Capital

16th African Athletics Championship kicks-off Wednesday

Participants to the 16th African Athletics Championship have started arrivingl to the capital city with the event kicks-off coming Wednesday. Those who are determined to show their salts Tunisia , Mali , Burkina Faso and Senegal are already in the capital since last Tuesday, leaving a week for acclimatization.
With every organization coming to an end and practice sessions already under way at the newly constructed field Ethiopian athletics Federation has declared that Ethiopia is ready to host her visitors in every way possible. “Photo Finnish cameras and Screen Boards fixed, the federation is at the final count down” said Ato Dube Jillo Ethiopian Athletics Federation technical head.
The host Ethiopia is to take part in nineteen disciplines lining up 115 athletes with the world renowned athletes at the forefront. Not only in long distances the Ethiopian squad
is complete with the short distance races including Walking. The Ethiopian Walking squad that comprises of eight athletes in both Men and Women events is highly expected for winning medals. Second runner-up in Algeria All African Games and runner-up in Burkina Faso at the 15th African athletics championship, Asnakech Ararso is hot favorite for the Women’s gold medal.
In short distances Ethiopia takes part in all disciplines. Wetere Gelelcha, Bereket Desta , Abyot Lencho Henok Legesse and Derese Mekonen spearhead the squad in men’s 100,200, 400, 800 and 1500 meter races respectively. In the 20 KM Walking event Ethiopia is represented by four men squad Chernet Mikore, Degefe Debeko, Degu Sori and Yohanes Yeka.
In the Women’s short distance events the squads are led by experienced athletes in continental competitions. Atkelt Webshet leads the 100 meter squad while Betelhem Shwatatek spearheading the three women, 200 meter squad. Wosene Belay and Mestwat Tadesse are in the fore front of the 400 & 800 meter squad while Gelete Burka leads the 1500 meter squad. Asnakech Ararso, Bekashegn Hunduma, Hanna H/selassie and Tgist Bedlu make the squad for the 20 KM women’s Walkng event.
Although Ethiopia is highly expected for medal sweep in both men’s and women’s long distance events according to the technical head Dube Jilo 80 percent victory is expected in athletics. “Why don’t we dominate in short distances?” remarked Dube confident of success as a host nation.
The 16th African athletics championship, the biggest event of the continent next to African nation’s soccer Cup brings together nearly all member nations represented by more than 2000 athletes. Kenya announced a thirty nine member squad, Mali with ten and South Africa with 29 athletes. The four day event kicks-off Wednesday at Addis Ababa stadium.

Defending champion Argentina face Ivory Coast, Cameroon Vs Italy

Ivory Coast, one of the three nations representing Africa in the Beijing Olympics is drawn in group one together with the defending champion Argentina, while former gold medalist Cameroon faces Italy in group four.
Sixteen nations are split into four groups each with four nations. Four nations represent Europe while Africa, Asia and South America each have three representations. The group phase take place in four different venues then the top two of the groups qualifies to the quarter final stage.
Defending champion Argentina , favorites to win the group drawn in group one that comprise first timers Ivory Coast , Serbia and Australia . All three are expected for a strong second place show down to follow Argentina to the next stage.
The first African nation to win an Olympic gold, Nigeria is in group two where Netherlands, Japan and USA are drawn together. Though Nigeria performed well below expectations in African nation’s cup final it is still the group favorite to finish on top of the table. Football fast growing Japan and Netherlands are to battle for second place while USA is the underdog of the group.
Former Olympic champion Brazil are also the hottest favorite to dominate the group is drawn in group three against the host nation China. The two are expected to go through to the quarter final stage whereas Belgium and New Zealand are there to rattle the heavy weights.
The clash between former champion Cameroon and Italy is highly expected. Not short of producing young talents Cameroon has the edge to win the top spot with Italy coming second. South Korea may achieve a coup while Honduras as the group under dog.
The women’s participant nations have grown to twelve, two more than last time. The host nation China is said to build the strongest team capable of compensating to the last world cup at home. In group one the hosts are never to worry for the home fans plus the easy draw is in to their advantage. Canada, Argentina and Sweden are the remaining group members with Sweden likely to follow China to the quarter final stage.
In group two currently the two world heavy weights Germany and Brazil are drawn together with North Korea and Nigeria as group under dogs. The two Tarzans group stage clash is one of the highlights of the tournament.
Group three brings together Norway, Japan, New Zealand and favorite to win the group top table USA. Norway is the likely one to follow USA. The top two of the three groups plus two best runner-ups will make the eight team quarter final platforms.

