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Being pregnant at the Olympics, Egyptian carries a ‘little Olympian’

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 Fencing - Women's Individual Sabre - Last 32 - Makuhari Messe Hall B - Chiba, Japan - July 26, 2021. Nada Hafez of Egypt in action 

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez had double reason to celebrate after picking up her first victory at an Olympics in the women’s sabre event on Monday as she revealed that she did so while seven months pregnant.

The 26-year-old Hafez, competing at her third Olympics, beat American world number 10 Elizabeth Tartakovsky 15-13 before losing 15-7 to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea in the round of 16 at the Grand Palais.

Later Hafez said that she was proud not only of her performance, but of having competed while expecting her baby.

“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” Hafez wrote on Instagram.

“I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16 … this specific Olympics was different. Three times Olympian but this time carrying a little Olympian one!”

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Hafez, who previously competed at the Games in 2016 and 2021, said she revealed the news to “shed light on the strength, perseverance of the Egyptian woman”.

“The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it.”

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Arsenal’s 14th Title Strengthens Place Among England’s Greatest Clubs

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Fireworks and fans at the Emirates. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Arsenal F.C.’s latest Premier League triumph has not only ended a 22-year wait for the English title but also strengthened the North London club’s standing among the most successful teams in English football history.

By securing their 14th top-flight championship, Arsenal have consolidated third place on England’s all-time league honours list behind only Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United F.C., who remain tied as the country’s most successful league clubs with 20 titles each.

Arsenal’s latest success moves them comfortably ahead of Manchester City F.C., who have won 10 league crowns despite dominating much of the modern era under Pep Guardiola.

Historically, the English title hierarchy now stands with Liverpool and Manchester United leading on 20 championships, followed by Arsenal on 14 and Manchester City on 10.

Traditional powers such as Everton F.C. remain fourth with nine titles, while Aston Villa have seven. Chelsea and Sunderland each have six league crowns, underlining Sunderland’s status as one of English football’s early powerhouses despite their modern decline.

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Further down the honours list, Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday have four titles apiece, while Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers each boast three championships.

In the Premier League era, however, the balance of power looks markedly different.

Manchester United remain the dominant force of the modern era with 13 Premier League titles, largely accumulated during Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary reign at Old Trafford.

Manchester City’s rise over the past decade has lifted them to second place in the Premier League rankings with eight titles, while Chelsea have collected five since the competition’s formation in 1992.

Arsenal’s latest success represents only their fourth Premier League-era crown despite their rich historical pedigree, placing them behind both Manchester City and Chelsea in the modern standings.

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Liverpool, despite their enormous historical success, have won the Premier League only twice since the competition was rebranded in 1992, while Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City each famously claimed one shock title triumph.

Arsenal’s new championship therefore carries significance on two different historical levels.

First, it restores the club’s reputation as one of English football’s enduring giants after years of frustration and near misses. Secondly, it narrows the gap between Arsenal and the dominant clubs of the Premier League era, particularly Manchester City.

The title also reconnects Arsenal with the golden era of Arsène Wenger, whose legendary “Invincibles” side won the club’s last league title in 2004 without losing a single match.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have now taken a major step toward rebuilding the stature that once made them one of the defining powers of English football.

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The updated honours table also reflects the shifting landscape of the English game, where historic success and modern dominance increasingly tell different stories.

Arsenal’s 14th title cements their third place in English football’s roll of honour:

20 Liverpool, Manchester United
14 Arsenal
10 Manchester City
Everton
Aston Villa
Chelsea, Sunderland
Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday
Blackburn, Huddersfield, Leeds, Wolves
Burnley, Derby, Portsmouth, Preston, Tottenham
Ipswich, Leicester, Nottm Forest, Sheffield United, West Brom

And in the Premier League era, this is how things stand:

13 Manchester United
Manchester City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Liverpool
Blackburn, Leicester

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Ghana, Cameroon, Benin Battle for U20 Women’s World Cup Tickets

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African teams will battle for the remaining qualification spots for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup this weekend as the final round of qualifiers reaches its climax across the continent.

In Kampala, Ghana will attempt to protect a slender 2-1 first-leg advantage when they face Uganda’s U20 girls away from home.

Cameroon are also in a strong position ahead of their return-leg clash against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam after securing a 3-1 victory in the first meeting.

Meanwhile, Benin will fancy their chances of advancing when they host Côte d’Ivoire following a 1-1 draw in Abidjan.

Nigeria’s Falconets are equally close to qualification after earning a 2-0 first-leg victory over Malawi ahead of Saturday’s decisive encounter in Lilongwe.

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The successful teams will join the global field for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next year.

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London Marathon breaks record for largest number of finishers

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 London Marathon - London, Britain - April 26, 2026 General view of runners and spectators on Tower Bridge during the marathon REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

The London Marathon broke the record for the highest number of ​finishers in a marathon, with 59,830 ‌participants completing the course to surpass the mark of 59,226 at last year’s New ​York City event.

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe ​shattered the world record to become ⁠the first man to run the ​marathon in under two hours, followed ​by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also breached the two-hour barrier on Sunday.

“To then break the ​record of the largest number of ​finishers in the history of marathons underlines the ‌inspirational ⁠nature of the London Marathon. We are incredibly proud to have set a new Guinness World Record,” said ​Hugh Brasher, ​CEO of ⁠London Marathon Events.

In the women’s race, three women ran ​under two hours and 16 ​minutes ⁠in a single race for the first time ever, as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa ⁠defended ​her title by shattering ​her own women ‘s-only world record

-Reuters

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