Sudan’s Nagmeldin Ali Abubakr, the 2003 World Youth champion and 2004 World Junior silver medallist at 400m, opened his season at the weekend in the Pan African meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Abubakr, who is now 20 years of age and is a long term student of the IAAF’s High Performance training Centre (HPTC) in Dakar, Senegal, won the 400m in 45.84 seconds on Saturday (22).
The Area junior record holder (44.93 – 2005), got to the heats in the 2004 Olympics, and was a semi-finalist last year at the World Championships in Helsinki.
Also performing in Abidjan were two other Dakar based athletes. Mathieu Gnanligo was second behind Abubakr in the 400m in 46.93, while Amandine Allou Affoue took a double in the women’s sprints (11.64 and 23.94).
Chris Turner for the IAAF
Women
100m
ALLOU AFFOUE Amandine 11.64
200m
ALLOU AFFOUE Amandine 23.93
400m DAMES
1. SYLLA Aminata 54.76
2. SOULAMA Aïssata 55.00
Men
100m
1. SANOU Idrissa 10.44
200m
2. SANOU Idrissa 21.20
400m
1. NAGMELDIN Ali Abubakr 45’’84
2. GNANLIGO Mathieu 46.93
3. MAIGA Ibrahim 47.32
4. ISSAH Chérif Amadou 47.64 PB
5. MBOW Seth El Hadj 47.64