Amy Mbacke Thiam wins her 400m semi final (© Getty Images)
The athletics events of the 8th All-Africa Games begin at the National Stadium today, and will provide exciting competition despite there being many top names missing from the competition lists.
Earlier editions of these Games have featured a ‘who’s who’ of Africa track and field. From greats of the 1970’s like Kip Keino, Filbert Bayi, John Akii-Bua, Henry Rono, to more recent champions like Maria Mutola, Falilat Ogunkoya, Sunday Bada, Noureddine Morceli.
After a long, fatiguing season of competition this edition of the All-Africa Games in Abuja is missing some of Africa’s greatest athletes like Maria Mutola, Haile Gebrselassie, Hicham El-Guerrouj, Jacques Freitag, Hestrie Cloete….
However, despite their absence the Abuja track and field competition will still be fun to watch, especially the sprints, the 400 metres races and the relay events.
In the men's 100m, Nigerian Deji Aliu is the event’s top draw. After returning 9.98sec in the Nigerian trails in May, and making the finals at the Paris 2003 World Championship, it will be difficult to tip any other person for the big prize.
But if his compatriot Uchenna Emedolu gets one of those flying starts that propelled him to win the IAAF World Cup gold medal last year, Aliu’s title winning ambitions could be in serious jeopardy.
Especially keen will be rivalry between Ghana trio of Eric Nkansah, defending champion Leonard Myles-Miles and Aziz Zakari. But still everything points to Aliu’s victory.
In the women’s 100m, Africa’s 35 year-old track queen Mary Onyali-Omagbemi is the top draw. Defending Champion Mercy Nku who has all it takes to give her a good fight for the gold medal is not in the Nigeria team. Of the others Endurance Ojokolo, winner of the Nigerian trial is not in the best shape. Ghana’s Vida Anim is an outside contender for the big prize.
The arrival of sprint legend Namibian Frank Fredericks, has added a lot of colour to the games and has thrown the 200m title wide open. With season best of 20.23, Fredericks is the event’s top draw but if Mauritian Stephane Buckland competes, Frederick may still have to play second fiddle. Nambian Sherwin Vries, Zakari, and Emedolu are the other contenders.
The result of the women’s 200m may be the same as the 100m. Onyali-Omagbemi, an Olympic medallist in this event is favoured. Anim, Nigerian Uduak Ekah are likely to grab the silver and bronze.
In the men’s 400m, Mauritian Eric Milazar and Kenya’s Ezra Sambu, South Africa Marcus La Grange are the top contenders.
In the women’s one lap Senegal’s Amy Mbacke Thiam is favoured to beat home girl Bisi Afolabi. Their competitors include South Africa Heide Seyerling-Quinn, Cameroon Mireille Nguimgo and Senegal Fatou Binetou Fall.
Of the other highlight events -
Men’s events: Kenyan Wilfred Bungei is favoured for men’s 800m title over South Africa’s Hezekiel Sepeng.
Nigeria William Erese is favoured to win the 110m Hurdles and the South Africans Llewellyn Herbert and Ockert Cilliers are outstanding bets for the men’s 400m Hurdles title.
The Long Jump will present a duel between Jonathan Chimier of Mauritius and Ghana Ignisious Gaisha. Morocco Yahya Berrabah, and Nambia Stephan Louw are outside contenders. While Ghana’s Andrew Owusu is on his own in the men triple jump.
In the absence of South Africans Janus Robberts and Frantz Kruger, home boy Chima Ugwu is expected to pick up the men’s Shot Put and Discus.
Women’s events: Nigerian Angela Atede looks good to win the 100m Hurdles, and South Africa Surita Febbrano the 400m Hurdles.
Continental record holder Francoise Mbango Etone of Cameroon is the firm favourite to win the women's Triple Jump.
Home athletes Chinedu Odozor is the race for the women's Long Jump gold medal, and is Vivian Chukwemeka in the Shot, Discus, and wait for it, the Hammer too. Can she do it? The next few days will decide.
