Francoise Mbango of Cameroon celebrates after winning the World Triple Jump silver in Paris (© AFP/Getty Images)
The International meeting of Dakar, Senegal, will take place on Saturday 3 April at the Leopold Senghor stadium.
It is the expected presence of female stars such as former World champions Nezha Bidouane of Morocco and Senegal’s Ami Mbacke Thiam, and last summer’s World silver medallist Françoise Mbango of Cameroon, which should be the highlight of this annual meeting. The Dakar event is the start of the African Athletics Confederation’s 2004 circuit of events.
A lot of interest will be directed towards the competitive return of Nezha Bidouane the 1997 and 2001 World 400m Hurdles champion, who is now 34 years of age and has been out of action for two years.
Home support will also have its own focus of course on the form of Amy Mbacke Thiam in the flat 400m. The 2001 World champion who so marvellously recovered from two years of relatively poor results to claim the bronze in the World Championships in Paris last summer, is back from her Canadian training base to please her home supporters.
During the meeting the home crowd will also have other talented nationals to cheer in the women's events including Kène Ndoye, Tacko Dious, Aïda Diop, Fatou Binetou Fall and Gnima Touré.
World silver medallist and African champion Françoise Mbango of Cameroon in the Triple Jump, and Endurance Ojokolo of Nigeria African champion and Afro-Asian Games winner in the 100m and 200m, are the other international star names of the women’s programme on Saturday.
Top flight sprinting
In the men’s line-up, many of the best sprinters have confirmed their presence including Nigerians Uchenna Emedolu, the World Cup winner, and Atoriubo Tamunosiki, Ghana’s Aziz Zakari and Eric Nkansah, Joseph Batangdon of Cameroon, Idrissa Sanou of Burkina Faso, and local hero Oumar Loum. France’s 26 year-old Jerome Eyana will try and prevent the men’s 100 metres being an all African affair.
400m to savour
The 400m event will showcase Kenya’s Ezra Sambu, the African Games champion and Africa’s best performer on the one lap with 44.43. Sambu will face stiff opposition from Eric Milazar (Mauritius) the second fastest African at the distance, who is also the reigning double African champion. Senegalese born Ibrahima Wade (France) will be the outsider and has the potential to upset the favourites in front of his former home crowd.
Over the 800m the field includes Morocco’s Laahlou Amine, Redouane Haroussi and Khalid Tighazouine, Kenya’s Vincent Kemboi and John Litei. The Senegalese colours in this race will be defended by Assane Diallo and Abdoulaye Wagne who might have a good chance of winning should the pace be fast.
8 metre party set for Long Jump
Among the field events, the men’s Long Jump should offer the best results. The win should be contested by Egypt’s Hatem Mersal, the former African Games champion, Morocco’s Younes Moudrik, Jonathan Chimier and Arnaud Casquette of Mauritius, Andrey Bragin from Russia, Romania’s Bogdan Tudor, and Ndiss Kaba (Senegal) - who are all 8 metre jumpers.
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International events to be contested in Dakar -
Men
100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, Long Jump, High Jump
Women
100m, 200m, 400m, 400m Hurdles, Triple Jump
