African 400m champion Amantle Montsho (© Jiro Mochizuki (Agence shot))
A host of recently crowned Africa champions are out to prove their victories were no fluke when they compete at the annual International meeting in Dakar on Saturday which is a Grand Prix status meet as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.
The 60,000 capacity crowd expected to throng the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium will get a glimpse of the new generation of African champions who are set to spearhead Africa challenge for gold medals at this summer’s Beijing Olympics. With athletics accounting for almost all the medals Africa wins at the Olympics, the Dakar meet gives a foretaste of what Africa cam expect in China.
Sprints
Perhaps the meets most closely contested event will be the men’s 400m where Sudan’s African champion Abubakar Nagmeldin faces Botswana’s Isaac Makwele who he beat in a photo finish to claim the continental title in Addis Ababa Ethiopia a fortnight ago. Zimbabwean regular Young Talkmore Nyongani, 2003 World Indoor champion American Tyree Washington and 2001 World outdoor champion Avard Moncur of the Bahamas add spice to the rich field of talent for the one lap race.
Meanwhile Botswana’s vastly improved Amantle Montsho is expected to win the women’s 400m. The All Africa Games champion confirmed her pedigree when she clocked 49.83 in Addis Ababa. Based at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Montsho will be competing on familiar territory.
The women’s short sprint will be a close call. Jamaica’s Sheri-Ann Brooke is back to defend the 100m and 200m titles she claimed last year. In the 100m she has to fend off the challenge from Nigeria’s Damola Osayomi and Ghana’s Vida Anim Africa’s top two in Addis Ababa. With Mali’s Africa silver medallists Kadiatou Kamara joining the action in 200m, Brooke has her work cut out.
800m
Sudan’s Ismail Ahmed continues to challenge Kenya’s dominance in the 800m. A runner up to Kenya’s world Junior champions David Rudisha both in Addis Ababa and last week’s IAAF Super Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar (9 May), Ahmed’s consistency could pay off with a sub 1:44. Algerian Nabil Madi and Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wagne aim to give a good account of themselves.
Infield
On the infield Senegalese triple jumper Ndiss Kaba Badji and Botswana’s high jumper Kabelo Kgoseimang start as the odd-on favorites to win their events. Each set a national record when they won gold medals at the Africa Championships. Badji has the added advantage of the home crowd support in his quest to surpass his 17.07m leap in Addis Ababa.
Kgosiemang’s 2.34m High Jump clearance in Addis Ababa places him among the world’s best in the outdoor event this year. Any improvement will earn the Botswanan who is based at the IAAF Accredited Centre in Cologne, Germany valuable points on the World Athletics Tour circuit. Besides, he could edge closer to the 2.38m Africa record held by South Africa’s former World champion Jacques Freitag. Czech Jaroslav Baba, the Olympic bronze medallist is one of the other major names in the field along with USA's Jamie Neito.
Elsewhere Nigerian African women’s Shot Put champion Vivian Chukwuemeka gets another opportunity to better her 17.50m effort in Addis Ababa. She will certainly be gunning for the Olympic ‘A’ standard qualifier of 18.35 which is also her lifetime best. The Dakar meet is famous for bringing out the best in many athletes as the passionate fans will be there to cheer every impressive performance. Her biggest challenger and the event favourite will be Germany's Olympic silver medallist Nadine Kleinert.
Ukraine's Athens Olympic champion Yuriy Bilonog is the headline name in the men's Shot Put.
By an IAAF Correspondent in Dakar
