Tuesday March 9' 2004

Siemens/Tigray Great Run rolling

By Michael Samson

Sponsored by the world giant Electronic conglomerate Siemens, the 2004 Siemens/Tigray great run is due to take place in Mekelle on March 28, 2004.
Organized by Great Ethiopian Run, Africa’s number one race organizers, the Tigray run makes a new development for the Great Ethiopian Run project as its part in the mission to bring high quality mass participation athletic competitions to different groups of people in different regions of Ethiopia. Following the success of the annual international road race held in November, and young champions races for school children in Addis Ababa in January/February 2003 and 2004, the 2004 Siemens Tigray Run will be the first time to be staged outside Addis Ababa.
At the press conference held at the Sheraton Addis on Friday the Great Run Organizers disclosed that as a non profit organization they are to promote the mass participation of the road race in different regions in the coming years. As Oromia mother of many world renowned athletes, is already in high tempo of producing future stars the organizers targeted to promote the sport in other regional states starting in Tigray to be followed by the same events in Bahir Dar, Nazareth and Awasa. Tigray, being the first region to enjoy the first such event aided by some of Ethiopia’s world class athletes who originated from there, and spear-headed by the rising world athletics star Gebre Egziabher G/Mariam. Last Sunday’s Janmeda East African cross country 12 Km champion G/Egziabher told the press conference participants that he is very excited to see the Great Run taking place in his birth place and promised to take part even though it is scheduled to commence just a week after the Brussels’ world athletics championship meeting. The living legend and director of the Great Run Haile Gebre Selassie said that the National road race is a serious business to produce the country’s future athletics stars.
The main sponsor Siemens Ethiopia’s managing director Mr. Samuel Georges in his address to the conference said his company’s long standing partnership for the world sport is coming to Ethiopia in full dedication as it did with the Chinese national team and world giant soccer club Real Madrid. We are already involved in Wonji sugar soccer club and helped the Janmeda cross country athletics championship added the managing director.
For a 5 birr registration fee the participants are to be awarded a race number and souvenir Siemens T-Shirt to go together with Aqua Addis bottle water at the finishing line.
The organizers also disclosed that a 15,000 birr prize will be awarded to the first ten athletes in the race for both men and women categories [birr 3000 for each winner].
Guna sport club, Axum Hotel and Telecom are the three registration centers to the 3-week registration period.
 

Ethiopian Coffee visits Uganda Express in Kampala

Loses 2-1

After two years absence from international venue Coffee finally came to the spot light for their first encounter in Kampala. Under new head coach, former midfielder Tilahun Mengesha the club now sits comfortably in the premier league table with five points advantage.

The club seems to have blossomed under Tilahun Mengesha not only as premier league leader but as clear favorite to win the season’s title at the expense of Saint George who couldn’t muster the chemistry to turn the team into a winning side despite assembling the country’s best talent including foreigners from Kenya, Ghana and Cameroon.

It has been three weeks since Ethiopian Coffee started its intense preparation for this first leg away-encounter. Coach Tilahun in his interview with the weekly “Addis Sport” claimed that Coffee is better co-coordinated and in a winning spirit than any other time recently. “Although defensive midfielder Antheneh Alamerew is not available because of a one year CAF ban, the midfield is adequately fielded to tackle the problem, and Ashenafi Girma’s  presence to marshal the midfield is an important factor that boosts the morale of the team,” added Tilahun.

According to his favored 3-5-1 formations with Yonas and Andargachew as full backs and Samuel Demissie back into his central defense role, Coffee’s backfield appears to be formidable. Maybe long flying balls could be the Ugandan’s only chance to create goal opportunities.

The midfield led by playmaker Ashenafi Girma is made-up of the left-winger Khalid Mohamed, defensive midfielder Theodros Berhanu and Yonas. Ethiopian Coffee front men are the two highly talented players Tesfahun Gadisa (Cole) and Fasika Sima. With abundant skills Cole is more of a second striker while Fasika, a proven front-liner, is the man to shoulder the heavy duty of turning the team into a winner.

But it was not to be. Late Saturday evening news filtered to Addis  that Coffee lose 2-1 to Uganda Express.

