The African Athletics Championships in Accra proved to be an unusual experience for Ethiopia, a nation more accustomed to winning medals in long-distance events. In recent years, the East African nation has increasingly focused on technical disciplines, earning its first-ever medals in the 400 meters and javelin, while the women’s 4x400 relay team reached the podium for the first time.
Ethiopia finished the 24th African Athletics Championships with 15 medals, continuing a strong upward trend. It was the first time since 2008, the year they hosted the event, that the Ethiopians had won the same number of medals at the African Champs. What pleased the team most was the athletes’ progress across a wider variety of disciplines. Ethiopians produced a 400-metre African champion for the first time, 2007-born youngster Ajayiba Aliye, who also anchored the 4x400 team, to a historic bronze medal. Aliye lowered the 12-year-old Ethiopian national record to 51.37 in the heats, then ran 51.54 in the final.
Another historic medal for the team came in the men’s javelin throw. Ethiopia, which has participated in the African Championships since 1979, had never previously won a throwing-event medal in either the men’s or women’s categories. However, former African U18 champion Abola Ubang captured silver behind Kenyan star Julius Yego, setting an Ethiopian record with a throw of 77.62 meters. Alongside Ubang, 20-year-old Betselot Kibret earned a bronze medal in the high jump, becoming only the second Ethiopian athlete in history to win an African medal in that discipline.
Although Ethiopia failed to win gold in its traditional events, the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, the team still collected four medals in those races. The team had double victories on the same day in the 20-kilometre race walks. Misganaw Wakuma, who won a historic silver medal at the World Cup in Brazil last month, successfully defended his African title with a championship-record time of 1:18:47, while Wubalem Shugute claimed victory in the women’s race in 1:33:31.
As Ethiopia prepares a bid to host the upcoming World Athletics Championships, the country’s growing success in non-traditional events could mark the beginning of a new era for Ethiopian athletics.
