April 2008 Chinese agency Xinhua reports that Nigeria best quartermiler Christy Ekpukhon failed a drug test for an anabolic steroid this winter during a meet in Germany. She had withdrawn from the start of her semi-final at the World indoor championships last month in Valencia. 2004 Olympic triple jump champion Francoise Mbango jumped for the first time since 2004 at a local competition in Yaounde, Cameroon on Saturday 12th. She had a first attempt at 14.05m, then a second at 14.50m, before Ange Sama, the president of the federation forbade the official to measure her following jumps due to Mbango's suspension following her absence at the All-African Games last summer in Algiers. The Local Organization of the African Championships that will take place in Addis Ababa from April 30 to May 4 has just opened a very promising website to follow the competition : www.addis2008.org February 2008 Ghana's long jumper Ignisious Gaisah, 2006 world indoor champion, sustained a serious knee injury for his season's debut at the Athens indoor meet on February 13. Chad's quartermiler Kaltouma Nadjina is back to competition, seven months after the birth of her first child. Vancouver-based Ruky Abdulai, Ghana's record holder for the high jump (1.85m) and the long jump (6.70m), got her Canadian citizenship on January 31st. She now hopes to qualify to the Olympic Games for her new country. January 2008 Zimbabwe's Gabriel Mvumvure, 100m and 200m African junior champion, has been recruited by Louisiana State University, in the United States. Another victim of the Kenyan crisis, 30 year old marathoner Wesley Ngetich - 2:12.10 in 2006 - was killed by a poisoned arrow on January 21. On January 1, Lucas Sang a member of the Kenyan 4x400m relay quartet at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, was stoned to death near Iten in the countrywide riots that have followed the announcement of the presidential elections' results. He was 46 years old December 2007 Le Kenyan Elijah Lagat, winner of the 2000 Boston Marathon, was elected Member of the Kenyan Parliament at elections held at the end of the year. He'll represent the Emgwen constituency in the Nandi North District. Ugandan steeplechase champion Dorcus Inzikuru gave birth to a baby girl named Emmanuella on December 29. More fright than harm for two-time world marathon champion Jawad Gharib. On December 21 his 4x4 flipped over on the road between Meknes and Khenifra where he was driving to celebrate Aid Al Adha with his family. The Moroccan champion walks away OK, with just a few stitches. (source : Libération - Casablanca). November 2007 South African sports authorities are not certain to be able to retain the services of leading coach Hennie Kotze ( hurdlers LJ van Zyl, Ter de Villiers, Kurt Couto). He is indeed expected to start working as a national coach for Saudi Arabia from mid-January Former 800m world champion Djabir Said-Guerni of Algeria, is now pursuing a career as a coach. He's signed a one-year contract with an option for a second year with the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain club to coach its athletics team. On November 18th, Ethiopian star Kenenisa Bekele married 22-year- old actress Dannawit Gebregziabher. On January 2005, he had tragically lost fiancee Alem Techale, who died of a heart attack. September 2007 Fabienne Feraez of Benin, 200m semi-finalist at the 2005 world championships, is about to leave France after parting with coach Hervé Stéphan to train in Los Angeles under Larry Wade. Mauritius's sprinter Ommanandsingh Kowlessur (21.12 on 200m in 2001 and 47.62 on 400m in 2005) has moved to Melbourne, Australia, to carry on his studies. Madagascar's 2007 Antananarivo marathon has been cancelled . August 2007 The Ethiopian federation has launched its new website on the eve of Osaka world championships: www.athleticsethiopia.com. Pull-out from Osaka South Africa Lee-Roy Newton, Justine Robbeson, Elizna Naude, injured ; Kenya: Augustine Choge, injured Mauritius: Stéphane Buckland, injured Morocco: Jawad Gharib, injured Uganda: Dorcus Inzikuru, pregnant Moroccan miler Adil Kaouch, one of the favorite for the 1500m world title, has been provisionnally suspended by the IAAF after failing a drug test at Rome Golden League meet on July 13th. The athlete has requested analysis of the B-sample and continues his preparation for the moment. The organizing committee of the All-Africa Games released the list of positive doping tests at the games and there is a case in athletics : Nigerian hammer thrower Susan Adeoye Funke who took the silver medal setting a national record in the process. While there's little doubt she'll be disqualified from the event, it is yet too early to speculate on her sanction as the name of the substance hasn't been released yet. July 2007 Mauritius sprinter Stéphane Buckland, won't be able to try to qualify to his 4th consecutive world final. A stress fracture in a vertebra has forced him to put an end to his season. 