‘‰‹™‡ǡ ‹ƒ‰ƒǡ Ǯ ™ƒœ‹
AFRICA GAMES UPDATE
MBABANE – Eswatini’s athletes have set new personal bests (PBs) at the ongoing African Games in Ghana.
Bongiwe Mahlalela clocked a new time record of 23.74 seconds in the 200 metres (m) heats, surpassing her previous PB of 24.09. Her performance also saw her outpacing Botswana’s Sebeke Tsaona. Tsaona was the runner-up in the 100m finals on Monday. Mahlalela was not the only liSwati to achieve a PB in Accra. Swimming sensation Simanga Dlamini improved his 100m breaststroke time, clocking in at 1:13.35 hours, bettering it by a second. He also set a new PB in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 32.44 seconds, down from his previous best.
On another note, Sibusiso ‘Swazi Bolt’ Matsenjwa excelled in the 200m heats. ‘Swazi Bolt’ left his competitors trailing to finish first, clocking 20.80 seconds and qualifying for the semi-finals. He was closely followed by Nigerian sprinter Ekanem Emmanuel, who crossed the finish line in 20.94 seconds. Notably, this was Matsenjwa’s first race in the 13th edition of the continental multi-sporting code showpiece.
The duo qualified for the finals, which were yet to take place at the time of finalising the report. Athletes took to 8.5 the track for medals yesterday at around 8pm local time. Today, the taekwondo poomsae competition is set to begin. Eswatini’s seasoned artists Sizwe Mabuza and Nkosinathi Mthembu will represent the country in the martial art.
Other teams in taekwondo, karate, and swimming have already been eliminated. The team of 13 athletes has been challenged by the government to surpass their 2019 performance and bring home medals. Heats results;
WOMEN 200M HEATS
1. Olajide Olayinka (Nigeria)
2. Bongiwe Mahlalela (Eswatini)
3. Sebeke Tsaona (Botswana)
4. Semede Gorete
5. Ndawana Haitembu
6. Mbvagari Esther (Kenya)
7. Malessara Elodie (Congo)
8. Kamara Bolingo (Secheles)
MEN’S 200M HEATS
1. Sibusiso Matsenjwa (Eswatini)
2. Ekanem Emmanuel (Nigeria)
3. Kakene Sitali (Zambia)
4. Jammeh Adama (Gambia)
5. Mandoze Game (Botswana)
6. Aboda Emmanuel (Uganda)
7. Gegasa Gasisi (Tanzania)
8. Simao Adao 23.55 23.71 23.84 24.00 24.30 24.31 24.47 25.47
20:80 20:94 21.00 21.28 21.29 21.94 22.20 22.97