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A roundup of who won what in Kenya this weekend
CAC African Cycling Championships
Mercy Eragae personified the vibrancy and significance of the African Continental Championships last week in Kisumu, Kenya. As the 18-year-old local rider rolled across the line to finish with the bronze medal in the junior women’s road race, she was mobbed by dozens of fellow Kenyans and doused in litres of water, overwhelmed by what she had achieved. Eragae, part of Team Amani’s Black Mamba Development team, had taken Kenya’s first-ever medal at the African Championships, a sign of the cycling development that has taken place in the continent’s endurance running capital in recent years.
The jubilation surrounding Eragae’s third place was electric after she finished third in the sprint for the line, behind South Africa’s winner, Madison Bateson, and Egypt’s Joudy El Sayed. Dancers and drummers gathered around her as though she had won the title. Kenya has hosted this event for the last three years, and now there are Kenyan results to celebrate.
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The African Championships represents a once-a-year opportunity for the continent’s talent to congregate and compete. It’s a key appointment for Africa’s young riders, who gain a rare opportunity to display their potential, and for its more experienced campaigners, who can make their careers with a victory, allowing them to wear the distinctive African champion’s jersey for the following twelve months. It may have taken place under the radar for most fans of the sport, but this week had it all: shock winners, emerging stars, and exciting racing.
Eragae was surrounded as she crossed the line.‘Being African champion means the world to me’
Only once has a rider from outside of South Africa or Eritrea won the elite men’s road race at the African Championships. Power was on display for both squads on Sunday, with both teams featuring several riders on UCI teams, and it appeared likely that they would once again enjoy a heavy influence over the race.
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