Nigerian women dominated the podium with a clean sweep of the Discus throw final at the 23rd CAA African Athletics Championships Douala 24.
Ashley Anumba took the gold with her best effort of 59.30m while African Games gold medallist Obiageri Amaechi settled for second with 58.80m. Commonwealth Games champion Chioma Onyekwere took the bronze with 57.93m.
It’s the second time for Nigeria dominating the podium in the same event at the African Championships after a clean sweep at the 2016 edition in Durban, South Africa with the trio of Nwanneka Okwelogu, Chinwe Okoro and again, Chioma Onyekwere.
Reigning African Games champion Ashley Erasmus spearheaded South Africa charge in the women’s shot put final. The 24-year-old set a personal best of 18.17m in the second round to claim the gold medal.
Her compatriot Mine de Klerk finished in second place with a throw of 17.09m, while Mali’s Nassira Kone earned the bronze medal with a distance of 17.07m, pushing Colette Uys into fourth place and preventing South Africa from sweeping the medals.
Cheikh Tidiane Diouf emerged victorious in the men’s 400m race, leaving the rest of the field behind to secure an upgrade from his earlier bronze medal at the African Games this year. Lee Eppie of Botswana and Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi followed in second and third positions with times of 45.39 and 45.47 respectively.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Botswana’s Victor Ntweng and Kemorena Tisang demonstrated their dominance with impressive performances, finishing in 48.88 and 49.24 seconds respectively. Former champion Abdelmalik Lahoulou secured the third place in 49.36.
Fahnbulleh and Bass the fastest sprinters
Making history for his country, Joseph Fahnbulleh became the first Liberian sprinter to win the 100m title at the African Athletics Senior Championships.
Fahnbulleh overtook the 2023 African Games gold medallist, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, just before the finish line to secure a narrow victory by 0.02 seconds in 10.13. Benjamin Richardson claimed the bronze medal with a time of 10.17, edging out Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi into fourth place.
Gina Bass Bittaye, the 2019 World Championships finalist, continued her impressive form this season by winning the women’s 100m gold at the African Championships for the second consecutive time. The Gambian finished ahead of Liberia’s Maia McCoy in 11.14, while Maboundou Kone of Cote d’Ivoire finished in third place with a time of 11.24.
Zahra Tatar from Algeria took the gold medal in the women’s hammer throw, defeating defending champion Sade Olatoye with a best effort of 67.82m. The Nigerian settled for silver with a best of 67.72m while Xena Ngomateke of The Central African Republic grabbed the bronze medal with a best throw of 65.84m.
On Saturday, the reigning African Games champion Nibret Melak led an Ethiopian 1-2 in the men’s 10,000m, racing to his second continental gold medal of the season in 28:52.27.
Gemechu Dida once again took the silver medal (28:52.79) as was in Accra 2023 while Kenya’s Roncer Kipkorir Konga completed the podium with a mark of 28:52.94.
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