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The men’s 100m was probably one of the best races in Abuja at the All Africa Games last week, posting some world class times at the end of the season and supplying many of the changes in the latest edition of the IAAF World Rankings.
World championship finalist Deji Aliu won in 9.95 (1330 points in Performance Scores). the third fastest time of the year, a new personal best that moved Aliu up two places to fourth in the 100m Event Ranking overtaking World 200m champion John Capel (USA) and reigning European 100m champion Dwain Chambers (GBR). The 28-year-old Nigerian also moved up ten places in the Overall Ranking to 53rd.
Compatriot and World Cup winner from last year, Uchenna Emedolu finished a close second to Aliu in 9.97 (1303 points in P.S.). Emedolu also rose two spots in the Event Ranking to 8th place, overtaking Olympic champion Maurice Greene (USA) and world junior record holder Darrel Brown (TRI). Leonard Myles-Mills of Ghana was not far behind in third with 10.03 (1271 points in P.S.) just ahead of compatriot Eric Nkansah’s 10.18 (1206 points in P.S.). Myles-Mills jumped up to 32nd, while Nkansah is 26th this week in the Event Ranking.
John Kemboi Kibowen could not stop the Ethiopian double in Abuja in the Men’s 5000m and had to settle for the bronze medal. With 13:29.14 on the clock (1194 points in P.S), Kibowen moved up one place to 5th in the Event Ranking. The race was won by World 10,000m champion and Event Ranking leader Kenenisa Bekele in 13:26.16 (1234 points in P.S.) followed closely by compatriot Hailu Mekonnen in 13:26.73 (1212 points in P.S.).
Another young Ethiopian - Birhanu Dejene - also moved closer to the top of the Event Ranking this week by stepping up six places to 17th. The 23-year-old Dejene finished third in the 10,000m in Abuja with 27:47.19 (1237 points in P.S.).
One of the contenders for breakthrough-athlete-of-the-year should clearly be Egnatius Gaisah of Ghana. The 20-year-old finalist from Paris showed signs of what might lies ahead of him as he commanded the field in Abuja with an 8.30m leap for the win. Gaisah did not move up in the Event Ranking, but improved his score by 15 points and is now just a single point behind Hussein Taher Al Sabee of Saudi Arabia in fourth.
Kenyan 400m champion Ezra Sambu won comfortably in Abuja with 44.98 (1282 points in P.S.) clocking only the second sub 45-second time of his career. Sambu moved up eleven places to 16th in the Event Ranking.
Following an arguable photo-finish Mary Onyali-Omagbemi won the Women’s 100m in Abuja. Onyali-Omagbemi won with the same time 11.26 (1251 points in P.S.) as compatriot silver medallist Endurance Ojokolo (1231 points in P.S.), but in the Event Ranking it is Ojokolo who is ahead by the slimmest of margins. After the All Africa Games Ojokolo moved up two places to 17th, while Onyali-Omagbemi rose five spots to 18th.
Onyali-Omagbemi seems more than consistent in her Rankings habits as in the 200m she also rose five spots to 18th following her win in 23.09 (1245 points in P.S.).
Akosua Serwah of Ghana finished second in the Women’s 800m in 2:02.40 (1191 points in P.S.) in Abuja after a very close finish. Serwah moved up six places to 16th this week.
Mireille Nguimgo of Ghana placed third in the Women’s 400m finals in 51.59 (1217 points in P.S.) and climbed up three places to 14th in the Event Ranking.
