Eritrea top the medal table at the African Continental Championships
All the standout performances from the Continental Championships in Eldoret, Kenya
The 2024 African Continental Championships are the first of their kind to be held in Kenya - a fitting place for them as one of the behemoths of endurance sport.
Less than one year out from Kigali 2025, it was a chance for many African nations to practice their championship routine. And for some, it was a rare opportunity to show their skills in an event away from home. Several potential stars arose last week in Eldoret.
Here’s a round-up of every race from the 2024 African Continental Championships.
Time Trials
The Championships began with the TTs and it was a day to remember for Uganda, on the date that they also celebrate independence. Charles Kagimu defended his title from last season, adding to his win at the African Games earlier this season and his solid ride at the World Championships last month. The 26-year-old won the 33.6km men’s elite race by eight seconds ahead of South Africa’s Brandon Downes, with Adil El Arbaoui of Morocco in third.
Kagimu wasn’t the only Uganda winner on the day. Paul Lomuria became the new under-23 champion, defeating his young compatriot Lawrence Lorot by one second. Joshua Dike of South Africa was third. All three Ugandans have been part of the Ineos-linked academy in Kenya for the past few years and spent time racing in the Netherlands this year with the Ride United Foundation.
There was a surprise in the women’s TT as favourite Ashleigh Moolman Pasio was defeated by her South African team-mate Lucy Young by 32 seconds over the 22.4km course. Young is fairly new to cycling at the elite level, having previously competed in triathlon. She was third at the African Games earlier in the season and second in the South African national championships. Melissa Hinz of Namibia finished third place, 2:06 behind Young.
The women’s under-23 race was won by Suzana Fiseha in an Eritrean 1-2, with Adiam Mengs 27 seconds down. Ethiopian 19-year-old Gebregzabiher Mieraf Aregawi was in third place, losing 1:27 to the winner over the same 22.4km course that the elites competed in. Fiseha would have placed third in the elite race in similar conditions.
The Eritrean success continued in the junior ranks, showing their prowess at developing young talent. Keven Teklemariam won the men’s race, six seconds ahead of highly-rated South African Alexander Erasmus. Another Eritrean, Nahom Efriem, was third. Betiel Efrem won the women’s junior race for Eritrea, ahead of Aliliaa Darwish of Egypt, fresh from her first World Championships, and Kahsay Tsige Kiros of Ethiopia in third.
The Mixed Relay concluded the timed events and it was good news for the hosts of the 2025 World Championships as Rwanda took home the title for the first time. The team took full advantage of a strong women’s contingent and good equipment to beat a very young Eritrean six by 39 seconds. Ethiopia rounded out the podium 1:03 back. It was, in truth, a depleted field, with the absence of the two-time reigning champions Mauritius and 2021 inaugural winners South Africa.
Road Races
The road races kicked off on Friday with the junior events and it was a clean sweep once again for the powerhouse of African youth development, Eritrea. Keven Teklemariam doubled-up after his time-trial win earlier in the week, leading home a 1-2-3 for Eritrea in the junior men’s race. Teklemariam broke away with team-mates Nahom Efriem and Siem Eyob, who finished second and third respectively, holding off the chasers by 2:48.
Nardos Tsegay won the 67.2km women’s junior race around Eldoret in a sprint from a group of 12. Uganda’s Nantume Miria halted the Eritreans from taking all the junior medals with her runner-up placing, finishing ahead of another Eritrean, Eldana Bereket.
In the women’s elite road race, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio showed her class by dominating the race and winning solo. The AG Insurance-Soudal rider attacked away from the peloton on the 104km course and won by more than seven minutes after tactical games were played in the chasing group of eight behind. The South African took home the title for the fifth time, having also tasted success in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015.
On the final drag to the finish, Adiam Mengs won the sprint for the silver medal and also took home the under-23 title for Eritrea. Rwanda’s Canyon//SRAM Generation rider Diane Ingabire place third. Mengs was joined on the under-23 podium by Rwanda mountain biker Djazilla Umwamikazi and under-23 TT winner Fiseha, who were also in the chasing group. Encouragingly for the future talent development of African women, six of the top-ten qualified for the under-23 category, including teenager Gebregzabiher Mieraf Aregawi from Ethiopia.
In the men’s elite race, the class of the field came to the fore once more. Henok Mulubrhan successfully defended his title with an impressive sprint on the final shallow climb to the finish, winning the race for the third time in succession. It’s a 10th title out of the last 13 for Eritrea.
20-year-old Emile Van Niekerk was runner up to Mulubrhan and claimed the under-23 title. Time-trial winner Charles Kagimu was third to round off Uganda’s best ever continental championships, with an impressive fifth medal. The very highly-rated Milkias Maekele was second in the under-23s for Eritrea, with Rwandan Eric Muhoza in third.
Full 2024 African Continental Championships Medal Table:
Eritrea - 7 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
South Africa - 3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
Uganda - 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
Rwanda - 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
Egypt - 1 silver
Ethiopia - 3 bronze
Morocco / Namibia - 1 bronze
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Have you information on numbers of riders competing as cyclists in various African countries, overall representations at these championships ?