Tag: Blessing Oborududu

Africans at the Paris 2024 Olympics so far …

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment
Hugues Fabrice Zango getting his triple jump (Source: bbc.co.uk)

The controversial opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has not dimmed the spirits of African athletes, they know that they are there to work and make their continent proud.

Before the beginning of the games, there were a few African athletes to watch out for:

Our golden athlete Hugues Fabrice Zango, the first gold medal of Burkina Faso, and representing us all on the triple jump. As a fun fact, Zango also recently defended his PhD thesis in Electrical Engineering, and looks to make the colors of his country shine again this year.

Faith Kipyegon (Source: StarConnectMedia)

Our loved one, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon… we all have faith in her to make us proud again. With 2 world titles won and 4 world records, Faith is hoping to win her 3rd successive Olympic gold in the women’s 1500m; if she manages to accomplish this, she will be the first African to even win gold in the same event 3 times in a row. On Monday, she already won silver in a very contested Women’s 5000 m at the Olympics, where she was first disqualified for track obstruction, and then reinstated as the silver medal winner after appeal by the Kenyan federation. Her compatriot Beatrice Chebet won the first Kenyan gold medal of these olympics.

The revelation is this year’s Eritrean athlete Biniam Girmay who has won stage events at the Tour de France, becoming the first African to ever do so, and also topping the points classification. We will be on the look out for him in cycling.

Letsile Tebogo (Source: SportNewsAfrica)

We had our eyes on Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who took silver in the 100m and bronze over 200m  at the world championships; however, the 100m did not go well for Tebogo, but we are all throwing our support behind him for the 200m. Our young brother lost his mother, Seratiwa Tebogo, his pillar and rock back in May, and we are sending him lots of love and support.

Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria is a wrestling baobab in Nigeria and Africa, with 14 continental titles, 4 commonwealth medals, and a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, today, Oborududu lost on advancing to gold or silver, but will be competing for the Bronze medal tomorrow.

Flag of Uganda

Before the Olympics, our Ugandan brother Joshua Cheptegei told us that this will be his last Olympics, and promised us magic. Cheptegei did not disappoint, he ran his heart out serving us a performance worthy of a novel, he came from behind to win gold in the men’s 10,000m, and land Uganda its first gold at the games so far. Compatriot Peruth Chemutai won silver in the Women’s 3000m steeplechase, while Kenyan Faith Cherotich won the Bronze medal.

In swimming, Tatjana Smith of South Africa made her country proud by winning gold and silver medals in 200m and 100m breaststroke events. South Africa also landed 2 bronze medals in rugby and mountain bike with Alan Hatherly. Flag bearer Akani Simbine ended 4th in a highly contested 100m track and field men’s final.

I will write an article at the end of the Paris 2024 Olympics games to tally all our victories.

African Wins at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great People1 Comment
Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia winning the Gold during the 400m freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 (Source: ca.sports.yahoo.com)

This week more history has been made for Africa at the Olympics. Records have been broken and Africans have responded present with strength.

Tunisia, with Ahmed Hafnaoui offered the African continent its first medal of the games, by winning gold in the 400m freestyle swimming. Then, Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi won silver in the Men’s 58kg Taekwondo.

Hugues Fabrice Zango getting his triple jump (Source: bbc.co.uk)

Burkina Faso got its first ever medal since the creation of the Olympic games. Hugues Fabrice Zango won the bronze medal in the Men’s triple jump. It was really good to watch him, and I am proud for this son of the land of Thomas Sankara. Moreover, he won his medal, Burkina Faso’s medal on the 61st anniversary of the country’s independence (as you know most Francophone countries are not really independent from France because of the FCFA, but this is a story for another day).

