Athletics Africa Magazine

I am sad this week. just like after the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002, the talking point once again is the disappearance of African athletes from their team. Now 12 Sierra Leonean athletes are missing again! Well they have been found and as usual they are making pleas for asylum . Now for elite athletes from what? Hunger? or what are they claiming this time?. I can understand if real poor people back in Freetown are crying of hunger, but national athletes are at least a priviledged few. Have we completely lost the pride in our heritage that we shamelesslessly go hand in mouth, begging for all sorts of countries to make us their slaves. How can free-born adults remove their toga of pride to begin a shameful dance in the street? What these self serving and selfish individuals have done now, along with all these bad press, was to make it ten times more difficult for ordinary African youths to secure visa to some of these western nations now.

well the 4x400m is no different here as the Nigerians men and women teams underachived once again. Alas, the Bahamas men dropped the baton again! The men - Former Olympics silver and bronze medallists ended up fifth, having being second with about 90 metres to go. Good news for Africa, South Africa men picked the silver medal behind an impressive Australian team but the SA women has been disqualified along with England for standing in a wrong lane to receive the baton. Wait a minute, the Nigerian women have been elevated to the bronze medal position, despite having the worst performance by a Nigerian relay team in a long time. Now, where does Africa go from here!

Oh Gosh, Australia has joined the casualty list now! Yesterday was kind of chaotic here in Melboune as my favourite Nigeria, England and Trinidad dropped their batons at the Men's 4x1000m relay semis . Well, at the finals now Aussie last leg just missed collecting his baton. Ghana just dropped out too. The Cameroonian did not even bother to show up. What a shame, Nigeria comes away with a terrible change over again! do this girls ever train together at all? Jamaica once again comes away with the Gold . The quartet of Daniele Browning, Sheri-Ann Brooks, Peta Dowdie and Sherone Simpson coming home in 43.10. But, fingers crossed for the 4X400m. I will get back to you later.

South African Elizna Naude has won the women’s Discus with a throw of 61.55m. India’s Seema Antil came second with a season best 60.56 metres while Australia’s Dani Samuels won bronze with a personal best of 59.44m. In a close finish in the Women’s Javelin, Sunette Viljoen of South Africa won gold , with her best throw of 60.72 metres coming in the second round. South African Janus Robberts also took gold in the Men's Shot Put Final with 19.76m, narrowly beating Jamaican Dorian Scott by one centimetre and Australian Scott Martin (19.48) claiming the bronze

Botswana's Gable Garenamotse, a silver medallist at the Manchester Games in 2002, posted a personal best time of 8.15 metres to lead four other African athletes into tomorrow finals of the men’s Long jump in Melbourne. South African Fosu Amoah improved on his personal best by 10cm, jumping 7.95m while Ghan’s recently crowned World Indoor athletics champion, Ghana's Ignisious Gaisah jumped 7.91m to move on to the finals. South Africa’s Martin Mcclintock and Godfrey Khotso Mokoena are also through. Mokoena is ranked ninth in the field told the Games News services after qualifying: "In the Final anything is possible - anything can happen. “It's not about being worried, it's about being focused. I'm just happy to be in the Final." Gaisah, who is competing in his first Games, said: "I'm looking forward to jumping as far as I can in the Final tomorrow.”

The 2006 Commonwealth Games has been declared open this morning b her Majesty the Queen of England in a glittering ceremony in front of a sell-out 81,000 crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The BBC team in Melbourne reported a "two-hour spectacular, thought to have cost £20m, kicked off with the arrival of a 'flying' Melbourne tram." Now we awaits the start of 12 days of intense athletic competition. With the Track and Field events starting on Sunday 19th, Africa chances in the sprints has brightened with the withdrawal of defending 100m champion Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis from the Games due to injury. Look out for Nigerians Olusoji Fasuba, Uchena Emedolu and Deji Aliu in the 100m on Sunday. (Photo) Nigerian-born Ambroze Ezenwa will compete for Australia at the Games.