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BBC News
16-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Can new wave of African cyclists produce 'second Girmay'?
Milkias Maekele may look young for a professional cyclist, but the 19-year-old already has the confident air of a victory in a one-day race in Algeria this year, the Eritrean sprinter is drawing comparisons with a compatriot who has reached the pinnacle of the abound that Maekele's power output and associated data match levels recorded at a similar age by Biniam Girmay, the green jersey winner at last year's Tour de France - fuelling a growing excitement about his potential."Many people have told me I might become the second Biniam," Maekele told BBC Sport Africa."I am incredibly happy about this and it gives me so much motivation."Yet his fledgling career has already provided several challenging moments."I was nervous and doubted myself," he said."I asked whether I was good enough or if I should, like many others my age back home, go into the military." Rather than return to the Eritrean capital Asmara, Maekele's persistence on the bike has been rewarded - as he was handed a contract by Bike Aid earlier this is the 24th rider from the continent - and 11th from Eritrea - to appear for the German-registered outfit since they turned professional in 2013."Eritrea is a cycling-crazy country full of passion and raw talent," team manager Matthias Schnapka said."Milkias' route into international cycling has not been easy, but we genuinely believe in him." Speed and hunger Maekele, a tall, thoughtful and articulate young man, now aims to repay Bike Aid's began to do that at the Tour of Mersin in Turkey, securing third place in Sunday's final stage and finishing 13th in the points Eritrean Metkel Eyob, who also raced at the event, sees Maekele as a rider with "real sprinting talent"."His explosive acceleration and fearless racing style mark him as another future contender from Africa in world cycling," Eyob said."He has the natural speed and hunger to become Eritrea's next great sprinter."While Girmay is the poster boy for African cycling on the elite stage, the number of professionals from across the continent is steadily were a total of 17 entrants from Africa among the 171 declared starters at the Tour of Mersin, making it the largest ever such contingent at a professional road race sanctioned by the world governing body (UCI) on European to Team Africa Rising, a non-profit organisation which helps riders and teams access equipment and training, there are almost 150 male and female riders from the continent who hold professional deals this are encouraging numbers just five months away from the UCI Road World Championships, which will be held in Africa for the first time when Rwanda hosts in September."Seeing the start list for the Tour of Mersin, I had a real feeling of affirmation that all the work we have been doing since 2007 is really paying off," Team Africa Rising chief executive Kimberly Coats said."This year is a key moment for cycling in Africa. It is just brilliant to see the growth." African riders on the rise When the first African riders started competing in Europe a decade ago, in many cases they were forced to fight it out in races as that they are getting significant real estate as part of teams in the peloton, it makes them feel less like outsiders."When you are in cycling and doing such difficult races, only you and the riders around you know how hard it is," explained Coats."When you are surrounded by Europeans, it is hard to relate and communicate."When you have riders around you to whom you can relate better, it helps the mental processing in a race."Ethiopia's Kiya Rogora, who rides for continental tour team X-Speed United, is another good example of the young talent beginning to make a mark."I am still learning my craft and being at these big European races is the best way to do this," the 21-year-old told the BBC."They are much more intense and competitive."Seeing my fellow East African riders at these races really inspires me. It can be lonely sometimes, and seeing so many guys I know in one place is just wonderful." Inspiring the next generation At the other end of the age spectrum is Madar Pro Cycling Team's Azzedine Lagab, an Algerian who is regarded as one of the most efficient and intelligent African 38-year-old, in his 14th season as a professional, provides an example to follow for the South Africans and fellow Algerians on what is the continent's top-ranked team."I do not feel like a guide myself but just feel proud when some of the younger guys are showing respect to me," he said."I was so happy when some of them in Turkey told me I was their inspiration."South Africa's Stefan de Bod took the overall race win at the Tour of Mersin, while seven Africans finished in the top 25 in the general riders from across the continent are expected to take part in key races across Europe in the coming months in preparation for their 'home' event in Rwanda in or not calls to declare cycling the 'second sport of Africa' are eventually successful, the continent is certainly rising on two wheels.
