/ 8 October 2003

SA maintains lead at All-Africa Games

The South African team continued to maintain their lead at the top of the overall medals’ table for the eighth All-Africa Games in Nigeria as they had won a total of 37 medals by the end of Tuesday’s action.

The former hosts and winners of the competition have won 16 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze medals ahead of second-placed Egypt, who have so far bagged six gold, nine silver and 12 bronze.

South Africa’s haul has come from gymnastics and swimming, where their flag-bearers have smashed several games records in the past few days.

The next hosts of the games, Algeria, are third with four gold, three silver and two bronze, Tunisia have three gold, four silver and four bronze, and on Tuesday Nigeria won their first medals at the games — a gold in powerlifting and a silver after they lost narrowly to South Africa in the team event in badminton.

Nigeria are expected to grab more gold medals in the powerlifting events which began on Tuesday with 19 gold medals up for grabs. — Sapa-AFP