NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 14 – The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) – sponsored duo of Western and Nairobi Stima, KCB as well as Ushuru FC will push their bid to Kenyan Premier League promotion destiny when the business end of the National Super League hots up this weekend.

Leaders Western Stima will host Nairobi City Stars at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu on Sunday, Nairobi Stima will be away to Bidco United in Thika, KCB will be at home to Kenya Police at the Camp Toyoyo while Ushuru will face Kangemi All Stars at the same venue on Sunday.

Western Stima sit at the apex of the standings with 67 points, six ahead of second placed Nairobi Stima who have played a match less. Bankers KCB who recently sacked head coach John Kamau are third on 60 points, one ahead of fourth placed Ushuru.

A drop of points by either of the four sides will be detrimental to their hopes of earning qualification with six rounds of matches left.

KCB, who have unsuccessfully vied to get back to the top tier have vowed to give their all in the hope of finally clinching that Premier League spot.

-Lots of pressure

“Yes, there’s a lot of pressure from the management that we should get that promotion slot. KCB has been there among teams almost getting promoted but we somehow end up not earning it. This time, we don’t have much of a choice,” interim coach Elvis Ayany who stepped into Kamau’s shoes said.

He added; “As a team, there is also that hunger to get back to the Premier League. It drives us a lot.”

The bankers have been far from convincing though and have won three of their last five games, the most recent being against Kisumu All Stars on Monday.

They face Kenya Police in a mid-morning kick off at the Camp Toyoyo ground, a tough match by its proportions and one they need to handle with care as they lost by a solitary goal to the law enforcers in the first leg.

“They are a very tough team and it is not a game we can afford to go without preparing well. We are taking the game with very much seriousness and the only target is to get three points,” Ayany further noted.

KCB occupy third, a spot that does not give them a surety of the top tier but promises them a chance in the play-off. Ayany says their target is to get into the top two automatic promotion slots.

-Stima duo

Western Stima who have won eight of their last nine games, their only loss being a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bidco United. They face a City Stars side blowing hot and cold at sixth spot having won two and lost three of their last five games.

The first leg which remains their only meeting in the second tier ended in a 1-1 draw but the powermen keen on returning to top flight after they were relegated at the end of last season are keen to bag all three and keep their bid alive.

Nairobi Stima, the revelation of the season and crushing what seems to be a big boys’ party travel away to Thika on Saturday taking on a Bidco side they played to a 0-0 draw with in the first leg.

Led by former internationals Fred Ambani and Ibrahim Shikanda, Nairobi Stima rose from the ashes to finally dream of making a KPL slot and a win against Bidco will be a huge step in showing they are not bridal maids to the promotion party.

Stima suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to bottom side GFE 105 in their last league encounter having posted a run of five wins on the trot and they surely will be coming tong and spear to pick three points against fifth placed Bidco.

-Ushuru fighting

Ushuru meanwhile have duty against Kangemi All Stars, hoping to make up for all the ground lost after temporarily leading the standings.

Head coach Ken Kenyatta still has his same experienced squad and having lost in the play-off last season, the tax men will want to prove their mettle and move into the top three with hope that the other compatriots drop points.

Kangemi have won once over the last five games, and are struggling to match up with the big boys of the league. If they are to find inspiration, then it should be from their performance when they held Kenyatta’s charges to a 0-0 draw in the first leg.

Saturday

Bidco United vs Nairobi Stima (Thika Stadium, 3 pm)

Kisumu All Stars vs Migori Youth (Moi Stadium, 3 pm)

KCB vs Kenya Police (Camp Toyoyo, 11 am)

Sunday

Western Stima vs City Stars (Moi Stadium, 3 pm)

Modern Coast Rangers vs Kibera Black Stars (Mbaraki Grounds, 3 pm)

Nakuru All-Stars vs Coast Stima (Afraha Stadium, 11 am)

Talanta vs GFE 105 (Camp Toyoyo, 2 pm)

Ushuru vs Kangemi All-Stars (Camp Toyoyo, 4.15 pm)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 14 – Despite only needing a semi-final spot at the season ending Christie Sevens in Nairobi this weekend, Homeboyz RFC head coach Paul Murunga has underlined his desire to clinch the Main Cup title and finish the season in style.

Homeboyz lead the National Series standings with 100 points, eight ahead of second placed Mwamba who beat them to last weekend’s Dala Sevens in Kisumu and have clinched three of the five legs played so far in the circuit.

“My plan was to win all the Cups this season and I am a bit disappointed that we lost the last two. Nevertheless, I want us to finish the season in style by winning at Christies. Yes, we need to just get to the semis to clinch the overall title, but that will not be enough for me,” Murunga, a former National team assistant coach said.

The Deejays have been emphatic this season, just as they were in 2016 when they won their inaugural series title and as it seems, they are headed to a second crown this weekend.

Only way they can be stopped is if they don’t make it past the quarters and Mwamba go all the way and clinch the Main Cup at the RFUEA ground.

Homeboyz headline Pool B where they will clash with invitational side Blue Bulls and TUK Combined, last season’s surprise package Menengai Oilers and fourth placed Nakuru RFC.

“It is not an easy pool at all and we need to be very careful going about it. The invited team from South Africa bears a lot of experience and the other two teams are not easy as well,” a cautious Murunga noted.

He will be without top try scorer Mark Wandetto who picked up an injury at the Dala Sevens as well as Kenyan international Augustine Lugonzo who has not been passed fit for the Christies call.

But, skipper Leonard Mugaisi who missed the Dala final with injury has been passed fit and will be in line to lead the side to their Canaan.

Christies defending champions Kabras Sugar will meanwhile look to finish the season on a high after struggling for most of it but will be without inspirational Ugandan international Philip Wokarach and Kenya Sevens big man Daniel Sikuta.

Kabras are fifth in the standings and their best performance this season was at the Sepetuka Sevens in Eldoret where they picked 13 points.

The post Homeboyz’s Murunga eyes Christies Main Cup appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 14 – Superstar Eliud Kipchoge and former world record holder Wilson Kipsang will meet for the third time in their rivalry at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday.

Kipchoge’s best of 2:03:05 is only eight seconds shy of the current world record while Kipsang has done his share of record breaking, setting the then-world record of 2:03:13 when winning in Berlin in 2013.

Kipchoge’s aim on Sunday is to break his personal best and attack the 2:02:57 world record Dennis Kimetto set in Berlin in 2014 while Kipsang is equally primed for a record chase. To date, their Berlin rivalry stands level with one win apiece, Kipsang prevailing in 2013 and Kipchoge hitting back with his victory last year.

The men’s marathon in Berlin has become a yardstick for top level performances at the distance worldwide. Over the past 15 years, its flat course has been the stage for half a dozen world records. Since 2003 no other marathon has produced a men’s world record.

Speaking a pre-race press conference in Berlin today, Kipchoge expressed cautious optimism.

“After winning in London in April I concentrated on preparations for Berlin and can assure you that I shall run well on Sunday,” said Kipchoge, who’s won ten of the 11 marathons he’s contested. “I want to improve my personal best.”

