World champion Gudaf Tsegay will return to the scene of her world indoor 1500m record while World and Olympic medalist Femke Bol will make her debut in Lievin when the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, takes place on 15 February.
The Ethiopian world indoor 1500m champion, who also claimed world 5000m gold and 1500m silver in Oregon later in 2022, broke the world indoor 1500m record with her 3:53.09 performance in Lievin in 2021. The 25-year-old returned one year later to win the mile in 4:21.72 and is back again in 2023 for another 1500m test.
Bol won world indoor silver in the 400m and 4x400m in Belgrade last year before claiming medals of the same color in the 400m hurdles and mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. This season offers the Dutch 22-year-old the chance to defend her European indoor 400m and 4x400m titles in Istanbul in March and before she contests the two-lap event in Lievin, she will also race at the World Indoor Tour Silver meeting in Metz on 11 February.
Gudaf already has very happy memories from racing at the meeting while Bol will compete in Lievin for the first time. Other athletes already announced for Lievin include Marcell Jacobs, Mondo Duplantis, Katie Moon, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Grant Holloway and Keely Hodgkinson.
Gudaf Tsegaye back to world indoor 1500m race in Levin
Ashenafi Bekele Appointed Fasil Ketema New Boss
The long time speculation of former Ethiopia Bunna Coach US based Kassaye Arage’s move came to rest following the appointment of Ashenafi.Bekele as the new boss at title aspiring Fasil Ketema.
The 2021 Ethiopian premier league champions Fasil is currently 10th on the league table collecting 17 points from 13 matches.
More than eight clubs in the past two decades including Ethiopian national team, one of the most wandering coaches in the league Ashenafi signed an 18 months contract agreement with Fasil for an unofficial 80000 Birr monthly salary plus bonus and expenses.
Having more than half a dozen national team players and three foreigners in the squad, Ashenafi’s priority is said to bring about a significant dressing room order and discipline and teamwork among big name players.
Though critics suggested that Ashenafi’s resume in the past two decades is not such an impressive one thus hardly capable of bringing back Fasil to title contention, the club officials decided he is the right coach not only help the side to recover from mid season slump but also achieve the club’s long term dream of building sustainable youth development.
Considered an expert in building a strong defensive line that goes along with deadly counter attacks, Ashenafi’s wandering of clubs every single season is what made the club supporters worried.
Ashenafi took over the hot seat from Hailu Negash who got sacked less than a full season at the hot seat. The former Ethiopia-NegedBank, Mechal, Jimma AbaBuna, Adama Ketema and Hadiya Hossana Coach Ashenafi’s debut match is against relegation threatened Ethio-Electric.
“It wasn’t a bad tournament for us” Waliya’s boss Wubetu despite CHAN early exit
Ethiopia coach3 Webetu Abate has saluted his side for their run at the 2022 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria, despite exiting at the group stage.
Webetu says it is a step by step process for his team, who finished bottom of Group A with just one point following their 1-3 defeat to Libya in the final Group A game on Saturday in Annaba.
“It was not a bad tournament for us. We played very well in the first and second games, but it wasn’t to be. We have been building a team in the last two years. We attended the AFCON and the CHAN. There is no pressure. We are going step by step,” said Abate.
Ethiopia surrendered a first half lead to suffer a 1-3 defeat to the 2014 champions. Abate bemoaned the fact that his team didn’t take their chances during the tournament.
“We had a better chance to qualify. We were in a good situation but this game didn’t go as we were thinking. We led but conceded a simple goal. I don’t want to blame my players. We pushed to get the equalizer which exposed us.
“Our opponents were also good, they put us in difficulties. Congratulations to Libya. They deserve to win this evening.”
Despite the win, both Libya and Ethiopia exit the competition, certainly with lessons learned.
“The teams are quite competitive. Teams have good technical and tactical players. We were in the group of the hosts like in the AFCON. We take the lessons and hope to be back stronger,” Abate concluded.
CHAN TotalEnergies 2022 marked Ethiopia’s third participation. They have never gone past the group stage.
Mulugeta Kassa
Name: Mulugeta Kassa
Education: Masters Level
Company name: DIYARRA IMPORTER
Title: Owner
Founded in: 2020
What it do: Imports stationery and office furniture
Hq: Addis Ababa
Number of Employees: 4
Startup capital: 100,000 birr
Current Capital: 1,850,000 birr
Reason for starting the Business: To embark on an entrepreneurship growth
Biggest perk of ownership: Having the power to change my life and that of othersh
Biggest strength: Hard work and healthy communication habits
Biggest challenge: Finding capital and projecting confidence
Plan: Growing the business to a national and international organization
First career: Lecturer
Most interested in meeting: Dr. Arega Yerdaw
Most admired person: My Wife
Stress reducer: Time with friends and family
Favorite past time: Time with fellow entrepreneurs
Favorite book: The Armchair Economist
Favorite destination: Thailand
Favorite automobile: Volkwasgen Tiguan
