Ta Lou at the rendezvous on 200m, Van Niekerk out of the shot on 400m

ATHLETICS (PART ONE)

3,000m steeplechase for men

Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali, favorite of the race, won in 8min 08.90sec ahead of the Ethiopian Lamecha Girma and the Kenyan Benjamin Kigen. Moroccan Mohamed Tindouft, Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie, Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot and Ethiopian Getnet Wale were also in the running. Soufiane El Bakkali became the first Moroccan gold medalist at the Games in all sports since Hicham El Guerrouj in 2004.

5,000m women

Dutch Sifan Hassan, who is aiming for the Olympic treble 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m, was crowned in the first of her three races, the 5,000m. Hassan, easy on the last lap, beat the Kenyan Bright Obiri and the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay to succeed the winners of the Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, victorious in Rio in 20216. The Kenyan Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, her compatriot Agnes Jebet Tirop and the Ethiopians Senbere Terefi and Ejgayehu Taye were also at the start of this 5,000 m.

200m women

Great performance in the semi-finals: Christine Mboma, thea Namibian, 18 years old, qualified for the final by setting a stunning time of 21”97, a new junior world record (athletes under 20). In the playoffs, she had already broken this record for the first time with 22”11 (against 22”17 for the American Sha’Carri Richardson in 2019).

Handing over his disappointment in the 100m final, Ivorian Marie-Josée Ta Lou also qualified with a time of 22”11, her best of the season. The sprinter has another opportunity to finally climb onto an Olympic podium.

Finally, of Namibienne Beatrice Masilingi also has his ticket to the final. She improved her personal best to 22’40. All three will have a hard time on Tuesday against Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, as well as American Gabrielle Thomas, who ran the 200m in 21”61 last June (third best performance of all time).

► To read also: Tokyo 2021: Namibians Mboma and Masilingi, sensations of the 200m at the Olympics

Nigerian Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, Nigerian Aminatou Seyni and Gambian Gina Bass failed to make it to the final. Earlier, Zambian Roda Njobvu and South Sudanese Lucia Moris did not make it through the playoffs.

Men’s 400m

There will be only one African representative in the final: and Botswanais Isaac Makwala, qualified with a time of 44”59. His compatriot Leungo Scotch (45”56) failed to do the same.

But the big underperformance of the day is for Wayde van Niekerk. Flamboyant Olympic champion in 2016 with the added bonus of the world record (43”03), world champion the following year (as in 2015), the South African was unable to join in the fight for qualification (45 14). Decreased by a serious knee injury in October 2017, Van Niekerk seems at the end of the race.

FIGHT (PART ONE)

A gold or silver medal to come for Nigeria, which has not yet unlocked its counter in these Olympics. The Nigerian Blessing Oborududu qualified for the under 68 kg freestyle final. She first beat Azeri Elis Manolova in the round of 16 (13-2), then Kirghiz Meerim Zhumanazarova in the quarterfinals. And in the semifinals, Blessing Oborududu counted the Mongol Battsetseg Sorozonbold (7-2).

She will face the American Tamyra Marianna Stock Mensah in the final on Tuesday. This will be historic for Nigeria, whose last silver medal dates back to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the last gold medal dates back to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. It will also be the first medal won in wrestling. Until now, Nigerians have only reached the podium in athletics, boxing, soccer, weightlifting and taekwondo.

BASKET

Third match and third defeat in Group B for the Nigerians, who leave the Olympic tournament with their heads bowed, like their male counterparts. The D’Tigresses lost to Japan (102-83), after setbacks against the United States and France. They finish in last place in group B.

HANDBALL

Angola stops in the first round and can bite its fingers. In their last Group A match, the Angolans led 31-29 in the dying moments against South Korea and beat their opponents. But the South Koreans equalized with 11 seconds remaining, and the African champions failed to score the winning goal in the short time remaining on the clock.

This draw (31-31) eliminated Angola, 5th in Group A with 3 points, while South Korea, 4th with 3 points, went to the quarter-finals thanks to their better goal difference (-18 against – 26).

CANOE KAYAK

Over 200m in a single-seater kayak (K1), the Egyptian Samaa Ahmed placed 7th and penultimate in the first quarter-final. Tunisian Khaoula Sassi took 6th place in the second quarter-final. Finally, Algerian Amira Kheris finished 8th and last in the third quarter-final. None of these three kayakers will compete in the semi-finals.

