Kenya's Beatrice Chebet completed an Olympic double with
victory in the women's 10,000m at Paris 2024.
The 24-year-old, who was crowned 5,000m champion on
Monday, surged to victory on the final lap in a time of 30 minutes and
43.25 seconds.
"This 10,000m gold medal, I can describe it as the most
important medal in my life," she said.
"I came here targeting the 10,000m gold medal, not a
gold in 5,000m."
Meanwhile, taekwondo athlete Firas Katoussi won Tunisia's
first gold of the Games in the men’s 80kg category and Algerian boxer Imane
Khelif triumphed in the final of the women's welterweight division.
Earlier on Friday South Africa had set a new African record
in winning silver in the men’s 4x100m relay final.
The team of Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley
Nkoana and Akani Simbine were just 0.07 of a second behind winners Canada as
they crossed the line in a time of 37.57 to pip Great Britain to second place.
Coming a day after Letsile Tebogo won Botswana’s
first ever Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m, Simbine said African
results in Paris are “building a hunger” for the continent’s athletes to
challenge for podium places in every event.
"I think the whole narrative of 'Africa just does long
distance' is changing," he told OceanNewsUK.
"Africa is athletic. We are fast runners, we are
sprinters, we are long-distance runners, we are jumpers. We are
everything."
Walaza, the runner of the opening leg, is still in school
and said he has neglected all but 20% his homework while competing in Paris.
"I just thought it's going to mess up my mind,"
said the 18-year-old.
"Let me just focus in one thing. I'm sure they'll see
that (silver medal) and add [to] my marks."
Kenya lead way and eye more medals
Chebet's two golds in the space of five days mean Kenya top
Africa's medal table with two days of competition in the French capital left -
although team-mates Margaret Kipkemboi and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk finished just
outside of the 10,000m medal positions.
The pace of the final felt comparatively slow at stages,
with Chebet's winning time almost two minutes slower than the world record time
of 28:54.14 she set back in May at a Diamond League meeting in Eugene.
However, when the pack broke into a sprint with one lap
remaining Chebet pulled away on the final turn to deliver Kenya's first gold
medal in the event as Italy's Nadia Battocletti took silver and Sifan Hassan of
the Netherlands picked up bronze.
"I have made history in Kenya," Chebet said.
"No matter who comes after me, they'll always say
Beatrice was the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the 10,000m."
Across the city there was glory for Tunisia as Katoussi won
his gold medal match at the Grand Palais, beating his Iranian opponent Mehran
Barkhordari by two rounds to nil.
The 28-year-old, who lives in Manouba, is a four-time
African champion but was competing at his first Olympics.
However, there was disappointment for Hugues Fabrice Zango
as the Burkinabe finished fifth in the men's long jump final.
The 31-year-old, the reigning world champion, could only
manage a distance of 17.50m - 14 centimetres short of bronze medal position and
34cm short of gold medallist Jordan Diaz of Spain.
Algeria's Yasser Triki finished in ninth place with a jump
of 17.22m.
Africa will have its eye on more medals on Saturday after
Egypt's Ahmed Elgendy topped the qualifiers for the final of the mens' modern
pentathlon, having set a new Olympic record of 1516 points.
The competition will culminate with the final rounds of show
jumping, fencing, 200m freestyle swimming and laser run.
Meanwhile Kenyan team-mates Eliud Kipchoge and Faith
Kipyegon will bid for their third successive Olympic titles, in the
men's marathon and women's 1500m respectively.
