Kenya wins a rare gold in swimming competition, shifts attention to athletics.
Kenyan swimming sensation, Jason Dunford, has won the country her first medal in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, after cruising to victory in the men's 50m butterfly. The 23-year old stopped the clock at 23.35, to beat Australia's Geoff Huegill with 0.02 seconds, while Roland Schoeman of South Africa came third.
Dunford has been in scintillating form en route to the final, beating world, Africa and Commonwealth record holder, Schoeman, twice in the preliminaries and semis.
Kenya had never won a medal in swimming at the Commonwealth Games before Dunford's heroic exploits.
Kenyan swimming sensation, Jason Dunford, has won the country her first medal in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, after cruising to victory in the men's 50m butterfly. The 23-year old stopped the clock at 23.35, to beat Australia's Geoff Huegill with 0.02 seconds, while Roland Schoeman of South Africa came third.
Dunford has been in scintillating form en route to the final, beating world, Africa and Commonwealth record holder, Schoeman, twice in the preliminaries and semis.
Kenya had never won a medal in swimming at the Commonwealth Games before Dunford's heroic exploits.
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| Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Delhi, India |
Although Kenya fielded a team in other 14 disciplines including swimming, boxing, squash, badminton, shooting among others, the country’s hopes are once again firmly on their track athletes who have never failed to perform when called upon.
2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist and former World 5000m champion Eliud Kipchoge will lead Vincent Yator and Mark Kiptoo, inn their bid to complete a podium sweep for Kenya.
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| The Sky is the limit for Kenyan athletes |
Ghana's Aziz Bakari will compete in the men's 100m heats in a fairly weak field that will be missing the lightening speed of 100m world record holder Usain Bolt and his compatriot and Melbourne gold medalist Asafa Powell.
South Africa, which topped Africa in the 2006 edition in Melbourne, Australia, sits first in Africa and fifth overall in the medals tally with 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze. On Tuesday, Natalie du Toit stormed to victory in the 50m freestyle, in a games record of 29.17 seconds, to give the Rainbow nation her second gold after Chad le Clos had won the 200m men’s butterfly on Monday. Wrestlers, Richard Addinall and Hughes Bella-Lufi won the silver medals in the men’s 74kg and 96kg Greco-roman wrestling respectively, while the mens' 4x100m freestyle relay team won the bronze.
Nigeria is second in Africa and eighth overall with one gold, one silver and one bronze. Nwaokolo Augustina and Azike Onyeka won the gold and silver in the women’s 48kg and 53kg weightlifting competition respectively, while Joseph Romeo bagged the bronze in the men’s 60kg wrestling. Other African countries are yet to add their names in the medals table.
Kenya is now ranked third in Africa with Jason's gold.
The medals table however could change anytime, given that 28 medals will be up for grabs with 9 in aquatics, 4 in cycling, shooting and wrestling, 3 in athletics and 2 in both gymnastics and weightlifting.
The competition, which commenced on the 3rd of October amid controversy, is expected to draw to a conclusion on the 14th of October. Approximately 6081 athletes from 71 nations are participating in 17 sports.
Africa is represented by 19 countries.
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