Rosemary Chukwuma, the overwhelming pre-race favorite and African leader at 10.95 seconds, lost the 100m gold medal in a photo-finish to Cameroon's Kole Etame at the ongoing Africa Senior Athletics Championships. An official at the event provided photo-finish evidence to confirm that the 22-year-old Cameroonian, who began her 2026 campaign at the championships, edged out the Nigerian on the line.
Photo-Finish Evidence
The official explained the evidence, stating: 'For our information, this is the result and photo-finish impression of the 100m women's final yesterday. I have tried to indicate the captured positions of the torso of both athletes. Rosemary's is yellow and the Cameroonian is red. This, I showed to our team managers yesterday. I think this should put paid to the arguments.' Many Nigerians had suspected cheating, but the evidence confirmed the result.
Nigeria's Winless Run Extended
With this loss, Nigeria's bid to end a 12-year winless streak in the women's 100m at the African Championships has been extended for at least another two years. The last Nigerian woman to win the 100m gold was Blessing Okagbare, who ran 11.00 seconds, a championships record, in 2014 in Marrakech. She had previously won in 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, succeeding Damola Osayomi.
Men's 100m Woes Continue
In the men's 100m, Nigeria's winless run also continued, and it will reach 20 years in 2028 when the championships make their 25th stop in Gaborone, Botswana.
Death of CAA President
Meanwhile, athletes and officials are mourning the death of Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) President Kalkaba Malboum, who passed away in Yaoundé, Cameroon on Wednesday at age 75. The announcement was made in Accra, Ghana, venue of the championships, by the AAC Council. A retired army colonel from Cameroon, Malboum served after former boss Lemine Diack of Senegal. The news sent shock through the stadium, and the council observed a minute of silence in his honor. Competitions will continue as planned.
