15 minute read
Sportspeople
ALGERIA- FRANCE FOOTBALLER
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Karim Benzema The world’s best
Karim Benzema, the French international of Algerian descent, has made a remarkable comeback to claim his place at the very top of the footballing tree.
The Real Madrid Number 9, who for many years was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo in the Spanish capital, is only bettered by the Portuguese in the list of all-time Los Blancos scorers, having overhauled Spanish legend Raul during the year.
Benzema was instrumental to Real Madrid’s league and Champions League as top scorer in La Liga with 27 goals – nine clear of his nearest challenger - whilst netting an incredible 15 times in only 12 Champions League ties.
It was the Real Madrid captain’s performances in Europe’s premier club competition that really stood out as they came from behind to win, over two legs, against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City.
He netted a hat-trick against the French side, and another in the away leg versus Chelsea before scoring the extra-time goal to send his side into the Etihad as Madrid went down 4-3 to Manchester City.
In the second leg he kept his cool to slot home the extra-time penalty to deny City, under the stewardship of long-time Real foe Pep Guardiola, a date with their Premier League rivals, Benzema on the scoresheet, but by that point, he had done enough, his 10 goals in the knockout stage equalling the single-season record of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2021/22 season was his most a goal a game with 44 strikes in 46 appearances across all competitions.
He had been exiled from the French part in an alleged blackmail plot before returning for Les Bleus just before last year’s delayed European championship. His performance there made him the automatic spearhead for the World Cup attack – but alas, an injury sustained in training ruled him out at the eleventh hour.
After receiving a host of individual team recoveries throughout the year, he was presented with the Ballon d’Or for 2022, the trophy that declares who is the world’s very best, to complete his own personal resurgence into total acceptance from the global football family. Aft er a host of awards and being hugely signifi cant in team recoveries, he won the Ballon d’Or, the trophy that declares who is the world’s very best.
CAMEROON MMA FIGHTER
Francis Ngannou Predator looking for prey
Francis Ngannou,the Cameroon-born showed all the qualities he needed to get to the top in combat sports during his journey from his home country to France, in pursuit of his boxing dream - resilience, fortitude, determination, preservation. Many others set out on the same journey but fail for various reasons so it was really no surprise when he reached the very top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
In 2021 he won the organisation’s heavyweight crown and in early 2022 defence, against the undefeated Ciryl Gane. Ngannou entered the ring with three previous losses on his record, all on points.
When he was declared the winner by unanimous decision, he made some personal history. His previous 16 victories had all come inside the distance, 12 by knockout and four by way of submission. in Cameroon, France and the US, and who has recorded the world’s hardest punch, has been inactive since the victory over Gane due to a variety of reasons. Not least have been a knee injury and protracted negotiations with the UFC, who at the time of writing had Predator’ a new contract.
If everything gets resolved, a match in early 2023 with Jon Jones looks highly likely - if not, Ngannou may still throw leather with boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, despite that is running out of conventional boxing opponents so the crossover match may happen sooner rather than later, with
UGANDA DISTANCE RUNNER
Joshua Cheptegei Inspirational on
Over the past few seasons, the 26-yearold Ugandan long-distance runner has consistently been there or thereabouts at the record- breaking end of races. He currently holds the world records in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres – both set in 2020. Additionally, he holds the 15km world best time, recorded in 2018.
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, he claimed gold in the 10,000 metres in a close race where all the medallists set season’s-best times and were separated by only just over half a second. He now had hopes of completing the 5,000 and 10,000 metre double which he had narrowly missed out on at the previous year’s Tokyo Olympics, where he picked up gold in the shorter event but could only manage a silver in the longer one.
So, it was a shock and disappointment to many in East Africa, where he has a huge following, when the 5,000 metres, nearly four seconds behind the winner, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Everybody has a poor race in them and it is hoped that with that performance out of the way, he will continue to rule the long-distance roost and bring glory to his beloved Uganda.
He is a tremendous inspiration to many, not only by his deeds when he is wearing his running spikes, but through his work with the development foundation that bears his name, which is dedicated to promoting talent and education as well as community wellbeing.
NIGERIA SPRINT HURDLER
Tobi Amusan Poetry in motion
The Nigerian sprinter, Tobi Amusan, had a fantastic 2022, defending some time. She retained her African Athletics Championship 100 metres hurdles title in Mauritius, where she also helped her country to gold in the 4x100 metres relay.
