Illinois University athlete Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah clinched first gold medal for the host nation at the African Games. The 22-year-old from Kumasi has cleared 1.90 in the first attempt before she failed three attempt for equaling her own national record at 1.94m.
Despite dropping the bar in the final attempt which was so close to succeed, she received an amazing standing ovation from the stands. Yeboah became sixth Ghanaian woman to have multiple African Games gold in history. Meanwhile, the second-placed Fatouma Balley collected Guinea’s second medal at the African Games after sixteen years break.
CONTEST OF THE NIGHT
Arguably, the contest of the night was in the women’s hammer throw which won by late-blossomed Algerian Zahra Tatar. The Algerian thrower took early lead in the contest by 68.53 before dropping second-place after her compatriot Zouina Bouzebra’s massive PB-progressed 68.97 release. In the fifth rotation, Tatar’s strong swing sent hammer to 69.95 metres, an African Games, Arab Nations and Algerian record.
During the competition, Laetitia Bambara’s 66.91 African Games record from 2015 was broken five times and finally handed by Tatar. All the three medallists bested the previous mark more than two metres!
Other throwing event in the session was men’s shot put which was claimed by defending champion Chukwu Enekwechi with 21 metres plus (21.06m) throw as two Egyptian putter Mostafa Amr and Mohamed Magdi share other podium places.
DUGUMA IS FLYING
Fresh World Indoor champion Tsige Duguma secured women’s 800 metres title in Accra by displaying a stellar run ahead of former World champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda. The young Ethiopian clocked 1:57.73 lifetime best and second best time ever recorded at the Games behind the great Maria Mutola.
Senegalese Louis-Françoise Mendy wins 110m hurdles gold to prevent Algerian Amina Bouanani’s title defence at the event. Besides that, Egypt’s Youssef Badawi was handed first-ever high hurdling medal for his country after surpassed three rivals in last 20 metres.
Women’s triple jump competition was a high-tense contest amongst three athletes and seven women have surpassed 13 metres barrier in the end. Nigeria’s Usoro Ruth became new African Games champion after her 13.80m effort and defeated Kenyan up-and-comer Winny Bii who just missed of her own national record after final round leap measured as 13.64 metres.
MIXED RELAY AFRICAN RECORD
In the final race of the night, Nigerian quartet won 4x400 metres mixed relay as renew their African record by 0.34 seconds. Nigeria clocked 3:13.26 to grabbed title followed by Botswana and Kenya.
