Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare championships record, Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot defeat of Ethiopian Meseret Defar and Ivorian Ben Youssef Meite's shock 100m win are highlights of the second day of the 17th African Athletics Championships at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
Nigeria's Okagbare lowered her compatriot Mary Onyali-Omogbemi's long-standing championship mark of 11.05 seconds (set in Dakar in 1998) by two hundredths of a second to win in 11.03 seconds, in spite of a bad start.
Gabon's Perennes Pau Zang-Milama, who was fourth in the world indoor championships 60m, prevented a clean sweep of the medals for Nigeria by taking silver in 11.15 seconds, a personal best and a national record, with defending champion Damola Osayemi settling for the bronze in 11.22 seconds.
Ivorian Meite shocked a strong field to win a first African sprint title for Ivory Coast in a personal best and a national record time of 10.08 seconds. Ghana's former champion and pre-race favorite Aziz Zakari was second in 10.12 seconds and South Africa's Simon Magakwe third in 10.14 seconds.
Kenya's reigning world champion Vivian Cheruiyot won the 5,000m after a terrific last lap sprint with Ethiopian former world champion Meseret Defar, but their time took a championships tactics to a new low.
Cheruiyot won the race in 16:18.72 with Defar coming second in 16:20.54 and her compatriot Sentayehu Ejigo finishing third in 16:22.32.
Seun Adigun gave Nigeria her first gold of the Championships in the women's 100m hurdles, blasting the field in a season best time of 13.14. Senegal's Gnima Faye takes second(13.67) of Senegal while Algerian girl Amina Feguene (13.87) picked the bronze.
South Africa's Godfrey Khotso Mokoena won the men's Long Jump event in a season's bst leap of 8.23 metres, ahead of Senegalese Ndiss Badji, who took silver with 8.10 metres and Nigeria's Stanley Gbagbeke settled for the bronze medal with a distance of 8.06 metres.
In other highlights, Algerian Larbi Bouraada took the men's decathlon with a total of 8148 points, Moroccan Nisrin Dinar won the women's Pole Vault with 3.70 metres, and Egyptian Abdellatif El Ghazaly defended his men's discus title with a throw of 59.30m ahead of compatriot Yasser Ibrahim Farag (58.71m) and South Africa's Victor Hogan (58.11m).
Selected Results:
Women's 100m Hurdles Final
1) Seun ADIGUN (NGR) 13.14 (SB)
2) Gnima FAYE (SEN) 13.67
3) Amina FERGUEN (ALG) 13.87
Women's 100m Final
1) Blessing OKAGBARE (NGR) 11.03 (ACR)
2) Perennes Pau ZANG MILAMA (GAB) 11.15 (NR)
3) Damola OSAYEMI (NGR) 11.22 (SB)
Men's 100m Final
1) Ben Youssef MEITE (CIV) 10.08 (PB)
2) Zakari AZIZ (GHA) 10.12 (SB)
3) Simon MAGAKWE (RSA) 10.14 (SB
Women's 5000m Final
1) Vivian CHERUIYOT (KEN) 16:18.72
2) Meseret DEFAR TOLA (ETH) 16:20.54
3) Sentayehu EJIGU TAMERAT (ETH) 16:22.32
Men's Long Jump Final
1) Khotso MOKOENA (RSA) 8.23 (SB)
2) Ndiss Kaba BADJI (SEN) 8.10
3) Stanley GBAGBEKE (NGR) 8.06
Men's Decathlon Final
1. Larbi BOURRADA (ALG) 8148
2. Mourad SOUISSI (ALG) 7818
3. Guillaume THIERRY (MRI) 7100
Startlist for Day three below