Simbine flies into semis as Africa Champs stutter to a start

SOME LONG overdue athletics action provided a reprieve from the organisational chaos on the first day of the African Athletics Championships in Asaba, Nigeria yesterday.

Overshadowed by nations threatening to boycott the continental meeting due to botched travel and accommodation arrangements, the championships got off to a delayed start.

Teams from across the continent including South Africa were stranded at the airport in Lagos for days waiting for a connection to Asaba.

The five-day track and field event was scheduled for yesterday morning, but was pushed back to the afternoon with only the 100m heats and the men’s 10 000m taking place.

South Africa’s male and female sprinters all advanced to the 100m semi-finals which were supposed to have taken place on the same day, but were postponed to today.

Commonwealth Games champion Akani Simbine was in a class of his own winning his race comfortably with a time of 10.29 seconds.

“My first goal was to win the Commonwealth Games and now it is to win the African title just to stay healthy and prepare for the next two years,” 24-year-old Simbine said

Seven-time South African champion Simon Magakwe finished second in his heat, clocking 10.42secs to finish a split second behind Ivory Coast’s Ben Youssef Meite of the Ivory Coast.

Roscoe Engel also made it through to the next round, clocking a pedestrian 10.62s which was good enough for second place and a spot in the semi-final.

In the women’s Cassidy Williamson 100m (11.79) booked her place for the semi-finals finishing third behind world-leading Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who posted the fastest time of the heat clocking 11.25.

South Africa’s Tebogo Mamatu won her heat, clocking 11.90 to advance to the semi-final.

Distance ace Elroy Gelant was the first South African featuring in a final, finishing ninth in the men’s 10 000m with a time of 30:23.35.