Report13 Aug 2006


South Africans steal the show - African Championships report - Day Four

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Justine Robbeson wins the women's Javelin Throw at the African Championships (© Mark Ouma)

South Africa won four gold medals to signal their intention of retaining their top position in the medal standings at the Africa Athletics Championships at the Germain Commarmond Stadium in bambous Mauritius on Saturday.  

South Africa's Justine Robbeson (the reigning World Junior Heptathlon champion) won the women's javelin with a third round effort of 60.60m. What's more she set a new Championships record.
 
"This is a nice way of coming back after being away for a year with a back injury. I could have thrown further if it was not for the strong head wind during the competition," says Robbeson.
 
Earlier Chris Harmse (South Africa) won the men's Hammer Throw with a 77.55m effort. This was a 1.49m improvement over the Championships record he set in Brazzaville, Congo two years ago.
 
"The wind was a little strong today and that hindered me from reaching the 80m mark," said the Africa hammer record holder. "With the Lord's blessing, I will throw much further at the World Cup," said Harmse. South Africa bagged two more medals through Okkert Brits (5.20m) in Pole Vault and Janice Josephs (5876 points) in the Heptathlon.
 
Meanwhile Kenya prevailed in their dual with Ethiopia in the women's 10,000m. Edith Masai and Isabella Ochichi took turns leading the race. They denied Ethiopia's Kiros Abeye, Bezunesh Bekele and Ejegayehu Dibaba, the chance to settle in the race, while the youthful Emily Chebet bid her time.
 
In the last two laps Masai and Ochichi broke away. Masai (31:27.96) eventually outpaced Ochichi (31:29.43) in the sprint for the finish line. Both were inside the previous Championships record of 31:32.25 set by Ethiopia's Deratu Tulu. Chebet overtook Abeye on the home straight to ensure Kenya's clean sweep of the medal.
 
Morocco's Tariku Bouguetaib (17.25) and Younes Moudrik (16.58) won the gold and bronze medal in the men's Triple Jump, while South Africa's Khotose Mokoena (16.67) bagged his second silver medal of the championships. Elsewhere Tunisian Eymen Ahmed Ben won the 110m Hurdles.
 
Going into the final day of the five-day contest South Africa tops the medals standing. Kenya is second ahead of Nigeria. The medals are spread out among 20 countries.

Mark Ouma for the IAAF

Click here for full results
 
 
Selected results
AR denotes Africa Record
CR Championships Record
NR denotes National Record
PB denotes Personal Best
 
Men
100m (-1.9)
1 Olusoji Fasuba (Nigeria) 10.37
2 Uchenna Emedolu (Nigeria) 10.44
3 Eric Nkansah (Ghana) 10.65
 
400m
1 Gary Kikaya (Demo. Rep. of Congo) 45.03
2 Paul Gorris (South Africa) 45.50
3Young Talkmore Nyongani (Zimbabwe) 45.60
 
110m Hurdles (-2.8)
1 Eymen Ahmed Ben (Tunisia) 13.77
2 Berlioz Randrianmiiiaja (Madagascar) 14.03
3 Ruan de Vries (South Africa) 14.05
 
400m Hurdles
1 Louis van Zyl (South Africa) 49.43
2 Alwyn Myburgh (South Africa) 49.88
3 Leonel Kurt Couto (Mozambique) 50.72
 
800m
1 Alex Kipchirchir (Kenya) 1:46.62
2 Ismail Ahmed Ismail (Sudan) 1:46.65
3 Alfred Kirwa( Kenya) 1:46.85
 
3000m Steeplechase
1 Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 8:11.74 (CR)
2 Abdelkader Hachlaf (Morocco) 8:33.52
3 Ruben Ramolefi (South Africa) 8:39.67
 
5000m
1 Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 14:03.41
2 Mike Kigen (Kenya) 14:05.12
3 Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) 14:05.20
 
Long Jump
1 Ignisious Gaisah (Ghana) 8.51 (+3.7)
2 Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) 8.45 (+4.2)
3 Issam Nima (Algeria) 8.22 (+2.4)
4 Gable Garenamotse (Botswana) 8.02 (3.1)
 
