‘Maputo Express’ among stars missing at 8th All-Africa Games

Sep 30, 2003

LAGOS - The Eighth All-Africa Games which opens in Abuja on Saturday will be robbed of some of its shine as several top athletes including world high jump champion Hestrie Cloete and 800 metres runner Maria Mutola have pulled out of the event.

LAGOS - The Eighth All-Africa Games which opens in Abuja on Saturday will be robbed of some of its shine as several top athletes including world high jump champion Hestrie Cloete and 800 metres runner Maria Mutola have pulled out of the event.

According to South African officials, Cloete, named best IAAF Female Athlete of the Year after winning the women's high jump event at the recent World Championships in Paris, has pulled out of the games so as to concentrate on next year's Olympic Games.

Cloete had won gold at the 1999 edition of the games which her country hosted.

Compatriot Jacqus Freitag, winner of the men's high jump in Paris, will also not be part of the action in Abuja. He is nursing an ankle injury.

Also giving “The Unity Games” a miss is Mozambique's Maria Mutola, who crowned a most satisfying season by winning world athletics' top prize worth a million dollars.

‘The Maputo Express’, who won her country's only medal - a gold - at the All-Africa Games four years ago, said she would want to take a break after a hectic but rewarding season.

Nigeria's forward Olumide Oyedeji, who plays for Orlando Magic in the NBA, will not feature in the basketball event after he quit the country's team following their failure to qualify for the 2004 Olympics.

“The absence of these athletes will not hurt the games as many other stars will be discovered in Abuja,” said the media chief of the organising committee for the games, Fan Ndubouke.

Kenya have entered reigning men's 5000m world champion Eliud Masai while Nigeria will again parade a top-class field of sprinters including Deji Aliu, who has enjoyed a fine season.

Abuja 2003 is expected to be the biggest All-Africa Games since it began in 1965.

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