14th African Championships - Preview

The 14th African Championships begin today in Brazzaville, Congo, and will run through to Sunday 18 July.

The championships which were first held in Dakar, Senegal in 1979, are the highlight of the competitive year for the majority of the continent’s athletes but for the elite of many nations are also the final selection meet ahead of next month's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

43 countries from the African Athletics Confederation’s total of 53 members nations have confirmed they will compete at the Championships in Brazzaville.

Editor’s note -
Mark Ouma, the IAAF internet’s correspondent who has travelled to the Congo, will be filing regular reports during the course of the next five days of competition. However, please note we are experiencing email/telecommunication problems even before competition gets underway, and so we ask our readers to be patient. Reports will be published on this site as soon as they are received.

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The top names converge on Brazzaville

14 July 2004 - Brazzaville, Congo - African women's 400m champion Nadjina Kaltouma (Chad) expects the 14th Africa Athletics Championships to herald her return to top flight competition after a year plagued with injury, reports Mark Ouma in Brazzaville.

Staged at the Alphonse Massambe Debat Stadium in Congo Brazzaville, the championships are the last major competition for the continent’s athletes before they converge on Athens, Greece for the Olympics Games. Elite athletes will find this a useful warm up to the global event. While for the vast majority of competitors, this is their last opportunity to at least achieve the Olympic ‘B’ qualifying standard in their respective events.

Kaltouma who was a double gold medallist at the last Africa Championships in the Tunisian capital Tunis two years ago is clearly aware that of the eleven Chadian athletes in Brazzaville, she is the only one who has a serious chance of winning a medal.

“My goal is to retain my titles in both the 400m and 200m.What makes this even more challenging is the fact that I am making a comeback after missing the whole of last year due to a knee injury. I have no illusion that some tough days lay ahead, but I am ready for it,” says Kaltouma.

Her best time in 400m this year is 51.82. She faces a daunting task against the Senegalese pair of former World champion Amy Mbacke Thiam and the vastly improved Fatou Fall. Cameroon’s Mireille Nguimgo has previously been a hard nut to crack. However on current form, it is her compatriot Hortense Bewouda who is Kaltouma’s biggest threat in the one lap race. 

“I have more confidence in the short 200m. While the sprinters from the 100m normally have the edge in the beginning of the race, they fizzle in the last 50 metres,” Kaltouma pointed out. Besides Nigerians Endurance Ojokolo and Mercy Nku, Ghana’s Vida Anim is the other main contender in both the short sprints.

Men’s 100m is wide open 

On current form the 100m and 200m is a open contest. Aziz Zakari (Ghana), Stephane Buckland (Mauritius), the All Africa Games 100m champion Deji Aliu (Nigeria), along with veteran Frank Fredericks are the main contenders for the gold medals. 

Milizar is confident

However Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai and Lewis Banda could upstage the favourites in the 200m. Together with their compatriot Talkmore Nyongani they will also present the strongest challenge in the 400m to the All Africa Games Champion Ezra Sambu (Kenya), defending champions Eric Milazar (Mauritus) and Sofiane Labidi (Tunisia).

Banda (44.58) is Africa’s fastest athlete in 400m this year and could win the race. Milazar disagrees “These athletes have run well in the United States and Europe, but here on African soil I will retain my title.

Yampoi versus Sepeng at 800m   

William Yampoi (Kenya) and Hezekiel Sepeng (South Africa) are vying for the men’s 800m title. Having both run sub 1:44 last month the race could be one of the highlights of the championships. Those who have yet to qualify for Athens have the pace they need to make the grade.

Home medal chance?

The best chances for the hosts Congo-Brazzaville to win a medal in the championships rest with Leontine Tsiba is in the women’s 800m. Clearly, the most experienced athlete among the 49-strong Congolese contingent, her 2:04.90 this year places her among the medal contenders behind Mozambique’s Maria Mutola.

“I have waited for this moment for over eight years. Ever since I first competed at the Atlanta Olympics, I have always run my best races in Europe or America. This is the first time I will be in action on home ground. My prime target is to better my national record of 2:04.08,” Tsibi revealed.

Long distances – the usual East African / North Africa battle
 
The 1500m and 3000m steeplechase (both men and women) is shaping up to be a contest between the usual contenders from Kenya, Morocco, Ethiopia and Algeria. Of all the middle and long distance races, the men’s 10,000m should be a particular thriller.

Former World 10000m champion Charles Kamathi gets his last window of opportunity to make the Kenya team to Athens. He faces a spirited challenge from his youthful compatriot Francis Kiprop and Uganda’s Martin Toroitich.  

“The challenge is not just to win the race. The have to cover the distance well inside the Olympic qualifier 27:49. They know this very well,” says John Anzarah, one of the Kenyan coaches in Brazzaville.

Cloete leads South African challenge

South Africa’s medal potential at the championships is strongest in the field events. World champion Hestrie Cloete (high Jump), Burger Lambrechts (shot put), Frantz Kruger (Discus) all looks set to be comfortable winners in their respective disciplines. Egyptian, Tunisian, Nigerian and Algerian challengers are expected to tussle for the minor medals.

The South Africans are also expected to dominate the hurdling events with Shaun Bownes (men’s 110m) and Surita Febbriao (women’s 400m Hurdles) starting as clear favourites. Perhaps South Africa’s largest medal haul in a single event will come in the men’s 400m hurdles where Ockert Cilliers and Llewelyn Herbert will renew their rivalry.

Last Athens relay opportunities

Fans can expect a thrilling conclusion to the championship when the 4x100m and 4x400m relays get underway. At stake for most teams is the last chance to be ranked among the world’s top 16 teams. Thus qualify for the Athens Olympics.

Judging from the way Nigeria has been trying out various relay combinations at meetings in Europe over the last two months, they are all fired up to salvage their national pride after the disappointment at the All Africa Games in Abuja. 

Nigerian pride was significantly dented on home ground, when they lost to arch rivals Ghana in the men’s 4x100m relay at the All Africa meet. Championships record holder Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Cameroon have also brought their best teams.

In the women’s 4x100m, Nigeria are head and shoulders above the rest. Their speed is likely to provide the pace Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, and Senegal need to qualify for Athens.

The Nigerian women can expect stiff resistance in the 4x400m. Cameroon, Senegal and a resurgent South Africans are acutely aware that unless they keep pace with, or beat the Nigerians, they will miss the flight to Athens.

Botswana’s victory in the men’s 4x400m in Abuja took the continent by surprise. The team have been training and competing together since the beginning of the year. Nigeria, Senegal, and Kenya hope to book their place in Athens.  However it is Zimbabwe who go into the contest with the best individual form record. They have the potential to cover the distance in under-three minutes. Should they combine well then they stand a good chance of winning the last gold medal at the championships.

Mark Ouma for the IAAF