ACTUALITE |
23.03.2006
Commonwealth Games: Two Cameroonian Athletes for Final
Cameroon’s track queens, Leonie Mani and Delphine Atangana pick two slots in the Women’s 200 metres athletics final today.
Athletics was once more the centre of attraction for the Cameroon Delegation in Melbourne 2006. Delphine Atangana and Leonie Mani scaled another series of odds to qualify for the Women’s 200 metres final. To reach this stage, Leonie and Delphine raced their way to the semis earlier in the day, before hitting the track once more in the evening for the final qualifier. Among the eight track queens for the final today, are Veronica Campbell and Sherone Simpson, all from Jamaica. With a bronze medal already acquired by the athletics discipline, hopes are pinned on the 200 metres final today at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Another medal hopeful today is Carole Kaboud, participating in the semis of the 100 metres hurdles. The 4 x 100 metres women’s relay slated for Friday and Saturday as well as the cycling round may increase Cameroon’s medal tally.
The weightlifters are having a free time wallowing in the legendary hospitality of Australians here after going through their own share of hazards. Participating in seven weightlifting series, five of them crashed out leaving two others to fetch a silver and a bronze medal. Tikire Boukar, the President of the weightlifting federation told Cameroon Tribune that all his boys went through doping control at least twice during the competition. Stressing the youthful element in his crew, the President sees a positive future in spite of current challenges.
Before the athletics 200 metres semis yesterday, Paul Hamadou, Secretary General of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, accompanied by Hamad Kalkaba Malboum visited the current three medal winners of Cameroon. The purpose of the courtesy call was to pay medal bonuses to winners and announce an increase in the participation bonus. From an initial two hundred thousand francs, that met resistance from the athletes, the amount has finally been taken up to three hundred thousand francs. The medal bonus remains stagnant at three hundred thousand francs for the gold, two hundred thousand francs for silver and one hundred and fifty thousand francs for bronze. Another discipline that has taken a nosedive in Melbourne has been boxing. Out of six boxers in the Delegation, four were bundled out at the eliminatory rounds and two managed to reach the quarterfinals. Eric Anaba (54 kg) and Colomban Kaldjob (60 kg) were booted out by Nigerian and Kenyan opponents. Beyond the action in the rings and stadiums, sports politics is another major attraction. A high level Nigerian Delegation led by former President General Dr Yakubu Gowan is in Melbourne to bid for Commonwealth Games 2014 for the African city of Abuja. Other rivals in the same race include Glasgow and Halifax. In a Press briefing yesterday, General Gowan said Africa has come of age and deserves to "complete the Commonwealth Games circle".
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