Dire Tune and Robert Cheriot win the 112th Boston Marathon

Ethiopian Dire Tune won the Boston Women marathon after the closest ever finishing show down in the events 112 year history. Dire Tune who received the 150, 000USD for winning the race is the first Ethiopian woman to win Boston since former Olympic gold medalist Fatuma Roba who won in three successive years in 1999. King of Boston marathon giant Kenyan Robert Cheriot who also pocketed the USD 150000 prize money entered to record books as the first athlete to win four times since Bill Roger in 1980.
It was early in the race the leading pack with ten athletes three of them Ethiopians that hit the road. With two time New York marathon champion Jelena Prokopucuka in the lead, the pack stayed intact until past the half distance. At 24 kilometesr, Prokopucuka and others started to phase out leaving the race for two Ethiopians (Askale Tafa & Dire Tune) and Rita Jeptoo led by Alvetina Bikimarova. The four hit the high hill hard, as a result the group lost Askale then two KM later, Jeptoo. The two stayed clustered until the final 400 meter where Dire’s final surge came with no response from Bikimarova. Dire Tune trotted home alone clocking 2:25:25. Biktimirova came second in 2:25:27 followed by Jeptoo in 2:26:34, Prokopucka and Askale Tafa respectively.
Kenyan Robert Cheriot yet not to secure a place in the Kenyan Olympic squad, had been the focus of everyone at the race. The leading pack with seventeen athletes covered the first ten kilometers in half an hour. At twenty one kilometers it was only six in the leading pack, Ethiopian Tesfaye Girma, Abderrraheme Bouramdane, Kasime Adillo, Cheriot, James Mwangi and last year champion James Kwambi. Two kilo meters down ward Girma and Mwangi lost contact leaving the race down to four. While wary of each other to take charge Cheriot waited until the 26th KM mark before kicking high his with no one trying to catch up. At 30 KM and 22 seconds ahead of those behind, determined for his fourth victory Cheriot paced faster and faster. At 35 Km he was alone and sure of victory. Robert Cheriot clocked 2:07:46 to win the title for a record fourth time that go along with USD 150000 prize money. “As usual it was a tough race. Boston is not an easy course” said Cheriot who counted four fingers to show his fourth victory.
Abderrahome Bouramdane of Morocco came second in 2:09:04 followed by Khalid Boumlili in 2:10:35. Ethiopian Gashaw Asfaw who navigated his way cautiously finished fourth in 2:10:47 then Kasime Adillo finishing fifith in 2:12:24. Of the highest ever money prize for Boston marathon that is USD 796000 the winners Dire and Cheriot received USD 150000.

English premier league season best lX announced

English premier league best players of the season announced despite three weeks fixtures remaining. Considered one of the best seasons for English football that is having three representatives in champions league semi final stage critics started suggesting that England is the rising soccer power in no time to dominate European football. According to these critics English soccer is short of one important factor that is producing a manager capable of winning the premier league title. So far in the premier league sixteen years history no English coach claimed the coveted title.
What is surprising in the season’s best eleven selections is that no player from Latin America and Africa got a place in the list. Thus it is purely an only European best player of English season. The big three has each three players with Tottenham having one player.
Goal keeper of the premier league season is Chelsea’s shot stopper Peter czch. For the four men defense line Carragher of Liverpool, Rio Ferdinand and Patrick Evra from Manchester United and John Terry from Chelsea. The mid field consists of ChristiaNO Ronaldo, Gerard, Fabregas and Alexander Hleb. The two men strike force formed between Berbatov of Tottenham and Fernando Torres of Liverpool.
Media pundits and former players commented it is un worthy list for it missed Bakari Sannga of Arsenal Rooney and Van Dessar from United. What is Carrageher doing vin the list? Many asked. Manchester United ace mid fielder Christiano Ronaldo is the hottest favorite to crown English best player of the season.

Is ‘The Professor’ losing his alchemist’s touch?

By Nick Webster

When is enough not enough?
How about three Premier League titles (1998, 2002 and 2004) and four FA Cups (1998, 2002, 2003 and 2005)? For a perfectionist such as Arsene Wenger, you can bet that there is no such thing as ‘enough’.
since Arsenal failed to advance past Liverpool last Tuesday night in the Champions League, the pain is deeply felt for it is now three years since the Frenchman tasted ‘perfection’ in the form of silverware.
Three years is the longest trophy-drought for the man known as ‘The Professor’ since he arrived on English shores and took the reigns of Arsenal back in 1996. In those days, he was known as ‘Arsene Who?’ but nobody dares call him that anymore. But one can’t help but wonder whether the three-time ‘Manager of the Year’ is beginning to lose his alchemist’s touch in the winning department.
You’ll find no argument from me regarding the quality of football that the Gunners have often displayed this year. On occasions, it reached a height that I have never seen before. The fluency, movement and sheer exhilaration of 100mph football being played flawlessly took my breath away and it looked — for much of the season — that the boldness and belief in his ‘kids’ would be greatly rewarded. But then the lights were turned out ...
Some may ask where it all went wrong while others may say that this grand experiment of re-inventing football is a year ahead of schedule and that there was bound to be the odd hiccup along the way.
If we look back at the campaign, Wenger’s decision not to aggressively enter the transfer market in July 2007 and in January 2008 initially looks sound as they have topped the Premier League table for a total of 23 weeks. He spent only $16 million on Bakari Sagna and Lassana Diarra (who later moved to Portsmouth at a profit) but it’s the money that was not used that looks like eventually hurting him.
Like many pundits, I thought that while the squad was bursting with fresh and exciting talent, it was also dangerously paper-thin — and above all lacked a big personality. This has been illustrated since the strange 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. What was once fast and stylish has become slow and ponderous — it’s as though they’re punch drunk.

