Sports
Gov Diri Classics: Bayelsa, Delta Dominate Medals Table
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ekerekeme Agiomor, African champions Soso Tamarau and Esther Kolawole, as well as Ebi Biogos, Ebipadei Mughenbofa and Petezilagha Obazee, all won gold in their respective weight categories on the penultimate day of competition at the 1st Gov. Diri National Wrestling Classics in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Wrestling in the 86kg Freestyle event, Team Delta’s Agiomor, a 2018 African champion, relied on his vast experience to overpower Jackson Oluwafemi of Ondo State 4-3 in a keenly-contested final to clinch gold, thereby avenging a shock defeat to his opponent in the earlier round.
“To be honest with you, the boy really gave me a tough fight,” Agiomor admitted after his hard-earned win.
“Secondly, I haven’t really hit form before I wrestled with him. But by the grace of God, the wisdom and my understanding of the mat, I was able to win this bout.
“I feel happy; very, very happy because in the first bout against him, what I didn’t expect happened. But I made up my mind and prayed to God to win him (in the final).”
Meanwhile, Yahaya Muhammed of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) won the bronze medal on offer in the 86kg class.
In the 97kg class, veteran former African champion, Soso Tamarau of Team Delta, secured gold after round-robin wins against Omega Bassey ( Bayelsa State), Yahaya Idris (Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC) and Sunday Olawale (Kwara State). Bassey and Idris won silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Similarly, Petezilagha Obazee of Team Edo impressively thrashed Team Bayelsa’s Andaowei Asanakpa 10-0 via technical superiority in the final of the 92kg class to win gold. Micah Damini of Team Delta got the bronze medal on offer in that category.
In Women Wrestling, African champion and World U-23 bronze-medalist, Esther Kolawole needed just 86sec to defeat home girl Favour Opuene 4-0 via pinfall in the final of the 62kg class.
In the same vein, Team Bayelsa’s Ebi Biogos secured a 6-4 pinfall victory against former African Junior champion Sunmisola Balogun of Ondo State to claim gold in the 72kg class in a tough finale that saw both wrestlers leave everything on the mat.
After a couple of attempts at senior level, youngster Ebipadei Mughenbofa (Team Bayelsa) finally won her first National title, claiming gold in the 65kg class following round-robin wins against Temene Deye of Ijaw Club and Team Ondo’s Esther Asaolu, who won silver and bronze medals respectively.
The 1st Gov. Diri National Wrestling Classics will come to an end yesterday, with the likes of Olympic silver medalist Blessing Oborududu, multiple African champions, Odunayo Adekuoroye, Amas Daniel, Mercy Genesis, all being in action at the Indoor Sports Hall of Samson Siasia Sports complex, Yenagoa.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.