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Up with roosters and nicknamed Neymar - Jackson's rise
Nicolas Jackson's return from injury has been well timed for Chelsea, as the Blues look to land the Europa Conference League trophy and book a return to the Champions League for the first time since Senegalese has bagged nine goals in 25 games this season, turning himself into Enzo Maresca's first-choice striker following an up and down beginning to his Stamford Bridge that early starts have always been a problem."Sometimes we trained very early in the morning, especially when the sun was very hot," Pere Badara Sarr, the Casa Sports coach who discovered Jackson in Senegal, told BBC Sport Africa."He would say that once the rooster crowed, he'd be up and on his way to training."Born in The Gambia, Jackson moved to Senegal aged 12, relocating to Ziguinchor, a village some 440km and a nine-hour car journey from the capital honing his skills playing with friends behind his house - sometimes barefoot - for over two hours a day after school, Jackson would keep an ear out for visiting scouts or indications of organised trials."It was easy to pick him for a number of reasons, but mainly because of his style of play," Sarr added, having spotted Jackson at a national competition involving 8,000 young hopefuls."He had this unique pull on his team-mates that really made him stand out. They called him Neymar." Waking with the roosters The comparisons to Brazil's all-time top scorer may not have stuck, but Jackson has shown dedication worthy of top professionals."He lived with his mother, cousins and uncles, which kept him grounded," Sarr said."I can't remember him ever being late for training."From Casa Sports, Jackson's application earned him a move to La Liga club Villarreal aged 18."He told [his family] he wouldn't come back until he made it," Birane Hady Cisse, the sports editor at Senegalese news agency 373/500, told BBC Sport Africa."He's undoubtedly one of the top players we have now."Diomansy Kamara, who won a half century of caps for Senegal, was instrumental in that transfer to Spain, with Cisse claiming the former Fulham and West Brom forward's guidance has been crucial."He understood how things worked in Europe and picked the best place for Jackson to develop, without focusing too much on where he could make money right away." A hard start in Spain Yet Jackson's European dream looked on shaky ground, as he alternated between Villarreal's youth and B teams while adapting to his new surroundings."When he came he was shy and looked raw," Javier Sidro, who covers the Yellow Submarine as the head of sports at Radio Castellon Cadena SER, told the BBC."But he paid attention and was always willing to improve."Second tier outfit Mirandes turned down the chance to sign Jackson permanently after just one goal in 17 outings on such things can be a blessing in disguise, and Jackson returned to Villarreal knowing it was was eventually handed his first-team debut by Unai Emery as a late substitute against Real Betis in October 2021."In the weeks leading up to that, Emery had been preparing him as he liked his movement and saw the potential for greatness," Sidro revealed."It was interesting to keep an eye on him. He was capable of generating chances and looked really strong, but there was work to be done on his finishing."Jackson was consigned to fleeting appearances from the bench for the rest of the season, with injuries also restricting his progress. Finding form He began the next campaign strongly, netting on his first La Liga start, but Emery's work to fully integrate him into the side ended when he left for Aston Villa in October 2022."Quique Setien replaced Emery and he saw something in Jackson too - a player who was clearly talented but hadn't yet reached his potential," Sidro made his senior debut for Senegal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Premier League clubs were starting to take agreed a fee of over £20m ($25.9m) to sign him in January 2023 but injury meant the deal fell through – with the Cherries snapping up Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo from Bristol City again, a failed transfer brought the best out of the Senegalese in the second half of that season."Jackson exploded, not instantly, but gradually," Sidro explained. "Once he started, he was really unstoppable."Nine goals in the final eight games of the La Liga campaign helped Villarreal finish fifth and qualify for the Europa who at the time were changing their model to target young players, secured his services in June 2023, handing Jackson an eight-year contract. Proving himself at Stamford Bridge Jackson's undulating career at Chelsea has seen him look like a world-beater in some games while showing naivety in he netted 14 league goals in his debut campaign and former Senegal striker Demba Ba, who spent 18 months with the Blues, thinks there is no doubt that Jackson will be a long-term success in west London."At Villarreal he was really good at making that final turn, and he'll be great at Chelsea," Ba said."He just needs to keep working hard and remember that he has to score goals."Could this season's run-in provide Jackson with the stage to prove that he is the real deal?Should he lead the Blues to a top-four finish, or score the goals that clinch a first trophy since 2021, then the boy from Ziguinchor may finally silence his doubters.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Without sport I'd be a criminal'
