Africa’s 2016 Olympic winners

0
2299

Africa returns home from the Rio Olympics this week with an impressive medal tally, including 10 golds and 19 silvers.

(Image: International Olympic Committee)

Brand South Africa reporter

Apart from high profile wins by South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya, and outstanding track event performances by Kenya and Ethiopia, countries such as Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Burundi also claimed medals.

Here is an overview of Africans who won medals in their various sporting disciplines.

South Africa

While Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya grabbed headlines with their
outstanding gold medal wins (Van Niekerk also broke a world record and Semenya
silenced her critics with a breath-taking performance), South Africa also scooped
six silver medals.

Swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos picked up three silvers,
with le Clos standing out with two silvers in the much-anticipated show-down with
American swimmer Michael Phelps in both the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Van der Burgh won his medal in the 100m breaststroke.

Sunette Viljoen won silver in the women’s javelin throw, improving on her 4th
place in London in 2012. Luvo Manyonga silver in long jump rounded out an
impressive track and field performance by South Africa.

Rowers Shaun Keeling and Lawrence Brittain won silver in the coxless double.

South Africa’s two bronze medals were won by the rugby sevens team and
triathlete Henri Schoeman.

Kenya

As always Kenya shone on the track, where they collected 13 medals, including
Vivian Cheruiyot’s gold and silver in the 5 000m and 10 000m respectively. Eliud
Kipchoge won the men’s marathon, and Jemima Jelagat Sumgong won gold in the
women’s marathon. Other gold medals included David Rudisha (men’s 800m) and
Faith Kipyegon (women’s 1 500m).

Kenya’s medal haul included six silvers and a single bronze for Margaret
Wambui who battled Caster Semenya in the women’s 800m final.

Ethiopia

Another outstanding track performance by the Ethiopians saw Almaz Ayana win
the women’s 10 000m and bronze in the women’s 5 000m. Genzebe Dibaba won
silver (women’s 1 500m) and Feyisa Lilesa came second in the men’s marathon.The
country also won five bronze medals.

Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire surprised in Rio with gold and one bronze in the Taekwondo
tournament.

Cheick Sallah Cisse won the men’s 80kg final (the country’s first Olympic gold
medal) and Ruth Gbagbi won bronze in women’s 67kg division. Cisse beat world
number four Lutalo Muhammad from Great Britain with a dramatic last minute
double reverse kick to win 8 points to 6.

Algeria

Taoufik Makhloufi won double silver in both the men’s 1 500m and 800m.

Other silver medals

Burundi won its first Olympic medal since 1996 with a silver for Francine
Niyonsaba in the women’s 800m behind South Africa’s Caster Semenya.

Niger had not won an Olympic medal since 1972. Issoufou Abdoul Razak broke
Niger’s 46 year Olympic medal drought with a silver in the taekwondo men’s 80kg
final, losing to Radik Isaev from Azerbaijan.

Bronze medal winners

Egypt and Tunisia both won 3 bronze medals, while Morocco and Nigeria both
come home with one bronze each.

Egypt earned two weightlifting medals, Sara Ahmed in the women’s 69kg
category and Mohamed Ihab in the men’s 77kg event. Hedaya Wahba won bronze
for taekwondo.

Tunisia won bronze medals in wrestling, fencing and taekwondo. Wrestler
Marwa Amri become the first African woman to win a wrestling medal.

Morocco earned one bronze in the boxing tournament, while Nigeria, despite
fielding a diverse array of Olympic sports including weightlifting, table tennis and
rowing, could only make the medal podium once, bronze in the men’s football
tournament, beating Honduras and losing out to Brazil (gold) and Germany (silver).

Source: Sascoc

Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See Using Brand South Africa material.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR