From Addis2008:
After two days of disappointment, Kenya finally made a bumper harvest as they scooped two gold medals, two silvers and two bronze as the Africa Athletics Championships entered its third day at the Addis Ababa Stadium on Friday.

Kenyans ensured a clean sweep in the men’s 3000m steeplechase and picked gold and bronze in the 800m. The world bronze medallist, Richard Mateelong took gold in the men’s steeplechase in 8:31.68 with compatriots Michael Kipyego (8:32.94) and Willly Komen (8:41.98) picking silver and bronze respectively to keep the country’s tradition in the event alive.

Mateelong said the victory was a perfect start ahead of the August Olympic Games. “I am inspired with victory and I want to keep shape ahead of the Beijing Games,” he said. Coach Julius Kirwa was equally elated, saying the move was a good sign ahead of the games. “What did you expect? This is a Kenyan preserve. Other countries have a long way to go in as far as the event is concerned,” the coach said.

Rudisha rules over two laps
Prior to the event, Kenya’s world junior 800m champion, David Rudisha had set the mood of the day for Kenyans after winning gold in his specialty timed at 1:44.20. Sudanese Ismail Ahmed Ismail spoiled Kenya’s party sneaking between Kenyans to run away with silver after posting 1:45.41. Asbel Kiprop took bronze in 1:46.02.

Rudisha said this was part of his preparations for the Beijing Games. He said he was almost 99 percent sure that he would take gold. “I studied the competition right from the preliminaries and knew what to do at the final. I am happy my plans worked perfectly.”

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Nigeria: Nigerian duo Olusoji Fasuba and Damola Osayemi won the men’s and women’s 100m in the second day of action at the 16th CAA African Athletics Championships.

Osayemi bagged the gold medal over women’s defending champion Vida Anim of Ghana who took the silver and Cameroon’s Delphine Atangana who settled for the bronze.

Meanwhile, Fasuba defended his African title against compatriot Uchenna Emedolu and South African Hannes Dreyer who took the bronze.

Guinea: In the women’s 110m hurdles, Fatuma Feofanah beat Nigerian race favorite Toyin Augustus to bag Guinea’s first ever gold medal in the African Championships. She set a Guinea national record (13.10) with her victory.

Morocco: Barrabah Yahya won the men’s long jump (8.04m) beating Mauritius’ Jonathan Chimier (7.99m) and Stefan Louw (7.08m) who settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

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After playing bridesmaid to Meseret Defar’s bride in several events, Ethiopia’s Meselech Melkamu finally emerged from the shadows of her more popular compatriot by beating Defar in the 5,000 meter race at the ongoing African Athletics Championships.

From the IAAF: Melkamu took advantage of a slow, tactical race to outgun Defar on the last lap and deny her a successful defence of the title she had won in Bambous, Mauritius, in 2006. It was a first senior international championship victory for the 2004 World junior cross country and 5000m champion.

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From Addis2008:
Outstanding front-running by Gebregziabher Gebremariam led Ethiopian compatriots Ibrahim Jeylan and Eshetu Wondimu to a clean sweep of the medals in the opening day of the men’s 10000m at the 16th CAA African Athletics Championships.

The 25-year old, who finished sixth in the world championships 10000m in Osaka last year, led for more than half of the twenty-five lap contest to take victory in 28:17.11 with world junior champion Ibrahim Jeylan (28:30.66) continuing his impressive record on Ethiopian soil to take silver ahead of national champion Eshetu Wondimu (28:56.36).

It was a dramatic improvement on the 25-year old’s All-African Games bronze medal from last year and a dramatic comeback from his disastrous outing at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh a month ago where he finished 17th.

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NOTE: Photo, courtesy of tigrai.org, is from the 2005 Ethiopian championships not the CAA Games.