Janmeda athletic competition highlights

 Even though international acclaimed athletes did not take part as many fans hoped, the 21st Janmeda annual international competition rapped up so colorfully that the IAAF was excited enough to consider it as one of Africa’s annual athletic venues.
The two days of athletic competition brought together some 1500 athletes from all over the country including from 5 neighboring nations: Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia. In the exclusive 8 Km men’s competition in which the foreigners took part, Ethiopia who lined up the highest number of athletes won the race with 8 points.
The day’s highlight, the 12 Km men’s competition ended after a fierce battle between the reigning champion Sileshi Sehen and G/Egziabher G/Mariam. Just 4 Km into the race Sileshi, G/Egziabher, Yibeltal and Assefa Mezgebu sprinted from the crowd to battle it out among them. 400 meters from the finishing line, two of the athletes came sweating and determined to win. Sixty meters from the finish line it was G/Egziabher who shot like a bullet with all his might and crossed the line in 36:52:64. The crowd rose in unison to give him a standing ovation. Sileshi came second 36:54:11 followed by Sydney Olympic 10000 most promising athlete Yibeltal Admasu.
Workinesh Kidane the rising star of Ethiopia Banks Athletics team shined more than any other athlete winning in both 4 Km and 8 Km race. The double gold medallist Workinesh swept the championships after a fierce fight from the national teammates in both disciplines. In the 4 Km race Ejigayehu Dibaba of Ethiopian police athletics team reached second followed by world championship 5000 meter gold medallist who went out of the race in the middle of the distance.
In the 8 Km youth competition Alelign Mehari and Ayalew Mohamed, both from Amhara region, took the gold and bronze while southern regions Anwar Dergeba took the silver.
In the Region’s 12 Km meet Ali Abdosh of Harari stood first to claim the gold followed by Mamo Kegela and Chala Lemi who took the silver and bronze medals. In the astonishing veterans competition the 80 years old athletics symbol Wami Birratu finished fourth.

Saints to wrap-up the two leg qualification at home

The Ethiopian premier league reigning champions Saint George today hosts the visiting Al-Ahly of Sudan at Addis Ababa stadium.

In his first international attempt as manager of the Saints the Dutch man Haans is said to sort out his most talented ones from the squad and quite confident of winning the home game comfortably so that at the return leg things could come easier.

The defending champions who have had a poor start to the season now are in good shape for their squad tactical understanding is getting ground. The 5-0 friendly victory against Medin FC came at the very right time to boost the morale of the club specially the attacking force. Maybe Haans’s new dilemma could be whom to play in the starting line up either the Kenyan twins Eric and Francis or to pair Eric, recently in good form with the Cameroonian high riser Majo. Andualem just lying at the back to assist the attacking option, the visitors may remain with the only option, which is retreating back to their goal area and try to defend the bombardment in their first leg away encounter.

Led by the midfield general Getu, the strong arm of the Saints central field, the home team are expected to feature play maker Mulualem, the right flank Debrom Hagos and Mulualem at the left. Getu and Debrom for their hard tackle could control the flow of the ball and break the visitors attacking option while Mulualem and Andualem are burdened to create goal scoring chances so that the front men could enjoy flying their club shirt whenever the crowd rise up to celebrate goals.

The Saint’s back four is never as strong as their current form. Despite Dawit’s absence for his one year CAF ban Samson and Daniel are in much better shape in their recent friendly matches. The central defense is Anwar’s specialization well covered at the back by giant skimmer Anteneh Feleke who is a proven article in both ends either at the front or the back.

In addition to all that, the good news goes heralding the club’s number one shot stopper Tadewos Tesfaye is fully recovered and well conditioned to perform today’s task. His stand in goalkeeper Deyas Adugna is also in high caliber waiting for the chance. No better time to Dutch man Haans to show his fans that he is delivering what he came for.

In the mean time well financed to enjoy life in Sheraton Addis for the last 10 days the visitors had had daily training sessions on Saint George’s training facility near Bole Medhanialem church. A Croatian manager, three players from Zimbabwe and rumored to have one from Brazil, the visitors are well acclimatizing themselves for today’s showdown. Surprisingly their 35 players, out of which the five are from their young team, came to this encounter. Could Saint George do the same at the return leg in two weeks?