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Ethiopian’s Yasin Haji Returns To Defend Okpekpe 10km Road Race

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Ethiopia’s Yasin Haji will be seeking to make history as the first man to successfully defend an Okpekpe international 10km road race title after the 27-year-old arrived Lagos for Saturday’s race in Okekpe, Edo State.

Jaji became the third, bonafide Ethiopian man to win the Okpekpe race 10km title after he ran 29:05, the third fastest winning time in race history, to win the title in 2022.

Teshome Mekonen who ran 28.35 in 2014 to set the race record was the first Ethiopian to win the men’s race and Leule Gebrselassie (29:28) became the second to win three years later.

Haji, who raced to a 27:00 lifetime best in the event last year in Lille has returned to form at the right time.

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The Ethiopian clocked 27:20 at the end of last month at the Adizero Road to Records, Adi-Dassler-Straße 1 in Herzogenaurach, Germany to send a message to his countryman, Mekonen that he is returning to Okpekpe to break the course record and make history.

The stage will not be for Haji alone as a certain Kenyan, Daniel Simiu Ebenyo will not only be seeking to return Kenya to the podium as Okpekpe race champion but also challenge Mekonen’s 28.35-course record.

Ebenyo is one of just 14 athletes in the event’s all-time list to have broken 27 minutes when he ran 26:58 in Valencia, Spain in January 2022, and like Haji, the 27-year-old has also returned to form just in time for the Okpekpe race.

He ran 59:52 to win the Istanbul Half Marathon in Istanbul, Turkey at the end of last month and will be looking to become the fifth Kenyan winner of the Okpekpe 10km title.

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In the women’s race, a new course record also looks to be in the offing following the quality of the elite cast for the event.

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Kenya’s Edith Jepchumba will lead the cast of athletes aiming to rewrite the 32:41 course record set by Ethiopia’s Wude Ayalew in 2014.

The Kenyan ran a 30:53 lifetime best over the distance last February, nearly two minutes inside the course record and she is the fastest athlete among the elite cast confirmed for the race.

Ethiopia’s Bertukan Welde has also ran inside Ayalew’s course record when she clocked 32:00 to come in behind Jepchumba in Castellon, Spain last February.

Abigael Jelimo will be seeking to get the gold this time after running 33.53 to place third at the eighth edition of the Okpekpe race last year.

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Meanwhile, Solomon Arase, former Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police and now Chairman of the Police Service Commission has commended Mike Itemuagbor, owner of the Okpekpe 10km race for sustaining the world-class road running event in Nigeria.

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Kudos to Mike (Itemuagbor), the great sports lover and administrator for putting the rural Okpekpe community on the map of the world. Okpekpe race has come to stay because of our brother who has been able to sustain it over the years,’ said Arase.

The ninth edition of the Okpekpe International 10km road race will hold on Saturday in Okpekpe in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo state.

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PHOTOS: Nike Unveils Super Eagles 2024/25 Jersey

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The new Super Eagles jerseys for the 2024–2025 football season have been unveiled by clothing powerhouse, Nike.

Nike’s Instagram page published a post on Monday with a launch video of the new jerseys.

“The 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒔 disrupt convention with bold twists on icons.

“Featuring 𝑫𝒓𝒊-𝑭𝑰𝑻 𝑨𝑫𝑽 innovation, each kit is engineered for the needs of the modern footballer, from kick-off to the final whistle,” the post read.

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Green hoops at the ends of the sleeves and shorts adorn the white home jersey. In a striking combination of colours, the word “Naija” is written in green across the kit’s breast.

In a stylistic nod to Nigeria’s national colours, the away uniform is patterned in a pastel version of the same colour, dark green.

For their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, the Super Eagles are anticipated to wear the new jerseys.

The team’s third qualifying match is scheduled for June 3 at home against South Africa. Seven days later, they are scheduled to travel to Benin Republic.

Before that, the Eagles will visit Grand Stade de Marrakech in Morocco for friendly matches against Ghana and Mali on March 22 and 26, respectively.

See photos below;

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JUST IN: Chelsea To Face Man City, Man United Get Coventry In FA Cup Semi-final

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After a thrilling quarter-final round, the draw of the FA Cup semi-final round has been made with Chelsea to square off against Manchester City.

Man United who powered their way to a hard-fought 4-3 win over Liverpool will face surprise team Coventry United.

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5 Sports Competitions With The Biggest Prize Money

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Sport has grown from a simple pleasure to a legitimate way to a global money-spinning business. The global sporting industry is expected to be worth US$512.14 billion (AU$765.7 billion) by 2024.

As the globe tunes into these major athletic events, revenue increases. Ads, sponsorships, and the like.

While the organizers stand to profit massively, the competitors stand to lose a lot of money. But which sports events in the globe have the most money? What are the most expensive sports competitions?

Below are sports competitions and their million-dollar prize money:

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World Series (Baseball)

Despite its shifting popularity outside of America, America’s pastime continues to have a significant winning prize. The annual championship is known as the World Series, and the best-of-seven series produces one top team each year. The competition is one of America’s oldest, and since 1903, it has crowned a financially successful team. In 2023, the winning team is expected to get approximately $52 million.

Total purse: $160 million
Amount paid to winning team: $52 million

FIFA World Cup (Football)

The FIFA World Cup, football’s biggest international tournament, matches the world’s finest national teams against one another, ending in the final. The apex of world football draws over 3.3 billion spectators worldwide and pays the champions handsomely from FIFA. Argentina defeated France in dramatic manner in the most recent World Cup, not only leaving a legacy for captain Lionel Messi, but also raising over $66 million for the Argentine football association.

The majority of that money goes to the domestic football program, but the players and coaching staff are sure to get a large bonus as compensation for their efforts.

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Total purse: $658 million
Amount paid to winning team: $66 million

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The NBA Championship (Basketball)

Despite the NBA’s global popularity, teams in America are not as well compensated as clubs in other sports in Europe. That is not to suggest they receive nothing. Winning the NBA Finals gives the winning team a sizable percentage of the NBA Playoff Pool, which was slightly over $40 million at the end of the most recent season. This figure is divided across all postseason teams based on performance. It is projected that the Denver Nuggets, the most recent winners, earned $7.1 million.

Total purse: $40 million
Amount paid to winning team: varied based on performance.

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Tour Championship/FedEX Cup (Golf)

The golf business has always been heavily financed, as evidenced by the advent of the Saudi-backed LIV. With the new merger in the works, expect this prize pool to change dramatically. The Tour Championship is the PGA Tour’s last match, and while it is not officially classified as a Major, it does come with a sizable purse. Throughout the PGA season, golfers accumulate points to compete in the final championship, with the top 30 earners competing in the Tour Championship.

The golfer with the most points after the Tour Championship match (typically the winner) wins the FedEx Cup and a stunning $26.9 million from the $112.1 million prize pool. Otherwise, there will be other opportunities to win large over the season. The Players Championship has the tour’s largest prize money, with the winner receiving $6.7 million.

Total purse: $112 million
Amount paid to winner: $27 million

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UEFA Champions League (Football)

It is the world’s largest club event, regardless of sport. Winning the competition final earns the team around $33 million, but nearly three times that amount can be won along the road.

Money is awarded to teams based on group and knockout stage wins, with a maximum prize money of approximately $139 million possible if the club wins all of its games. With such a large amount of money on offer, it’s easy to see why it’s such an honor for teams to even qualify, let alone try to win.

Total purse: $3.3 billion
Amount paid to winning team: $33 million

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