When pressed on his world record ambitions, he simply added, “Yes, it would of course be very good if I could run that.”

Perhaps his reluctance to commit publicly to a world record assault is because two previous record bids in Berlin didn’t come to pass. In 2015 his shoe insoles came lose and, despite running in pain, he still won in 2:04:00. A year ago bad weather put paid to the world record attempt but he 2:03:32.

Kipsang is he only man to have beaten Kipchoge over the distance but it took a world record to do it.

The 36-year-old has plenty of experience and has achieved consistently world class performances over many years, breaking 2:04 on four occasions, a total Kipchoge has not yet matched.

Kipsang plans to run more cautiously than Kipchoge on Sunday.

“I want to run similarly to my world record in 2013,” said Kipsang, who dropped out last year after 30 kilometres. “I ran the second half faster than the first then. This Sunday I want to reach halfway in 61:30.”

Among those likely to be in the chasing group with Kipsang is half marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea. “I want to set a personal best on Sunday,” said Tadese, whose best stands at 2:10:41.

Dibaba targeting personal best

On the women’s side, Tirunesh Dibaba heads the strongest women’s field ever assembled in Berlin. Among the Ethiopian’s leading rivals will be last year’s winner, Kenya’s Gladys Cherono and her compatriot Edna Kiplagat, a two-time world champion. Four women will sub-2:20 performances to their credit will be on the start line.

Edna Kiplagat and Tirunesh Dibaba at the Brandenburg Gate (Victah Sailer)Edna Kiplagat and Tirunesh Dibaba at the Brandenburg Gate (Victah Sailer) © Copyright

“I’ve heard a lot about the Berlin Marathon and did my research,” Dibaba, a three-time Olympic and nine-time world champion on the track said. “I know very well that the course is very fast.”

Dibaba will bring a 2:17:56 career best to the start. Only two women have run faster.

“I improved my training in preparation for Berlin and did more volume. I am very well prepared and want to beat my best time on Sunday.”

Berlin will mark Dibaba’s fourth marathon. None of her previous races had pacemakers specifically for her benefit but this will not be the case on Sunday. “Pacemakers are very important for a fast time,” she said.

Mizuki Noguchi’s course record of 2:19:12 has stood since 2005, a performance that is still the Asian record. If conditions are agreeable, that course record could fall.

“I expect that one woman will take the lead from the start and behind her a group will form which would be on course to break 2:20,” said race director Mark Milde. He was clearly referring to Dibaba.

Cherono won the title last year, running 2:20:23, but has a 2:19:25 personal best set in when winning the first of her two Berlin titles in 2015. “I want to break my personal best on Sunday,” Cherono said.

Meanwhile, her compatriot Kiplagat, who has been one of the marathon elite for many years, will be making her Berlin debut.

“It has always been my goal to run in Berlin,” said Kiplagat, whose lifetime best is 2:19:50 and has raced to the world title in 2011 and 2013. “I know the course is fast and I shall try to run my best ever time.”

The fourth runner with sub-2:20 credentials is Dibaba’s fellow Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia, who has clocked 2:19:31.

Others expected in the chase are Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, last year’s runner up with a PB of 2:20:41 ad Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda, who ran a brilliant marathon debut in January, winning in Osaka with 2:22:44.

A record 44,389 runners from 133 countries have entered. Sunday’s race will also kick-off the 12th edition of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series, which also includes the Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York marathons.

Men’s elite field, with personal bests:

Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:03:05

Wilson Kipsang KEN 2:03:13

Eliud Kiptanui KEN 2:05:21

Amos Kipruto KEN 2:05:43

Abera Kuma ETH 2:05:50

Arata Fujiwara JPN 2:07:48

Yuki Sato JPN 2:08:58

Daisuke Uekado JPN 2:09:27

Kohei Ogino JPN 2:09:36

Kenta Murayama JPN 2:09:50

Daichi Kamino JPN 2:10:18

Zersenay Tadese ERI 2:10:41

Shogo Nakamura JPN 2:10:51

Scott Overall GBR 2:10:55

Julius Ndiritu KEN 2:11:21

Fernando Cabada USA 2:11:36

Chalachew Tiruneh KEN 2:11:54

Saidi Juma Makula TAN 2:12:01

Women’s elite field, with personal bests:

Tirunesh Dibaba ETH 2:17:56

Gladys Cherono KEN 2:19:25

Aselefech Mergia ETH 2:19:31

Edna Kiplagat KEN 2:19:50

Ruti Aga ETH 2:20:41

Mizuki Matsuda JPN 2:22:44

Rei Ohara JPN 2:23:20

Honami Maeda JPN 2:23:48

Andrea Deelstra NED 2:26:46

Inés Melchor PER 2:26:48

Carla Rocha POR 2:27:08

Caterina Ribeiro POR 2:30:10

Ines Montero POR 2:30:36

Rachel Hannah CAN 2:32:09

Anke Esser GER 2:43:14

Miyuki Uehara JPN Debut

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NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 15 – The second edition of the Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom youth football tournament season two has received a major boost after Spain’s top football league, LaLiga offered its partnership. 

The partnership involves a scouting program that will see certified LaLiga coaches travel to Kenya to search for talented players, both boys and girls, who will make up an all-star team. 

“We are very excited to be bringing on board LaLiga to add to the already existing partnership we have with FKF for this second season of Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom. The all-star team selected will get a chance to attend a 10 day the training camp in Spain and will also play a few friendly games against the world’s best Spanish LaLiga academies”, said Charles Kare, Acting Director, Consumer Business Unit, Safaricom. 

Just like the first season the tournament will target talented male and female youth aged between 16 and 20 with an aim of developing grassroots football, scouting for talent and propelling gifted players to the national limelight.  

“When we launched the first edition of Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom, we promised to offer young, gifted footballers a platform to showcase their talent. We kept our promise with 13 players from season one getting the chance to join under-20 national team. Several players have also been signed up by the local top leagues for both men and women. We are looking forward to unearthing even more talent in season two”, said Nick Mwendwa, FKF President. 

Over 1,500 teams took part in the first season of the tournament whose final was held at the Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega.  

The launch of the second season was marked with friendly matches involving reigning Champions, Kapenguria Heroes and Plateau Queens who played Nairobi region champions Gor Mahia Youth FC and Beijing Raiders. 

“If the talent on show today is anything to go by, then LaLiga certified coaches will be in for a tough time selecting the all-star team that will travel to Spain. We are really excited about this partnership with a leading brand such as Safaricom and we look forward to hosting the young boys and girls who will have been chosen”, said Gregory Bolle, Head of Global Partnerships and Marketing, LaLiga.  

Registration for tournament will close on 30th September with group games being played countrywide from October 2018.  

Registration forms are available via the Website (http://chapadimba.safaricom.co.ke/) and from all Safaricom shops and local FKF offices. 

The top regional teams will qualify for the national finals where the winners in both the men and women categories will walk away with Sh1 Million. 

