Africa’s medal haul at the Paris Olympics was 39, spread across 12 countries, with a concerning curtailing of the continent’s dominance of the middle distance events in athletics and a lack of an impact in boxing.
Kenya, as is custom, led the African medal table with 11 medals, including four golds.
It is one more than in Tokyo but five down on the record 16-medal haul for the Kenyans at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Kenya did again provide some standout athletics performances, led by Faith Kipyegon, who secured her third Olympic gold in the 1,500 meters. Beatrice Chebet also shone, winning gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, while David Wanyonyi claimed victory in the men’s 800 meters.
But in the 3,000m steeplechase, where Kenya had won nine successive golds, it was Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who retained his title from Tokyo.
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Arguably, Africa’s biggest moment came when Letsile Tebogo won the 200m, beating Noah Lyles in a poignant victory just months after the death of the mother of the Botswana sprinter.
Tebogo added a silver as he anchored his country’s 4x400m relay team to second place behind the United States. They were Botswana’s first-ever medals.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegi upgraded his 10,000m silver from Tokyo to gold this time round but then did not defend his 5,000m crown.
There was not a single men’s medal in the field events, although unheralded Jo-Ane van Dyk from South Africa took javelin silver on the last day of the program.
Ethiopia’s single gold came from Tamirat Tola in the women’s marathon, as they are also down on previous Games’ performances while Ghana and Nigeria failed to win a single medal.
“As we go back home, we must do everything to prevent future occurrence of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting Federations, it will be done,” warned Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh.
The island nation of Cape Verde celebrated its first-ever medal, with David de Pina bringing home bronze in the men’s 51kg boxing division.
“They say I’m the hero because I give them one thing they never had before,” he told reporters.
“I put the name of the country around the world. They might think we don’t have the strength to win a medal, but we showed them that it’s possible.”
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