After three days of competition at the CAA African Athletics Senior Championships, the South African team has earned a total of six medals (including four gold) as they continue to carry the national flag with honour in Yaounde, Cameroon.

The mixed 4x400m relay team were superb on the second day of competition on Saturday, with Gardeo Isaacs, Shirley Nekhubui, Mthi Mthimkulu and Miranda Coetzee storming to victory in the final in 3:13.12.
They shattered the SA record of 3:14.97 which had been set by a different quartet at the ASA Grand Prix meeting in Johannesburg earlier this season. Nigeria put up a fight but had to settle for the runner-up spot in 3:13.72.

Also on day two, in the women's pole vault, Mire Reinstorf won comfortably, retaining the continental title she won in Mauritius two years ago. Reinstorf, a former world junior champion, won gold after clearing the bar at 4.10m. Dora Mahfoudhi of Tunisia, the only other athlete who competed in the final, grabbed the silver medal with a 3.60m clearance.

In the men's long jump final, Cheswill Johnson also bagged gold with a best leap of 7.78m in a tightly contested battle.
Namibia's Lionel Coetzee, who also landed at 7.78m, took second position on countback.

On day three of competition, on Sunday, Miranda Coetzee added another gold medal to the Rainbow Nation's tally, successfully defending her continental 400m title. Coetzee stormed over the line in 51.16, finishing 0.40 clear of Zambia's Qincy Malekani who clocked 51.56 to take second position.

In other events over the weekend, national record holder Marione Fourie secured silver in the women's 100m hurdles final in 12.74 seconds.
She was narrowly edged out by Ebony Morrison of Liberia who triumphed in 12.70.

Sprint sensation Benjamin Richardson also did well to earn bronze in the men's 100m final in 10.17, after equalling his personal best of 10.08 in the semifinals. Joseph Fambullah of Liberia won in a blanket finish, clocking 10.13, and Emmanuel Alobwede Eseme, representing host nation Cameroon, took silver in 10.15.

"We applaud the athletes and the entire team for remaining focused in Yaounde and to get this far in the contest," said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa. "For some of the athletes it's a harsh reality that competitions come with different environments in different countries and we all have to soldier on. 

"Congratulations to all medal winners and thank you to all dedicated athletes for their contributions so far. Our goal to wrestle the African title has not changed."

* Results subject to amendment due to continued technical challenges experienced by the hosts.

** All SA records are subject to standard ratification processes 

* Cameroon is the home country of 73-year-old Hamad Kalkaba Malboun, the President of the Confederation of African Athletics, who has been at the helm since 2003. 

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About Athletics South Africa:
Athletics South Africa (ASA) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including Track and Field, Cross Country, Road Running and Race Walking) in South Africa, is a member of World Athletics  and the Confederation of African Athletics.  The association was formed in 1995 and is based in Johannesburg. 

ENDS