Letsile Tebogo celebrates his 200m win at the African Championships (© Clyde Koa Wing)
World U20 sprint champion Letsile Tebogo claimed his first senior continental title, while shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi improved his own championship record on the fifth and final day of the African Championships in Saint Pierre, Mauritius, on Sunday (12).
A fourth African javelin title for 2015 world champion Julius Yego helped Kenya to top of the medal table ahead of South Africa. In challenging weather conditions, Yego threw 79.62m as Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman, the world silver medallist behind the Kenyan in Beijing seven years ago, threw 77.12m to again secure the runner-up spot.
Botswana’s Tebogo, who claimed the 100m crown and secured 200m silver at the World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21 in August, was a clear winner of the African half-lap title in wet weather at the Cote d'Or National Sports Complex. Assisted by a 3.0m/s tailwind, the 19-year-old clocked 20.26 to win ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (20.61).
Niger’s Aminatou Seyni won the women’s title in 23.04, adding 200m gold to her 100m silver from three days earlier and making history for her country. Her win was Niger’s first ever in any event at the African Championships.
Nigeria’s Enekwechi led a strong men’s shot put final, the Commonwealth silver medallist retaining his title from Asaba four years ago with a performance that adds 12cm to his own championship record. Each of his six attempts went beyond the 20-metre mark, with his best coming in the fifth round.
The top three athletes all surpassed 20 metres, South Africa’s Kyle Blignaut throwing 20.60m for silver and Egypt’s Mohamed Magdi Hamza recording 20.33 for bronze.
The final day of competition had opened with the 20km race walk events and a Kenyan double was achieved by Samuel Gathimba and Emily Ngii. Gathimba, who was third at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 in March, claimed his third consecutive African title in 1:22.40 after winning a battle with South Africa’s Wayne Snyman. In the women’s race, Ngii clocked 1:34.30 to win by more than a minute ahead of Ethiopia’s defending champion Yehualeye Beletew (1:35.48).
Kenya’s world leader Abel Kipsang pipped South Africa’s Ryan Mphahlele to the men's 1500m title, 3:36.57 to 3:36.74, while Werkuha Getachew led an Ethiopian top two in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, running 9:36.81 ahead of Zerfe Wondemagegn with 9:41.37.
Kenya’s Jarinter Mawia Mwasya won the women’s 800m in 2:02.80 and Ethiopia’s Hailemariyam Amare claimed the men’s 5000m crown in 13:36.79.
Another double for Zazini and Van der Walt
Sokwakhana Zazini and Zeney van der Walt achieved another South African 400m hurdles double, Zazini clocking 49.42 and Van der Walt running 56.00. The pair claimed gold medals at the World U18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017 and then completed another double at the World U20 Championships in Tampere the following year, with their success in Saint Pierre brining them their first senior continental titles.
In the 4x400m finals, the South African quartet claimed women’s gold in 3:29.34, while the men’s title went to Botswana in 3:04.27.
Senegal's Sangone Kandji leapt a PB of 13.76m to win the women's triple jump, while Algeria's Hichem Bouhanoune won the men's high jump on countback (2.15m).
