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South Africa’s Aiden Smith continued his impressive start to the season by winning the first gold medal of the African Athletics Championships 2026 in Accra, Ghana, while Rwanda’s Emeline Imanizayo produced a surprise victory in the women’s 5,000m final on Day 1 of the competition.
The 21-year-old University of Johannesburg student threw 20.01 metres to secure victory ahead of Egypt’s Mostafa Amr Ahmed, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic finalist, who claimed silver with 18.89m. Cameroon’s Billy Jospen Takougoum took bronze with a best effort of 17.01m.
The title marks Smith’s first African Championships gold and continues a strong run of form for the reigning World University Games champion.
Two weeks earlier, he threw 20.55m to win the Botswana Golden Grand Prix before producing 20.50m to finish third at the Simbine Classic in South Africa.
“I was hoping for a massive throw, but the conditions didn’t allow it,” Smith told Olympics.com after the event.
“I was aiming for 21m, but I’m still very happy with the win,” he added.
Nora Atim Monie makes Cameroon history
Nigeria emerged as the biggest winners in the women’s discus throw at the African Athletics Championships in Accra, securing both silver and bronze, while Cameroon’s Nora Atim Monie claimed a historic gold medal.
Competing in her first international outing for Nigeria, Divine Oladipo produced a best throw of 55.37m to take silver, ahead of compatriot Obiageri Amaechi, who earned bronze with 53.23m.
The gold, however, went to Monie, whose fourth-round effort of 57.00m secured Cameroon’s first-ever women’s discus title at the African Championships.
It marked a strong comeback for the 29-year-old, who competed in both the discus throw and shot put at the previous edition on home soil without reaching the podium.
Accra also proved a positive venue for Monie, who had previously won African Games bronze at the same stadium in early 2024.
Imanizabayo strikes gold in 5,000m
Rwanda’s Emeline Imanizabayo produced a dramatic late surge to win the women’s 5,000m title, edging a tightly packed finish in humid conditions.
Imanizayo stopped the clock at 23:25.92 to take gold, narrowly beating Djibouti’s Samia Hassan, who finished in 23:26.34. Ethiopia’s Zeyen Ayelegn completed the podium in 23:30.55.
The race was shaped by shifting lead changes in testing conditions, with Ayelegn and Imanizabyo both trading the front as the pace fluctuated. With about 250m remaining, Ayelegn launched a decisive kick, with her teammate Birtukan Molla Kesete also surging before a late incident in the pack disrupted her challenge.
That left Ayelegn, Hassan and Imanizabayo in contention on the home straight, where the Rwandan found one final gear to edge ahead in the closing metres and secure victory.
It marks a first-ever African Championships gold in the women’s 5,000m for Rwanda, adding to a growing list of international successes for the 30-year-old, who also won the same event at the Dutch national championships earlier this season.
“I’m so happy, so overwhelmed by emotions,” Imanizabayo told Olympics.com.
“Before the competition, I told myself I was going to win this and I thank my coaches who helped me to achieve my dream,” she added.
Tobi Amusan cruises to 100m hurdles final
In the highlight of several heat events on Day 1, women’s 100m record holder Tobi Amusan (12.82) ran the fastest time in the women’s 100m hurdles to win the heats and progress to Wednesday’s final.
She’s aiming for a third African title.
Counterpart Favour Ashe ran solo in the men’s 100m following a successful protest after initially being disqualified.
His time of 10.55 was good enough to secure him a place in Wednesday’s semi-finals.
There were no such troubles for Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu and Joseph Paul Amoah, Bradley Nkoana (South Africa), who all sailed through to the men’s 100m semis.
The women and men’s 400m heats were filled with several athletes coming off the World Athletics Relays in Botswana, with Marlie Viljoen (South Africa), Justice Oratile and Lee Eppie (Botswana), Cheikh Tidiane Diouf, Abdou Aziz Ndiaye, Abou Adama Sané (Senegal) all securing the place in the semi-finals scheduled for Wednesday (13 May).
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/african-athletics-championships-2026-south-africa-aiden-smith-shot-put-gold-day-1
