Adama Ketema and Ethiopian national team midfielder Kenaan Markneh joined Guinean defending champion Horoya Athletic popularly known Horoya Conakry. Former Ethiopia Bunna Coach French man Didier Gomes currently boss to Horoya Athletic is the key player in Kenaan’s transfer.
The 24 years-old giant became the first Ethiopian Footballer to sign for West African top league club. Kanaan came through Adama’s youth rank to go all the way to the senior team and was voted one of the most promising Young talents last season. The box to box midfielder with an eye for goals had been the key player in helping his side close to the top of the table before he sustained a serious injury that left him sidelined until the end of the season.
In the wake of his resignation from Ethiopia Bunna following the poor result, Gomes took over the 2018 African champions League quarter finalist Horoya to lead them to their 16th League 1 Pro title. Closely following the hardworking midfielder while in Ethiopia Gomes handed Kenaan a lucrative four years contract.
Well versed in English language, tall, strong, hardworking and an eye for a goal, Kenaan has everything to break through the deadlock having a good mentor by Didier Gomes Da Rosa.
Gomes also signed Ugandan international goalie Robert Odungkara after seven years of football in Ethiopian Premier League. Kenaan joined the exclusive party of Ethiopian professionals currently active: Shimeles Bekele and Oumed Oukri in Egypt while Binyam Assefa in Albania.
Kenaan Markneh a historic move to Horoya
Kuma siblings to shine in Toronto Marathon
In its lengthy history the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has never had a brother and sister duo claim victory in this IAAF Gold Label event. That could all change if Abera Kuma and his sister Dibabe Kuma have their way on 20 October.
The Ethiopian siblings have made an extraordinary impression in their marathon running careers already and have both targeted victory in Toronto. Abera, 28, finished second at the 2018 Rotterdam Marathon in a personal best of 2:05:50 and has been world-class since finishing third at the 2014 Berlin Marathon in 2:05:56.
Most recently, he finished second at the Ottawa Marathon in May. This will be the first time he and Dibabe have traveled to a marathon together, something his younger sister welcomes.
“Yes, it’s the first time we are traveling together to a race,” said Dibabe, who is 22. “I am looking forward to traveling together. I think it will help because it’s family and I will be relaxed. Abera inspired me to start running; his support helped me a lot at the beginning of my career.”
“My big goal is to win the race,” Dibabe said. “I know about the weather. I heard it can be cold, but I will be prepared for that.
“I am still young, but I enjoy the marathon. My goals are to win races and I hope to represent my country at championships and hopes do very well for Ethiopia.” The siblings were born in Ambo, west of Addis Ababa, but moved with their parents to Ethiopia’s capital city when they were quite young.
Fasil Tekalegn to rebuild Bahirdar anew
Former St George and national team assistant Coach Fasil Telkalegn took over Bahirdar Ketema replacing his former playmate at the national team Getachew Paulos. Building a squad from a scratch is what a huge challenge awaiting Fasil.
More than twelve years and five premier league titles at St George, the full back hung his boot after two seasons with Ethiopia-Medin, Fasil’s Coaching carrier gone through the rank to serve St George all the way to the top as assistant to the club as well to the national team.
Topping up his long time experience with a six month coaching course in Hungary, Fasil appears ready to come out of the shadow at Bahirdar Ketema the side that finished ninth in its maiden year at the premier league last season.
According to sources only two players are under contract this time thus the 40 plus year old Coach’s priority is about signing new players and start rebuilding the squad from a scratch.
Serving assistant to more than half a dozen foreign coaches and a stop-gap coach in numerous incidents, this appears a crucial time for Fasil’s experience to come in to test by fire.
“It took us years talking about Ethiopian Football problems. I don’t want to join that crowed rather I will try my best to be part and parcel of the solution” Fasil told reporters ahead of taking the hot seat at Bahirdar. “The myth that Ethiopians have superior technical quality is a bit bizarre for me since there is no comparison.”
Strong Ethiopian quartet to break Kenyan dominance in Berlin
A strong Ethiopian men’s quartet will be gunning to halt recent Kenyan dominance at the BMW Berlin Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on 29 September.
Guye Adola, who finished second in his marathon debut two years ago in Berlin, as well as Leul Gebrselassie, Sisay Lemma and Birhanu Legese all possess the potential to win at this year’s event. Leul, Lemma and Birhanu have each triumphed over the marathon distance in the past ten months, running top-class times and all have personal bests in the region of 2:04.
In the past ten years Ethiopian runners have only won the men’s title in Germany’s most spectacular marathon on two occasions: Haile Gebrselassie in 2009 and Kenenisa Bekele in 2016. Otherwise Kenyans have dominated, breaking the world record four times. The most recent occasion was last year when Eliud Kipchoge ran a sensational 2:01:39 but he will not be running this year.
Berhanu Legese is the one runner among the Ethiopian quartet who has won an Abbott World Marathon Majors race on 2019. The 24-year-old took the title in Tokyo in March with 2:04:48 in only the third marathon of his career. In 2018 he made a spectacular debut clocking 2:04:15 in Dubai which immediately put him among the marathon elite. Even so, his time was only good enough for sixth in an extraordinarily fast race. Last autumn he finished tenth in Chicago in 2:08:41. Berhanu has already won one big race in Berlin, emerging as the surprise winner of the city’s half marathon with 59:45 in 2015. Leul and Sisay were also in action in Dubai last year, producing personal bests.
