Africa amasses 27 medals at the Athletics Championships

The 17th edition of the World Athletics Championships started on September 27, 2019 and proved to be a successful outing for the African continent.

A total of 1,972 athletes from 208 countries and territories competed in the championships, which were being staged in the Middle East for the first time.

9 African countries made it to the medals table, with Kenya’s 5 gold medals earning it second place in the world, just behind leaders the United States.

Burkina Faso won its first ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich won the event’s first gold medal, in the women’s marathon, while Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won the last event of the World Athletics Championships, taking gold in the 10,000m race with 26:48.36.

Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa and Mosinet Geremew joined Kenya’s Amos Kipruto on the podium.

Desisa took gold, clocking a season’s best of 2:10:40, with Geremew four seconds back. Bronze went to Kipruto.

Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot led from start to finish, in the men’s 1500m, clocking 3:29.26.

Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi won silver, while Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski settled for bronze.

Kenyan athlete Conseslus Kipruto successfully defended his title in 8:01.35, making history with the second fastest winning time in World Championships history.

Kipruto joins Moses Kiptanui, Saif Saaeed Shaheen and Ezekiel Kemboi as multiple steeplechase gold medallists at the World Championships.

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, took the silver medal in 8:01.36, just 0.01, while Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco held on for bronze in 8:03.76.

Burkina Faso won its first ever bronze medal, as Hugues Fabrice Zango, won Bronze in the Men’s Triple Jump.

The Gambia also made Championship history, placing 6th in the Women’s 200m.

Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi, upset the form book to win Gold in the Women’s 800m.

Ethiopia’s 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega became one of the first athletes born this century to win a senior global medal.

Kenya’s Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich secured the bronze medal in Tuesday’s 800m final, adding to the East African nation’s medal tally.

Rotich clocked 1:43.47, behind America’s Donovan Brazier who won gold with 1:42.34, and Amel Tuka of Bosnia at 1:43.82.

Medals Table – Africa

• Kenya, 5 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals, 4 Bronze medals (2nd overall)
• Ethiopia, 2 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze (6th)
• Uganda, 2 Gold (9th)
• Algeria, 1 Silver (26th)
• Burkina Faso, 1 Bronze medal (31st)
• Ivory Coast,1 Bronze medal (31st)
• Namibia, 1 Bronze medal (31st)
• Morocco, 1 Bronze medal (31st)
• Nigeria, 1 Bronze (31st)