African Championships – Day Four – African record

Brazzaville, CongoEgypt’s Marwa Ahmed Hussein improved her own African record (women’s hammer), there was a quality men’s 800m, South Africa’s Janus Robberts (shot put) was in brilliant form, and Tunisia won two gold medals on the fourth day of the 14th African Championships yesterday (Sat 17 July), reports Mark Ouma.

Hosts celebrate medal

However, grabbing the limelight on the penultimate day of the championship was Celes Moussambote Kengue in the Decathlon who gave the hosts, the Republic of Congo their first medal of the championships.

Kengue clinched the bronze medal with a national record of 6478 points. He improved his previous record by 78 points. Tunisia’s Anis Riehi (7200) won the event, while Selwyn Lieuter of Mauritius was runner up with 6882 points.

Moments after the final Decathlon results were announced the Massamba Debat stadium erupted in a frenzy as fans and local officials celebrated the host nation’s moment of glory. Urged on by the crowd, Kengue embarked on a lively lap of honour, which he punctuated with a fine display of celebratory gymnastics.

“What can I say? This is the greatest moment of my athletics career. Through all the hardships we Congolese athletes have endured in training, we have finally a medal to show the country. Maybe now we will get more support,” says Kengue. The Decathlon medal presentation has been deferred to Sunday, the final day of the championship.

African Record

Egypt earned their second gold medal of the championship when Marwa Ahmed Hussein retained her title in the women’s Hammer Throw, improving her own African record (65.26 – 2003) to 66.14m. Of course the mark also bettered her championship record of 61.64, which she set two years ago in Tunis.

Moroccans Mouna Dani (59.78) and Hayat Elghazi (57.67) returned home with the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Another success story for IAAF’s ATC in Szombathely

Hussein trains at the IAAF Accredited Training Centre (ATC) in Szombathely, Hungary, which has been the legendary base for so many of the world’s greatest hammer throwers this century. It was at the centre last year that Hussein set the previous African record.

Robberts on a high

Meanwhile, Janus Robberts signalled he is on course to make a serious challenge for an Olympic medal with a heave of 21.02 in the men’s Shot Put. Not only was this a season's best for the South African, it was also a massive new championship record. Robberts erased the oldest standing championship record of 20.44 set by the Egyptian doctor Youcef Nagi Assad in Cairo in 1982.

“Previously, I have had to peak twice in a year, once at the United States NCAA Championships and the other later in the year at the Olympics or World Championships,” confirmed Robberts. “That is why I have not done well later in the year in previous seasons. This time I have one single focus. I hope that I will be a medallist in Athens,” said a delighted Robberts.

Tunisian wins Pole Vault title

Bechir Zaghouani (Tunisia) proved that his victory in the Pole Vault at last year’s All Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, was no fluke. Yesterday he carried the day when he cleared the bar at a height of 5.20m, an identical height to the one that earned him a gold medal in Abuja.

“My plan was to better my Tunisia record of 5.30m, and possibly even achieve the Olympic B qualifier of 5.55. Unfortunately, I faced a headwind when vaulting. I will miss the Olympics, but God willing I will better my record at the Pan Arab Games in Algiers in September,” said Zaghouani.

Yiampoy wins quality men’s 800m

As expected the men’s 800m was a duel between Kenya and South Africa.

South African Werner Botha assumed the lead at the bell (52.4). However, midway through the back straight, William Yiampoy of Kenya surged to the lead and went on to win the race in 1:45.36.

Such was the pace of the Kenyan's attack that South Africa’s Hezekiel Sepeng (1:45.55), Sudan’s A. Ismail Ismail (1:45.87) were drawn to fast finishes, while Edwin Letting (1:46.04) and Morocco’s Khalid Tighazouine (1:46.16) were not far away either.

Women’s 10,000m goes Ethiopia’s way

In the last track event of the day, Eyerusalem Kuma (Ethiopia) outpaced Kenya’s Irene Kwambai with 300 metres to go to the finish line and won the women’s 10,000m. Kuma who had tacked herself in just behind Kwambai for most of the race clocked 31:56.77. Kwambai was credited with 31:57.54. While another Kenyan Catherine Kirui (32:35.71) took the bronze medal.

The curtain comes down on the Africa Championships on Sunday 18 July. The day’s highlights are expected to be the men’s 400m hurdles the 200m for men and women together with the 4 x 400m relays.

SELECTED RESULTS  from JULY 17 (Day Four)

Men

800m
William Yampoi (Kenya) 1:45.36 OLY A
2 Hezekiel Sepeng (South Africa) 1:45.55 OLY A
3A. Ismail Ismail (Sudan) 1:45.87 OLY A
4 Edwin Letting (Kenya) 1:46.04 OLY B
5 Khalid Tighazouine (Morocco) 1:46.16 OLY B

Long Jump
1 Jonathan Chimier (Mauritius) 8.06 OLY B
2 Kaba Badji Ndiss (Senegal) 7.86
3 Nabil Adamou Med (Algeria) 7.72
 
Pole Vault
1 Bechir Zaghouani (Tunisia) 5.20
2 Karim Sene (Senegal) 5.00
3 Mohamed Karbib (Morocco) 4.60

Shot Put
1 Janus Robberts (South Afrcia) 21.02 CR
2 Burger Lambrechts (south Africa) 18.78
3 Fathy Farag Yassar (Egypt) 18.51
 
Decathlon
1 Anis Riehi (Tunisia) 7200 points
2 Selwyn Lieuter (Mauritius) 6882 Points
3 Celes Moussambote Kengue (Republic of Congo) 6478 Points NR

Women

10,000m
1 Kuma Eyerusalem (Ethiopia) 31:56.77
2 Irene Kwambai (Kenya) 31:57.54
3 Catherine Kirui (Kenya) 32:35.71

Discus
1 Elizna Naude (South Africa) 57.50
2 Alifatou Djibril (Togo) 52.62
3 Moselhy Zoghary Hera (Egypt) 50.58
 
Shot Put
1 Wafa Ismail Boghdady (Egypt) 15.53
2 Amel Ben Khalid (Tunisia) 15.45
3 Alitatou Djibril (Togo) 15.16
 
Hammer
1 Marwa Ahmed Hussein (Egypt) 66.14 AREA REC
2 Mouna Dani Morocco (Morocco) 59.78
3 Hayat Elghazi (Morocco) 57.67

 MEDAL TABLE AS AT 17 JULY(END OF DAY FOUR)
  
Country/gold/silver/bronze
South Africa  7  10  4
Kenya   6  5  3
Nigeria   4  1  0
Tunisia  3  4  1
Senegal  2  3  2
Morocco  2  2  5
Sudan   2  1  1
Mauritius  2  1  1
Ethiopia   2  1  1
Egypt   2  0  3
Ghana  1  0  0
Burkina Faso  0  1  1
Mali   0  1  1
Togo   0  1  1
Chad   0  1  0
Algeria  0  0  3
Cameroon  0  0  2
Burundi   0  0  1
Congo-Brazzaville 0  0  1
Gambia  0  0  1
Seychelles   0  0  1
Zimbabwe  0  0  1