The post Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom Partners With Spain’s LaLiga For Season Two appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 15 – An All-Star team will be selected during the Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom season 2 to earn a lifetime opportunity to play a top senior team in the Spanish La Liga.

The partnership between Safaricom and LaLiga involves a scouting program that will see certified LaLiga coaches travel to Kenya to search for talented players, both boys and girls, who will make up an all-star team.

“We are very excited to be bringing on board LaLiga to add to the already existing partnership we have with FKF for this second season of Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom,” said Charles Kare, Acting Director, Consumer Business Unit, Safaricom

“As you know LaLiga is home to some of the best footballers in the world including five-time world player of year Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Luka Modric. The all-star team selected will get a chance to attend a 10 day the training camp in Spain and will also play a few friendly games against the world’s best Spanish LaLiga academies,” he added.

Just like the first season, the tournament will target talented male and female youth aged between 16 and 20 with an aim of developing grassroots football, scouting for talent and propelling gifted players to the national limelight.

“When we launched the first edition of Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom, we promised to offer young, gifted footballers a platform to showcase their talent. We kept our promise with 13 players from season one getting the chance to join under-20 national team,” FKF President Nick Mwendwa said.

“Several players have also been signed up by the local top leagues for both men and women. We are looking forward to unearthing even more talent in season two.”

Over 1,500 teams took part in the first season of the tournament whose final was held at the Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega.

The launch of the second season was marked with friendly matches involving reigning Champions, Kapenguria Heroes and Plateau Queens who played Nairobi region champions Gor Mahia Youth FC and Beijing Raiders.

“If the talent on show today is anything to go by, then LaLiga certified coaches will be in for a tough time selecting the all-star team that will travel to Spain. We are really excited about this partnership with a leading brand such as Safaricom and we look forward to hosting the young boys and girls who will have been chosen,” said Gregory Bolle, Head of Global Partnerships and Marketing, LaLiga.

Registration for tournament will close on 30th September with group games being played countrywide from October 2018. Registration forms are available via the Website (http://chapadimba.safaricom.co.ke/) and from all Safaricom shops and local FKF offices.

The top regional teams will qualify for the national finals where the winners in both the men and women categories will walk away with KES 1 Million.

The post Chapa Dimba All-Star team to play in Spain appeared first on Capital Sports.

LONDON, United Kingdom, Sep 15 – Jurgen Klopp challenged Liverpool to extend their blistering start after the Premier League leaders delivered a statement of intent with a “perfect” 2-1 win against Tottenham.

Klopp’s side made it five successive victories as goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino rewarded their dominant display at Wembley on Saturday.

Erik Lamela’s late strike for Tottenham prompted a nervous finale as the hosts appealed in vain for a penalty when Sadio Mane challenged Son Heung-min.

But anything less than three points would have been cruel on Liverpool, who punished mistakes from Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm and the rest of his error-prone team.

Liverpool are off to their best start since 1990-91 as they chase a first English title since 1989-90.

This mature display marked them out as the most likely challengers to champions Manchester City.

But Reds boss Klopp, a winner at Wembley for the first time, wants to see his men produce a sustained spell of excellence before he agrees with that sentiment.

“I’m really happy and proud about the performance because the boys came back (from international duty) only on Wednesday and Thursday,” Klopp said.

“With all good results, of course you have momentum. Now we won a few games, that’s good, but it doesn’t change anything for us. It’s a long season.

“I’m happy with my squad, it’s really good, but we will have problems in the season. How we deal with that, I don’t know.

“I’m not a personality to wait for problems, but I’m old enough to know they will come.

“Nobody will play the perfect season. It’s still early, five games, fantastic we won all five and improved. I like that development.

“Now we have to prove that and do it again and again.”

After suffering four defeats against their top six rivals last season, including a 4-1 thrashing at Tottenham, this was exactly the kind of composed performance Klopp wanted to see.

Liverpool have yet to scale the attacking peaks they hit during last season’s run to the Champions League final.

But they are so well drilled and are playing with such hunger that no-one has been able to rattle them yet.

– ‘Outstanding’ –

Klopp was delighted with the way Liverpool passed their first test against a genuine title rival.

“The performance was better than the result and the result is perfect,” he said.

“Winning here is so difficult. I would never expect that, you need a really outstanding performance and that’s what the boys delivered.

“We could have scored more. We controlled the game. It was the best game of the season. We had 85 brilliant minutes.”

The only cloud for Klopp was the eye injury that Firmino suffered in a clash with Jan Vertonghen.

“Maybe an injury with Roberto, something in his eye, we don’t know in this moment. It is not comfortable for him,” he added.

Tottenham have lost consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 2016, puncturing the optimism engendered by three successive wins to start the campaign.

“The performance wasn’t great. If we analyse the first five games, the performances were similar but today the opponent was Liverpool,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

“When you make mistakes of course you will be punished by the quality they have. Of course they deserved to win.”

Tottenham have made a habit of falling short on the big occasions under Pochettino, who is yet to win a trophy since joining the club.

And he admitted Tottenham must improve dramatically to challenge for major silverware this season.

“The reality is this type of game shows we need to improve if we want to be contenders at the end to win some titles,” he said.

Hamstrung by injuries to Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris, as well as Harry Kane’s post-World Cup malaise, Pochettino added: “It’s the toughest season because it’s a challenge to work with a team that arrived a few days before the start of the competition.

“I’m not worried. We are going to win a lot of games.”

The post ‘Now prove it again’: Klopp tells Liverpool appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – Eliud Kipchoge ran the race of his life on Sunday morning smashing Dennis Kimetto’s four-year old World Record enroute to winning the Berlin Marathon running in a time of 2:01:39.

Meanwhile, Gladys Cherono completed a golden Kenyan double in the streets of Berlin, successfully defending her crown in a new course record time of 2:18:11

Cherono withstood the challenge of the Ethiopian duo of Ruti Aga and Tirunesh Dibaba to strike her third Berlin crown having also won it in 2015 but missed the 2016 showpiece due to injury.

Aga came second in 2:18:34 while Dibaba was third crossing the line in 2:18:55.

Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat finished fourth in a time of 2:21:18 and made history of her own by becoming the first female athlete to run in all World Marathon Majors and finishing within the top six in all.

But the toast of the day belonged to Eliud, arguably the best marathoner to ever grace the sport.

“I had great belief that I would run a World Record but I dint know I would run 2:01. That’s what I believed (breaking World Record) and I am happy for it.”

“It wasn’t a plan (running without pacemakers) because I thought I would go with them up to to 30km but it was unfortunate. But, I had the belief and I was really ready for Berlin I had to push on my own,” the ecstatic Kipchoge said after the historic feat.

He added jokingly; “What next for me now is that I have run 2:00, now 2: 01, next is to run 2:02, so that I have all the times.. in my arms.”

The Olympic champion led a Kenyan 1-2-3 podium sweep, youngster Amos Kipruto coming second on his 26th birthday in a time of 2:06:24 while former World Record holder Wilson Kipsang finished third in 2:06:48.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge celebrates with the clock after setting a new world record on September 16, 2018 in Berlin.An ecstatic Kipchoge cut the tape with glee and excitement written all over his face, thumping his chest with both arms and letting out a scream that told just half the story of how much the record meant for him.

