With 45 medals, Africa stages best Olympic Games performance ever!

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1 Balance sheet With 45 medals, Africa stages best Olympic Games performance ever! All 54 African NOCs participated in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August This issue of Africa in Rio 2016 highlights the defining moments, with complete updates on the Continent s participation in the quadrennial event.

2 Golden records Individual feats that did Africa proud Africa, like the other continents, participated in the 31st Olympic Games from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and hauled 45 medals altogether. At this edition, many of the Continent s worthy representatives thrilled crowds the event with sheer talent. Women s marathon: Kenya s Jemima Jelagat Sumgong clinches gold Kenya s Jemima Jelagat Sumgong won the women s marathon of the Rio Olympics on 14 August 2016 after timing 2 h 24 min 04 secs. Despite the scorching heat, a group of some fifteen athletes broke away very early into the event. The favourites were there, including three Kenyans, three Ethiopians and three Americans. The second breakaway took place at mid distance, but it ws aft the 30st kilometre mark that Ethiopia s Tirfi

3 Tsegaye tried to set a path to victory for her compatriot Mare Dibaba. But this was not to be, as Kenya s Jemima Jelagat Sumgong and Bahrain s Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa of Kenyan origin took control in the money-time. At the end of the race, Sumgong, winner of this year s London marathon, arrived ahead of Jepkirui Kirwa (2 h 24:13.) and Mare Dibaba (2 h 24:30.). She is the first Kenyan lady to bag marathon gold at the Olympics. Men s 800 metres: Repeat performance for David Rudisha On 15 August 2016, Kenya s David Lekuta Rudisha kept his 800m crown won in London in 2012, after clocking , placing him atop of a podium completed by Taoufik Makhloufi (Algeria) and Clayton Murphy (Unites States). Rudisha left the other competitors no chance, as he staged the year s best world performance. The two-time world champion (2011, 2015), has now become the first athlete to conserve the 800 m Olympic crown more than fifty years after the performance of New Zealand s Peter Snell (1960 and 1964).

4 Nagged by injuries in recent years, Rudisha has now shown he remains the undisputed king in the distance. Apart from his two world championship titles in Daegu and Beijing, he also won the African championships in 2008 and Women s 1500m : Faith Kipyegon keeps the faith Kenya s Faith Kipyegon, 22, won the Olympic 1500m event on 16 August 2016 in Rio, edging Ethiopia s Genzebe Dibaba, who was highly tipped to win the final. The bronze medal went to America s Jennifer Simpson. Dibaba, world record holder, (3:50.07), took the initiative at 700 m to the finish, but was overtaken by Kipyegon at the last turn; the latter thus evens out with Dibaba, who deprived her of gold at the world championships in Beijing in 2015.

5 3,000 m men s steeple : Kenya s Conseslus Kipruto in gold Kenya s Conseslus Kipruto won the men s 3,000 m steeple race on 17 August 2016 in 8 min 03 sec 28/100, and by the same token set a new Olympic record in the discipline. America s Evan Jager and Ezekiel Kemboi were runner up and third respectively. In August 2015, Conseslus Kipruto was runner up at the world championships in Beijing, an event won by his fellow countryman Ezekiel Kemboi. It was his second silver medal, after the one he won in Moscow in In June 2016, he came very close to the 8-minute mark when he won the Birmingham meeting in 8 min 0 s 12. Aged just 21, Conseslus Kipruto has two world championship silver medals to his credit, in 2013 and 2015, coming after Kemboi on either occasion. Moreover, he was world cadet 2000 m steeple champion in 2011 in Lille, France, and a year later junior champion in Barcelona, Spain.

6 Women s 5000 m : Vivian Cheruiyot s golden record Kenya s Vivian Cheruiyot won the women s 5,000 m event at the Rio Olympics on 19 August 2016 as she came home in 14: 2.17, thus setting a new Olympic record. Cheruiyot edged her compatriot Hellen Obiri (14:29.77) and Almaz Ayana (14:33.59) to take home the prestigious gold medal four years after her silver medal won in London. Tipped as favourite, Almaz Ayana, who had already won the s 10,000 m event, broke away after 1,800 m, and held a lead of about four to five seconds on her Kenyan challengers up to 4,000 metres, when she started giving way. She was later overtaken by the two Kenyans at less than a lap to go but held on to the finish to take home the bronze medal.

