Photo: Italy’s Iliass Aouani wins men’s marathon at the first European Running Championships, 13 April. (Credit: Francesco Canu/WikiCommons)
Apr 11–13 – European Running Championships (Leuven, Belgium) | Results – Marathon: Men’s: Iliass Aouani (ITA) – 2:09:05 | Women’s: Fatima Ouhaddou (ESP) – 2:27:14.
Italy’s Iliass Aouani and Spain’s Fatima Ouhaddou claimed historic marathon golds at the inaugural European Running Championships on April 13, as the event introduced new standalone long-distance formats.
Aouani stunned the field with a powerful sprint finish to win the men’s race in 2:09:05, edging out Israel’s Gashau Ayale, while compatriot Maru Teferi took bronze. The course began in Brussels and concluded in Leuven.
In the women’s marathon, Ouhaddou overcame a dramatic mid-race fall at a water station—caused by a tripping male runner—to secure Spain’s first-ever European marathon title in 2:27:14. Teammate Majida Maayouf completed a Spanish one-two with silver.
Never give up! 🫶
Fatima Ouhaddou Nafie 🇪🇸 recovers from a heavy fall to win marathon gold at the European Running Championships! 🙌#BrusselsLeuven2025 #RunWithTheChampions pic.twitter.com/7vtKuje2iZ
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) April 13, 2025
The European Running Championships mark a new era, with the marathon now held separately from the European Athletics Championships.
Premiership Transfer: Apr 11. Mohamed Salah has put an end to months of speculation by signing a new contract with Liverpool.
The 32-year-old superstar has committed his future to the club beyond the current season. While Liverpool have not disclosed the exact duration of the deal, reports in Egypt suggest Salah could earn up to £400,000 per week.
In a statement, the club said: “Liverpool FC can announce Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract that will keep him with the club beyond the 2024-25 season.”
The move ensures Salah’s Anfield journey, which began eight years ago, will continue under incoming manager Arne Slot as the Reds push for major silverware. According to The Athletic, the deal is believed to run until 2027, securing Salah a staggering £41.6 million in fresh wages.
His new contract also puts to rest long-running rumours that he could leave on a free transfer this summer.
Apr 16: Khabib Nurmagomedov has explained why Islam Makhachev is unlikely to face Ilia Topuria, despite growing fan interest.
Topuria has been linked to a lightweight title shot since vacating his featherweight belt in February, but Makhachev is reportedly hesitant, believing the Georgian has yet to prove himself at 155lbs.
Speaking to Adam Zubayraev, Khabib said: “Let’s imagine Islam beats Topuria, then Topuria fights again and loses. He was basically a nobody at 155, and Islam gains nothing for his legacy.”
While Makhachev remains dominant with recent wins over Volkanovski, Poirier, and Moicano, critics note he’s only defended against former featherweights—something both he and Khabib are keen to move away from.
“Islam wants to fight big names who’ve earned their place at lightweight,” Khabib added. “Not short-notice replacements or recent arrivals.”
Topuria responded on X: “Khabib knows I’m the one to take the belt from Islam. That’s the only reason he doesn’t want Islam to fight me.”
U23 World Squash Championship Finals (Karachi, Pakistan): Apr 16.
Results: Men’s Final: [2] Noor Zaman (PAK) def. [3/4] Kareem El Torkey (EGY) 3–2 (5–11, 12–14, 11–8, 11–5, 11–6). Women’s Final: [1] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) def. [3/4] Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) 3–0 (12–10, 11–9, 11–6)
Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir etched their names into the history books as the inaugural champions of the U23 World Squash Championships.
Zaman staged a remarkable comeback in front of a home crowd in Karachi, overturning a two-game deficit to defeat El Torkey in a five-game thriller at DHA Creek Club. Watched by legends including Jahangir Khan and his grandfather Qamar Zaman, the 21-year-old kept his composure after a controversial second-game decision to rally back and seal victory with scores of 11–8, 11–5, and 11–6.
“First of all, thanks to Allah. When I was 0–2 down, I just told myself, ‘don’t chase the win, just play your game.’ And now I’m world champion,” said an emotional Zaman.
In contrast, Aboelkheir cruised to the women’s title, defeating Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk in straight games. Despite a challenging start, the Egyptian top seed held firm to edge the opener and maintain control throughout the match.
Ranked World No.14, Aboelkheir showed her class and composure to claim the title without dropping a game. “I’m very happy that I can finally say I’m a world champion,” she said. “I’ve been chasing this for three years, and now I’m aiming for more – especially at the Olympics. I want to win a medal for Egypt.”
Along with the largest shares of the $60,000 prize purse, both Zaman and Aboelkheir have secured qualification for the upcoming PSA World Championships.