Kipchoge ran virtually half the race alone after dropping the last pacemaker Josephat Bout at the 25km mark having taken him through in 1:12:24 which was 36 seconds within World Record pace.

His face never showed any signs of fatigue or worry and by the Half Marathon point, he had run in 1:00: 46.

If it was expected that Kipchoge would be slowing down as the race progressed, then ‘the great philosopher’ went exactly the opposite direction.

He kept injecting the pace and by the 30km mark, he was a massive 52 seconds inside World Record pace having covered the distance in a time of 1:26:45.

His split of 14:21 between the 25km and 30km mark was the fastest ever recorded in a Marathon, breaking his own previous mark set at the London Marathon in 2016 where he came close to breaking the record.

Then, he had covered the same distance in 1:27:13.

As the race progressed, it was now never a question of if, but when he would be breaking the World Record.

This was going to be the seventh time that the record was falling in Berlin over the last 15 years.

With two kilometres to go, it was now evident, Kimetto’s record was going to fall.

A resilient Kipchoge had covered 40km in a time of 1:56:32, a whooping 57 seconds of the record and still brandishing his trademark smile.

He accelerated over the final two kilometres and with his eyes on the finishing line, shone into the cheering crowd with his infectious smile, striding to cut the tape in a new record time, by a whooping one minute and 18 seconds.

While Kipchoge savored his victory, Kipruto who was celebrating his 26th birthday held his own to come in for second while Kipsang who dropped out of the race last year finished third.

The post Kipchoge smashes Marathon World Record appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – Gor Mahia’s lack of match fitness was clearly evident on Sunday evening as they went down by a solitary goal to relegation threatened Thika United at the Thika Sub-County Stadium, handing the home side a massive survival boost.

K’Ogalo whose players have not trained for the entire week just met up on the morning of match day and travelled to Thika, and the home side were more than willing to take advantage to pick maximum points and they did so to move to 26 points in the standings.

They however remained placed bottom, just one point behind Wazito FC whose survival hopes were dealt a hammer blow after losing 1-0 to Ulinzi Stars at the Kericho Green Stadium earlier in the afternoon.

In the other matches, Vihiga United picked a boosing point after playing to a 1-1 draw with Sony Sugar in Mumias while Chemelil on Saturday boosted their hopes with a 1-0 win over Mathare United in Awasi.

But it was at the Thika Stadium that the story of the weekend was waiting to unfold with uncertainty whether or not the striking Gor players would show up for the match. Gor have not trained whole week protesting non-payment of salaries and allowances.

“The players gave their all in this match but it was going to be difficult to prepare for this match without training,” Gor head coach Dylan Kerr lamented after the match.

Thika were under the tutelage of former Mathare Youth coach Gabriel ‘Kingi’ Njoroge who was stepping in for the first time after being called upon to save the sinking ship.

“The players warmly welcomed me from the look of training during the week, we were heading for a positive result despite playing a side that hasn’t trained, at times a team can win even without training, we had to be cautious,” Njoroge who has had stints with Mathare United and City Stars further said.

While this was only the second loss this season for Gor, Thika were in cloud nine having picked a win for the first time since May, a run that has seen them go for 11 matches without registering victory losing nine of them.

It wasn’t a classic Gor match as the players only looked to have come in to fulfil the obligations of the match and help the club avoid a possible Sh1mn fine for handing a walk over.

Golden boot chasing Jacques Tuyisenge had a chance inside 16 minutes when he was played through by Burundian Francis Mustafa, but he fired wide from close range though he had already been flagged offside.

The champions-elect had another chance off a Boniface Omondi corner, but Charles Momanyi’s connection with a header was off target.

Thika had to wait till the 21^st minute to register their first meaningful effort at goal falling on Michael Odongo, but he could not beat the keeper one on one off a Zak Matasi cross.

Gor came ever so close after 35 minutes when Wellington Ochieng’s cracking shot came off the upright while Wesley Onguso wasted a glorious chance with a freekick from goal scoring range hitting it over and wide.

In the second half Kerr made changes bringing on Bernard Ondiek and Innocent Wafula for Joachim Oluoch and Samuel Onyango with Thika responding by throwing in James Kinyanjui and Richard Kang’ethe for Benson Iregi and Haji Mwachoki.

It was Thika’s changes that proved fruitful with the home side breaking the deadlock in the 62^nd minute with Odongo pouncing on a lose ball after keeper Peter Odhiambo punched Michael Mutinda’s shot into his path.

Having gone down, Gor gave a fight and thought to have had a point late on but Francis Mustafa’s goal was ruled out for offside.

The post Struggling Thika shock troubled Gor Mahia appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – Even before they could play the Main Cup final at the Christie Sevens on Sunday, Homeboyz RFC had already been declared the overall National Sevens Circuit champions after they progressed to the semis with their closest challengers Mwamba falling off at the same stage.

The Deejays scratched an overall 122 points having won four of the six legs, including the final stop at the Christie Sevens where they beat hosts Kenya Harlequins 24-19 courtesy of a Leonard Mugaisi sudden death try.

“I am so pleased that we could win this title because we have really worked hard for it. The best thing we did was win the first three legs and I think that set us up for the title. It has been very tough but coming off winners is a huge boost for us as a team,” skipper Mugaisi told Capital Sport after the final.

Coach Paul Murunga added; “I am so delighted. Last season we lost it by two points to Kabras but this time, we corrected our mistakes and we came in stronger. We had some few mistakes in Mombasa and Kisumu, but I am glad we could get a win over the line.”

A tense final saw Quins take charge, eager to finish the season in style by winning their own tournament.

Former Homeboyz man Cyprian Kuto sought to punish his old employers dotting down both of Quins’ tries. The home side was handed an advantage when Mugaisi was sent to the sin bin early on.

They took advantage of the one-man advantage with Kuto racing down the right with his trademark speed before brushing aside two chasers inside the try box as he landed under the posts. The conversion was good with Quins going 7-0 up.

They thought to have extended the lead when Ugandan Solomon Okia crossed over but the try was cancelled and play pulled back for a Homeboyz scrum.

Nonetheless, Quins went 14-0 up just after Mugaisi had been reintroduced into the pitch when Okia, later named man of the tournament pounced on a loose pass by the Deejays before storming under the posts and waiting for Kuto to hand him the ball for his second try.

Homeboyz pulled one back just before half time, the marauding Jeff Oluoch turning over possession and launching a gassed up run on the left. Kuto followed his ex-teammate matching him for pace, but Oluoch pushed him away with a strong hand-off to dot down under the posts.

Just a minute into the second half, Oluoch added his second, turning over possession from Quins before sliding down under the posts. The conversion from Johnstone Olindi was over, scores now tied at 14-14.

A resilient Quins turned the tables on the deejays, Kenya Sevens star Eden Agero’s intelligent kick pass splitting the Homeboyz defense landing on Patrice Agunda who offloaded to Aaron Ofoirwoth who also took on a little kick and chase before landing his try.