Event Schedule
DAY 1 - SATURDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2003
MORNING
09.00 100m H/M Decathlon
09.20 100m D/W 1 tour/1st round
09.40 Longueur/Long Jump H/M Decathlon
09.50 100m H/M 1 tour/1st round
10.00 Javelot/Javelin H/M Finale/Final
10.40 200m H/M Finale/Final
11.10 Poids/Shot Put H/M Decathlon
APRES-MIDI/AFTERNOON
16.00 400m Haies/Hurdles D/W 1 er tour/1st round
16.15 Hauteur/High Jump H/M Decathlon
16.20 400m H/M 1 er tour/1st round
16.30 Perche/Pole vault D/W Finale/Final
16.40 Triple Saut/Triple Jump H/M Finale/Final
16.55 100m D/W _ Finales/S. final
17.00 Marteau/Hammer H/M Finale/Final
17.10 Poids/Shot put D/W Finale/Final
17.15 100m H/M _ finale/S. final
17.40 110m Haies/Hurdles H/M 1 er tour/1st round
18.00 800m H/M 1 er tour/1st round
18.35 400m H/M Decathlon
18.50 5000 D/M Finale/Final
DAY 2 - SUNDAY 12TH OCTOBER 2003
MATIN/MORNING
08.00 20Km Marche/Walk H/M Finale/Final
09.00 110m Haies/Hurdles H/M Decathlon
09.10 Poids/Shot put D/W Finale/Final
09.40 Disque/Discus H/M Decathlon
11.10 Disque/Discus H/M Finale/Final
11.15 Perche/Pole vault H/M Decathlon
APRES-MIDI/AFTERNOON
16.00 Javelot/Javelin H/M Decathlon
16.05 Hauteur/High Jump D/W Finale/Final
16.10 110m Haies/Hurdles H/M Finale/Final
16.25 100m D/W Finale/Final
16.30 Triple Saut/Triple Jump D/W Finale/Final
16.40 100m H/M Finale/Final
16.55 400m D/W 1 ere tour/1st round
17.20 400m H/M _ finales/S. final
17.25 Disque/Discus D/W Finale/Final
17.35 800m H/M _ finales/S. final
17.55 1 500m D/W 1 er tour/1st round
18.15 1 500m H/M Decathlon
18.25 10 000m H/M Finale/Final
19.00 400m Haises/Hurdles D/W Finale/Final
19.15 4x100m D/W 1 er tour/1st round
19.35 4x100m H/M 1 er tour/1st round
DAY 3 - MONDAY 13TH OCTOBER 2003
MORNING
09.30 100M Haies/Hurdles D/W Heptathlon
10.15 Hauteur/High Jump D/W Heptathlon
10.20 Javelot/Javelin D/W Qual
AFTERNOON
16.00 Longueur/Long Jump H/M Qualification
16.05 Javelot/Javelin D/W Finale/Final
16.30 Poids/Shot put D/W Heptathlon
16.45 400m Haies/Hurdles H/M 1 er tour/1st round
17.05 400m D/M Finale/Final
17.20 400m H/M finale/final
17.35 Disque/Discuss H/M Finale/Final
17.35 1 500m D/W Finale/final
17.50 3 000m Steeple chase H/M Finale/Final
18.10 200m D/W Heptathlon
18.25 800m H/M Finale/Final
18.40 4x100m D/W Finale/Final
18.55 4x100m H/M Finale/Final
DAY 4 - TUESDAY 14TH OCTOBER, 2003
MORNING
08.00 20Km Marche/Walk D/W Finale/Final
09.00 Longueur/Long Jump D/W Heptathlon
09.30 Poids/Shot put H/M Finale/Final
09.35 Disque/Discus D/W Finale/Final
10.15 200m D/W 1et tour/1st round
10.45 Javelot/Javelin D/W Heptathlon
10.55 200m H/M 1er tour/1st round
AFTERNOON
16.00 Perche/Pole vault H/M Finale/Final
16.15 Marteau/Hammer D/W Finale/Final
16.30 400m Haies/Hurdles H/M Finale/Final
16.35 Longueur/Long Jump H/M Finale/Final
16.50 800m D/W 1 er tour/1st round
17.20 200m D/W _ finales/S.final
17.40 200m H/M _ finales/S.final
18.00 1 500m H/M 1 er tour/1st round
18.40 800m D/W Heptathlon
18.50 10 000m D/W Finale/Final
19.35 4,400m D/W 1 er tour/1st round
19.55 4x400 H/M 1 er tour/1st round
DAY 5 - WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER, 2003
16.00 Hauteur/High Jump H/M Finale/Final
16.05 Longueur/Long Jump D/W Finale/Final
16.15 Javelot/Javelin H/M Finale/Final
16.30 Poids/Shot put H/M Finale/Final
16.45 100m Haies/Hurdles D/W Finale/Final
17.00 200m D/W Finale/Final
17.15 200m H/M Finale/Final
17.30 800m D/W Finale/Final
17.45 5 000m H/M Finale/Final
18.10 1 500m H/M Finale/Final
18.25 4x400m D/W Finale/Final
18.40 4x400m H/M Finale/Final
DAY 6 - THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER 2003
08.00 Marathon D/W Finale/Final
08.30 Marathon H/M Finale/Final
