The final day of the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships saw Kenya’s Julius Yego solidify his status as Africa’s most accomplished Javelin thrower, winning his sixth consecutive title in Accra on Sunday, 17 May.
The 2016 Olympic silver medallist recorded a throw of 79.87 metres to edge out his competitors, extending his gold-medal streak at this competition since 2012.
The 37-year-old is now just one win away from equalling the record for most titles won at the African Athletics Championships – a record currently held by Algeria’s Hakim Toumi with seven golds.
The remaining podium spots went to Otagiogulla Obang with a throw of 77.60m to claim the silver medal and South Africa’s Douw Smit with 76.00m to win bronze.
Elsewhere on the field, Senegal’s Saly Sarr cemented the gold medal in the women’s triple jump with a personal best effort of 14.79m, while Mauritius’ Liliana Potiron and South Africa’s Zinzi Xulu earned silver and bronze, respectively.
The World Indoor bronze medallist out-classed the competition to win back-to-back continental titles, adding to the gold she won in Douala 2024.
Côte d’Ivoire stamped their authority in both the men’s and women’s 200m finals, with statement wins from Cheikna Traore and Maboundou Koné to round off an impressive campaign for the West-African nation.
In the men’s 200m, Traore ran a commanding bend to hold off his closest rivals with a time of 20.31 seconds, securing his second gold at the championships after anchoring his 4x100m team to victory on Friday 15 May.
Chasing him down was Botswana’s Selepe Prince Phaezel, securing silver in 20.42 seconds, while South Africa’s Mihlali Xhotyeni finished third in 20.56.
The women’s 200m saw Maboundou Koné go one better than the silver she won at the 2024 African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala to claim gold.
The 29-year-old Ivorian pulled away from the field to take the crown in 23.35 seconds, beating Nigeria’s Rosemary Chukwuma to second (23.59), while Liberia’s Symone Darius finished third (23.59).
Despite the schedule being halted for an hour due to heavy rainfall, the day concluded with an electrifying 4x400m showdown in the men’s and women’s events.
Defending champions Nigeria produced a dominant display in the women’s 4x400m, stopping the clock in 3:29.30 to take the victory with Ethiopia in second (3:33.43) and Kenya in third (3:33.79).
Zimbabwe pulled off a surprise victory in the men’s 4x400m, with favourite Botswana missing out on a podium finish.
The Zimbabwean quartet – loaded with individual 400m medallists Dennis Hove and Leeford Zuze – sealed the gold medal in 3:01.11, while Kenya fought hard to earn silver in 3:01.34, and Morocco finished third in 3:01.34 to cap off the championships.
CONTRIBUTORS
Kelly is a London-based digital editor driven by a love for sport, with track and field at the heart of it. She breaks up her excessive screen time by running laps around the park or planning her next holiday!