Namibia Christine Mboma came back from behind to win silver in the Women’s 200m in front of some of the world’s best. Now remember that Christine Mboma and her compatriot Beatrice Masilingi were barred from running their favorite distance, 400m, just a month ago, and had to all of sudden readjust to run 200m. They were declared ineligible for the longer race because of a genetic condition that raises their testosterone levels. South African Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion in the 800m (2016 and 2012), is the most famous DSD (difference in sexual development) athlete who has been stopped from running in Tokyo. All three 800m medallists at the 2016 Rio Olympics – Semenya, Burundi’s silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba and Kenyan bronze winner Margaret Wambui – were DSD athletes… I am not sure I understand the whole issue, because for me, I wonder how one can be born female and then one day some organization tells them that they are not female. I find it hard to fathom. So let’s see what will happen. Mboma is the first Namibian female to win an olympic medal… she is following in the tracks of the great Namibian athlete Frankie Fredericks (Frankie Fredericks: Sprinting to the Finish for Namibia).

Christine Mboma of Namibia (Source: indianExpress)

Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria won Silver in the Women’s freestyle 68kg. Ese Brume did not disappoint and won Nigeria’s first medal of the Tokyo Olympic Games, taking bronze in the women’s long jump.

Ethiopia Selemon Barega gave Ethiopia its first Men’s 10,000m gold since Kenenisa Bekele in 2008. Lamecha Girma won silver in the Men’s 3000m steeplechase. Gudaf Tsegay won bronze in the Women’s 5000m race, while Letesenbet Gidey won the bronze medal in Women’s 10000m.

Uganda Joshua Cheptegei, the World champion and world record holder, ran a controlled race to take the men’s 5000m gold; last week, he had also won silver in the Men’s 10,000m. Jacob Kiplimo won the bronze medal in the Men’s 10,000m race. Peruth Chemutai became the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal on Wednesday – triumphing in the Women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

Eliud Kipchoge winning gold at the Men’s marathon (Source: OregonLive.com)

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who had been training with legends like marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge thwarted World champion’s Sifan Hassan’s plans of winning a distance treble in Tokyo by retaining the women’s 1500m title by pulling ahead after the bell and winning gold. Her compatriot Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s marathon, defeating world record holder Brigid Kosgei  in the closing stages and winning in 2h27min20s, and Kosgei had to settle for silver. Hellen Obiri took home silver in Women’s 5,000m, while Hyvin Kiyeng won bronze in Women’s 3000m steeplechase. The men’s 800m gold went to Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir of Kenya, and his teammate Ferguson Rotich took silver. Timothy Cheruiyot took silver in the Men’s 1500m, while Compatriot Benjamin Kiven took bronze in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Eliud Kipchoge successfully defended his olympic title at the marathon; he is only the 3rd person in the history of the games to win successive marathons.

South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold, and broke the Women’s 200m world record for breaststroke on Friday. This earned her a call from the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, to congratulate her on her victory. Schoenmaker had previously won silver in the Women’s 100m breastrokes, while Bianca Buitendag took silver in surfing, 

Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali triumphed in the Olympic Men’s 3,000m steeplechase – ending Kenya’s 41-year unbeaten run on the distance.

Egypt’s Giana Farouk (Lotfy) won bronze in the Women’s kumite karate. Seif Eissa, Hedaya Malak, and Mohammed Elsayed Elsayed all won bronze medals in the Men’s 80kg taekwondo, Women’s 67kg taekwondo and Men’s 67kg Greco-Roman wrestling respectively.

Faith Kipyegon winning the 1500m (Source: si.com)

Ruth Gbagbi of Cote d’Ivoire won bronze in the Women’s 67kg Taekwondo. She had won Bronze also in Rio 2016. Ghana also took home bronze in the Men’s Feather (52-57kg) boxing with Samuel Takyi.

Lastly, Team Botswana (Isaac Makwala, Baboloki Thebe, Zibane Ngozi, Bayapo Ndori) surprised everyone by giving a beautiful performance and winning the bronze amidst some of the world’s bests in the Men’s 4x400m relay.

Overall, it was a good game… As we turn the page of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which took place in 2021, we do hope that the Paris 2024 Olympics will be better for Africa, and that the world will be in a better place.