Sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh (© AFP / Getty Images)
The last three days of the African Championships in Douala (24-26 June) saw the continent’s established athletes stamp their supremacy in their respective events. World triple jump champion Hugues Fabrice Zango and hammer thrower Mostafa Elgamel claimed victories for the third time, while 2015 world javelin gold medallist Julius Yego extended his tally of African Championships titles to five in total and Joseph Fahnbulleh secured a sprint double.
Competing in wet conditions, Burkina Faso’s Zango braved the odds to take the lead with his very first jump, breaking ground with a mark of 17.18m, which got him his third consecutive gold at the African Championships. Zimbabwe’s Chengetayi Mapaya settled for silver (16.87m), with Senegal’s Amath Faye taking bronze (16.54m).
It was a slightly different story in the men’s hammer throw, where the winner was decided in the final round. Ahmed Tarek Ismael had topped the standings by the fourth round with his effort of 70.71m, but four-time African Games winner and his compatriot, Elgamel, dug deep to produce his final throw of 72.88m to claim his third crown in the history of the competition. South Africa’s Alan Cumming displaced Tunisian Mohsen Anani in the fifth round to take bronze with 69.43m.
Historic fifth gold for Yego
Kenya’s 2015 world champion Yego held his own against African leader Chinecherem Nnamdi in the javelin, getting one over the Nigerian who had defeated him earlier on during the African Games. Nnamdi went into pole position with his first throw of 75.47m to Yego’s 71.54m, but the Kenyan got his groove back in the third round with his effort of 80.24m, his third best mark this season, which earned him his fifth African Championships gold. Nnamdi claimed silver with 79.22m while Egypt’s Moustafa Mahmoud took the bronze with 77.25m.
Senegal’s Saly Sarr got the gold in the women’s triple jump with 14.06m, an upgrade from the silver she took in Mauritius two years ago. The Cameroonian duo of Anne Suzanne Fosther (13.45m) and Veronique Kossendra Rey (13.35m) finished 10cm apart for silver and bronze.
The top three finishers in the men's discus were Algerian Oussama Khennoussi (63.90m), three-time African gold medallist Victor Hogan (63.87m) who led until the final round, and Namibia’s Ryan William (56.78m).
It was almost a South African affair in the women’s shot put final, with African Games winner Ashley Erasmus leading the charge. The 24-year-old recorded a lifetime best of 18.17m in the second round, which was good enough for gold. Two-time world U20 champion Mine de Klerk was second with 17.09m, and Mali’s Nassira Kone threw 17.07m for bronze, bumping Colette Uys into fourth place and denying South Africa a medal sweep.
Double dominance for Fahnbulleh
Three-time NCAA champion Fahnbulleh proved his mettle once more by extending his dominance from the 100m to the 200m three days after claiming gold in the former. Making his maiden appearance at the championship, Fahnbulleh maintained an unbeaten streak through the rounds, coming though from behind to pip Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu to the title in 20.25, with the latter following in 20.51. Home favourite Emmanuel Eseme secured another top three finish for the second time, taking third in 20.66.
It was a battle of two Ivoirians in the women’s 200m final, but it was Jessika Gbai who snatched the win in 22.84 to her teammate Maboundou Kone’s 22.99. Malawi’s Asimenye Simwaka, who finished sixth in the 100m, did not go home empty-handed, nicking the bronze with her time of 23.05.
The battle for gold in the women’s 1500m was an intense one, but Ethiopia’s Saron Berhe found her rhythm at the sound of the bell and sped past the rest of the pack, powering over the line in 4:06.05. Kenyan Caroline Nyaga and Uganda’s Esther Chebet came through for second and third respectively in 4:06.76 and 4:06.90.
In the men’s event, Kenyan champion Brian Komen took charge from the beginning of the race and left no room for his opponents to take advantage, securing an emphatic win in 3:33.95 and inspiring his teammate Boaz Kiprugut to the bronze medal with a time of 3:37.25. Djibouti’s Ayanleh Abdi returned a time of 3:36.24 for silver.
Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy was the man to beat in the 110m hurdles, dominating the race in 13.49. He finished ahead of Algerian Amine Bouanani (13.59) and Yousuf Badawy Sayed of Egypt (13.79).
South Africa’s Rogail Joseph was in a class of her own in the women’s 400m hurdles, adding the African Championships gold to the title she won at the African Games earlier this year. Joseph posted 55.71 while Morocco’s Noura Ennadi followed with 56.16, and Cameroon’s Linda Angounou taking third in a time of 56.48.
Djibouti stole the show in the men’s 5000m, taking gold and bronze respectively. Mohamed Ismail Ibrahim bided his time before making a gradual move towards the front of the pack. By the time the bell went off, the Francophone Games champion was unstoppable, blazing down the home straight in 13:38.38 to take the win. Ethiopian Nibret Melak, the 10,000m winner in Douala a few days earlier, tried to keep up but had already run out of steam and had to settle for silver this time in 13:42.95. Mouhyadin Abdi Waiss completed the podium.
The Kenyan pair of Gladys Kwamboka (36:53.59) and Rebecca Mwangi (36:59.69) led the way in the women’s 10,000m final, leaving the bronze for their Ethiopian rival Gela Hambese (37:09.20).
Two-time world U20 finalist Leonard Chemutai showed up in style while making his African Championships debut. The Ugandan stepped up to win his first international medal at senior level, snatching the victory in the men's 3000m steeplechase final in 8:21.30 ahead of youngster Edmund Serem of Kenya (8:21.94). Mathew Kosgei took bronze with a clocking of 8:21.98.
Inspired by her compatriot’s feat, Loice Chekwemoi dominated the women’s 3000m steeplechase final, triumphing in 9:24.47 to finish ahead of Alemnat Wale (9:35.19) and Leah Jeruto (9:36.33).
Unprecedented 13th gold for Nigeria in women’s 4x100m
The men’s and women’s 4x400m finals brought the curtain down on six days of competition. Two days prior, the men’s and women’s 4x100m finals had taken place, with Nigeria outclassing the field in the women’s event with a time of 43.01 to secure the country’s 13th title overall in the history of the championships. Ghana brought the baton home in 43.62 for second, with Liberia placing third in 44.38.
The battle for supremacy between Ghana and Nigeria took centre stage once more in the men’s event and this time around, the former got their revenge, having lost to their West African neighbours during the African Games. Ghana raced to the title in 38.63, with Nigeria (38.84) and Ivory Coast (39.77) following.
Nigeria once again gained the upper hand in the women’s 4x400m where they clocked 3:27.31. Zambia proved a formidable opponent, taking silver in a time of 3:32.18. Kenya won bronze with 3:32.65.
The men’s 4x400m produced lots of fireworks, with Botswana eventually retaining their title from Mauritius in 2022, benefitting from a strong anchor leg by Bayapo Ndori who crossed the line in 3:02.23. Kenya won silver in 3:02.34 as Muzala Samukonga anchored Zambia to bronze in 3:02.56.
Yemi Olus-Galadima for World Athletics
