by Philip Richards

Athletics: Marathon win for Alphonse Simbu

Tanzanian sport recently made history at the World Athletics Championships held in Tokyo between 13-21 September 2025. Congratulations to Alphonce Simbu, who won the Men’s marathon event in sensational style by dipping ahead of Petros, his German competitor, at the finish line by a mere three-hundredths of a second.

Simbu has been a prominent athlete at marathon level for some time, having won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Athletics Championships, followed up by a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but has now taken his career to new heights. He is quoted as saying, “Today means celebrations in Tanzania. We have written new history as a country. It was my dream. I am at peace. It is about discipline, training and never giving up. After 2017 I have been trying to win another medal but failed at it. Last year Paris [Olympics] was a challenge and this year I told myself: I will try my best. I did different types of training under different weather conditions.”

Born in Singida, an area famous for Rift Valley lakes, flamingos and sunflower oil, Simbu will surely be awarded a heroic welcome when he returns to the country. This journal has often expressed frustration, but also hope, that another Tanzania athlete would emulate the success of Filbert Bayi in the 1970s. It has been a long time in coming, but we hope that the country builds on Simbu’s success and this is the start of a new golden era of Tanzanian athletics and sport in general.

Football
Less positive news from the football pitch where Taifa Stars, the men’s national team, exited the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a surprise 0-1 home defeat to Niger. Niger’s forward Daniel Sosah silenced the home crowd at the New Amaan Complex, Zanzibar, with a strike in the 58th minute. The team have now slipped to 107th in the FIFA world rankings.

And finally, for something different…the Goat Races

September sees the annual running of the goats in Dar es Salaam! The Rotary Goat Races is a charity event conducted by the Rotary Club of Dar Es Salaam Oyster Bay. The charity’s focus includes literacy and education, water and sanitation and many others.

The beginning of goat racing in Tanzania started in 2001 following a similar event held in Uganda. In 2017, the original Charity Goat Races came to an end. The committee of the goat races decided to take a break despite the achievements and the decision left all the followers of goat racing in sorrow and wondering why it ended. However, Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam revived it in 2018 and also included competitions for the spectators such as best dressed couple. From then on, it has been a mainstay in the Dar calendar of sporting and social events. The 2025 event had 7 sponsored races in its schedule.