The All-African Games recently came to a close, with Egypt emerging as the top-performing nation, securing an impressive total of 191 medals across various competitions. Zimbabwean swimmers Donata Katai and Denilson Cyprianos added to Zimbabwe’s medal tally at the All-Africa Games, with Katai earning bronze in the women’s 100m backstroke and Cyprianos securing gold in the 200m backstroke.
Cyprianos also won silver in the men’s 100m backstroke, further adding to Zimbabwe’s medal count. With more swimming events still to be contested, Zimbabwe may add more medals to their tally.
The athletes competing in the Games benefited from very good competition conditions, with almost perfect weather conditions. Egypt clinched a remarkable tally of 101 gold medals, 46 silver medals, and 44 bronze medals. Following closely behind, Team Nigeria secured the second position on the medals table with a commendable haul of 47 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze medals, earned across 25 different sports disciplines.
Meanwhile, triathlon coach Pamela Fulton is currently preparing Team Zimbabwe for its African Games event in Ghana. The triathlon team, consisting of Andie Kuipers, Lorna Doorman, Rohnan Nicholson, and Callum Smith, is acclimatizing to the hot weather conditions and adjusting to the schedule after arriving in Ghana.
Weightlifting proved to be Nigeria’s most successful sport, contributing significantly to their overall medal count with 16 gold, 10 silver, and 6 bronze medals. Athletics followed closely as Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, with a total of 22 medals garnered. South Africa and Algeria secured the third and fourth positions respectively on the medals table, with Tunisia completing the top five.
Team Kenya also performed admirably, finishing in the 10th position overall with a total of 37 medals. Among Kenya’s standout achievements were eight gold medals, eight silver medals, and 21 bronze medals. Egypt dominated the Games with a total of 189 medals, 101 of them gold, followed by Nigeria (120) and South Africa (106).
Kuipers, who won a bronze medal at the 2019 edition of the African Games in Morocco, is competing in the elite women’s category alongside Doorman. Kuipers is also vying for a spot in this year’s Olympic Games. Nicholson and Smith will represent the country in the elite men’s competition. For these upcoming triathletes, their participation is more focused on development rather than performance.