31 year old Adem Hecini of Algeria (45.63 in 2003 et 1:44.59 in 1997) announced his retirement following his team victory in the 4x400m at the Algerian championships. Two South African athletes, winners at the National championships in March, announced their withdrawal from the sport vainqueurs de leur épreuve aux championnats nationaux en mars dernier, to focus on a career in rugby : Jan van der Merwe, 23 year old - 45.73 at 400m in 2005 and Johannes van Wyk, 27 year old - 61.70m at the discus in 2004. June 2007 End of season for Cameroon's quartermiler Hortense Bewouda who injured her knee and is to undergo surgery soon. Moroccan runner Omar Jimila (aka Noureddine Jalal) failed a drug test for EPO at Paris marathon where he finished 5th in 2:10:44. Not having yet recovered from two ankle surgeries, Algerian triple jumper Baya Rahouli has withdrawn for the All-African Games to be held in Algiers in July and may not be able to compete at all this season. South Africa javelin thrower Dalene Swanepoel, a gold medallist at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, died at the age of 76. Her career bests were 49.28m (old javelin) and 13.53m (shot put). Seychelles heptathlon and long jump specialist Céline Laporte, a bronze medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games (6.57m), gave birth to a baby boy in April. May 2007 Tunisia 1500m record holder Ali Hakimi (3:31.70 in 1997) became a Swiss citizen after being married to a Swiss woman for 5 years. The Swiss federation has already requested the IAAF to allow him to compete internationally for his new country. A Spain-resident for the last few years, Nigerian hurdler Joséphine Onyia (12.76 in 2006), became a Spanish citizen on May 10. Ethiopian born runnerMizan Mehari (13:20.85 on 5000m in 1998), who stayed in Australia after the 1996 World junior championships, took his own life at age 26. The 1997 World 10000m champion Sally Barsosio of Kenya, gave birth to her second son, Alan, on May 2. Her first son was born in 2002. Algeria's Djabir Said Guerni, 2003 world champion in the 800m, announced his retirement, not being able to recover from repetitive injuries. Malawi's runner Catherine Chikwakwa gave birth to a baby boy named Romulus on May 1st. April 2007 The major decisions taken during the African Confederation Council and Congress held in Dakar from April 26 to 28 : The 2010 African championships were granted to Kenya (10 votes agains 9 for Benin) and the 2009 African junior champs to the Seychelles. Cameroon's Hamad Kalkaba Malboum will sit for another four year as president following the withdrawal of Benin's sports minister Théophile Montcho who was granted a vice-president position. Morocco's former technical director Aziz Daouda was named technical director of the Confederation. The statutes of the confederation will be amended so that the president will automatically be the Area representative for Africa on the IAAF Council. It was also agreed to grant one of the five vice-president positions to a woman, which went to Nigeria's Violet Odogwu-Nwajei. Having given birth to her son last summer, Ghana's Margaret Simpson, bronze medallist in the heptathlon at the 2005 world championships, made her return to combined events by taking part in a decathlon at Mauritius' championships held on April 18-19 in Reduit. She scored 7014 points (12.3, 5.73m, 12.42m, 1.72m, 62.2, 14.0, 32.17m, 2.50m, 47.67m, 5:41.7). Fifth of Paris marathon with a 2:10:44 personal best, Morocco's Omar Jimila is no other than 2006 Marrakech marathon winner Noureddine Jalal (2:14:30). Malawi's runner Catherine Chikwakwa is expecting her first child, due in late summer. The following international meets, originally to be staged in April and May 2007 have been cancelled in 2007: Antananarivo (Madagascar) April 7th, Yaounde (Cameroon) April 14th, Nairobi (Kenya) May 2nd. The major anti-doping news announced in 2007 : Moroccan thrower Hayat El Ghazi failed a drug test for norandrosterone at the 2006 African championships where she placed 2nd in the hammer and 4th in the discus. She is suspended until September 12th 2008. Moroccan thrower Nabil Kirame was disqualified from the 2006 African championships (3rd in the discus) after failing a test for cannabis. Moroccan runner Aissa Dghoughi has been suspended for three years until December 27th 2009 for escaping a control. Closely related to Frenchwoman Latifa Essarokh, who failed a test for stanozolol in 2006, Dghoughi had been spotted selling drugs around St Moritz. He had already made the headlines in early 2005 in France when EPO and growth hormone had been found in his car during a routine customs control. Kenyan born Musa Amer Obaid / Moses Kipkirui failed a drug test for testosterone during an out of competition control in Ifrane in June 2006. He's been suspended until September 12th 2008. Kenya's Lydia Cheromei has been suspended from May 20th 2005 to May 19th 2007 following a failed test for clomiphene. She was undergoing a fertility treatment but had not applied for a therapeutic use exemption. Her daughter Faith Chelagat was born in February 2006. February 2007 The next African championships will take place in Adis Ababa (Ethiopia) from May 1-5 2008. January 2007 Two top athletes, South Africa's hammer thrower Chris Harmse and reigning decathon Olympic champion Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, were recently hit by a javelin in freaks accidents that took place in South Africa less than ten days apart. The first incident occured in Pretoria on January 11th. Chris Harmse was hit in the left shoulder by a javelin thrown by a local student while measuring throws by javelin athletes taking part at the national training camp. Luckily he was not seriously injured and hope to resume training after two weeks' rest. The second accident took place in Potchefstrom on January 20th. A javelin thrown by Commonwealth champ Sunette Viljoen accidentally speared. Sebrle's right shoulder. The decathlete, who was diagonally crossing the field, had completely forgotten about javelin throwers training at the other end. The 12cm wound required 11 stitches but it didn't penetrate the muscle. They have a new coach or a new training base to prepare for 2006 Senegalese hurdler Gnima Faye will join Cameroon'sHortense Bewouda and Carole Kaboud in Belgium under coach Noël Levêque. Two Malawian athletes Lucia Chandamale and Chancy Master were awarded a grant from the Olympic Solidarity and will train in Eldoret (Kenya) for the next two years.