Young stars Yomif Abebe and Elsabet Amare delivered golden performances to help Ethiopia finish top of the Athletics medal table on the final day of track and field action at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on Tuesday 10 November.
In the men’s 800m final, Yomif Abebe surged past Eritrea’s Gidebreab Mantay to take gold in 1:48.99. Mantay claimed silver in 1:49.31, and Uganda’s Timothy Cheptoek took bronze in 1:51.59.
“I feel really happy. I enjoyed the race. I’m glad that I’m here and that I won,” said Abebe.
“The secret to my win is my coach, my teammates, my family. Our team is really good, we’re like a family, my coaches, my teammates and I.”
Kenya’s David Sekento, the pre-race favourite, struggled to find his pace in the home straight, finishing fifth in 1:53.61.
Ethiopia’s medal rush continued just 10 minutes later, with Elsabet Amare dominating the women’s 1500m to claim gold in 4:28.02.
Abigael Chepkirui took silver in 4:29.86 while Eritrea’s Kanari Estifanos secured the bronze medal in 4:31.10.
“I’m happy. It’s a good win for me and my country. I’m pretty excited about it,” she said. “Before we started the competition, I knew I was going to get the gold medal. I just believed that I could win the gold.”
“I worked hard for it. I’ve worked on all my mistakes [from the past] and I won it.”
Ethiopia secured eight medals over the three days of competition at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop stadium, topping the table with five gold and three silver medals ahead of China’s three gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
Zimbabwe’s first gold in Youth Olympic history
Zimbabwe’s Ropafadzo Mzondo made history by winning gold in the men’s 200m, securing his nation’s first-ever gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
The 17-year-old powered around the bend before bringing it home in 21.04. A photo finish was needed to seperate the minor medallists as Guyana’s Deuquan’ Farrell took silver in 21.36 while the Phillippines’ Pi Durden Forward Wangkay claimed bronze with the same time.
“Like everyone else, my expectations were to win. My personal best [21.02] is gold medal standard, so I expected to get a medal,” said Mzondo after the race.
“When I crossed the line, I couldn’t believe that I managed to get the gold. I expected a better time, but in this heat I don’t think that was possible. I’m proud I was able to push myself to win the gold.”
South Africa’s medal rush continues
South African pre-race favourite Megan Nieman stormed to gold in a fiercely contested women’s 400m hurdles final.
Nieman fought hard to edge past Switzerland’s Mina Hirsbrunner, taking the title in 57.75. Hirsbrunner took silver in 57.84 while Colombia’s Carolina Michell Gomez won bronze in 58.90.
“I’m very proud. It was a great race. I didn’t think that I was going to take the race because it’s 400m, anything can happen at any time. I stumbled over a hurdle but I tried my best to get back,” she said.
“It’s a great accomplishment. I showed myself what I’m capable of.”
South Africa made the podium again, with Milan Blignaut clearing a height of 1.74 to take silver in the women’s high jump. Kuwait’s Yasmeen Roy finished top of the podium with 1.80, while Jamaica’s Malia Housen took bronze with 1.71.
Elsewhere on the field, Egypt’s Alaa Belal’s fifth-round effort of 15.92 was enough to secure the bronze medal in the women’s shot put final. Hungary’s Zsofi Marton struck gold with 16.47 while Croatia’s Zara Veltruski took silver with 16.12.
Kelly is a London-based sportswriter driven by a love for sport, with track and field at the heart of it. She began her journey as a sports reporter covering women's football, and has since gone on to cover major international competitions, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for Eurosport.
She breaks up her excessive screen time by running laps around the park or planning her next holiday!
