- Yékini
Yékini is the nickname of Yakhya Diop, a popular champion of
Senegalese wrestling , the most prominent variant of theLutte Traditionnelle , aWest African folk tradition which has become a major professional sport in the last two decades. From theSerer ethnic group, Yékini is the most successful wrestler since the professionalisation of the sport, and his appearances are major news in his home country. [http://www.xibar.net/index.php?action=article&numero=7964 LUTTE TRADITIONNELLE - 15e ANNIVERSAIRE DE YEKINI : Mbagnick, digne fils de Mohamed Ndiaye Robert Diouf] , Le Soleil, 3 March 2008 fr] [ [http://www.au-senegal.com/Yekini-incontestable-roi-de-l.html Yekini, incontestable roi de l’arène] , Photo essay and report on the hype surrounding the 2006 Tyson fight. fr] His 2006 fight against and defeat of Mouhamed Ndao, alias Tyson, was billed in Senegal as "the fight of the century", cementing the two as the best known exponents of the sport. [ [http://www.sensports.com/combat-yekini-tyson-1728-3.htm Yékini: La classe et l'efficacité !] , Walfadjri (Dakar), 2006. fr] As of March 2008, Yékini remains undefeated in fifteen years of professional bouts.Yékini studied traditional "mbapatte" wrestling techniques before turning to the modern wrestling styles which include a mixture of boxing and wrestling.
References
* [http://www.afrik.com/article9482.html Yékini, la légende vivante de la lutte sénégalaise. Le lutteur invaincu depuis neuf ans] (interview by David Cadasse, 17 February 2006) fr
* [http://www.africanglobalnews.com/index.php?page=article&id_article=2204 Sénégal LUTTE : 2007, année d’innovations, surprises et sacre] . La Sentinelle (Dakar ), 27 December 2007 fr
* Portions of this article were translated from the French language Wikipedia article , 2008-06-26.External links
* [http://www.afrik.com/lutte Lutte] , Afrik News category for Lutte Traditionnelle newspaper reports. fr
* [http://www.apaphoto.net/ifcgi-bin/store/imageFolio.pl?action=view&link=SPORTS/Senegal_lutte_Yekini_vs_Balla_Beye_II&] . fr
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