Athletics Africa Magazine

Ethiopia's Olympic 5000m champion and World record-holder, Meseret Defar has been awarded the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Female Athlete of the Year title for 2007. Defar underlined her talent this season by winning all her races, including two World records and a World best time in Boston earlier in the year. Her outstanding achievements during the past season saw her win her first World title over the 5000m in August at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan. Read More....>>>>

African 100m champion Olusoji Fasuba of Nigeria and Ethiopia’s World and Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar have been awarded the 9th Abdou Diouf Foundation award for Sport Virtues at the Daniel Sorano National Theatre in Dakar, Senegal. Ethiopian Meseret Defar won the Excellence Award and the Nigerian Olusoji Adetokundo Fasuba the Prix d'Honneur at the foundation gala ceremony witnessed by highly influential members of the continent's sporting fraternity. Read More.....>>>>>

Ethiopian pair of Tamrat Elanso and Adaneche Beyene Jemilu proved to be easy winners of the BLOM Beirut International Marathon on Sunday, reports the IAAF . But pride of place was acknowledged to belong to the meeting organisers who ensured the race went ahead without a hitch despite Lebanon's present political situation. Race president May El Khalil stressing how it fetches her volatile country together said: "We have people from all sorts of religions and life running. We have entrants from the south and the north." Khalil was delighted in excellent conditions and the event went ahead with positive results for Elanso and Jemilu who led a strong contingent from their country to the Lebanese capital. "It was important that I succeeded today, it was a good chance for me to win my first marathon," said Elanso, who scorched ahead of his rivals after 35 kilometres to clinch a simple victory. Elanso, 30, slowed after breaking up the field and running in isolation ahe...

Media accreditation for the 2007 Globacom Lagos Half Marathon has commenced for eligible Nigerian and foreign Journalists in the print and electronic media practitioners. The organizers of the prestigious event said in a press statement on their website that provision has been made to accredit over 2000 Journalists expected to cover the race holding on December 8 in Lagos. Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, the Globacom Official in charge of the project said Journalists will be accorded all courtesies in line of their duty because the company recognizes the crucial role they play not only in providing information for the public about the marathon, but also in promoting the company. In the words of Sarafa-Yusuf, “Globacom in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria will provide the enabling environment for over two thousand Journalists, consisting of sports writers, sports photographers, broadcasters, cameramen, and filmmakers from all over the world to cover the event without hitches. We...