Over 1,000m in a single-seater kayak (K1), Tunisian Mohamed Ali Mrabet was ranked 5th and last in his quarter-final. He is eliminated.

Over 500m in a two-seater kayak (K2), Tunisians Afef Ben Ismaïl and Khaoula Sassi took 6th and last place in their quarter-finals. Their way to Tokyo is over.

Over 1000m in a two-seater canoe (C2), the tandem Buly da Conçeicao Triste and Roque Fernandes dos Ramos, representing Sao Tome and Principe finished 5th and last in their quarter-final. They will play in the B final on Tuesday, without a medal to win.

WEIGHTLESS

Cameroonian Clémentine Meukeugni Noumbissi finished 3rd in group B (out of five competitors) with a total of 224 kilos (99 kilos in the snatch, 125 kilos in the clean and jerk). In the A final, the gold medal went to Chinese Zhouyu Wang.

SHOOT

In the rifle shooting at 50m three positions (kneeling, prone, standing), the Egyptian placed 38th out of 39 competitors entered in the qualifications for the final, with a score of 1139-37x. He finished far from the eight best shooters who will compete for the title.

DIVING

With a total score of 422.75 on the 3m springboard, the 24-year-old Egyptian Mohab Ishakn ranks 12th in the heats and qualifies for the semi-finals scheduled for Tuesday. The 12 best divers will compete in the final, also scheduled for Tuesday.

WATER POLO

This time, the ordeal is well and truly over for South Africa. The South Africans suffered a 5th and final humiliation in Group A against Japan (24-9). They finish last with no points on the clock and 116 goals conceded against only 20 registered.

ATHLETICS (CONTINUED)

100m hurdles

Disappointment for la Nigériane Tobi Amusan, only 4th in the final with a time of 12”60, just 5 hundredths from the bronze medal. Glory Alozie, the only Nigerian ever to climb on an Olympic podium in the 100m hurdles, (2nd in 2000 in Sydney), is still waiting for her successor. Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is Olympic champion.

Women’s 1,500m

Full box for Kenyans in the playoffs: the three athletes entered qualified for the semi-finals. Faith Kipyegon set the best time of the heats (4’01”40), Guilty Chebet passed, and Edinah Jebitok was integrated into the contingent of qualified by arbitration decision, after appeal by the Kenyan delegation. The 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist fell on the final lap after a gap by a competitor. Jebitok will still be present in the semis on Wednesday, as Ethiopians Freweyni Gebreezibeher and Lemlem Hailu, as well as Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo.

Anjelina Nadai Lohalit (South Sudan / Refugee Olympic Team) did not qualify. Souhra Ali Mohamed (Djibouti) did not finish the race, like the Moroccan Rababe Arafi, visibly the victim of a failure about 200 meters from the finish.

400m hurdles women

South African Wenda Nel failed to qualify for the final. His time: 56”35, more than two seconds behind the last qualifiers.

Hammer throw

No final for the Egyptian Mostafa El Gamel. With a throw of 72.76m, he ranks 11th (out of 16) in group B of qualifying. You had to throw at least 78.36m to be among the five qualified.

FIGHT (CONTINUED)

If Blessing Oborududu is in the final, for the other wrestlers in Africa, it was much less brilliant: the Algerian Abdelkarim Fergat was beaten in the repechage (repechage less than 60 kilos), the Moroccan Zied Aït Ouagram was dominated from her entry into the running (eighth final less than 77 kilos) like the Tunisian Lamjed Maafi, the Tunisian Zained Sghaier lost her fights in the round of 16 then in the repechage (less than 76 kilos), and the results were just as bad among the less than 97 kilos for the Tunisian Haikel Achouri and for the Algerian Adem Boudjemline in the round of 16.

ARTISTIC SWIMMING

For South Africa, Clarissa Johnston and Laura Strugnell competed in the artistic swimming free skate qualifiers and finished in last place (22^e). Egyptians Leïla Ali and Hanna Hiekal were ranked in the 20^e place.

VOLLEY BALL

The Brazilians won 3 sets to 0 against the Nigerians in the first round of the tournament.