Sports

Paris Diamond League: Four Things To Watch

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

Sprinters Marcell Jacobs and Noah Lyles, along with 400m hurdles sensation Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, headline the fourth leg of the Diamond League circuit which takes place in Paris on Friday.

AFP Sport looks at four events to watch.

Jacobs v Lyles

Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs has had a difficult start to the season, twice pulling out of 100m showdowns with world champion Fred Kerley with a back problem. There is no Kerley at Stade Charlety, but there is his American teammate Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion who ran a scorching 19.67sec over the distance in Kingston last week. While Jacobs and Lyles are the key participants, the field also boasts 2011 world champion Yohan Blake and African champion Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya.

Gidey v Kipyegon

Kenyan Faith Kipyegon steps up from her favoured 1500m to go head-to-head in the 5,000m with Ethiopia’s world record holder Letesenbet Gidey, the world 10,000m champion. Kipyegon is fresh from her own world record, smashing the previous 1500m best in Florence last week. There will be high hopes of a sub-14min time, with the field aided by three pacesetters, including Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech, another world record holder, albeit in the 3,000m steeplechase.

McLaughlin-Levrone v Eid Naser
American Sydney

McLaughlin-Levrone, who set a remarkable one-lap hurdles record of 50.68sec at last year’s world championships in Eugene, makes her season debut in the French capital. Having last competed in a Diamond League event in Europe in 2019, the 23-year-old Olympic champion will race in the 400m flat, but will have her work cut out against Dominican Marileidy Paulino as well as Bahraini Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion returning from a doping ban.

Ingebrigtsen targets 2-mile world record

Norway’s Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, also world 5,000m champion a year later, is targeting the world record over 2 miles of 7min 58.61sec set by Kenyan Daniel Komen back in July 1997 in Hechtel, Belgium). To this day, Komen is the only person to have covered 3,218m in under eight minutes, despite the best effortrs of the likes of running legends Haile Gebrselassie, Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge in the rarely-run event. Ingebrigtsen will be aided not only by pacesetters, but also by Wavelight technology, lighting posted on the inside of the track that enables athletes to better adapt their pace.

Sports

Enabulele Hails Edo-born Athletes’ International Feats

Published

13 minutes ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has expressed delight over the outstanding performance of Edo athletes representing Nigeria on the international stage.

Enabulele, while describing the athletes as worthy ambassadors of the state and the country in general, singled out the impressive participation of seven Edo kickboxing athletes in Team Nigeria at the African Union Kickboxing Championship in Cameroon.

In a congratulatory message signed by his media aide, Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele lauded the accomplishments of Flora Ugwunwa and Christopher Michael, who clinched gold medals at the 2025 World Para Athletics (WPA) Grand Prix in Tunis, Tunisia.

INFO DAILY reports that Ugwunwa bagged gold in the F54 women’s shot put and discus events, while Michael emerged victorious in the T11 men’s 100m event.

He said: “The remarkable performance of the country’s para-athletes in Tunisia, where Nigeria finished second overall out of 42 participating nations with 10 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze medals, is highly commendable.”

The Edo sports boss, while recalling the impressive performance of Team Edo during the recently concluded National Sports Festival (Ogun 2024), where Edo kickboxers secured 20 gold medals, said the feat which earned many of them national call-ups.

Enabulele reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to grassroots sports development and consistent support for para-athletes and other promising talents who continue to bring pride to Edo State and Nigeria.

“I’m proud of our athletes. Flora, Christopher, and our kickboxing team have done exceptionally well. This is what we want to see—Edo athletes in large numbers representing Nigeria at global events,” he emphasized.

Enabulele added that the achievements of Edo athletes reflect the deliberate investments in sports development by the current administration.

Sports

Full List: Maresca No Longer Needs Nine Players At Chelsea

Published

10 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

Chelsea are preparing for another major squad overhaul this summer, with as many as nine players set to leave Stamford Bridge.

New manager Enzo Maresca is keen to trim the squad further, targeting players who no longer fit into his long-term plans.

According to BBC Sport, the Italian tactician has identified nine players who are now available for transfer.

The players reportedly on the exit list include Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, João Félix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu.

Sterling and Félix were both omitted from Chelsea’s squad for the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Sterling, who spent last season on loan at Arsenal, struggled to make an impression at the Emirates and failed to secure a permanent move.

Félix, meanwhile, was on loan at AC Milan from January until the end of the campaign, but the Serie A club have reportedly decided against making the deal permanent.

Sports

NPFL: Go For Victory, Enabulele Tasks Bendel Insurance FC

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

The Executive Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has charged Bendel Insurance Football Club to go for victory.

His charge follows the official announcement of the commencement of the 2025/26 season by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Board Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye.

Announcing the commencement in Abuja, Elegbeleye said the season will run from August 22, 2025, to May 24, 2026.

He emphasized that maintaining a stable football calendar is critical to Nigeria’s improved performance in continental tournaments.

Reacting to the announcement, Enabulele commended the NPFL leadership for the consistency in scheduling.

The Edo Sports Commission Boss who spoke through his Media Officer, Edoko Wilson Edoko, called on players, coaches, and the entire management of Bendel Insurance FC to approach the new season with renewed vigor and a winning mentality.

“We are aware that the league calendar has been stabilized. This means every club must be better prepared. For us at Bendel Insurance, this is a fresh opportunity to compete strongly, win games, and aim for the top. The people of Edo State deserve nothing less,” he said.

Enabulele also pledged continued support for the team’s technical crew and urged the players to maintain discipline, focus, and unity both on and off the pitch, he also appreciated His Excellency, Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo and his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa for their unwavering commitment and support in elevating the team.