New Times / Africa’s cycling giants Eritrea claimed the much anticipated race of the day, Elite Men’s TTT for a record 8th consecutive time
Posted by: Semere Asmelash
Date: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Africa’s cycling giants Eritrea claimed the much anticipated race of the day, Elite Men’s TTT for a record 8th consecutive time
Rwanda wins 4 medals as Eritrea stretches elite men's TTT record in African champs
By: RICHARD BISHUMBA
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2018
Eritrean elites riders win Gold medals and Rwanda win the second position (Sam Ngendahimana)
Medal table after Day One
Eritrea – 2 gold, 1 silver
Rwanda – 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
Ethiopia – 1 gold
Algeria – 1 silver
Burundi – 1 silver
Nanibia – 1 bronze
RWANDAN cyclists enjoyed the home advantage to win a total four medals on day one of the 13th African Continental Road Championship in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 13th edition of Africa’s biggest annual cycling event which got underway on Wednesday will run through to February 18 in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.
Eritrea
The opening day was for Team Time Trial (TTT), where a team of four races against time.
In the medal tally chase, it was a two-horse for the hosts against Africa’s giants Eritrea. The later won three medals while Rwanda took four out of eleven medals that were there to compete for.
Rwandan riders clinched four medals; gold in junior women’s TTT category that only had the hosts and Burundi in contention. Sterling Magnell’s men snatched silver medals in elite men and junior men’s TTT, as well as bronze in elite women’s TTT respectively.
Africa’s cycling giants Eritrea claimed the much anticipated race of the day, Elite Men’s TTT for a record 8th consecutive time since 2011. The junior men’s team of Eritrea also struck another gold in junior men’s TTT fray and silver in elite women’s category.
Team Rwanda (Sam Ngendahimana)
Algeria won bronze in elite men’s Team Time Trial behind Eritrea and Rwanda while Ethiopia dethroned Eritrea as champions of the elite women’s Team Time Trial.
Only from day one, Team Rwanda won more medals than it ever did in one edition of the prestigious continental showpiece. The championship resumes on Thursday with Individual Time Trial.
Rwanda women’s junior team won gold on the first day of the African Continental Championships held in Kicukiro District, Kigali City.
Rwanda and Burundi took part in the 18km junior women category of the Team Time Trial held earlier on Wednesday morning.
Rwanda junior women team which was composed of Mushimiyimana Samantha, Irakoze Neza Violette and Nzayisenga Valantine won the race in a total time of 36’06”44 to come ahead of the Burundian trio of Iradukunda Yvonne, Niyubuntu Goreth and Habonimana Charlene who posted 50’22”60.
In the men’s junior category, Rwanda won silver as they came second behind winners Eritrea by registering a total time of 26’56”28, coming 49 seconds (49”16) short of the gold medal spot.
The Rwandan junior team was composed of Nkurunziza Yves, Nzafashwanayo Jean Claude and Gahemba Barnabe.
Namibia won bronze as they clocked 28’19”00 courtesy of their trio riders namely; Miller Alex, Van Der Merwe Schalk and Koen Dieter.
The women elite category attracted Ethiopia, Eritrea and hosts Rwanda. Over a 40km distance, Rwanda settled for a bronze medal as they came seven minutes and four minutes (07’04”32) behind the Ethiopians who won the race in 01h02’38”60.
The Eritrean team finished second in 01h02’47”35, coming eight minutes and 75 seconds behind their neighbors in the Horn of Africa.
The much-awaited elite men’s category went in favour of the Eritrean team while Rwanda won a silver medal. Rwanda team composed of 2015 Tour du Rwanda winner Jean Bosco Nsengimana, 2017, Tour du Rwanda, 2018 Tour du E=l’espoir and Tropicale Amissa Bongo reigning champion Areruya Joseph and star rider Adrien Niyonshuti finished the 40km distance clocking 51’45”48 to come seventeen seconds (17”20) behind the Eritrean team.
The Eritrean team took gold thanks to experienced riders in Musie Mehari Saymon, 2014 Tour d’Algérie winner Debesay Mekseb and Ghebreigzabhier Werkilul Amanuel.
Algeria settled for a broze medal as they came in forty nine seconds behind the winning Eritrean team.
In total, Rwanda managed to win one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal on the first day of the Africa Continental Raod Championship.
More thrilling action is expected on Thursday when the individual time trial in all categories will be staged.
The African Continental Cycling Championships are a series of cycling races held annually since 2005 in Africa, with the best riders of the continent selected from this competition.
This year’s event has attracted a total of 167 riders, 122 men and 45 women, representing 22 African countries including the giants of Africa such as Eritrea, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa and Ethiopia who are expected to give the hosts Rwanda a hard time in the chase for medals.
Other countries in Kigali for the competitions are; Nigeria, Swaziland, Seychelles, Namibia, Djibouti, Mauritius, Benin, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Burundi.