You can point to the Champions League win in Milan (which was indeed epic) and the comeback against Bolton at the end of March as exceptions but if you swing enough, you’re bound to eventually connect. What’s missing since Arsenal’s change in form is the stinging jab that’s landed over and over again.
Of course, big personalities cost big money and although Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Thierry Henry were all past their sell-by-dates when Wenger wisely moved them out, their charisma and strength of personality have not been replaced. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a ‘war chest’ though and when you consider that his three main challengers have spent in excess of $200 million since 2007, you have to wonder why the Emirates purse has been kept firmly shut.
For sure, the players who replaced the three ‘Highbury Titans’ are fitter and younger but it takes years to truly ‘own’ a dressing room. When you look at the current behavior of club skipper William Gallas, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Supposedly, the reasons Henry was allowed to leave involved him having too much of a say in the dressing room and his skills being on the wane. Fair enough Arsene, but who is in charge now?
I know Wenger takes great pleasure in developing talent and his record is second to none but I can’t help but wonder whether he is letting his ego get in the way of signing someone to boss his club where it matters — out on the park.
If you believe that Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini are the future, I’d say you are correct. But they are not (yet) the finished article.
At the end of the day, Wenger wants to be in charge. And he is in charge as he rules Arsenal and the Emirates. However, he needs to scoot over and make some space available on his throne for someone (who is going to cost him a lot of cash) with an ego as big as his — if not bigger.
Currently, there is no danger of Wenger being fired. In fact, uttering such a phrase can be considered sacrilegious but with football becoming more and more about the ‘bottom line’, Wenger and Arsenal FC needs to start winning trophies again.

Sport Briefs

The newly appointed Ethiopian national team head coach Abraham Teklehaimanot is due to start his job Monday calling up tired and distraught players to his wing. World cup qualification campaign to start at the end of May with the group opening match against mighty Morocco Abraham is short of time to enjoy ideal selection. Nine months with out a match followed by a marathon Millennium Cup championship that brings 25 sides, forming a strong squad capable of contending at international level is almost an impossible task by any standard. The former Guna Trade, Coffee and Mugher Cement head coach Abraham Teklehaimanot has a two year contract and became the first Ethiopian coach to earn ETB7000 monthly salary

Five days after winning the Spanish Cup, forty five year old Valencia manager Ronald Koeman is sacked with five matches to go to the Spanish league. Although Koeman has a contract to see past 2010 with Valencia and bring the Copa Del Rey trophy for the seventh time, the 5-1 defeat against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend gave no choice for the club's board of directors. Twenty two matches under Koeman, it is only on three occasions Valencia won and only 18 out of the possible 66 points. Juan Sanchez Romero took over for the remaining five matches. It is surprising the former twice Champion league runner ups Valencia, are now 16th on the table only two points above relegation zone.

World athletics living legend Haile G/Selassie is to build a five star hotel in Debre Zeit town some 45 kms from the Capital city. Haile told reporters that Debre Zeit one of the Rift Valleys towns is the ideal tourist attraction thus building the hotel would be a multi purpose under taking. With an initial investment of 120-150 million ETB and the design already at hand Haile remarked the construction is due to begin the minute he received the allotted land. World all time great athlete and World marathon record holder Haile is also in the process of building a grand hotel in Southern Region capital Awasa.

Former world best player of the season second runner-up Samuel Eto and world cup champion Thierry Henry both appear set to leave Barcelona in the coming season. The Cameroon international who helped Barcelona to back to back La Liga titles and European championship title heralded he is on his way if Barcelona end the season with out silverware. "I came to Nou Camp to win titles not to just play matches" said Eto at a press conference. Although in the move is Henry who joined Barcelona from Arsenal with 16.1 million pounds. Seven goals in twenty two appearances, Henry is a regular substitute with Barcelona and said he is frustrated and wants to go back to England.