Athletics Africa Magazine

AMSTERDAM (NED): Tariku Bekele has been announced as one of the favorites for the Dam tot Damloop in Amsterdam on September 19th. Bekele will replace Sileshi Sihine, who had to withdraw from the race. Previously announced were Moses Masai and Dutch top athletes Koen Raymaekers, Rens Dekkers and Patrick Stitzinger. In the women’s race Lornah Kiplagat and Hilda Kibet will toe the starting line. ABUJA (NIG): Former world junior champion and Nigerian relay member Uchena Emedolu has been banned by the Nigerian national sports commission. Emedolu allegedly dropped the baton on purpose at the 2008 African championships. “One cannot understand why Uchenna Emedolu decided to frustrate his teammates at the championships. The dropping of the baton was not just once” Director General Patrick Ekeji was quoted in Vanguard Nigeria newspaper. NAIROBI (KEN): Eliud Kipchoge has been called up to replace Edwin Soi in the 5000m at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India. African champion Soi has pull...

GABORONE (BOT): Botswana´s 800m Olympian Onalenna Baloyi is reported to have failed a doping test and has been suspended for two years and will miss Commonwealth Games in India. In last edition 2006 in Melbourne he was a finalist. Baloyi clocked this year 1:46.32 and has a personal best of 1:46.06 from 2005. The country's top Olympic official, Mmegi Serufho said on Friday the positive test could have been avoided if Botswana had better facilities at home. PHILADELPHIA (USA): Olympic medallist and multiple world record holder Meseret Defar will make her half-marathon debut at the ING Rock ‚n‘ Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon on Sunday, September 19, organizers told Race Results Weekly earlier this week. For Defar, 26, the race will be more than twice as long as her previous longest race on the roads, the World‘s Best 10-K in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2007. The two-time Olympic Marathon silver medallist Catherine Ndereba, Ethiopia‘s Derartu Tulu and Werknesh Kidane are also in th...

World 800m record holder David Lekuta Rudisha returned to a rousing reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after an historic stint in Europe where he broke the world 800m records twice in one week. NTV brings you the homecoming reception.

NAIROBI (KEN): The World record holder and African champion at 800m David Rudisha will skip the Commonwealth Games due in Delhi next month, citing fatigue, reports The Nation . “I have come to realise that, in this profession, you do not need to wait for your body to tell you when to stop but rather have the instict to stop when it is required,” he was quoted. Athletics Kenya (AK ) has since agreed to the request and settled on Abraham Kiplagat, second at the national trials, to fill the place. AMSTERDAM (NED): Kenyan Moses Masai and Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine are the big names announced for the Dam tot Damloop in Amsterdam on September 19th. Masai won the World’s Best 10K in Puerto Rico earlier this year while Sihine is slowly building his career in road racing after being a double Olympic silver medalist on the track. In the women’s race, which starts exactly 5.46 minutes before the men’s race, Lornah Kiplagat and Doris Changeiywo have high hopes of winning the race. Also Hilda Kibet ...