Beatrice Chepkoech in the 3000m steeplechase (© AFP / Getty Images)
Championship records continued to tumble at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, on days three and four of athletics competition, with world record-holders and world champions among the athletes in action.
Having lost out to fierce rivals Ethiopia in most of the middle and long-distance events contested on the first two days of competition, Kenya bounced back and gained some ground on Wednesday and Thursday (20-21).
Women’s world 3000m steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech raced in the 5000m on day two in Accra, settling for fourth place, but she returned to the track to stamp her authority in her signature event. Kenya’s world silver medallist from Budapest took charge after the first lap, with Uganda’s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai following closely, leaving no room for the Ethiopian trio of Lomi Muleta, Sembo Almayew and Firehiwot Gesese to infiltrate their ranks.
It wasn’t long before Chepkoech and Chemutai distanced themselves from the rest of the field, and Chepkoech ran with intent, maintaining her lead to cross the finish line in a championship record of 9:15.61, erasing the previous mark set by her compatriot Ruth Bosibori in 2007. Chemutai took silver in 9:16.07, finishing almost 10 seconds ahead of Muleta in third.
World 800m champion Mary Moraa stepped down to the 400m, a distance for which she holds the Kenyan record. Moraa easily sailed through the rounds, as did Nigeria’s Esther Elo Joseph.
Joseph put up an impressive performance and looked as if she was coasting to gold, but the more experienced Moraa crept past her to take the title in 50.57 to Joseph’s 51.61, a lifetime best for the latter. Burkina Faso’s Sita Sibiri set a national record of 51.74 to snatch the bronze medal.
In the men’s race, it was Nigeria’s Chidi Okezie who reigned supreme. Okezie, the bronze medallist from Rabat in 2019, was up against favourite Muzala Samukonga, the Commonwealth Games champion.
The Zambian had taken the lead, but as they approached the curve Okezie caught up and powered down the home straight to strike gold with a PB of 45.06. African champion Samukonga had to take the silver with 45.37, while Senegal’s Cheikh Tidiane Diouf took bronze in 45.49, just 0.01 shy of his lifetime best.
The men’s 800m saw a Kenyan 1-2, with Aron Cheminingwa leading the way. Botswana’s Tumo Nkape had taken an early lead but with about 150m to go, 2018 world U20 silver medallist Alex Ngeno Kipngetich began to pull away. Nevertheless, it was Cheminingwa who claimed the title, returning a time of 1:45.72 to Kipngetich’s 1:45.73, as Nkape scooped bronze in a PB of 1:46.04.
Kenya’s Janeth Chepngetich ran a tactical race in the women’s 10,000m to emerge champion, despite being outnumbered by her Ethiopian rivals three to one. Chepngetich overtook her opponents with about two laps to go, with Wede Kefale hot on her heels and attempting to run the leader down.
However, buoyed by the support of the fans, Chepngetich raced to the finish line with renewed vigour to win in 33:37.00, with Kefale following in 33:38.37.
Kenya, Ethiopia and Algeria produced the top three finishers in both the men’s and women’s 20km race walk events. Ethiopia’s Misgana Wakuma Fekansa, the African U20 10,000m race walk champion, clinched gold in the men’s event in 1:28:05, narrowly beating three-time African champion Samuel Gathimba of Kenya (1:28.06). Algerian Ismail Benhammouda (1:31:12) completed the podium.
Kenya’s Emily Ngii retained the crown in the women’s event, winning in 1:37:34 ahead of Ethiopia’s Teshager Sintayehu Masire (1:38.07) and Algerian Souad Azzi (1:45:42).
Zango and Brume inspire next generation
World triple jump champion Hugues Fabrice Zango had his hands on the gold by his second attempt of the day, 16.73m. He later improved on that mark by 24cm to retain his crown from Rabat.
As the only athlete from Burkina Faso with a global medal to his name, Zango savoured the experience of being joined on the podium by his teammate Yacouba Loue, the 21-year-old who was inspired to the bronze medal with an equal lifetime best of 15.86m. Senegal’s Amath Faye took the silver medal with a best effort of 16.24m.
Zango wasn’t the only jumper inspiring a teammate to greatness. African record-holder in the women’s long jump, Ese Brume, also secured a second consecutive African Games title with her first leap of 6.92m (3.9m/s) while inspiring her Nigerian compatriot Prestina Ochonogor to the bronze medal in the event.
Brume jumped 6.84m on her second attempt and recorded 6.68m on her fourth, while passing on the remaining attempts. Marthe Koala, the heptathlon champion from Rabat, settled for silver with her second attempt which landed at 6.81m, as 17-year-old Ochonogor added 1cm to her lifetime best with 6.67m to take bronze ahead of her teammate Ruth Usoro, who had won the triple jump title two days prior.
Three times was indeed a charm for South Africa’s Jo-Ane van Dyk in the women’s javelin as she has now secured a complete African Games medal set: bronze from Congo (2015), silver from Rabat (2019) and now gold from Accra, along with a championship record.
Van Dyk, who has a PB of 62.24m set earlier this year in Potchefstroom, was in a class of her own as she broke the championship record three times during the evening. Her best was 60.80m and it was a 1-2 for South Africa as Jana van Schalkwyk took the silver medal with a mark of 57.64m. Uganda’s Josephine Joyce Lalam set a national record of 57.01m for third.
A similar scenario played out in the women’s discus, where Nigeria’s Obiageri Amaechi and Commonwealth Games champion Chioma Onyekwere won gold and silver respectively, 58.93m to 58.03m, with Cameroonian Nora Monie winning bronze with 56.11m.
The men’s hammer throw saw African record-holder Mostafa Al Gamel take his fourth successive gold medal for Egypt. With a best of 73.65m, he won by almost six metres ahead of Mohsen Anani (67.71m).
Algeria’s Medhi Amar Rouana was the man to beat in the pole vault, where he soared 5.30m.
Odile Ahouanwanou put up a dominant display to top the standings in the heptathlon, winning five of the seven events including setting a national record of 1.79m in the high jump. She amassed 5616 points as Kemi Francis-Petersen followed with 5268 points.
Three-peat for Amusan in 100m hurdles
World 100m hurdles record-holder Tobi Amusan claimed her third consecutive title at the African Games. After dominating the semifinals with her time of 13.03, the Nigerian was faced with a false start scare, which earned her a warning from the officials. She went on to clock 12.89 to successfully defend her title, with silver and bronze going to Madagascar’s Sidonie Fiadanantsoa (13.19) and Zimbabwe’s Ashley Tinashe Kamangirira (13.59), respectively.
Morocco’s Saad Hinti emerged the surprise winner of the men’s 400m hurdles, getting victory with a national record of 48.82. Botswana’s Victor Ntweng and Kemorena Tisang ran 49.38 and 50.09 respectively for silver and bronze.
The men’s and women’s 4x100m finals threw up lots of fireworks as the same countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia – finished top three in both races, albeit in different orders. Amusan returned to the track an hour after her triumph in the hurdles to anchor Nigeria to gold as she teamed up with Tiana Eyakpobeyan, Olayinka Olajide and Moforehan Abinusawa to bring the baton home in 43.05. Liberia took silver in 44.02 while the host nation Ghana edged out South Africa for bronze in 44.21.
Nigeria exerted revenge over Ghana in the men’s 4x100m, having placed second to the host nation at the last edition of the Games. Israel Okon Sunday, Consider Ekanem, Alaba Akintola and Usheoritse ran the race of their lives to win in 38.41, with just 0.02 separating them from Ghana. The Liberian team set a national record of 38.73 in third place.
Yemi Olus-Galadima for World Athletics
