The grim reaper claims big names in sports
RUNNING OUT OF TIME? Harambee Stars coach James Siang'a checks his watch during a past match. Siang'a died on September 9, 2016 in Bungoma. PHOTO | FILE |
What you need to know:
- Ali was regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and the world’s most successful boxer of all time.
A number of renowned sports personalities in various sports disciplines went to meet their maker this year. Daily Nation Sport samples some of them below:
JAMES SIANG'A
Siang’a died at a Bungoma hospital in September, after losing a long battle with diabetes. He was 67. In his hey day, Siang’a was both an exceptional player and coach.
He played for Luo Union and Gor Mahia in the 70s, and stood out as a goalkeeper. Siang’a thereafter went on to coach top teams in the region, including Uganda’s Express FC, Tanzania’s Simba SC and 15-time Kenyan champions Gor Mahia. He also coached the Kenya and Tanzania national football teams.
Gor Mahia coach James Siang’a gestures during a Kenyan Premier League match at the City Stadium on July 26, 2008. The former Kenyan international died on September 9, 2016. PHOTO | FILE |
MUHAMMAD ALI
Ali was regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and the world’s most successful boxer of all time. In total, he won 56 of the professional fights he featured in (37 of those via knockouts) and lost only four. He was the world’s overall heavyweight champion during two different spells. He did in June, aged 74, while undergoing treatment for respiratory illness.
Pallbearers escort the casket of boxing legend Muhammad Ali during the Jenazah prayer service at Freedom Hall on June 9, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. PHOTO | JIM WATSON | AFP
ISAIAH KIPLAGAT
The long-serving and most successful sports administrator in Kenya breathed his last in August, aged 72. Kiplagat had been at the helm of Athletics Kenya for two and a half decades, a period leading to his death.
Isaiah Kiplagat, then president of Athletics Kenya, addresses the press at his home in Eldoret on September 5, 2015. Kiplagat died on August 24, 2016. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA |
CHAPECOENSE REAL
The saddest sporting story of 2016. Last month, a plane carrying 77 people, including members of top Brazilian football team Chapecoense, crashed in Colombia. Only six survived. Chapecoense were due to play in the final of Copa Sudamericana, a South American football tournament against Atletico Nacional.
A military guard of honor receives the coffins of the members of the Chapecoense Real football club team killed in a plane crash in Colombia, upon their arrival at the airport of Chapeco, in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, on December 3, 2016. PHOTO | NELSON ALMEIDA | AFP
STEPHEN KESHI
The former Nigerian football manager and player died in June aged 54. Keshi was a widely respected coach in African circles. He won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach. He played for teams in Belgium, France, USA and Malaysia.
Daughter of Stephen Keshi, Stephanie, hides her tears behind the programme during the funeral ceremony of late Nigerian football legend Stephen Keshi at the Evangelist Catholic Church of St John, in Illah, Delta State, on July 29, 2016. PHOTO | PIUS UTOMI EKPEI | AFP
ARNOLD PALMER
The world’s greatest golfer died in September at 87. He competed with great success in the Masters and US Open. He also made a name in tutoring upcoming golfers through several businesses he owned.
Arnold Palmer's portrait is displayed on the alter during a Celebration of Arnold Palmer at Saint Vincent College on October 4, 2016 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Palmer, a golf legend who won 62 PGA tour titles over the course of his sixty-year career, died on September 25, 2016 at age 87. PHOTO | HUNTER MARTIN | AFP
Victor Wayodi and Ogeto Gacheo - These two youthful rugby players died within a week of each other in Nairobi.
