Marrakech 2014: Okagbare, Koffi Hua are African sprint champions – Day 2

The second day of the 19th Africa senior championships, Monday 11 August, confirmed the new supremacy of Nigeria’s and Ivory Coast’s sprint on the continent.

Nigeria’s Commonwealth Games 100m champion, Blessing Okagbare, added the African women’s title  to her collection in a Championships record of 11.00sec, ahead of the Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahouré, who came 2nd in 11.03, and Marie Josée Ta Lou, who tool the bronze medal in 11.20.

In the men’s 100m final,  Ivory Coast’s Wilfried Koffi Hua stormed to a new national record of 10.05 secs followed by Nigerians Mark Jelks (10.07) and Edward Monzavous (10.16).

The 100m hurdles final was full of suspense with a photo finish which finally returned victory to South Africa’s Rikenette Steenkamp ahead of Ivorian Rosvitha Okou Bodjiho, both of them credited with the same performance of 13.26 secs. Nigeria’s Nichole Denby took the bronze medal in 13.27 secs.

South Africans Victor Hogan (62.87m) and Russell Tucker (62.15m) dominated the men’s Discus throwing event leaving the bronze medal to Nigeria’s Stephen Mozia (57.11m).

South Africa also swept the men’s long jump medals with gold for [link id=”334″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Zarck Visser”] with 8.08m (+2.0) followed by his compatriots [link id=”230″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Khotso Mokoena “](8.02m) and Rushwal Samaai (7.84m).

Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana Eba won the women’s 5000m in a new African Championship record of 15:32.72 ahead of her compatriot [link id=”379″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Genzebe Dibaba”] (15:42.16) and Kenya’s Janeth Kisa (15:54.04).

Tunisia’s Syrine Balti dominated the women’s pole vault final by jumping 4.10m ahead of Morocco’s Nisrin Dinar (3.80m) and her compatriot Dorra Mahfoudhi (3.70m).

Algeria took the gold medal in the men’s Decathlon thanks to Larbi Bouraada who sets a new championships record with 8311 points…after two years suspension for doping