Justine Robbeson, African record holder in the women’s javelin, won South Africa’s first athletics gold medal at the All Africa Games in Algiers on Friday with a throw of 58,09m. This brings the South African team’s medal tally in athletics to 10.
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the world number one 800m athlete of 2006, was pipped at the post in a thrilling 800m final by an 18-year old Sudanese athlete, Abu Bakr Kaki.
Both athletes were accredited with the same time of 1:45,22. It was Mulaudzi’s fastest time of the year and also his first qualifier for next month’s World Championships in Osaka.
A third star was Tebogo Masehla, SA champion in the 3 000m steeplechase who bettered her own national record set earlier this year by 2,06 sec. She finished in fifth place in a time of 9:55,11. The gold medal was won by Ruth Bosibori of Kenya in 9:31,99. A second South African entrant, Thandi Malindi, finished seventh in 10:48,67.
All three South African 400m hurdlers easily moved in to the final while Khotso Mokoena needed just one very good and wind-assisted jump of 8,231m.
Keenan Watson, the SA junior champion, also qualified for the long jump final with 7,74m.
Ter de Villiers was the fastest hurdler — clocking 49,43, while LJ van Zyl and Alwyn Myburgh clocked the same time of 49,76 in the other heat with Van Zyl placed first. Kenyan Julius Bungei also impressed with a time of 49,45 behind De Villiers.
Suzette Viljoen won the bronze medal in the women’s javelin with 54,46m while Estie Wittstock was placed sixth in the 400m race, won by the new Botswana star, Amantla Montsho in 51,13. Wittstock’s time of 52,56 was her fastest of the year. – Sapa