Meet Records by Ali Khalafalla, Farida Osman Cap African Games
Meet the Egyptian men’s and women’s 50 freestyle records Farida Osman and Ali Halafala the last day highlighted the African Games in Ghana this week.
Osman won her eighth medal and fourth gold in the 50 with a time of 24.72 seconds. It’s just one-tenth off her national record from 2017 and a reduction in Olympic B for the Paris Games.
Khalafalla, bidding for his third Olympics, went 22.02, within 0.08 of his national mark. His time is also a B cut.
Those times were among seven meet records and three Olympic B cuts set at the Olympic qualifier in Accra. The other cut B went to Clayton Jimmy of South Africa, who won the 100 freestyle in 46.29, which set him up nicely for his country’s qualification.
South Africa won 17 goals and 46 total medals, beating Egypt by one gold and 11 total medals. Algeria was second with seven golds and 23 total medals, the only other country with multiple golds or double figures.
African Games Medal Ranking
- Medal ranking (gsb-t)
- South Africa 17-16-13-46
- Egypt 16-15-4-35
- Algeria 7-6-10-23
- Namibia 1-2-2-5
- Zimbabwe 1-1-2-4
- Mauritius 1-0-0-1
- Ghana 0-1-1-2
- Senegal 0-0-3-3
- Botswana 0-0-2-2
- Zambia 0-0-2-2
- Angola 0-0-1-1
- Nigeria 0-0-1-1
- Uganda 0-0-1-1
Osman led all women with eight total medals, four gold. He won the 50 fly in 26.02 seconds and the 100 fly in 58.81. Her split of 55.86 ahead helped Egypt take gold in the women’s 400 freestyle relay. She was 55.62 to finish second to Caitlin Ann De Lange in the 100 free. Osman, Lojine Hamed, Nadine Abdallah and Nur Elgedi set a meet record 3:48.47 in that relay.
Osman helped Egypt win silver in the medley relay, 400 free medley and women’s 400 medley relay.
She was joined on three relays by Elgendy, who won gold in the 200 fly in 2:15.12 to go with 100 fly and 200 individual medley silver. Hamed was part of two freestyle relays and won gold in the 200 freestyle (2:03.63) and silver in each of the three longer freestyle events.
The top individual performer of the women’s meet was Catherine van Rensburg. The South African set a meet record in the 1,500 free in 16:47.61, one of five individual golds. He also won the 800 freestyle in 8:50.78, the 400 freestyle in 4:17.92 and the 400 IM in 4:56.13.
South Africa set four meeting records. Two came through Simone Moll, from that bottomless well of females. He did 31.96 in heats and then 31.91 to win the final. Moll also won the 100 breast in 1:09.50 and added medley relay gold. She was joined in the latter by De Lange, who clocked 28.76 to set the 50 back record.
Tayla Jonker won three breaststroke silvers to go with two relay golds. Hannah Mouton took silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 400 free to go with three relay golds, and Georgia Cecil Els won the 200 IM along with 100 silver and 200 bronze breast.
Algeria’s leading female swimmer was Hamida Raina Nefsi, who beat the South Africans to gold in the 200 breast in 2:33.33. He also won bronze in the 100, bronze in the 200 IM and silver in the 400 IM.
Perhaps the outcome of the meeting was converted by Mauritius Anishta Teeluck. He clocked 2:17.71 to win the 200 back in a national record.
Khalafalla’s 50 free was the only meet record on the men’s side of the African Games. He also won the 50 fly in 23.93 and took silver in the 400 medley relay.
Egypt excelled on the men’s side. Marwan ElKamash won gold medals in the four freestyle events from 200 to 1,500, plus three relay medals, including gold in the 800 free. Abdullah Nasr added eight medals, including gold in the 200 fly and 100 fly. He won bronze in the 100 free and 200 fly gold in back-to-back events, plus silver in the 200 free and two relay golds.
Most of the medals mined came from Jawad Syud of Algeria with nine. She swept both individual medleys plus the 50 breast and 200 breast to go with the silver in the 100. He added four bronze medals in the relay.
South Africa’s only win in the men’s relay came in the 400 free. Jimmy won the 100 free and finished second in the 50 free. Jarden Eaton combined silver in the 100 fly with bronze in the 50. Matthew Dale Caldwell won silvers in the 400 and 800 free plus 1,500 bronze. Andrew Ross won silver in the 200 IM and bronze in the 200 free and 200 breast.
In the category of rare medals, of Namibia Ronan Wadenaar won the 100 breast in 1:01.86 to go with 200 breast silver. of Zimbabwe Denilson Kyprianos (2:01.96) limb Abdella Ardjoune of Algeria at 200 back. Ghana’s two swimming medals came through Jackson Abeku Gyekye, who took silver in the 50 fly and bronze in the 100 fly.
The 50 back was a tie between Ardjoune and Jonah Pool-Jones of South Africa, both at 25.85. Ardjoune also won the 100 back over Kyprianos in 55.94. Adrian Robinson scored bronze medals for Botswana in the 50 and 100 breast. of Namibia Alexander Skinner was third in the 50 free and second in the 100 free.