East Africa: Tanzania Finish Sixth in Regional Athletics Meet

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

4 June 2011

TANZANIA failed to capitalize on the home advantage as Kenya and Sudan scooped top two spots in the East and Central Africa senior athletic championship that ended at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Regional Athletics powerhouse Kenya expectedly finished first in the final medal rankings, with nine gold, one silver and three bronze medals, as Mainland finished in sixth position out of eight countries, after managing only two gold, four silver and nine bronze medals.

Fast-rising Sudan came second in the medal rankings, with a total of 23 medals, eight gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals.

Ethiopians were third overall winners, scooping a total of eleven medals, including four gold, six silver and one bronze, while Uganda held fourth position after snatching four gold, three silver and seven bronze medals.

Zanzibar collected three gold, seven silver and five bronze medals to finish a place above their Mainland counterparts. Mainland’s Marco Joseph starred in the men’s 10,000-metres race, clocking 29.34.

The fast-rising runner crossed the finish line ahead of compatriots Anold Loning’o and Peter Sule of Zanzibar, who clocked 30: 20. 54 and 34: 21.69, to scoop silver and bronze medal respectively in the opening day.

The hosts won silver medals in women’s and men’s 5,000-metres, men’s 110m steeplechase as well as in the women’s long jump.

Restituta Joseph and Anastazia Msindai helped themselves with silver and bronze medals after finishing second and third respectively in the 5,000-metres event.

Damian Chopa was a relief to the small crowd of partisan local supporters at the Chinese-built 60,000-seater capacity stadium after he battled to second finish in the highly contested men’s 5000m race.

In the men’s 110m steeplechase, local runner Yohana Kisau raced to second place, clocking 16.23 seconds, 1.05 sec behind Hafidh Hussein of Sudan, while Abbas Ismail of Sudan finished third in 16.28 sec.

In the women’s 100m steeple chase, Sudan’s Tasabih Mohamed claimed a gold medal after clocking 16.02, with Zanzibaris Nasria Abdallah and Mariam Yusuf finishing second and third in 17.04 and 22.08 seconds, respectively.

The Athletics Tanzania (AT) Secretary General, Suleiman Nyambui, said the country reaped what it had sown, since the kind of preparation afforded to the athletes was poor.

He cautioned that, should the country keep on with the shoddy preparations, Tanzania would continue her awful performance at international scene.

“AT does not have enough funds to keep the team in camp as well as run special centres to train the athletes, it needs concentrated efforts from all the stakeholders in the country to make it work,” he observed.

Nyambui argued that the AT should not bear all the blame, saying all concerned parties, from the village to national level have contributed of the situation.

In his closing remarks, the Minister for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Emmanuel Nchimbi, said he was pleased that finally the country managed to stage the event after 39 years.

However, he said, a lot needs to be done to ensure that as hosts, Tanzania benefit by winning such championship.

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