Sports

SAD! Rebecca Cheptegi becomes 3rd victim k!lled by partner in Kenya

Published

5 months ago

September 7, 2024

Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, four days after being set on fire by her boyfriend at her home in Kenya, has been confirmed as the third female athlete killed by her partner since 2021.

According to reports from CNN and the BBC, Cheptegei’s death follows a troubling trend in Kenya, where several female athletes have been killed by their partners in recent years.

All three of these cases occurred in Iten, Kenya’s renowned hub for elite runners.

Cheptegei, who trained in Kenya, launched her international career at 19, competing for Uganda in the junior category of the 2010 World Cross Country Championships. She later transitioned to road racing, making her marathon debut in 2021.

The following year, Cheptegei achieved a personal best time of 2:22:47, making her the second-fastest Ugandan female runner in history.

In the past three years, two other female Olympians have been killed in Iten, Kenya.

In 2021, Kenyan authorities identified the husband of renowned long-distance athlete Agnes Tirop as a prime suspect in her brutal murder. Tirop, who was 25, was fatally stabbed.

According to CNN, the suspect contacted Tirop’s parents, suggesting his involvement and leading authorities to conclude that he was aware of the circumstances surrounding her death.

The police determined that Tirop’s fatal neck wounds were inflicted by a knife.

Tirop had secured back-to-back bronze medals in the 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships and placed fourth in the 5,000m event at the Tokyo Olympics.

She also broke the women’s 10km world record by 28 seconds at Germany’s Adizero Road to Records event, a historic achievement that came just a month before her death.

Approximately six months later, another tragic incident occurred in the same town when marathon runner Damaris Mutua was strangled by her boyfriend, who then attempted to conceal his crime by placing a pillow over her face.

He subsequently fled the country and remains at large, according to authorities, as reported by the BBC.

Mutua earned a bronze medal representing Kenya in the 1,000m event at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010.

Mutua’s standout season was in 2018, when she achieved personal bests in the 20km (1:08:28), the fastest time that year, with a victory in Marrakesh, and the half-marathon (1:11:51), claiming second place in Mozambique.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ latest data released in January 2023, 34% of women in Kenya have faced physical violence at some point in their lives since the age of 15.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Friday that the city will pay tribute to the late Cheptegei by dedicating a sports facility in her name.

Sports

Borussia Dortmund sack struggling coach Nuri Sahin

Published

7 hours ago

January 22, 2025

Naijablitznews

By Francesca Hangeior

Borussia Dortmund have fired struggling head coach Nuri Sahin after Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss at Bologna, saying on Wednesday they had “lost faith” in the young manager.

Finalists in the competition last season, Tuesday’s Champions League loss was the fourth in a row for Dortmund in all competitions.

Sports

Mikel Obi arrives in Galatasaray to hold talks with Osimhen amid Nicolas Jackson’s goal drought

Published

2 days ago

January 21, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Former Chelsea defensive midfielder Mikel Obi arrived in Istanbul on Monday, January 20, for showdown talks with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, but the striker has disclosed that he would love to end his season-long loan deal with Galatasaray.

An exit clause exists in his deal with the Turkish club, but the striker recently rejected a move to English Premier League club Manchester United.

Turkish journalist Kagan Dursun has disclosed that the Red Devils recently offered £59 million to bring the Nigerian striker to Old Trafford.

According to him, Napoli officials travelled to Istanbul recently to secure Osimhen’s commitment to the club, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Mikel wants Osimhen at Chelsea

Meanwhile, Mikel Obi has not hidden his love for Victor Osimhen to move to join Stamford Bridge outfit Chelsea.

The club legend has been a vocal critic of striker Nicolas Jackson, who has not been convincing in front of goal.

Last summer, Osimhen was on the verge of joining Chelsea, but negotiations collapsed in the final hours of the transfer window.

According to Football Italia, Mikel stated that he would try to convince the 26-year-old, adding that disclosing that Didier Drogba is also doing his best to ensure the deal is sorted.

He said: “I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority.

“Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club. If it happens, it happens. It’s a huge transfer fee, but if we can match it and get him to the club that would be fantastic.”

Mikel arrives in Galatasaray training

Mikel was spotted at Galatasaray’s Florya Metin Oktay training facility, where he met with his compatriot, Victor Osimhen.

The Chelsea legend, who played for the Turkish club Trabzonspor, met the former vice president of Giresunspot Muzaffer Aygun and the owner of Titanic Hotels.

Reports suggest that he would use the opportunity to speak with Osimhen over a possible transfer to Chelsea.

Source: www.legit.ng

Sports

Victor Boniface ends relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke

Published

2 days ago

January 21, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigerian international Victor Boniface has reportedly ended relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke Hermine Jensen.

The Bayer Leverkusen striker ended his four-year relationship with the Norwegian influencer as reports indicate that the pair has unfollowed each other on social media.

Their last public appearance was in May last year during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title celebrations, where they were seen together.

A source told Tribuna that the relationship has not been working for some time now, and Jensen has stopped attending Bayer Leverkusen games this season.

Yes, they were apart for Christmas, and he seemed to have a lot of fun without her. She also stopped attending his games this season. Now, they are officially done,” the source confirmed.

Boniface came down to Nigeria for Christmas and his birthday celebration last month without his partner.

Boniface and Jensen reportedly met in Norway four years ago and started dating after that.

The Bayer Leverkusen star kept their relationship private, as he barely shared details of his love life with the public.

Source: www.mynigeria.com