By Leslie Koroma, CEO, Africa Sports Ventures Group
September 2026 is becoming a remarkable chapter in Sierra Leone’s sporting history, with four athletes of Sierra Leonean descent producing defining performances across tennis, basketball, American football and marathon running. Frances Tiafoe reached his third US Open semifinal after recovering from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen 5–7, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6(6) in an extraordinary five-set quarterfinal thriller.
In Berlin, Napheesa Collier carried Team USA into the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup semifinals, leading all scorers with 19 points in a dominant 108–56 victory over Hungary. Wearing the No. 11 jersey, Collier added seven rebounds and shot 9-of-13 from the field in approximately 15 minutes, earning TCL Player of the Game honors.
Coincidentally, another No. 11—Seattle Seahawks superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba—delivered when his team needed him most in the NFL season opener. Smith-Njigba recorded eight receptions for 122 yards and Seattle’s only touchdown as the defending champions edged their Super Bowl opponents, the New England Patriots, 13–10.
Meanwhile, rising marathoner Efayomi Carr officially launched an ambitious 18-month campaign on September 9 to challenge Sierra Leone’s national marathon record of 2:32. Carr, who trains in Kenya and holds a personal best of approximately 2:43 from the Cape Town Marathon, will begin the competitive phase of his campaign at the Chicago Marathon on October 11. Four athletes, four sporting arenas and one shared heritage—this is shaping up to be a September Sierra Leone will remember
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