It was during the World Athletics Championship 2022 in Eugene, Oregon however, where the athlete, who has shown steady improvement since 2018 year’s Olympic Games, really put all her Harrison’s world record of 12.20 with a stunning run of 12.12 in a stunning race with a host of personal bests set by
Unsurprisingly all eyes were on Tobi wind-assisted time of 12.06, making it ineligible to go into the record books.
Not one to rest on her laurels, two weeks later she was stood atop another Commonwealth Games, with a Games record of 12.30. Her running style has been described as ‘poetry in motion’.
Add to all these triumphs a successful defence of her Diamond League title and she predictably made the shortlist for the WAA Women’s World Athlete of the Year nominated for the accolade, which will be awarded in early December. It would this crown. Amusan’s triumphs have led ladies taking up hurdling – even if sometimes the barriers are homemade. All of them want to be the next ‘Tobi’.
SOUTH AFRICA CRICKETER
Kagiso Rabada Carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has kept an exceptionally weak South African cricket team in transition relevant to international cricket. His winning spell of pin-point accurate bowling wickets for only 52 runs on the opening at Lord’s this summer, stopped an otherwise all-conquering, high-scoring England side in their tracks.
He became only the fourth South African since re-admission to have his name put on the famous ground’s iconic honours-board. In the next match at Manchester he showed his versatility by top scoring in his team’s
Born in Johannesburg of Venda and Tswana ancestry, the 27-yearold Rabada has maintained the South African tradition of outstanding fast bowling and is a worthy heir to fast bowler to achieve international acclaim. Like him, Kagiso has become an inspiration to a new generation of aspiring cricketers.
Earlier in the year, Rabada made his 50th Test appearance, and he has been an integral part of the national team in both its pomp and even more so now that it has been weakened by the retirement of its star players. unable to prevent South Africa from surprisingly failing to make the semi Australia recently, when the team went down to the weakest side in Group 2, the Netherlands. His outstanding personality is needed now more than ever as the side tries to rebuild from this setback.
MOROCCO STEEPLECHASER
Soufiane El Bakkali Broke Kenya’s domination in event
At last, an athlete has come along who has managed to break Kenya’s vicelike grip on the men’s 3000 metres steeplechase. They had won the gold medal at every Olympics they had entered since 1964, plus the last seven World Athletics Championships, until the Moroccan started to hit his stride.
El Bakkali entered 2022 as an Olympic champion after winning his signature event in Tokyo. In June 2022 in a Diamond League meeting in Rabat, he set the year’s fastest time, clocking just under the eight-minute mark, with a time of 7.58.28. He became only the second non-Kenyan to capture the title, the steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in the US to complete his collection of all colours of medals in the competition. He had taken silver in London in 2017 and bronze two years later in Rabat. This was Morocco’s only medal of any sort in Eugene.
He also claimed top spot on the podium in the rarely raced 2000 metres steeplechase event at the Zagreb Hanzekovic Memorial with a time that the distance.
He has been nominated for the WAA Men’s World Athlete of the Year award.
Kenya had won the gold medal at every Olympics they had entered since 1964 until El Bakkali hit his stride.
TUNISIA TENNIS PLAYER
Ons Jabeur The Arab world’s ace role model
Tunisia’s 28-year-old women’s tennis star Ons Jabeur is a classic example of how success in a global sport can have and perhaps alter their attitudes and worldview forever.
The three-year old Ons was given a small tennis racket to play with by her mother, who played the game for recreation. The little girl took to the sport immediately and began winning tournaments. She reached two major event in 2011.
She then spent time honing her skills and developing the strength, endurance and mental powers required of players consistently competing on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tours. Her success was already causing a stir in the Arab world and in 2019, award.
But professional tennis is a cruel master – as thousands of talented young hopefuls fall by the wayside of the gruelling road to elite stardom. But not Ons. The tougher they came, the harder they fell.
Then came the big time – she reached Australia in 2020 and repeated the feat at Wimbledon in the UK in 2021.
Her success sent an electric jolt throughout the Arab world and the world welcomed a brand new star. Her victories sent such a warm feeling of joy and warmth to Tunisians, struggling at the time with political and economic upheavals, that she was nicknamed ‘Minister of Happiness’.
There was more to come. She won the 2022 Madrid Open with a superb display and reached back-to-back where she lost on both occasions to
Having won three singles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as 11 singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Women’s Circuit, she is currently ranked world No. 2 by the WTA. This is the highest ranking ever achieved by an Arab, male or female.