7 Men s marathon: Eliud Kipchoge gets gold Kenya s Eliud Kipchoge, 31, was crowned Olympic marathon champion on 21 August 2016 in Rio. He did the kilometres of the event in 2 h 8 min 54, ahead of Ethiopia s Fiyesa Lilesa and America s Galen Rupp in the rain. He finally bags the gold medal that has been eluding him since the Beijing Games in It is a crowning glory for Eliud Kipchoge, one of the finest marathon men in recent years, with an impressive track record in the discipline. He has in fact won the major world marathons (London twice, Berlin, Rotterdam) after a remarkable career on the tracks (5,000 m world champion in 2003 in Paris; Olympic medallist, winning silver in 2008 and bronze in 2004 on same distance). After winning gold, Kipchoge talked about his career, which he qualified as fantastic, insisting he had kept the Olympic title permanently in mind.

8 Men s 400 m : Wayde van Niekerk bags gold and smashes world record South Africa s Wayne van Niekerk emerged winner of the final of the men s 400 m event in Rio. He dominated the race from start to finish, clinching the gold medal and shattering the world record in seconds. He thus dethrones America s Michael Johnson, who had timed seconds at the world championships in Seville. That record dated back to World champion in 2015, Van Niekerk, 24, largely outpaced two former Olympic champions, Grenada s Kirani James and America s LaShawn Merritt the silver and bronze medallists respectively.

9 Women s 800m : Caster Semenya in gold South Africa s Caster Semenya won the women s 800 m final of the Rio Olympics on 20 August She literally dominated the event from lap two, winning the race with a time of , and edging Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Kenya s Margaret Wambui, a personal record). Speaking at the end of the race, Semenya said the race was a bit fast, and that her coach asked her to be patient and to wait for the right moment. She said she knew she would be the fastest in the last 200m, and thus just needed to use that advantage. Of course she acknowledged her many rivals, noting that it was fantastic to run against such athletes.

10 Gold and a record for Almaz Ayana in women s 10,000m Ethiopia s Almaz Ayana did not only win gold, but also smashed the women s 10,000 m world record on 12 August She took the lead midway into the race and later extended it, finishing the last 17 laps solo, and stopping the clock at 29 mins 17 secs 46/100. Her compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba finished 3rd, clinching bronze. They both continued racing down the track, wrapped in their country s flag, greeting the teeming crowds that had cheered them on to victory. The silver medal went to Kenya s Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot. Ayana had already given a foretaste of what she was capable of at the world championships in Beijing, where she won the 5,000 m gold.

11 Taekwondo : Cheick Sallah Cisse clinches gold The men s taekwondo gold medal in the -80 category went to the young Ivoirian, Cheick Sallah Junior Cisse, who has made history as the first Ivorian to win an Olympic gold medal. He outwitted Britain s Lutalo Muhammad 8-6 in the dying seconds of the fight, where, with one second left, and down 5-6, he succeeded in touching his opponent thrice. Gold medallist at the All Africa Games in 2015, the 2015 taekwondo Grand Prix in Moscow and the 2016 African taekwondo Championships in Port Said, Egypt, Cisse was a real medal hopeful for Côte d Ivoire and Africa at the Rio games. Moved by this Olympic victory, Junior Cisse could not contain his joy : «I don t know why! The public took sides with me from the first bout. I was myself, I gave my all that day long. In the last bout, I applied the training strategy. We had barely a few seconds left and I am unable to say what I did. I dared. I will have to review the images slowly. It is wonderful! I have no intention of bragging, but I always believed in this medal. Now, I will celebrate with the entire family!» Cisse declared at the end of the long and tedious day.

