Senegalese athletes Aida Diop and Oumar Loum turned out some excellent performances in the sprints on Saturday 23 March at the Dakar international meeting. Both athletes doubled in the 100 and 200 metres against adversaries like Nigeria’s Obifuru West (World Junior Champion) and Mauritius’s Stephen Buckland (a finalist in Edmonton last year).
With, respectively, 11.35 and 23.20 for Diop in the women’s races and 10.1 and 20.60 for Loum, the two who train at the Internationa Athletics Centre of Dakar (CIAD) are already showing excellent form. Fatou Binetou Fall’s time of 52.15 in the 400 metres is also promising, being the best national time for this season.
The young Senegalese is already shaping up as a possible successor to Amy Mbacke Thiam, who missed Saturday’s meeting after some muscle problems.
Kene Ndoye returned to the long jump after a sabbatical year with a leap of 6.36 metres. Two other hopefuls, Ndiss Kaba Badji in the long jump (7.68m) and Idrissa Ndoye (2.05 metres in the high jump) also confirmed their progress.
The Dakar Meeting is now known as the Memorial Papa Gallo Thiam in memory of the the great high jump legend of the Fifties.
Oumar Ba for the IAAF
Leading results:
Women
100 m (w 0.0) : 1 Aîda Diop (SEN) 11.35 ; 2 Sanganoko Makaridja (CI) 11.39, 3e Obifuru West (NIG)11.67
200 m (w 0.0) ; 1 Aîda Diop 23.20 ; 2 Makaridja Sanganoko 23.59, 3 Rosa Rakotozafy (MAD) 24.02
400 m ; 1 Fatou Binetou Fall (SEN) 52.15 ; 2 Hortense Bewouda (CAM) 52.22 ; 3 Carole Mebam (CAM) 54.10
800 m ; 1 Stephanie Zanga (CAM) 2:06.82 ; 2 Alice Nwosu (NGR) 2:08.54 ; 3 Aminata Sylla (SEN) 2:18.43
100 m hurdles ; 1 Rosa Rakotozafy (MAD) 13.30 ; 2 Kene Ndoye (SEN) 13.79 ; 3 Gnima Touré (SEN) 13.85
Long jump ; 1 Kene Ndoye (SEN) 6.36 ; 2 Yay Koïta (MLI) 6.23 ; 3 Obifuru West (NGR) 6.17
Discus ; 1 Suzanne Kragbe (CIV) 43.85 ; 2 Oumou Traoré (MLI) 43.56 ; 3 Diabou Tandian (SEN) 35.30
Men
100 m (w+1.10) ; 1 Oumar Loum (SEN) 10.1 ; 2 Stephan Buckland (MRI) 10.2 ; 3 Idrissa Sanon (BF) 10.2
200 m (w 0.0) : 1 Oumar Loum 20.60 ; 2 Eric Milazar (MRI) 20.89 ; 3 Kowlessur Ommanandsing (MRI) 21.22
400 m : 1 Augustin Fernando (MRI) 46.2 ; 2 Narcisse Teveodjre (BEN) 47.02 ; 3 Pape Serigne Diene (SEN) 47.31
800 m ; 1. Ablaye Wagne (SEN) 1:49.42 ; 2 Nestor Sessi (TOG) 1:52.84 ; 3 Moussa Ndiaye (SEN) 1:53.24
400 m hurdles ; 1 Ibrahima Maïga (MLI) 52.79 ; 2 Alioune Konate (SEN) 53.20 ; 3 El H Seth Mbow (SEN) 54.34
Long jump : 1 Ndiss Kaba Badji (SEN) 7.68 ; 2 Abdou Demba Lam (SEN) 7.50 ; 3 Jonathan Chimier (MRI) 7.43
High Jump : 1 Idrissa Ndoye (SEN) 2.05 ; 2 Kousse Koné (MLI) 2.05
