OBITUARY
Slain Ugandan Olympian buried with full military honours
Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after allegedly being doused in petrol and set alight by her former partner, was due to be buried on Saturday with full military honours.
Cheptegei returned to her home in the highlands of western Kenya, an area popular with international runners for its high altitude training facilities, after coming 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11.
It would be her final race.
Three weeks later her former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, allegedly attacked Cheptegei as she returned from church with her two daughters and younger sister in the village of Kinyoro, Kenya police and her family said.
Her father Joseph Cheptegei told Reuters that his daughter had approached police at least three times to file complaints against Marangach, most recently on Aug. 30, two days before the alleged attack by her former partner.
She suffered burns to 80% of her body and succumbed to her injuries four days later.
“I don’t think I am going to make it,” she told her father while being treated in hospital, he said.
“If I die, just bury me at home in Uganda.”
Cheptegei’s tragic death sparked anger over the high levels of violence against women in Kenya, particularly in the athletics community, with the marathoner becoming the third elite runner to allegedly die at the hands of a romantic partner since 2021.
One in three Kenyan girls or women aged 15-49 have suffered physical violence, according to government data from 2022.
Rights groups say female athletes in Kenya are at a high risk of exploitation and violence by men drawn to their prize money, which far exceeds local incomes.
Cheptegei’s sporting successes include winning the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand, and a year later earning first place in the Padova Marathon in Italy and setting a national record for the marathon.
Born in eastern Uganda in 1991, she met Marangach during a training visit to Kenya, later moving to the country to pursue her dream of becoming an elite runner.
Marangach died a few days after Cheptegei, from burns allegedly sustained during the attack, dividing opinion among the local running community.
“Justice really would have been for him to sit in jail and think about what he had done,” said marathoner Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a support group for athletes facing domestic violence in Kenya.
The circumstances of Cheptegei’s death shocked the world, but her name may yet inspire future athletes, with the French capital planning to name a sports facility in her honour.
“She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom,” the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters. “Paris will not forget her.”
-Reuters
The Association of Sports Veterans of Nigeria has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of two of its pioneer members, Adegboye Onigbinde and Henry Nwosu, describing them as towering figures whose contributions greatly shaped Nigerian football.
In a statement jointly signed by the association’s president, Chief Jonathan Ogufere, and secretary, Elder Paul Bassey, the body paid glowing tributes to the late football icons, recalling their immense service to the nation and their achievements on the global stage.
Henry Nwosu
The association noted that Onigbinde rose to prominence after succeeding Brazilian coach Otto Gloria at a time when many Nigerians were clamouring for an indigenous coach to handle the national team.
The late Modakeke-born tactician went on to make history by becoming the first Nigerian coach to lead the national team to a silver medal finish at the 1984 African Cup of Nations finals in Côte d’Ivoire.
Widely respected for his calm touchline demeanour, the traditional chief of Modakeke also achieved another historic milestone when he became the first coach — indigenous or foreign — to defeat Ghana national football team on home soil in Accra during the qualifying campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The veterans further highlighted Onigbinde’s role in nurturing young talents, recalling how he introduced a teenage Femi Opabunmi into Nigeria’s World Cup squad in 2002. They also credited him for recommending legendary goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who later earned over 100 caps for Nigeria.
According to the statement, Onigbinde managed the Super Eagles in 37 international matches across two spells between 1983 and 1984, and later in 2002, recording 13 victories, 17 draws and seven defeats.
The association also paid tribute to former international midfielder Henry Nwosu, who was part of Nigeria’s victorious squad at the 1980 African Cup of Nations and represented the country for more than a decade.
Nwosu later served as assistant coach to Onigbinde during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea and also handled several domestic clubs and youth teams, including the national U-17 side, Ibom Stars, Union Bank FC and Gateway FC.
The Sports Veterans Association said both men would be greatly missed for their lasting contributions to the advancement of football in Nigeria.
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Ted Turner, the pioneering media mogul who transformed television and sports broadcasting, has died at the age of 87, his family announced Wednesday.
Turner founded CNN in 1980, creating the world’s first 24-hour news network, and later launched TBS and TNT, which became staples for sports fans. He purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976, helping turn them into “America’s Team” and guiding the franchise to its 1995 World Series championship. Turner Field, built in 1996, remains a landmark of his influence on Atlanta sports.
As owner of the Braves from 1976, Turner transformed the struggling franchise into a nationally recognised team through nationwide cable broadcasts on TBS, branding them “America’s Team.” Under his leadership, the Braves won the 1995 World Series title and moved into Turner Field ahead of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In a tribute, the Braves described Turner as “a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan,” crediting him for helping shape the club’s modern identity.
Turner also left a major imprint on basketball and professional wrestling. He owned the Atlanta Hawks for over two decades and helped expand the reach of the NBA through TNT broadcasts. He also built World Championship Wrestling into the biggest rival ever faced by Vince McMahon’s WWF.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hailed Turner as “a visionary whose impact on the media landscape transformed how fans experience sports,” while NBA commissioner Adam Silver praised his role in growing the league’s global audience.
Beyond media and sports ownership, Turner was an accomplished sailor who won the 1977 America’s Cup and later earned induction into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in sports media history, Turner’s innovations reshaped how live sports and news are consumed around the world.
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The Nigerian football community has again been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of former Super Eagles forward Michael Eneramo, who collapsed during a friendly match in Kaduna on Friday morning.
Eneramo, 40, reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest just five minutes into the second half of the game in Ungwan Yelwa, after featuring throughout the first half. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Reacting to the tragic incident, Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, expressed shock and grief.
“This is devastating. I am short of words at this moment. I can only pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant his loved ones and the Nigerian football family the fortitude to bear the loss,” Sanusi said.
Born on November 26, 1985, in Kaduna, Eneramo carved out a respected career both at home and abroad. He began with Lobi Stars before moving to North Africa, where he became a fan favourite at Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
Nicknamed “Al Dababa” (The Tank) for his powerful playing style, Eneramo’s exploits in Tunisia earned him widespread admiration, helping Espérance to multiple honours. His career also took him through Algeria with USM Alger and later to Turkey, where he featured for clubs including Beşiktaş, Sivasspor and İstanbul Başakşehir.
Service to the Super Eagles
Eneramo earned 10 caps for the Nigerian national team, choosing to represent his country despite overtures to switch allegiance to Tunisia. He even scored against Tunisia in a 2-2 draw World Cup qualifier in 2009.
He made his debut in a goalless friendly against Jamaica in London in February 2009, before scoring his first international goal against the Republic of Ireland later that year.
One of his most memorable moments came in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Tunisia in Abuja, where he scored in a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Another Painful Season of Loss
Eneramo’s passing adds to a growing list of recent losses in Nigerian football, deepening a period of reflection and grief within the sport.
In recent times, the nation has also bid farewell to respected figures such as coaching legend Adegboye Onigbinde, former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu, and football administrator Ibrahim Galadima.
Together, these departures represent the loss of experience, history and institutional memory across different generations of Nigerian football.
Eneramo will be remembered as a strong, determined striker who made his mark in Africa and Europe, and as a player who remained committed to Nigeria at a crucial point in his career.
His sudden death, on the very field where he once found joy and purpose, underscores both the fragility of life and the enduring bond between footballers and the game they love.
As tributes continue to pour in, Nigerian football reflects not only on a life cut short, but on a legacy defined by resilience, loyalty and passion.
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