ALL SPORTS 2011 EVENTS/Individual sports : Makau, Rudisha, Mellouli, El Shehaby and many others

Daegu (South Korea) was the main event of this 2011 athletic season. Athletes form East Africa made sensation. Kenya covered the gap she had since the 1983 edition organized in Helsinki where she was not able to take a single medal. With 17 medals, 7 gold, in South Korea, she improved her record (11 medals, 4 golds). Today she is able to able to challenge the two great big of the discipline, United States and Russia. On their, Ethiopia and South Africa did not bring any big surprise. Botswana and Tunisia can shrug thanks to Amantle Montsho and Habiba Ghribi respectively. Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria three great African athletics were completely off. But the international season was not only about the World championship. In the well rewarded Ligue de Diamant, Africans squatted titles in middle distance races and long distance track events. In addition to the Kenyan Rudisha who improved his best record on the 800 m, the world best record in 2010 (1’40 “01), there was the advent of his compatriot Patrick Makau. Patrick established himself as the new boss after sensational marathon in Berlin with fabulous time (2h 3’38 “)and erased the performance of the legendary Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie. And then, one can not overlook the beautiful season of South African hurdler Louis Jacob Van Zyl, who won his place among the tenors of the 400-meter hurdles, the remarkable world doubled of the Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (5000 m and 10 000 m), the arrival at the forefront of the long jump, the Zimbabwean Ngonidzache Makushi (third in Daegu) and third place in the world championship taken by the 4X400 relay South African’s team.

Two swimmers marked this 2011 year. The South Afrian Chad Le Clos is one of them. This the main actor of the continent. Hhhhh First by making a good world championship in Shanghai and entering a final (200m butterfly), despite fierce competition, and then crushing the All Africa Games in Maputo where he gleaned seven medals, four silver-gilt. But it is this fall, short course, he gave the full measure of his talent by collecting victories in the Grand Prix. At the age of 19 years only, the protégé of Graham Hill is the future of swimming in South Africa. It is expected very high, perhaps as early as 2012 and certainly in London in 2013 at the Paris Sao Paulo (Brazil). North of Africa, another giant awoke this winter. Absent for the Games of Maputo for various reasons, some quite at the Shanghai World, Tunisian Oussama Mellouli has soared in Doha at the Pan Arab Games. By collecting 16 gold medals, one-third of the harvest of all the sports delegation of his country, the native of La Marsa struck a blow even though some may rely on any consistency of adversity Arabic. Mellouli is back and methodically prepares for the Olympics in London where he dreams of retaining the title in the 1,500 purchased in Beijing.

Other athletes deserve to be quoted at the time of assessment. We believe particulièrment South African Cameron van der Burgh (23) double bronze medalist in the breaststroke events at the International Shanghai and Sara El Bakri. If it is not yet at the stars mentioned above, the Moroccan has become a champion. His victories over 50 m and 100 breaststroke at the championships of France are the beginnings of an unusual talent.