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Nguse Amlosom of Eritrea made history by winning his country’s medal at the African Senior Athletics Championships after taking the men’s 10,000m gold medal on the first day of competition in Marrakech, Morocco.

Amlosom, who finished eighth in the 25-lap event at the 2013 World Championships and 15th at the 2012 Olympics, won the race in 28:11.07 ahead of Moroccan champion Mustapha El Aziz (28:11.36) and 2008 world junior champion and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist from Kenya, Josphat Bett, who came third in 28:11.61.

However it was bad news for Uganda, as the favourite and 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, Moses Kipsiro, did not start the race and reigning world junior champion Joshua Cheptegei did not finish.

After taking bronze in 2010 and silver in 2012, Orazio Cremona led a South African 1-2 in the men’s shot put taking the gold medal this time with a throw of 19.84m ahead of teammate Jaco Engelbrecht with 18.87m.  Congo’s Franck Owaka threw 18.74m to take the bronze medal.

Elsewhere, the African record holder and two-time continental champion Amy Sène of Senegal suffered an upset in the women’s Hammer throw Final.

Sène, who set her African record of 69.70m record set in May this year, could only manage 64.66m behind gold medallist Laetitia Bambara of Burkina Faso, who achieved 65.44m, while Sarah Ben Saad of Tunisia came third with 60.97m.

The riot against European gold is already a classic. But it’s the long journey that Meraf Bahta done that impresses the most. It’s hard to imagine what she went through after the escape to Sweden. Therefore feels the gold all the way into the heart.

Last Friday was the Netherlands Sifan Hassan too strong for Abeba Aregawi in the final over 1500 meters. It seemed to be the same show when Hassan challenged Meraf Bahta the stretch and seemed to relax your grip.

But Bahta replied. Held against. Increased again. And pulled away.

Sweden’s first gold in Zurich came after the hottest duel in the championship. Meraf Bahta showed both mental and physical strength when she broke fancied Hassan.

The Dutch had indeed Friday’s final at 1500 meters in the legs – possibly, it was crucial to the outcome – but Bahta did a perfect race from start to finish.

The decision of Bahta refraining 1500 meters and only invest in 5000 was entirely right. Now she could put full focus on a single race instead of wasting effort and energy into elimination and final of 1500 meters.

A Swedish Euro gold is obviously fun, but on the whole it is immaterial in view of the destiny that Meraf Bahta been through.

The most important thing is that the 25-year-old runner Pour finally got the chance for a new life in Sweden, after fleeing unrest in Eritrea.

Bahta was a very promising junior in Eritrea. She was fifth in the Junior World Championships in 2006 at 1,500 meters and sixth year after the off-road world championships for juniors.

But life took an unexpected turn when she was on a training camp in Spain in December 2008 she was called to the five-year military service, which in practice would mean the end of löparkarriären and an existence characterized by weapons and conflict. Bahta made ​​the decision to flee, found a cheap ticket to Stockholm and ended up as a refugee in Älvsbyn.

Since then she has been refused asylum three times, fluctuated between hope and despair, learned that parents incarcerated and mother died in prison.

To return to Eritrea had almost certainly been consistent with the death penalty because she was regarded there as a deserter.

Finally, after many trips, she first temporary residence permit in 2010, which became permanent in 2012, and finally Swedish citizenship in time for Christmas Eve last year.

Then, finally, she could take a breather – and put all efforts on the run.

Sweden gave Meraf Bahta freedom and security. Everyone who stood up for her during those tough, uncertain years are worthy of admiration and I’m sure they felt great pride when she stretched her arms in the air at the finish line.

Bahtas successful debut in a major championship bodes well for the future. She will be developed further, but the step up to the very best in the world at 5000 meters is still far.

The most important victory yet won.

Meraf Bahta can run and compete in full freedom.

Two-time Swedish champion in the marathon, Daniel Woldu, has received Swedish citizenship and will now compete internationally for Sweden, writes friidrott.se.

And it will be the European Championship debut way back in a month.

