One of the officials at the ongoing Africa Senior Athletics Championships has revealed how Cameroonian Kole Etame edged pre-race overwhelming favourite and African leader at 10.95, Nigeria’s Rosemary Chukwuma, to win the 100m gold.

Many Nigerians expressed shock that Chukwuma, tipped to end Nigeria’s 12-year wait for African Championships blue ribband gold with her intimidating credentials coming into the Championships, lost the race.

Nigerians at the Championships insinuated cheating, but an official at the event presented photo-finish evidence to show that the 22-year-old Cameroonian, who via World Athletics records started her 2026 campaign at the Championships, piped the Nigerian to the ultimate title on the line.

In the photo-finish evidence, the official remarked: “For our information, this is the result and photo-finish impression of the 100m women’s final yesterday. I have tried to indicate the captured positions of the torso of both athletes. Rosemary’s is yellow and the Cameroonian is red. This, I showed to our team managers yesterday. I think this should put paid to the arguments.”

With this, Nigeria’s bid to end a 12-year winless run has now been extended for another two years at the least. The last Nigerian woman to mount the 100m podium as African champion was Blessing Okagbare, who ran 11.00, then a Championships record, in 2014 in Marrakech. It was her second 100m title win after she succeeded Damola Osayomi to win in 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also in the men’s 100m, the story of a winless run was extended, and it will reach 20 years in 2028 when the African Senior Athletics Championships’ train makes its 25th stop in Gaborone, Botswana.

Meanwhile, athletes and officials are mourning the demise of the president of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), Kalkaba Malboum, who reportedly passed on in Yaoundé, Cameroon on Wednesday at the age of 75.

The sudden announcement was made in Accra, Ghana venue of the ongoing Africa Senior Athletics Championship by AAC Council.

A retired army colonel from Cameroon, he served the African athletics body after succeeding former boss Lemine Diack of Senegal.

The announcement of his demise sent a rude shock across athletes, officials and spectators at the stadium.

AAC Council immediately observed a minute silence in his honour. It assured athletes that competitions would continue as no cancellations were envisaged at this point.