The conversion was wide but Quins were 19-14 ahead.

Okia was shown yellow reducing Quins to six men and Homeboyz took advantage with Olindi dotting down a try on the right. The conversion was wide seeing the two teams tied at 19-19 and they headed for extra time.

Mugaisi landed the sudden death try after a little kick and chase with Homeboyz having turned over possession from kick off.

Meanwhile, a combined squad from South Africa’s Blue Bulls and TUKS finished third after beating a resurgent Strathmore Leos 31-5 in the play-off.

Earlier on, KCB finished fifth after beating Uganda’s Emerging Cranes 29-5. Tries from Davis Chenge and Jeff Okwacha gave KCB a 10-0 lead before the Ugandans hit back with an unconverted try for a 10-5 score.

An Ahmed Shaban effort gave KCB a 17-5 lead at the break. Second half tries from Shaban and Okwacha secured the 29-5 win for KCB and fifth place at the Christies.

And, a Dennis Ombachi inspired Nondies won their second consecutive Challenge Trophy with a 21-14 win over Nakuru RFC.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – Afrika Aviation edged White Cap Lager 8-7 to win the Kenya International Six-Goal Polo tournament at Nairobi Polo Club on Sunday afternoon.

Captained by five goaler Gareth Evans, Afrika Aviation needed a late goal from the top man himself to seal victory at the death.

The victors needed to work hard in the fourth Chukka where they were trailing by a goal, a brilliant field goal from Aisha Gross made the scores 7 ups before Gareth netted the winner from 60 yards for the team that was sponsored by Raphael Nzomo, Nairobi club vice chairman.

It was a match of the high goalers, Kenya’s top ranked Jamie Murray leading White Cap while Gareth Evans was equally for task for the winners.

The two players scored six goals each for their sides in the evenly matched match.

Northern Kenya based Murray drew the first blood for White Cap Lager. Georgina Millar levelled the scores before Gareth Evans netted his first for a 2-1 Afrika Aviation lead at the end of the first Chukka.

Jamie restored matters at start of the second chukka, a lead that barely lasted as Gareth gave the winners a 3-2 lead.

The chukka was the busiest, Danny Murray scored for White Cap, with his father scoring two more for a 5-5 score at the end of the third chukka.

Nick Millar, the only member from the winning side from last year had his teammates to thank for the hard fought victory.

“It was wasa tough match that was won in the final 29 seconds when we scored the winning goal.

“There was no much time left therefore we were confident we had won it,” Millar remarked.

Going to the much we knew Jamie was always going to be a big threat and it was up to the team to try to shut him down.

“Jamie is extremely talented with amazing horses,most importantly we are friends,” the Manyatta club based player added.

On Saturday,Afrika Aviation defeated  Mombasa Island Cargo Terminal (MICT) 9- 6.5.

In the other semi final, White Cap Lager edged Governors Camp 7.5-7 in the pulsating match of the day.

On Friday, MICT led by handicap four player and South African international, Buster MacKenzie, edged out White Cap Lite 6.5-5 to sail into the semi finals of Kenya Polo International Six-Goal tournament at Nairobi Polo Club.

Afrika Aviation, captained by Gareth Evans, also from South Africa, beat Work In Progress 7-4  to set a semi-final date with MICT, whose patron is Gideon Moi.

Governors Camp humbled Ultimate Security 6-2.5 to set a semi-finals showpiece with White Cap Lager, who edged Samurai 6-5.5.

Handicap five player, Evans helped Aviation to control the pitch; both in defence and attacking.

The winning team comprised of Nick Millar (2), Aisha Gross (0.5) and Georgina Millar (0) and Gareth Evans (5).

Governors Camp won the third place play offs 8-5.5 at the expense of MICT. While Samurai defeated White Cap Lite 6-2.5 to win the Plate.

Attention now shifts to the Kenya International 14 goal Polo tournament at the same ground.

-By Amos Abuga-

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MEDELLIN, Colombia, Sep 17 – Kenyan athlete Joseph Kiprono was knocked down by a car Sunday as he was leading a half-marathon in Colombia in which another competitor collapsed and died, the organizers said.

Kiprono — a previous winner of the event — was leading the 21 kilometer (13 mile) race in second-city Medellin when he was struck by a car that authorities said had “violated a road closure.”

After being treated by medics on the spot, he was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises and later reported by doctors to be in good condition.

Organizers said a 38-year-old runner had collapsed during the race with heart problems and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.

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USTI NAD LABEM, Czech Republic, Sep 17 – Kenyans Stephen Kiprop and Diana Chemtai Kipyokei raced to comfortable victories at the Mattoni Usti nad Labem Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday.

Kiprop took the men’s race in 59:41 while Kipyokei clocked 1:07:17 to equal the race record set by Peres Jepchirchir in 2015.

A strong wind and warm temperatures of 20 degrees-plus did not help fulfill the expectations of the strong international elite field gathered but the race did provide some surprising results and personal bests.

In the men’s contest, Kiprop, at 19 the youngest in the elite field, took control of the race in the 12th kilometre to finish unchallenged, clipping three seconds from his personal best in the process in his fourth half marathon of the year.

His compatriot Barselius Kipyego was second in 1:00:25 with Abel Kipchumba, also of Kenya, third in 1:00:39.

In the women’s race, Kipyokei improved her personal best by 18 seconds just a week after improving her career best over 10k to 30:23 in Prague. Nancy Jepkosgei Kiprop was second in 1:07:32, followed by Lucy Cheruiyot who clocked 1:09:52 to complete a Kenyan podium sweep.

-Murigi defends World Mountain Running Championship

Kenya’s Lucy Murigi successfully defended her senior title at the IAAF/WMRA World Mountain Running Championships in Andorra on Sunday.

With the championships held in Andorra for the first time, the senior runners were greeted with a sometimes steep but generally fast course over 12km with 1028m ascent.

Although mainly uphill – these championships alternate year by year between up-only and up-and-down – it contained 100m of elevation drop and the terrain was a mixture of forest trail, mountain path, gravel tracks, stony paths and meadow.

Murigi, who had come into the race having retained her title at the high-class Sierre Zinal mountain race, quickly established a lead, reaching the midway checkpoint at 4.72km in 26:25 with a margin of 25 seconds over compatriot Viola Jelagat and Austria’s six-time champion Andrea Mayr.

Uganda’s Patricia Chepkwemboi was following 14 seconds behind, three seconds ahead of Britain’s Emily Collinge, who was runner-up in 2015.

Murigi, who won by 78 seconds last year, was able to extend her lead on the subsequent slight descent and final climb, reaching the finish in 1:04:55 at Forn de Canillo cable car lift 65 seconds clear.

Switzerland’s Maude Mathys, who won the European title this summer, covered the second half almost as quickly. Moving up from seventh at the first checkpoint, 29 seconds behind Jelagat, she took silver 26 seconds ahead of Jelagat, who earned bronze.