Raised by a single mother in a village in southern Botswana, sport provided Letsile Tebogo with a route out of rural without his passion for football and athletics – one which ultimately brought him the men's Olympic 200m gold medal last August – the 21-year-old sprinter admits his life could have been very different."Without sport, I [would] probably be a criminal by now," Tebogo told BBC Sport Africa."In the neighbourhood that I was growing up in, there were a lot of criminals. We thought that was the only way to survive."Sporting pursuits in Kanye, some 80km from the capital Gaborone, helped give structure to Tebogo's it was as a left winger on the football field, before he transitioned to track events in primary school."I knew I had to go from school [to] training, and you are tired. You don't have plenty of time to roam the streets, to go into people's houses," he said."Once I discovered that, I tried to pull in a few friends of mine."They are now playing football and we always talk about how if this (sport) didn't work out, where would we be?"Sport has really helped me a lot." Inspiring the next generation Given his own childhood experiences, Tebogo is now on a mission to use the transformative power of sport to inspire the next generation in partnership with World has been named as ambassador for the governing body's Kids' Athletics programme, which aims to encourage children to be more active."Athletics has given me so many opportunities, and I want young people to believe in themselves, dream big and enjoy the sport," he said."It's basically showing them direction, because if we have plenty of free time, we tend to do unlawful stuff."We start robbing, doing drugs and all that."Tebogo's talents were well known across the continent before he clocked a new African record over 200m at Paris 2024, becoming Botswana's first ever Olympic gold Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe believes Tebogo's personal qualities are just as valuable as a role model."When a talent like Letsile emerges, it shows other young talented athletes the pathway," Lord Coe said."Letsile is confident, determined and humble, and is already inspiring a whole generation of potential athletes and children."Tebogo was back at one of his old training grounds, Mma Masire Grounds, on Wednesday taking part in a relay challenge with over 1,000 children."I always pass here after training," he explained."I go to the flashbacks that I came from here and now I'm a global star."You just have to capitalise on the little you have and make sure you pursue your goals." The impact of Olympic success Last year was a bittersweet one for Tebogo as his victory in the French capital came months after the death of his mother Olympic exploits brought Botswana to a standstill, with a national holiday announced to celebrate his feat and tens of thousands of people greeting him on his also anchored Botswana to a 4x400m relay silver medal at the Games behind the United States and was named as a World Athlete of the Year, champion says life has not been the same since."The Olympic gold has opened a lot of doors for the team, because I can't do this alone," he said."I was happy to hear and see a lot of youngsters [are] now more interested in doing sports, not just athletics, but want to venture into something and become the face of that particular sport."After his 200m win in Paris, Tebogo said he could not become the face of athletics as he is not an "arrogant and loud" person like American sprint star Noah Lyles, who took bronze over 200m and 100m gold at the has clarified those comments and says the pair now have a friendly relationship."When you get onto the track, it's all about business."When we finish, we become friends and then life goes on."But the 'arrogance'... he's good to sell our sport because he knows what to do. But with me, I'll always shy away from doing that because that's me." A new approach for a new season Tebogo has begun the new season running the 400m in a bid to build endurance ahead of September's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, and has won one of his four outings over the longer will now shift his focus to 200m, with his first competitive outing of 2025 set to come on home soil in a continental tour meeting in Gaborone this weekend."It means a lot to me," he said."They want to see what I did at the Olympics and the 200m final, which is something that we are planning to give out to my people out here."Next year, Botswana will become the first country in Africa to host a senior World Athletics track event when it stages the World Relay believes the competition will give young athletes a tangible example of what is possible."It will inspire a lot of kids," he said."Maybe they [are] going to see new faces during the 2026 World Relays because right now there are a lot of people who I can see putting in so much work to see themselves doing it on home soil."
