It is uncertain whether he will compete at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England next month unless the Seychelles Athletics Federation decides to change their decision at the last hour, but Denzel Adam has the fastest time over 200 meters This year.
Adam, son of Seychelles record holder in the 400 meters, Joseph Adam and now a coach, clocked his fastest time in the 200 meters this year at the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships held from June 8-12, 2022 at the sports complex from Côte d’Or to St Pierre, Mauritius.
His effort over the distance is equal to 21.74 seconds (21’74). His former best time was 21’78.
On Saturday during the Interschool Athletics Championships at the Unity Stadium, Denzel Adam won the 100m (11’02) and 200m (22’02) events.
Five other athletes had made the trip to Mauritius. They are Dylan Sicobo (100 meters, 10’70), Sharry Dodin (100 meters, 10’75), Leeroy Henriette (200 meters, 22’14), Iven Moïse (1,500 meters, 3’57” 68) and Caleb Vadivello (who did not start the 400 meter race).
It was the Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala who won the gold medal in the 100 meter race ahead of the South African Akani Simbine. Both authors of a time of 9’93, the Kenyan was separated from his rival to the thousandth of a second to win his first title of African champion.
Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala set the African record with a time of 9’77 last year during the Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour while South African Akani Simbine is the former African record holder (9’84 ) and also African champion in 2016 and 2018, and 4th at the Tokyo Games (2020) and the Doha World Championships (2019).
In the 200 meters, it was the great hope of African sprinting, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who won his first medal – a gold one – among seniors with a time of 20’26 ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (20’61 ).
Aged 19, Tebogo was the 100m champion and 200m runner-up at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships. His personal best in the 100m is 9’96 achieved this year.
Over 1,500 meters, Kenyan Abel Kipsang won his first title at the African Athletics Championships. The 25-year-old won the 1,500m final in 3’36”57, narrowly ahead of South African Ryan Mphahlele (3’36”74) and Ethiopian Adehena Kasaye (3’38”). 27).
In the general classification of medal-winning countries, Kenya finished first with 23 medals, including 10 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze. South Africa earned a total of 36 medals – 9 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze – to finish second, while Nigeria completed the top three with 11 medals – 5 gold, 3 silver and 3 in bronze.
A total of 13 countries each won at least one gold medal during these championships, which included 45 official events.
It should be noted that the African Senior Athletics Championships is a biennial competition organized by the Confederation of African Athletics, which appoints a continent-wide champion for each major discipline.
The winners of the 45 events of these 22nd African Athletics Championships for senior ladies and gentlemen have qualified for the next world championships in the category.
Scheduled in 2020 in Oran (Algeria), postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19, they had been relocated to Algiers (Algeria), then to Lagos (Nigeria), before being canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. . In order to prevent the 2022 edition from suffering from the twists and turns of 2021, the CAA preferred to take the lead. On September 28, 2021, the continental athletics body had recorded the transfer of the 2022 African Championships promised in Cameroon to Mauritius. After 1992 and 2006, Mauritius was therefore the scene of the African Athletics Championships for senior ladies and gentlemen for the third time.
Source: Seychelles Nation