With Joyce Njeru in 13th, Kenya comfortably won the team gold.

“It was not an easy race because there were many strong runners from around the world,” said Murigi, who boasts a half marathon PB of 1:10:52. “From the first kilometre to two kilometres I was feeling strong and so I pushed until the end. I am very happy to be a winner.”

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BEIJING, China, Sep 17 – Pre-race favourite Valary Aiyabei lived up to expectations at the Beijing Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first ever Kenyan winner of the women’s race at the IAAF Gold Label event.

The women’s race was first introduced to the Beijing Marathon in 1989, but Kenyan runners had never previously managed to reach the top step of the women’s podium.

Aiyabei, the fastest entrant and the only Kenyan in the elite women’s field, broke clear after 20 kilometres and kept pushing ahead until hitting the line in 2:21:38, ending a four-year winning run by Ethiopian runners.

Her winning mark is the fourth fastest in the history of the race and the quickest mark since 2005, but is two minutes shy of the 2:19:39 course record set by Sun Yingjie in 2003.

“This is my first time running the Beijing Marathon,” said the 27-year-old, who set her PB of 2:20:53 when finishing third at last year’s Berlin Marathon. “The race today was good and the weather was good. Everything was good. I want to say thanks to my pacemaker and my husband, he did the best job. I am very happy.”

-Cool and breezing conditions

The race was staged under cool ad breezing conditions and the in-form Aiyabei tried to break away soon after the gun. After passing the water station at five kilometres, only Bahrain’s Eunice Chebichi Chumba, with a PB of 2:24:27 set last year in Rotterdam, managed to keep up with Aiyabei’s pace.

The duo remained together for another 15 kilometres before Aiyabei finally broke free from Chumba.

Paced by her husband Kenneth Tarus, Aiyabei kept widening the gap between her and Chumba. When Tarus stepped out of the course at 40 kilometres, Aiyabei had already built a lead of more than four minutes.

The 25-year-old Chumba, who was the fourth-place finisher at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia and just collected a 10,000m silver medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta last month, was eventually more than five minutes behind Aiyabei as she took second place in 2:26:56.

-Ethiopia duo

Ethiopia’s Fatuma Sado, a 2:24:16 performer and winner of the 2014 edition of the race, finished third in 2:27:41.

Ethiopia’s Dejene Debela also enjoyed a lone lead in the final 10 kilometres of the men’s race and took the convincing win in 2:12:08.

“The time was not very good, but I am happy for winning the competition,” said Debela who owns a career best of 2:07:10 from his fourth-place finish in Eindhoven last year.

It was Debela’s first ever race in Beijing but his second marathon victory in China this season. In January, he emerged victorious from a three-man battle in the last kilometre to win at the Xiamen Marathon in 2:11:22, which was also his first title since debuting over the classic distance since 2016.

This time he earned the victory in a more comfortable way.

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SYDNEY, Australia, Sep 17 – Elijah Kemboi and Mercy Kibarus, among the favoured runners in the Blackmores Sydney Marathon, duly delivered a double victory for Kenya in the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday.

Kemboi broke a run of three successive wins by Japanese athletes in taking the men’s race while Kibarus produced the third-fastest winning women’s time on the Sydney course, which starts with an up-and-over run over Sydney Harbour Bridge and produces several other tough challenges along the route to the finish at the Opera House.

Favouritism is often a heavy burden in a marathon, but Kemboi and Kibarus bore the mantle lightly. Each had seen off their closest rivals by the 35-kilometre point and ran to victory unchallenged over the final stages.

Kibarus had finished third in the women’s race last year, the pack opting to stick together as Makda Harun made a winning move approaching the exit from Centennial Park near the 20-kilometre mark.

This time it was Kibarus and Eunice Jeptoo who pushed clear at almost the same point, breaking away from a group which included the other main contenders Hayimanot Alemayehu and Zanesh Debebe Getachew of Ethiopia and a third Kenyan, Leah Kiprono.

Kibarus and Jeptoo seemed to be sharing the pace over the next 15 kilometres, but Kibarus took over for good nearing the 35-kilometre point.

The 34-year-old, who finished fifth at the 2014 World Half Marathon Championships, pushed on to the finish in 2:31:24, the third-fastest winning time in the race behind Harun’s 2:28:02 from last year and the 2:29:42 by Biruktayit Degefa in 2014.

Jeptoo held on well to retain second place, some 58 seconds behind, in 2:32:22, with Getachew third in 2:33:53.

-‘Master’ kemboi schools Ayeko

With three sub-2:08 marathons to his name among seven sub-2:10 performances, Kemboi looked the class of the men’s field. In the marathon, however, you have to execute your race plan before the race executes you.

The just-turned 34-year-old dominated the race from the start in North Sydney to the finish at the Opera House. It had come down to a race of three very shortly after the start as the lead group was whittled down from 10, to six and then to Kemboi, Uganda’s Thomas Ayeko, and Birhanu Addisie of Ethiopia.

Addisie never looked too interested in sharing the leading duties, but Kemboi motioned the younger Ayeko, the Commonwealth Games 5000m fourth-place finisher and with a 1:00:26 half marathon to his credit, to the front several times in the first 30 kilometres.

“It was good to be together,” Kemboi explained after the race. “We were assisting and pushing each other for the whole race.”

Not quite the whole race, however, which was over as a contest as soon as Kemboi turned the screws another notch with about 10 kilometres to run. Addisie had been disposed of some 10 kilometres before that, falling back just beyond the half-way mark as the trio began the run down through the Central Business District to the harbour-front.

Sunday had dawned with a welcome cool change. After Sydney had sweated through a warm race eve when the temperature peaked at just over 30C, race day brought cooler conditions.

The temperature peaked in the mid-teens, though there was a brisk wind which noticeably tugged Kemboi’s racing singlet off his shoulder on the more exposed parts of the course across the bridge and through Centennial Park.

It was in the park that Kemboi really got to work on whittling down the contenders. He pushed the pace, Ayeko occasionally answering the call to maintain the tempo and Addisie content to sit back and wait for a chance later (it never came).

Once Kemboi had broken away, his lead grew with virtually every step. Approaching the 40km mark, he glanced back over his shoulder several times, but there was no one to be seen. The wind off the harbour and the testing course kept the winning time down to a modest 2:13:37.

Ayeko dropped back by just over two minutes by the finish, crossing the line to take second place in 2:15:52. Addisie looked at times as if he might mount a challenge for second, but he could not sustain it, finishing third in 2:16:25.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 17 – If both finish within the top three National Super League (NSL) promotion slots, whoever finishes lower than the other between Western Stima and Nairobi Stima faces the possibility of missing out on ascending to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

According to FIFA statutes, the two, both sponsored by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) cannot play in the top tier at the same time.

Article 20 of the FIFA Statutes states; “Every member association shall ensure that its affiliated clubs can take all decisions on any matters regarding membership independently of any external body. This obligation applies regardless of an affiliated club’s corporate structure.”