– He’s Swedish champion so he is one of our strongest card, says coach Karin Tower Klint Sportbladet.

Daniel Woldu, 25, has established himself as one of the Swedish långlöpnings very best. As late as the Stockholm marathon this year, he took his second Swedish championship title at the distance. But despite that, he has not had to compete for Sweden in international championships as he waited to get his Swedish citizenship.

But now writes friidrott.se that Woldu, who competes for the tramway, with his Swedish citizenship on 1 July and now even the approval of the International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF, to compete for Sweden in an international championship.

– Very funny! He’s been here a long time and has competed in many SM and wanted to become a Swedish citizen. Glad he gets the chance, says coach Karin Tower Klint.

And he gets a chance in the championship right away, because even though the union has already taken out a marathon squad for the new European Cup in conjunction with EM, there is a place for Daniel Woldu to get there.
six swedes

– What we have done is we have taken out five runners and a backup at home despite the fact that there are six places and now we will notify Daniel and start with six runners. It was important to give the other an early notice so they got the chance to prepare in the best way, says Towers Klint.

Woldu will, just as EM jump Meraf Bahta, originally from Eritrea.

The Swedish team that will set up in the European Cup in Zurich in connection with EM is besides Daniel Woldu also Mustafa Mohamed, Emil Lerdahl, David Nilsson, Fredrik Johansson and Patrik Engstrom.

By Erik Karlsson:

Denver: (HAN) May 27, 2014- BY: Geeska Afrika Online, Daniel Petty. Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska, Eritrea’s Afewerki Berhane win Bolder Boulder 2014 elite races .  Racing at altitude tends to punish a runner’s lungs more than his or her legs — which is exactly what Crouch found.

Afewerki Berhane did his best to remove any drama from the men’s pro race at the Bolder Boulder on Monday and he succeeded nearly all the way to the finish line.

It’s a favorite way to celebrate Memorial Day — the Bolder Boulder 10K marathon. “The difficulty of the altitude and the intimidation — it was easily balanced of the people of Boulder and having 50,000 runners behind me.”

Afrika Geeska Afrika Online (1985 -2014) The International Gateway news and views about the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda), the best IGAD news and information Online Site for the last 20 Years.

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18 -year-old Ghirmay Ghebreselassie from Eritrea was the first man to cross the finish line in the 35th edition of Gothenburg shipyard at time 1:00:36 . He received the people’s jubilation as the youngest winner ever. (TT)

18 -year-old Ghirmay Ghebreselassie from Eritrea was the first man to cross the finish line in Gothenburg shipyard at time 1:00:36. He ran alone into Slottsskogsvallen and received the people’s jubilation as the youngest winner ever in the event’s 35 -year history.

In the women’s class won Worknesh Degefa from Ethiopia at the time 1:10:12. She pulled early from their competitors and could run into the winner twelve seconds ahead of second and countrywoman Tadelesh Bekele Alemu.

Any thought at first that the winner had set a new track record in Gothenburg shipyard by three seconds. But it turned out to be wrong. A technical error had slipped in and all the first 200 runners cross the finish line will receive a supplement of 14 seconds.
I have no precise explanation. It was a glitch, and was due at the start of the elite group. All others get real times. We have manual backup times and when we checked them we realized that they were not consistent, says Per Crona, director of elite runners.

Dear Swedish became Johan Larsson, contestants for Stromstad at time 1:05:58, which was enough for 15th place. Best Swedish became Emma Nordling at time 1:17:37, which gave a seventh place among the ladies and 70th overall.

The favorite Viktor Kipchirchir had lost contact with the lead pack , which consisted of a quartet including Ghirmay Ghebreselassie , already at five kilometers. Eritrea released a bit back to the forefront after a mil , but quickly came back . From 15 km increased Ghebreselassie distance gradually runner Richard Mengich, Kenya. Abraham Kiplimo, Uganda, was third.

64,000 notified elite runners and athletes from 48 nations gathered in Slottskogen to participate in the world’s biggest half marathon.