Triple Jump
1 Tariku Bouguetaib (Morocco) 17.25 (+4.2)
2 Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) 16.67 (+3.6)
3 Younes Moudrik (Morocco) 16.58 (+3.7)
 
Pole Vault
1 Okkert Brits (South Africa) 5.20
2 Abderamme Tamada (Tunisia) 5.15
3 Hamdi Dhouidi (Tunisia) 4.80
 
Discus
1 Omar Ahmed ElGazaly (Egypt) 61.11
2 Ibrahim Yassar (Egypt) 54.38
3 Nabil Kiram (Morocco) 53.41
 
Shot Put
1 Ibrahim Yassar (Egypt) 18.93
2 Janus Robberts (South Africa) 17.88
3 Mohammed Medded (Tunisia) 17.87
 
Hammer Throw
1 Chris Harmse (South Africa) 77.55 CR
2 Saber Souid (Tunisia) 72.66
3 Mohammed Ana Mohsen (Egypt) 69.22
 
Decathlon
1 Hamdi Dhouidi (Tunisia) 7,566 points
2 Mourad souissi (Algeria) 7,113 points
3 Terence Wepener (South Africa) 7,084 points
 
Women
100m (-3.8)
1 Vida Anim (Ghana) 11.58
2 Geraldine Pillay (South Africa) 11.67
3 Endurance Ojokolo (Nigeria) 11.95
 
400m
1 Amy Mbacke Thiem (Senegal) 52.22
2 Amantle Montsho (Botswana) 52.68
3 Louise Ayetotche (Cote d'Ivoire) 52.92
 
100m Hurdles (-1.4)
1 Toyin Augustus (Nigeria) 13.44
2 Carole Me-ban kaboud (Cameroon) 13.85
3 Gnima Faye (Senegal) 13.95
 
1500m
1 Nouria Merah Benida (Algeria) 4:23.26
2 Safa Issaoui (Tunisia) 4:24.08
3 Berhane Hirphsa (Ethiopia) 4:24.09
 
3000m Steeplechase
1 Jeruto Kiptum (Kenya) 10:00.02
2 Habiba Ghribi (Tunisia) 10:10.93
3 Chaabi Bouchra (Morocco) 10:11.52
 
5000m
1 Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) 15:56.00
2 Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) 15:56.04
3 Jebiwot Kibet (Kenya) 15:57.14
 
10,000m
1 Edith Masai (Kenya) 31:27.96 CR
2 Isabella Ochichi (Kenya) 31:29.43
3 Emily Chebet (Kenya) 31:33.39
 
Triple Jump
1 Josephine Bike Mbarga (Cameroon) 6.33 (+2.9)
2 Kene Ndoye (Senegal) 6.30 (+1.8)
3 Chinazom Amadi (Nigeria) 6.23 (+3.0)
 
High Jump
1 Rene van der Merwe (South Africa) 1.84
2 Nneka Ukuh (Nigeria) 1.80
3 Sara Bouaoudia (Algeria) 1.75
 
Pole Vault
1 Syrine Balti (Tunisia) 4.21
2 Dinar Nisrine (Morocco) 3.60
3 Lindi Roux (South Africa) 3.60
 
Javelin
1 Justine Robbeson (South Africa) 60.60 PB/AR
2 Sunette Viljoen (South Africa) 55.64
3 Lindy Leveau (Seychelles) 54.41
 
Discus
1 Elizna Naude (South Africa) 55.42
2 Vivian Chukwuemeka (Nigeria) 49.63
3 Suzanne Kragbe (Cote d'Ivoire) 49.05
 
Hammer Throw
1 Marwa Hussein Arafat (Egypt) 62.16
2 Hayat Elghazi (Morocco) 59.33
3 Blessing Egwu (Nigeria) 51.77
 
Heptathlon
1 Janice Josephs (South Africa) 5876 points
2 Celine Laporte (Seychelles) 4932 points
3 Nadege Foe Essama (Cameroon) 3808 points
 
4x100m
1 Ghana 44.43
2 Nigeria 44.52
3 Cameroon 46.43