“In any case, the member association shall ensure that neither a natural nor a legal person (including holding companies and subsidiaries) exercises control in any manner whatsoever (in particular through a majority shareholding, a majority of voting rights, a majority of seats on the board of directors or any other form of economic dependence or control, etc.) over more than one club whenever the integrity of any match or competition could be jeopardized.”

With this statute, it would be impossible to have the two teams playing in the same league if at all it is proved that both share a similar shareholding or economic dependence on one entity.

“It was the same case sometimes back when Mathare United and Mathare Youth played in the KPL. They had to prove beyond doubt that the two were separate entities. According to that FIFA Statute, Western, Nairobi and Coast Stima should not even be playing in the NSL together. Probably if there is a proof that the two are not sharing the same sponsorship structure then that’s okay,” KPL CEO Jack Oguda told Capital Sport.

Meanwhile, Football Kenya federation who run the second tier NSL say they have referred the matter to the legal department which should be giving them a response soon.

“We are aware of the issue and we have the legal team handling that. They should be getting back to us on the position. I cannot pre-empt on anything at this point until further advised by the legal team,” FKF Head of Communications Barry Otieno noted.

Currently, Western Stima who were relegated from the top tier at the close of last season sit at the apex of the standings with 70 points, seven ahead of second placed KCB who have played a match less. Nairobi Stima are third with 62.

Western Stima and KCB made the most of slip ups from their fellow promotion chasers over the weekend, the power-men winning by a solitary goal against Nairobi City Stars at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu on Sunday.

KCB who are seeking a return to top flight after two seasons in the lower cadre picked a priceless 2-1 win over Kenya Police at the Camp Toyoyo Grounds with head coach Elvis Ayanya confident they can rack up promotion.

“It was a tough match but getting three points was a huge reprieve for us. We need to take a match at a time and give our all and I am certain we will earn that promotion slot,” Ayany, a former Ulinzi Stars midfielder said.

Meanwhile, Nairobi Stima slipped to third after being held to a barren draw away to Bidco United. Ushuru failed to take advantage of the slip up playing to a similar score-line against Kangemi All Stars on Sunday.

The top two finishers in the league earn automatic slots in next season’s Premier League while the third placed team will face the 16^th placed team from the KPL in a play-off.

NSL Weekend Results

Friday

Administration Police 1-2 Green Commandos (Camp Toyoyo)

Saturday

Bidco United 0-0 Nairobi Stima (Thika Stadium)

Kisumu All-Stars 0-0 Migori Youth (Moi Stadium)

KCB 2-1 Kenya Police (Camp Toyoyo)

Sunday

Western Stima 1-0 City Stars (Moi Stadium)

Modern Coast Rangers 2-1 Kibera Black Stars (Mbaraki Sports Club)

Nakuru All-Stars 0-1 Coast Stima (Afraha Stadium)

Talanta 2-2 GFE 105 (Camp Toyoyo)

Ushuru 0-0 Kangemi All-Stars (Camp Toyoyo)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 17 – Former Kenya Sevens head coach Benjamin Ayimba has tipped his former assistant and current Homeboyz RFC head coach Paul Murunga to take over the coaching role as the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) prepares to appoint a new boss before the end of the month.

Ayimba who worked with Murunga as his assistant during his spell at the national team including in 2016 when they led Kenya to their first ever World Sevens Series Main Cup title in Singapore believes Murunga is the best bet for the job.

“If you ask me now, there is no other coach better placed for the national team than Pau. (Murunga). He has achieved locally what no other coach has. I mean winning four out of six legs of the circuit is not a mean feat and this is something that he has done repeatedly. Give him the job,” Ayimba said.

He added; “I have worked with him and I know his work ethic, I know what he can do and I know he can handle this job.”

Murunga is a front runner for the job and speaking to Capital Sport, he says he is optimistic of getting the job based on his experience and achievements both at club and national team level.

“When it comes to my achievements, there’s more than winning the circuit. As an individual, I have been with the junior and senior teams in the Olympics and my CV speaks for itself. I have also been able to achieve more as an individual in terms of coaching and technical knowledge,” the tactician told Capital Sport.

He added; “I have been there as an assistant coach and I have also worked with the 15s team. I have learned more along the road and I think I am more than able to take over the job when given the chance.”

The Kenya Rugby Union is expected to finalize the process of picking up a successor to Innocent ‘Namcos’ Simiyu whose two-year spell at the helm of the team ends next month.

The Union is expected to name the new boss by the end of the month with the Africa 7s and the return of the annual Safari 7s tournament hanging around the horizon ahead of the new World Sevens Series season in November.

Meanwhile, Kenya 7s star Jeff Oluoch who also works with Muirunga at Homeboyz believes the tactician is capable of doing the job if given the chance.

“He is a good coach and understands the game really well so if he is given the job I have no doubt he can do it. But as a player, I am ready to work with anyone because our job is on the pitch to play,” Oluoch who starred for the Shujaas last season noted.

Meanwhile, Murunga has heaped praise on his charges for their emphatic performance in the national sevens series this season where they finished the season with 122 points after getting to five finals in the six legs of the circuit, winning four of them.

The tactician says the performance was down to a good pre-season and a perfect start which saw them win the opening three legs in Nakuru (Prinsloo), Kabeberi (Machakos) and Sepetuka (Eldoret). Murunga was even more delighted topping it up with the Christie title, one he had not won in a while.

“We had won the series already just after the quarter finals and coming into the semis, our target was to win Christies and I am glad we did it despite being in a tough final,”

“The feeling is good, last year we lost the circuit by two points to Kabras, but we went back to the drawing board and made sur we were able to tick all the right boxes. Winning the first three was a big step to chasing the overall title.” The tactician noted.

Meanwhile he has disclosed the team’s intricate balance of youth and experience has been their secret as they have had a good squad depth to last them the entire season.

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LONDON, United Kingdom, Sep 17 – Formula 1 will not extend the blue flag margin past its current time of 1.2s, despite Valtteri Bottas calling for just that in Singapore.

Chasing Nico Hulkenberg to lap him, Bottas was frustrated with the Renault driver and the stewards as he felt Hulkenberg should have been shown blue flags to move over.

The German, though, was more than 1.2s ahead of Bottas meaning there would be no flags until the Finn closed the gap.

However, given the nature of the circuit, Bottas was struggling to do just that.

Charlie Whiting, though, says the FIA won’t extend the margin out to 1.6 or even 1.4s.

“This time last year it was one second, and we had discussions, and we opened it up to 1.2s,” he told Autosport.

“I don’t think we should go any more than that, because then you get into a situation where a driver has to back off and lose a lot more time than he really should to let the other car through, if he’s got to do it at his earliest opportunity.

“If we say, when he’s 1.4s or 1.6s behind, you’ve got to move right over, back off, and lose a lot of time, we don’t want that to happen because it’s not fair.”

He added: “I think it’s reasonable to expect that a driver can get within 1.2s. Everyone else did except Valtteri.

“I don’t know why that was. Maybe his car wasn’t exactly how he wanted it. I spoke to him earlier and he said he just couldn’t make any headway.