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What is in store as Africa's 2026 World Cup qualifying resumes?
African qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup resume this week after a nine-month hiatus - and the stakes are high for some big rounds of the 10-match group campaign remain, and the two fixtures this month will go a long way to deciding the fate of many nine group winners are assured of a place at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the four best second-placed sides will have a chance to earn one final spot via play-offs.A raft of managerial changes have occurred since the last round in June, with Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia among the sides with new what should fans look out for? No room for error Among the heavyweights of the continental game it is Nigeria who have the greatest need for immediate in Group C, and languishing four points behind leaders Rwanda, Eric Chelle assumes an already high-profile role which is amplified by difficult former Mali coach becomes the first non-Nigerian African to take charge of the Super West Africans travel to Kigali before hosting Zimbabwe, and Chelle accepts they are must-win encounters for the three-time African champions."There is pressure in football," he told BBC Sport Africa."I say time is the enemy of the coach. But I'm confident and I believe in my players."Star striker Victor Osimhen says he and his team-mates are "desperate" to make the finals after missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar. Saintfiet aims to harness Mali talent Another new boss needing positive returns is Tom Saintfiet, who looks to revive Mali's campaign in Group I after succeeding four-point gap to group leaders Comoros can be cut straight away as the Eagles travel to face the islanders."We are not in an easy position but I have a very talented group," Saintfiet told BBC Sport Africa."It's a big luxury to have so many quality players."Mali have never reached the World Cup finals and, after going unbeaten through preliminaries for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Saintfiet is upbeat about their hopes."After six matches with four wins, two draws, I'm quite positive," the Belgian added."We going to try everything to write history."Elsewhere in Group I, Ghana will look to put their disastrous Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign behind them against Chad and Martins is now in the dugout for the latter, while Rigobert Song faces his first games as Central African Republic boss. Teranga Lions tackle surprise package Sudan Senegal boss Pape Thiaw is another man inheriting a World Cup bid after succeeding Aliou Cisse, to whom he was an assistant, last West Africans ended Afcon 2025 qualifying unbeaten and former striker El Hadji Diouf has been impressed by the smooth transition in the Teranga Lions hotseat."Pape was there when Aliou was here so we [have] good continuity," Diouf told BBC Sport Africa."Senegal is a family and we have a wonderful group. We have to work together and be happy all together."The former continental champions are two points behind surprise Group B leaders Sudan and Thiaw will be without injured Premier League forwards Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye for their away game against the Sudanese, which will be played in the neutral Libyan city of Benghazi, and the subsequent home tie against Sudan boss Kwasi Appiah, who has relied on the power of psychology, continue his team's remarkable run amid ongoing conflict in the country? Pharaohs in command Egypt have the healthiest lead of any side, with a four-point cushion at the summit of Group captain Mohamed Salah was rested during the latter stages of the Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign, but the forward will hope to carry his rich vein of form with Liverpool into games against Ethiopia and Sierra will come up against new Leone Stars head coach Mohammed Kallon, and the former Inter Milan and Monaco striker has selected Manchester City's new teenage defender Juma Bah and 40-year-old Kei Kamara in his first Sami Trabelsi is back for a second stint in charge of Tunisia with the Carthage Eagles top of Group H by two continental champions Ivory Coast have a one-point advantage in Group F, while new Kenya coach Benni McCarthy is targeting a first-ever World Cup qualification as he looks to reduce the five-point gap to the Group D, Cameroon are just one point ahead of Cape Verde and Libya, who last week appointed Aliou Cisse as their new Indomitable Lions are looking to add to their eight World Cup things stand, the closest group to call is Group G, where the top five sides are separated by just three Petkovic comfortably guided Algeria to qualification for Afcon 2025 but Les Verts face Mozambique and Botswana, two more teams who will be in Morocco in and Afcon 2027 co-hosts Uganda are also poised to capitalise on any slip ups. Congo suspension throws up questions Africa's top-ranked side Morocco have the only 100% record remaining, but the picture in Group E is withdrew before qualifiers kicked off and last month Congo-Brazzaville were suspended from international football by world governing body Red Devils' ties in March against Tanzania and Zambia have been cancelled, and there is little room to rearrange games in a packed international calendar, even if they somehow succeed in overturning their eyes are now on Fifa and the Confederation of African Football for a decision on how teams finishing second in their group will be ranked heading into potential Congo-Brazzaville drop out as well, then things become even more complicated and every game takes on extra meaning.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Nigeria 'desperate' to reach 2026 World Cup