Just as the success of the Williams sisters led to millions of Black and non-White girls taking up the sport and achieving success, Ons Jabeur has already become a major role model in the Arab world. As she says, nothing is impossible if you put your mind and heart to it, and her life is the living proof.
SENEGAL FOOTBALLER
Sadio Mané Twinkling feet, golden heart
For decades England’s Liverpool FC was a giant among the world’s soccer giants, known and admired everywhere the beautiful game was watched or followed. Then after the 1990s it fell into a slump, winning very little by comparison until it seemed to suddenly rise like the Phoenix from the ashes in 2019, propelled by coach Jürgen Klopp and two outstanding African strikers – Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Sadio Mané of Senegal.
Linking up with the Brazilian Roberto Firmino as the third force of the triumvirate, the forwards ransacked all opposition to win the English Premier League in a record number of matches and by a near-record margin of points.
Liverpool were the talk of the world as they won a hatful of other titles, including the Champions League. Nothing, it seemed, could stop them from contending. Then in the 2022/23 season, they slumped to 10th with the league only a few weeks old. It was the same old Liverpool team with one had joined German champions Bayern Munich “to challenge myself”.
If ever there was any doubt about Mané’s contribution to Liverpool’s success, it was there in plain sight for all to see – without him, the lightningfast forward spearhead of the team was just not clicking. “We miss you Mané, come back!” said placards raised by Liverpool fans as they saw their chances of another championship slipping away.
At Bayern, Mané quickly and assisting in a dozen goals. He had become an instant star as he prepared for Senegal duties at the Qatar World Cup. Unfortunately, a knee injury then ruled him out of the competition. This is a big blow not only for Senegal but for the tens of millions who were hoping to watch him at his mesmerising best.
Mané, who has won African twice as well as collecting an EPL Golden Boot award, came second to another African-origin star, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema in the race for the 2022 Ballon d’Or (‘Golden Ball’) award for the best player in the world. recipient of a new prize, the Socrates Award, given to a player for his
Mané, who grew up in poverty, has never forgotten his roots. He has built a modern new hospital in his home village of Bambali in Senegal and invested millions in building a school and other infrastructure in addition to providing cash support for villagers and young people.
Mané won the Socrates Award for his social work, which includes building a modern new hospital in his home village of Bambali in Senegal.
KENYA MARATHON RUNNER
Eliud Kipchoge The best of all time?
SOMALIA-UK FOOTBALLER AND COACH
Iqra Ismail Spotlighting Muslim women players
For most of the past decade, marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge has been one of the most consistent performers in any event.
In January this year, he stated his desire to win all six Abbott World Marathon Majors. At the time he was halfway to his goal, having previously been victorious in the Berlin, London and Chicago events. By March he had captured the Tokyo title, completing the course in just over 2 hours. This leaves the 38-year-old, whom many unsurprisingly rate as the best of all his to-do list.
Later in 2022 in Berlin, he set a world record in a time of 2:01:09, breaking his own record, set four years earlier on the notoriously quick Berlin course, by an impressive 30 seconds. In fact, the last eight world records have all been set in the German capital, by either a Kenyan or Ethiopian runner.
But perhaps one of the most remarkable pieces of long distance running by any human came in 2019, when during the Ineos 1.59 Challenge, an event specially set up for him to attempt to break the world record, he broke the 2 hour barrier with a time of 1:59:40.2. While, given the nature of the event, his time was not this Kenyan can do the seemingly impossible and run the marathon in under two hours. shortlist for the World Athletics Association’s Men’s World Athlete of the Year award.
Iqra Ismail, the hijab-wearing Muslim footballer and coach, has already become an inspiration. It says much about the marginalisation of Muslim women that she has been able to do so with a limited career to date, good publicity and determination.
In December 2019, Ismail led a Somalia national women’s team comprising players from the UK and Mogadishu to compete in the Human Rights Cup in Cape Town, and the play in PepsiCo’s Game of Champions at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The worldwide pandemic, which curtailed footballing activity and expectation, did not dim her ambition. For the UK-born Iqra, her childhood hobby has developed into restrictions from which she, herself, has been the victim.
Ismail is the founder of the UK’s NUR (Never Underestimate Resilience) FC, a team for black and ethnic minority women, as well as Director of Hilltop Women’s Football Club in north-west London. She was the youngest person to top the Football Black List in 2019.