“That’s not our problem, without wishing to sound unkind.

“Everyone else was abiding by that and had to work to that, so we couldn’t make an exception for him.”

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 18 – Rugby sevens’ Olympic qualification pathway for Tokyo 2020 has been confirmed by the International Olympic Committee and World Rugby.

Twelve teams will compete for medals in both the men’s and women’s rugby sevens competitions from 27 July-1 August at Tokyo Stadium.

Japan’s men’s and women’s teams have secured automatic qualification as hosts of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, leaving 11 places in each event to be filled through the qualification process.

Just as for Rio 2016, the top four teams in the men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 will confirm their places in Tokyo.

An additional six teams will qualify through the men’s and women’s World Rugby regional association Olympic qualification tournaments.

Regional association tournaments will take place in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America from June-December 2019. The top ranked team from each regional tournament will secure qualification.

The final opportunity for Olympic qualification will be at the World Rugby Olympic Repechage tournament. Twelve teams, comprising of the next two highest ranked teams based on 2019 regional qualification rankings from each region, will be invited to participate in these Olympic repechage tournaments.

The repechage will take place at a time between the final regional qualification event and June 2020 with the overall winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments claiming the last available places for Tokyo 2020.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “Rugby sevens’ inclusion in the Olympic Games has had a profound effect on the growth of the sport at all levels. As we enter another Olympic qualifying cycle, teams have everything to play for.

“We are anticipating another thrilling HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and also expect the regional association qualification tournaments to be highly competitive.

“We look forward to following the fast-paced rugby sevens action across the season ahead as teams come within touching distance of Tokyo 2020 and securing another chance of Olympic glory.”

Rugby sevens will again feature in the first week of competition with matches being played across six days of two sessions per day from 27 July-1 August.

In a reverse of the Rio 2016 schedule, the men’s competition will be played over the first three days, followed by the women’s over the final three days, with the medals to be determined on the iconic ‘Super Saturday’.

Sevens made an impressive Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016 with Australia’s women claiming the first rugby gold medal since the 1924 Games and Fiji’s men winning their nation’s first-ever Olympic medal, with an historic gold that captured hearts around the world. Kenya’s men and women teams both finished 11th at this competition.

Following the sport’s successful introduction, recent Nielsen research has estimated that the rugby sevens fan-base grew by more than 30 million as a result, expanding international reach, with emerging markets such as USA, China, India and Brazil showing substantial growth.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 begins with the first round of the women’s series in Colorado, USA, on 20-21 October.

-BY Kenya Rugby Union- 

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 19 – The race to earn Kenyan Premier League promotion heats up this weekend with Western Stima, Nairobi Stima and KCB take to the field seeking not to drop points in the National Super League.

The field is open for the top six teams but focus is on KCB who have tried to return to the top flight football for the first time since 2015 when they were relegated.

The Bankers sit in third place, two behind second placed Nairobi Stima and 10 behind log leaders Western Stima who have played a game more than KCB.

Next fixture for KCB will be against former KPL side Nairobi City Stars scheduled to be hosted at the Camp Toyoyo grounds on Saturday.

The season has been full of ups and downs with the team nearly breaking into a trend of very nervy games where they just scraped through at the end.

The ultimately sacking of head coach John Kamau has seen the Bankers play just one game under Elvis Ayany in which they held on to a 2-1 win against Kenya Police.

Ayany is looking to improve on the last quarter hour of the game and look to do so against their next opponents, Nairobi City Stars.

The Stars are 12 points behind KCB having played the same amount of games (31). As the season comes to the latter stages, the Bankers really have to take advantage of their situation so as to allow a smoother path to the KPL.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 19 – Two-time reigning African Rally Champion Manvir Baryan was on Wednesday named the StarTimes Sports Personality of the month of June.

Navigated by his British partner Drew Sturrock, the Multiple Racing Team Skoda Fabia R5 speedster racked up the coveted award following exhilarating cockpit displays which saw him sweep the ground with all and sundry on the prestigious Gomes Zambia International Rally.

The Zambia rally -synonymous with the legendary Muna Singh rally dynasty of Lusaka- counted towards the fourth round of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) 2018.

Prior to a career second Zambia triumph, Manvir entered his name in the annals of continental rallying history in April by being the first ever non-South African competitor to win ARC 3 York Rally (formerly Sasol Rally) in Nelspruit.

Flanked by Kenya Motor Sports Federation General Manager Mwaura Njuguna, the MRT ace driver said;

“It’s such a great feeling to be considered for any award alongside Kenya’s world beating middle and long distance runners. I’m overly excited to lay my hands on this award and the fact that the rally sport is finally regaining the recognition it has held for donkey’s years.”

KMSF General Manager lauded Manvir for putting the country’s name on the continental arena.

“On behalf of KMSF, I would like to salute Manvir for his exceptional driving lines and uncanny knack on the continental area which has seen his race adversaries trail in his dust.”

SJAK President Chris Mbaisi congratulated Manvir for his consistency over the past two seasons.

“The award cuts across all sports from athletics to table tennis. We have been doing football for a while now and we felt it was also good to get something for other sports,” Mbaisi said.

StarTimes Kenya Marketing Director, Japheth Akhulia stated that;

“StarTimes has endeavored to recognize and reward excellence in major sports genres, this award is a true testament of our diversity where in the past 12 months, it’s the very first time we are awarding a rally champion.”

In winning the June award, Manvir savored a cash award of Sh100,000, a personalized trophy and a StarTimes 43-inch LED TV.

Manvir beat three other nominees to a cutthroat awards procedure conducted by a battery of SJAK scribes’ panel.

The nominees were Gloria Mulei who set a new Triple Jump record of 12.97 meters at the AK National Championships, Sheil Kotecha who won all his singles rubbers at the Davis Cup Africa Group III Championship where Kenya earned promotion to the Euro/Africa Group II and Dominic Abuda who set a new national record of 62.45 metres at the AK National Championships.

The previous record of 59.93 metres was set in 1993 by Patrick Njoroge. Another nominee for the June award was Mathew Sawe who improved his National High Jump Record to 2.30 metres also at the AK National Athletics Championships.

And it was a pleasant surprise for Manvir who is shaping up for the iconic ARC 7 Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally after clinching the FIA continental rally diadem.

The 2017 Kenya Motor Sports Personality-of-the-Year equally sealed the coveted ARC title after winning the ARC 6 Oryx Energy’s Rally of Tanzania in Bagamoyo region. Manvir became the fourth ever Kenyan driver to lay his hands on the coveted ARC title after Shekhar Mehta and David Horsey in 1980s and Jaspreet “Jassi” Chatthe in 2015.

Manvir becomes the fifth winner of the award this year after Telkom women’s hockey club goalkeeper Cynthia Onyango (January), KPA’s basketball forward Felmas Adhiambo (February), three-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor (March), Wycliffe Kinyamal (April) and boxer Judy Waguthii in May.

Other winners of the award incepted last year include World Boxing Council (WBC) female’s super-bantamweight champion Fatma Zarika and Deaflympian Simon Cherono.

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