Eyakpobeyan secured the last podium placement in 11.47s.With Ofili’s victory and ticket to Paris, this means she has now qualified for the Olympic Games in the 100m and 200m events, and earned the bragging rights of being called Nigeria’s fastest woman for the next year.

Conseslus Kipruto: What does the future hold for ex-steeplechase king after missing Olympics ticket?

Conseslus Kipruto will miss a second straight Olympics after his failure to qualify for the Paris Games but he still has time to revive his career following a series of misfortunes.

Conseslus Kipruto remains the last man to win a steeplechase gold medal for Kenya at both the Olympics and World Championships but will miss the Olympics for the second time in a row.

Kipruto had an awful performance at the Athletics Kenya trials when he faded into 10th place and missed the cut completely after posting 8:51.56.

He missed the 2020 Olympics, before managing bronze and the 2022 Worlds, but failed to qualify for last year’s global championships and heading to Paris, Kenya would have done with his experience and knowhow, but the job now rests on the shoulders of 21-year-olds Simon Koech and Amos Serem as well as Commonwealth champion Abraham Kibiwott.

Steeplechase was considered a Kenyan race since no other country had claimed an Olympics gold over the distance since 1968 until Kipruto’s heroics in Rio eight years ago but now, there is little hope as Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali has taken over, winning it in Tokyo, as well as the last two World Championships.

Kipruto is, however, looking at the glass half-full in regards to his career with hopes of coming back strongly.

“Last month, I went to Morocco but I didn’t open the season the way I expected but I had a problem and I have now worked on it,” he said after the Olympics trials.

“I think I’m doing much better right now unlike last year. I am now doing okay and I have so much faith in myself. Last year, I wanted to go to the World Championships but I got a problem and had to withdraw but now, I’m doing well,” Kipruto said

Ghana’s biggest asset is the talent of its children – Right to Dream Founder Tom Vernon

Founder of the Right to Dream football academy, Tom Vernon, has hailed the talent of Ghanaian children as the country’s biggest asset.

The Englishman, who has been operating the famous academy in Ghana for over 20 years, believes this is not just limited to football but across all fields.

Vernon made this disclosure in an all-access interview with Joy Sports at the academy’s campus in Akosombo, Old Akrade while talking about the criteria for admitting kids.

“It’s really tough. The first thing I’ll say is that the kids who don’t get in, let’s say we take the top 20. The kids from number 21 down to, let’s say, number 100 would get into any academy in Europe, any academy in Europe.

“You can take the guy number 100; we don’t have space for him here. If he lives in Madrid, he’ll be in the Real Madrid Academy, that’s my view.

“So it shows how much is still to be done to serve the talent and the youth of Ghana.

“Like we need much more of what we’re doing. I always say Right to Dream; we’re doing our part, but we need much more expansion of talent development.

“My view is, Ghana’s biggest asset is the talent of its children. Not in football but broadly.”

The Right to Dream Academy has produced some of the biggest football stars for Ghana’s national teams over the last two decades including Mohammed Kudus, Majeed Waris, David Accam, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ibrahim Osman, who has just signed for Brighton.

Not just that. Ivy League graduates are among the products coming out of the Old Akrade-based academy.

Watch part one of Tom Vernon’s interview with Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo here:

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