Priyanka Yadav / IAT
Kenya topped the medal tally among African nations with 10 medals, including four gold. In all, 13 African nations won medals at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics.
Africa has played beautifully in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics with a few golds, silvers and bronzes peppered all over the playing African nations! There have been many firsts for the continent in the overall medal tally of the Summer Olympics which got delayed due to the pandemic.
Kenyan players won 10 medals for the nation. It was the nation’s fifteenth appearance at the Olympics. With four golds, the nation had Emmanuel Korir winning the gold in men’s 800 metres athletics. Faith Kipyegon won gold in women’s 1500 metres athletics. Peres Jepchirchir won gold medal in the women’s marathon while Eliud Kipchoge won it in the men’s marathon. Kenya has fared at 19th position in the overall medals tally of Tokyo Olympics. Apart from four golds for the nation, Kenyan players won four silver medals and two bronze to make it the best player among African nations in the Tokyo Olympics.
Since the nation’s official debut in 1956, Ugandan athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Uganda won four medals this year. The two gold medals being that of Peruth Chemutai in women’s 3000 m steeplechase and Joshua Cheptegei in men’s 5000 m. Joshua won laurels for the country by getting a silver too in men’s 10000m. The world record holder truly lived up to the name. Uganda is at 36th position in the overall medal tally and the second best African nation in the Tokyo Olympics.
A week before the Games started, two football players were tested positive for COVID-19 while staying at the Olympic Village. But that did not deter South African players’ confidence as the world witnessed an outstanding performance by Tatjana Schoenmaker. She won the gold, setting the first individual swimming world record at the Tokyo Olympics. She earlier won a silver in the 100m breaststroke while surfer Bianca Buitendag grabbed a silver too. These achievements have placed South Africa in 52nd position on the overall medals table.
Egyptian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games since its debut in 1912, except 1932 and 1980. Feryal Abdelaziz won a beautiful gold in Women’s 61+ kg of Karate sport. Egypt won a silver as well as a whopping four bronzes in the summer Olympics.
Ethiopian athlete Selemon Barega won a gold in Men’s 10,000 m athletics beating Ugandan athletes Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo at a silver and bronze respectively. Apart from Selemon, Ethiopia also managed a silver and bronze each.
Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui won a gold in Men’s 400 m freestyle. Nigeria managed its first-ever silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics making Blessing Oborodudu the country’s first wrestler to win an Olympic medal in the women’s 68kg freestyle. Ghana, Burkina Faso, Botswana and Namibia managed to get a bronze each in the Tokyo Olympics.
Having fared exceptionally amidst the pandemic have also been runners like Mercyline Chelangat, Fres Musobo, Stephen Kiprotich, Felix Chemongesi, Immaculate Chemutai, Juliet Chekwel.
Keep the spirit up Africa. Way to go!