Karetaka Feryal Abdelaziz, first Egyptian woman to win gold, Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir Olympic marathon champion, Botswanan 4X400 meter relay in bronze like Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey over 10,000 meters: African athletes shone this Saturday, August 7, on the eve of the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
KARATE
Feryal Abdelaziz became the first Egyptian woman to win gold thanks to her victory in the final of over 61 kilos against Azerbaijani Iryna Zaretska, on points. She gave her country her first Olympic title since the 2004 Olympics and her sixth medal in Tokyo.
ATHLETICS (PART ONE)
Women’s marathon
Kenyan double in the marathon! In Sapporo, under strong heat and high humidity (29 ° C, 69% humidity), Peres Jepchirchir became Olympic champion, succeeding her compatriot Jemima Sumgong, titled in 2016. The Kenyan adorned herself with gold by completing the 42.195 kilometers in 2 hours 27 minutes and 20 seconds. She beat the one who was presented as the favorite of the race, Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, holder of the world record for the distance but finally second Saturday (2 hours 27 minutes and 36 seconds).
It is the first time in the history of the women’s marathon at the Olympic Games that two athletes from the same country have been on the podium, in the first two places moreover. American Molly Seidel is made of bronze.
10,000m women
Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey won the bronze medal. The recent world record holder led the entire race before being overtaken 200 meters from the finish by Dutch Sifan Hassan and Bahraini Kalkidan Gezahegne.
The ranking of the other African women in the running: Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 4th, Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) 5th, Irine Cheptai (Kenya) 6th, Dolshi Tesfu (Eritrea) 15th, Sheila Chelangat (Kenya) 16th, Dominique Scott (South Africa) 20th, Mercyline Chelangat (Uganda) 24th. Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama did not finish the race and her compatriot Tsehay Gemechu was disqualified.
Men’s 1,500m
Asbel Kiprop does not yet have a successor from his country on the top step. But for the first time since his coronation in 2008, a Kenyan takes the podium: Timothy Cheruiyot, 25, took the silver medal (3’29”01). The 2019 world champion was beaten in the home stretch by the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3’28”32, new Olympic and European record). It has, however held out to keep his second place, threatened by Briton Josh Kerr (3’29”05). The other Kenyan present in the final, Abel Kipsang, placed fourth (3’29”56).
4x400m men
Botswana came very close to the silver medal. Behind the United States, clear winners and Olympic champions (2’55”70), Isaac Makwala, Baboloki Thebe, Zidane Ngozi and Bayapo Ndori long held second place before giving in in the final meters to the return of the Dutch ( 2’57”18). The Botswanans must therefore be satisfied with the third place synonymous with bronze medal.
With a time of 2’57”27, they once again improve the African record of the 4x400m already broken on Friday, and they are making history in their country. This is Botswana’s second Olympic medal after the silver won by Nijel Amos over 800m in 2012.
PENTATHLON MODERNE
Egyptian Ahmed Elgendy achieved an exceptional end of the race. While he was ranked 13th after the 200m freestyle, the fencing and the equestrian events, the pentathlete wowed the competition on the laser run (combined pistol shooting and running). He swallowed his delay and his opponents to seriously threaten the British leader Joseph Choong. Ahmed Elgendy finally finished with an unexpected silver medal (1477 points), behind Choong (1482 points) and ahead of South Korean Woongtae Jun (1470 points). He is the first African medalist at the Games in pentathlon.
HANDBALL
Egypt lost the bronze medal match to Spain (33-31). Led almost the entire meeting by the European champions, the Pharaohs came back to a goal a few seconds from the end, but failed to equalize.
The first African team to reach the semi-finals stage, Egypt therefore failed to conclude its successful run with a historic medal.
TRACK CYCLING
In the men’s keirin, the South African Jean Spies placed 5th out of six in his series. In the repechage, the cyclist finished 5th out of five. He will therefore not be in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
STRUGGLE
The last day of wrestling in Tokyo did not smile on the only African competing, Senegalese Adama Diatta. The nine-time African champion lost his repechage fight in the under 65 kg category against Kazakh Niyasbekov, the day after his defeat in the first round. It was the last fight of his career.
GOLF
Moroccan Maha Haddioui ranked 45th out of 60 with a total score of 285 points. She is progressing after finishing in 59th and last place in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro with 315 points (a 60th golfer did not make it to the end of the tournament). The gold medal is around the neck of the American Nelly Korda (267 points).
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
Unsurprisingly, Egypt will not be there for the final. Login Elsasyed, Polina Fouda, Salma Saleh, Malak Selim and Tia Sobhy only took 13th and penultimate place in qualifying after the two rotations made on Saturday. Their cumulative score: 69.350 points, far from the Bulgarian leaders at 91.800 points. Azerbaijan, 10th and last qualified for the final, scored 74.350 points.
ARTISTIC SWIMMING
At the Tokyo Aquatic Center, the Egypt team finished in 8th place (out of 9 competing nations and a 10th, Greece, absent) at the end of the technical program on Friday and the free program on Saturday. Nora Azmy, Jayda Sharaf, Laïla Ali, Nihal Saafan, Farida Radwan, Shahd Samer, Maryam Maghraby and Hanna Hiekal scored 157.9147 points (77.9147 in the technical program, 80,000 in the free program). The Russians are Olympic champions (196.0979 points).
ATHLETICS (CONTINUED)
In the marathon, behind the Kenyan Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and her compatriot Brigid Kosgei, silver medalist, Roza Dereje (Ethiopia) placed 4th. Helalia Johannes (Namibia) finished 10th, Gerda Steyn (South Africa) 15th, Immaculate Chemutai (Uganda) 16th, Neheng Khatala (Lesotho) 20th, Failuna Matanga (Tanzania) 24th, Nazret Weldu (Eritrea) 43rd, Rkia El Moukim ( Morocco) 56th, Juliet Chekwel (Uganda) 69th. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya), Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia), Tesfagaber Solomon (Eritrea), Irvette van Zyl (South Africa), Zeineba Yimer (Ethiopia) did not finish the race.
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