The Republic of South Africa (9 gold medals), Kenya (5 gold medals), and Ethiopia (5 gold medals) topped the podium at the 24th African Senior Athletics Championships held in Accra, Ghana, from May 12 to 17, 2026.
Despite the mourning which struck the athletics family with the passing of Confederation of African Athletics' President, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum on Wednesday, May 13, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the Ghana event was a resounding success, boasting impressive performances even though the season has only just begun.
The six days of the African Championships in Accra were marked by historic breakthroughs and exciting debuts across numerous disciplines. And it offered unforgettable moments, such as the victory of the Cameroonian duo Emmanuel Eseme and Hervérge Kole Etame in the men's and women's 100m events, respectively.
Ten years after his first podium at the African Championships, South Africa's Luvo Manyonga, the 2017 world champion, won his first continental gold medal. The African record holder triumphed with a first jump of 8.15m, ahead of Senegalese athletes, Lys Mendy (8.07m) and Amath Faye (8.00m).
Rwanda experienced one of the most moving moments of the championships when Emeline Imanizabayo won her country's first-ever gold medal at the African Championships. She won the women's 5,000m in 15:46.62, ahead of Djibouti's Samiya Hassan, who finished second in 15:47.05, and Ethiopia's Ziyn Ayelegn.
World record holder, Tobi Amusan reclaimed her title in the women's 100m hurdles – her third title at the African Championships.
Ivory Coast secured a historic gold medal in the men's 4x100m relay, raising the intensity of the African Championships in Accra to unprecedented heights.
The Ivorian quartet set a new national record of 38.52 seconds, winning their first African title in this event. Nigeria took the silver medal in 38.70 seconds, while host nation Ghana delighted its home crowd with a bronze medal in 38.74 seconds.
The Ivorian sprinters continued their impressive performance in the 200m, starting with Maboundou Koné, who turned her silver medal from Douala into gold in Accra. She stopped the clock at 23.58 seconds in a closely contested race, narrowly beating Nigeria's Rosemary Chukwuma and Liberia's Symone Darius, who both clocked 23.59 seconds, taking silver and bronze respectively.
In the men's race, Cheickna Traore followed in Koné's footsteps, winning in 20.31. Botswana's Selepe Phaezel took silver in 20.42, while South Africa's Mihlali Xhotyeni completed the podium in 20.56.
Nigeria maintained their dominance in the women's 4x100m relay, securing their fourth consecutive African title in 42.94 seconds. Liberia moved from bronze in Douala to silver this time with a time of 43.03 seconds, while Ghana again took bronze in 44.85 seconds.
Ethiopia asserted its strength in running, starting with the men's 20km race where Misgana Wakuma took the lead to win in 1:18:47, ahead of Kenya's Stephen Ndangiri Kihu (1:20:01) and fellow Ethiopian Yasin Abduselam Abdulwahab (1:21:07).
Ethiopian dominance continued in the women's race, with Wubalem Shugut Fonkamo narrowly edging out Kenya's Silvia Jerono Kemboi in a closely contested finish, in 1:33:31 to 1:33:44. Algerian Souad Azzi won bronze in 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 28 seconds.
Kenyan Diana Wanza delivered a masterful performance in the women's 10,000 meters, finishing in 31:33.26 and more than 10 seconds ahead of Rwandan Florence Niyonkuru (31:43.73), while Ethiopian Asefu Abrha Kiros took bronze in 31:45.91.
One of the biggest upsets of the championships came in the 110-meter hurdles, where Nigerien Saguirou Badamassi, the national record holder, defeated the defending champion, Senegalese Louis François Mendy, winning in 13.73 seconds and securing Niger's first medal of the competition. Mendy had to settle for silver in 13.81 seconds, while Egypt's Youssef Badawy Sayed took bronze in 13.82 seconds.
Senegalese Amath Faye delivered a thrilling finale in the men's triple jump, overcoming three penalties before achieving a record jump of 17.00 meters on his final attempt to win gold. Mauritius' Adel Cupidon won silver with 16.61 meters, just one centimeter ahead of Benin's Yoan Michel Sourou.
Zimbabwe overcame the wet conditions to win the men's 4x400m relay. The team of Dennis Hove, Leeford Zuze, Gerren Muwishi, and Thandazani Ndlovu clocked a time of 3:01.11, ahead of Kenya (3:01.34), while Morocco took the bronze medal.