12 Historic! Africa s best Olympic Games performance ever With a total medal haul of 45 at the Games of the 31st Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Africa bettered its performance in Beijing 2008, where the continent bagged 40 medals. This of course does all of Africa proud. The complete list of African medal winners stands as follows. African medallist in Rio 2016 Nom Pays Sport Epreuve Performance Médaille David Rudisha Kenya Athletics 800 m Gold Eliud Kipchoge Kenya Athletics Men s Marathon 2h08 44 Gold Conseslus Kipruto Kenya Athletics 3,000 m men s Gold steeple Faith Kipyegon Kenya Athletics Women s 1500 m Gold Vivian Cheruiyot Kenya Athletics Women s 5000m Gold Jemima Sumgong Kenya Athletics Women s 2h24 04 Gold marathon Paul Kipngetich Tanui Kenya Athletics Men s 1,500 m 27 05»64 Argent Boniface Mucheru Kenya Athletics 400m men s Silver tumuti hurdles Julius Yego Kenya Athletics Men s javelin 88m24 Silver Helen Obiri Kenya Athletics Women s 5000m Silver Vivian Cheruiyot Kenya Athletics Women s 10000m Silver Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi Kenya Athlétisme 3,000 m women s Silver steeple Margaret Wambui Kenya Athletics Women s 800m Bronze Wayde Van Niekerk South Africa Athletics Men s 400 m Gold Caster Semenya South Africa Athletics Women s 800m Gold Luvo Manyonga South Africa Athletics Men s long jump 8m37 Silver Sunette Viljoen South Africa Athletics Women s javelin 64m92 Silver Shaun Keeling et South Africa Aviron Coxless pair men - Silver Lawrence Brittain Chad le Clos South Africa Swimming 200m men s freestyle Silver

13 Cameron van der burgh South Africa Swimming 100m men s Silver breaststroke Chad le clos South Africa Swimming 100m men s Silver butterfly Equipe masculine South Africa Rugby à VII Men s - Bronze Henri Schoeman South Africa Triathlon Men s event - Bronze Almaz Ayana Ethiopia Athletics Women s 10000m Gold Feyisa Lilesa Ethiopia Athletics Men s Marathon 2h09 54 Silver Genzebe Dibaba Ethiopia Athletics Women s 1500 m Silver Hagos Gebrhiwet Ethiopia Athletics Men s 5000m Bronze Tamirat Tola Ethiopia Athletics Men s 10000m Bronze Almaz Ayana Ethiopie Athletics Women s 5000m Bronze Tirunesh Dibaba Ethiopia Athletics Women s 10000m Bronze Mare Dibaba Ethiopia Athletics Women s 2h24 30 Bronze marathon Cheikh Sallah Junior Côte d Ivoire Taekwondo Men s -80 kg - Cisse Ruth Gbagbi Côte d Ivoire Taekwondo Women s -67 kg - Bronze Taoufik Makhloufi Algeria Athletics men s 800m 1 42»61 Silver Taoufik Makhloufi Algeria Athletics men s 1500m Silver Francine Niyonsaba Burundi Athletics Women s 800m Silver Abdoulrazak Issoufou Niger Taekwondo men s +80 kg - Silver Alfaga Mohamed Ihab Youssef Egypt Weightlifting men s -77 kg - Bronze Ahmed mahmoud Sara Samir Elsayed Egypt Weightlifting Women s -69 kg - Bronze Mohamed Ahmed Hedaya Wahba Egypt Taekwondo Women s -57 kg - Bronze Ines Boubakri Tunisia Fencing Women s foil - Bronze Marwa Amri Tunisia Free-style Women s -58 kg - Bronze wrestling Oussama Oueslati Tunisia taekwondo men s -80 kg - Bronze Mohammed Rabii Morocco Boxing men s -69 kg - Bronze Men s team Nigeria Football Men - Bronze

14 African rankings Rio 2016: Kenya tops African medal charts After the Rio Olympic Games from 5 to 21 August 2016, Kenya emerged as the first African nation in terms of the medal count. Ranked overall 15th, they bagged a total 13 medals (6 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze). Kenya thus relegated to second position South Africa, who occupied the first rank in London The rainbow nation returned from Rio with 10 medals (2 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze). African rankings African rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 st Kenya nd South Africa rd Ethiopia th Côte d Ivoire th Algeria th Burundi th Niger th Egypt th Tunisia th Morocco th Nigeria

15 Moving forward from Rio Olympic flag already in Tokyo Three days after the end of the games of the 31st Olympiad celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Olympic flag arrived Tokyo, host city of the next summer games billed for 2020, 52 years after the 1964 Games which were hosted by the same city. The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, had handed the banner with five rings to the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, during the closing ceremony of the Rio OG on the evening of 21 August, a ceremony graced by Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. It looks heavy (the flag), but it isn t that much. However, I feel the weight of the responsibility it entails. I am delighted to bring back the flag more than 50 years after the 1964 OGs» said Mrs Koike, who was elected at the helm of the Japanese capital city in late July. After Tokyo, the Olympic flag will soon tour the country, notably in the North East region, which was hard hit in March 2011 by a devastating tsunami, in a bid to sustain reconstruction efforts.