daniel chigunweMAURITIUS. — Kenya ended top of the medals table for a second straight time as the African Athletics Championships came to a close in Mauritius on Sunday.
The Kenyans won their 10th gold medal, and 23rd in total, on Sunday to finish ahead of South Africa, who had one gold medal less but a superior 36 overall.
Javelin star Julius Yego threw 79.62m, a season’s best, to see off old rival Ihab Addelrahman of Egypt and secure a historic fourth straight title in a row.
The Kenyan, world champion in 2015, said the triumph has given him a boost in another World Championship year, with the global championships taking place in the United States in just over a month.
“The last two years have been challenging because of an injury — I contemplated retiring but now I’m confident I still have what it takes,” Yego told BBC Sport Africa.
Nigeria and Algeria won five golds apiece to finish third and fourth on the table, just ahead of Ethiopia and Botswana, with four golds each, at the first finals with a record 47 nations.
Burkina Faso finished with two gold medals, while six countries won one — with Niger’s Aminatou Seyni creating history in the women’s 200m.
No Nigerien had ever won a medal at the championships before and the 25-year-old, who recently beat American Allyson Felix in Ostrava, took a historic first gold medal in 23.04 seconds.
“This is my first gold medal, and this is also the first gold medal for Niger at the African Athletics Championship — I’m very pleased with it and I’m very proud,” Seyni told BBC Sport.
“Unfortunately, with the rain it wasn’t easy, but I gave it all out there. My aim this season is to reach the final at the World Championships and try my best to be on the podium.”
A championships whose conditions regularly proved challenging were once again earmarked by heavy rain and wind, with late programming changes also making life difficult for the athletes.
“I didn’t do enough warm-up — I was scared I would pull a muscle, or anything could happen,” reacted the new African men’s 200m champion, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, after winning in 20.26 seconds. — BBC Sport Africa
Online Reporter