Victor Osimhen says Nigeria will be driven by desperation in 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers this month as they look to avoid missing out on a second successive edition of the Super Eagles have made a winless start in Group C, drawing three of their first four games, with striker Osimhen absent through West Africans endured what the 26-year-old described as a "heart-breaking disappointment" three years ago when fierce rivals Ghana progressed from a play-off and reached Qatar 2022 at their expense."It's a dream of every footballer to play at the World Cup and with our situation in the group I am desperate, like other players, to make it to the 2026 tournament," Osimhen told BBC Sport Africa."We suffered a big disappointment in 2022 and we simply can't let it happen again to us, the country and our generation."You don't want to finish your career with the regrets of not playing at the World Cup. That is not what I want for myself." Nigeria are four points behind group leaders Rwanda and travel to Kigali to face the Wasps on 21 March before hosting bottom side Zimbabwe four days new man in the dugout, Eric Chelle, requires immediate results in the six-team group as he becomes the third coach to lead the Super Eagles in a campaign which began back in November Peseiro oversaw two draws, against minnows Lesotho and Zimbabwe, and his successor Finidi George departed last June after a defeat by Benin followed a home stalemate against South Africa."There's a new manager now and we are desperately looking forward to the game against Rwanda to try to correct all the previous mistakes we've made and put ourselves in a better position to qualify," Osimhen said. Correcting previous 'mistakes' Osimhen, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year who has scored 23 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 senior outings for Nigeria, was "extremely disappointed" after failing to make Qatar insists a squad packed full of top players including Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, Nantes winger Moses Simon and Premier League regulars Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi must secure a place for next year's global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the have only missed two editions of the tournament since making their debut in 1994."People say we have a talented generation but we can only confirm this talent when we play in a World Cup like those before us," Osimhen confided."I was sad, like my team-mates, to miss out on Qatar and our fans didn't even understand how much it affected us."This is why we must correct the previous mistakes by giving everything to our country, our new coach and prove ourselves as being worthy."Chelle's appointment in January prompted a mixed reaction after the 47-year-old Malian made history by becoming the first non-Nigerian African to assume the role of Super Eagles is eager to start training under Chelle, who led his homeland to the quarter-finals at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and to a rare victory over Nigeria last year."I've spoken to him couple of times and clearly understand the objectives he has set for himself and for the players," the Galatasary man added."It takes more than a coach to win football matches. Players must also be at their best, show commitment and bear in mind that we can all fly together to reach our goal." Dealing with 'unpredictable' African game Nigeria, runners up at Afcon 2023, have been drawn alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania in the group stage for the 2025 edition of the after missing out on the title to hosts Ivory Coast last time around, Osimhen hopes it will be a different story in Morocco later this year."It's not going to be easy because African football is unpredictable, we all saw how some big teams went out early in Ivory Coast," he said."We must take each game as it comes and remember that we are yet to win anything for Nigeria. That should be the motivation we need to go one step better."But we cannot focus too much on a tournament that will happen at the end of the year when we have big demands of the World Cup before that. We first take care of that business."The 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign will culminate before Afcon 2025 kicks off on 21 December, with the final four fixtures spread across September and the group winners are assured of a place at the finals, but Nigeria could enter continental play-offs in November should they finish Super Eagles are three-time continental champions and the highest-ranked side in Group C, but Osimhen has warned against complacency."Names no longer win matches and you must be ready and switched on for the duration of the games," he said."We will be playing for our country, our family names and the hopes of almost 300 million people. It is not the pressure that we face but the desire to not let ourselves and the country down."Playing at the World Cup is a priority and we must make it happen this time around."
