Tokyo 2020, Africa Recap: RSA Earns 2 Medals, Tunisia Wins 3rd Pool Medal Ever

2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

Day 8 Finals Recap

The continent of Africa wrapped a historic week in Tokyo. At the end of the week, South Africa picked up two Olympic medals, which were also the first women’s medals since 2000 as well as their first female Olympic champion since 1996. In the same way, Tunisia is celebrating their third Olympic swimming medal ever, gold.

South African Tatjana Schoenmaker represented her nation and the continent well, first swimming an African/South African record in the 100 breast at 1:04.82 before earning Olympic silver and then winning Olympic gold in the 200 breast, breaking every record in the book at 2:18.95.

The lone men’s African Olympic medalist was 18-year-old Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, who took a surprise Olympic gold medal in the men’s 400 free final. Hafaoui put up a time of 3:43.36, which held off Aussie Jack McLoughlin and American Kieran Smith by four-tenths of a second. Comparing Hafnaoui to the historical U.S. 17-18 age group rankings, he would have set the NAG record by three seconds.

On a different note, London 2012 Olympic champion and multi-time London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic medalist Chad le Clos of South Africa placed 5th in the men’s 200 fly final and missed semifinals of the men’s 100 fly.

A total of 35 African national records were broken, including 3 African continental records and one World/Olympic record.

Tokyo 2020 SWIMMING MEDAL TABLE — AFRICA

NATION TOTAL MEDALS GOLD SILVER BRONZE
South Africa 2 1 1
Tunisia 1 1

AFRICAN CONTINENTAL & NATIONAL RECORDS AT TOKYO 2020

  • Men’s 100 Breast: Sudan – Abobakr Abass, 1:04.46
  • Women’s 100 Breast: Africa/South Africa, – Tatjana Schoenmaker, 1:04.82
  • Women’s 100 Breast: Mauritius – Alicia Kok Shun, 1:15.42
  • Women’s 100 Breast: Cape Verdean – Jayla Pina, 1:16.96
  • Men’s 100 Free: Zimbabwe — Peter Wetzlar, 50.31
  • Women’s 800 Free Relay: Africa/South Africa — Canny/Meder/Coetzee/Gallagher, 8:01.56
  • Women’s 100 Free: Nigeria — Abiola Ogunbanwo, 59.35
  • Women’s 200 Breast: World/Africa/South Africa — Tatjana Schoenmaker, 2:18.95
  • Men’s 100 Fly: Egypt — Youssef Ramadan, 51.67
  • Men’s 100 Fly: Ghana — Abeiku Jackson, 53.39
  • Men’s 100 Fly: Senegal — Steven Aimable, 53.64
  • Men’s 100 Fly: Angola — Salvador Gordo, 55.96
  • Men’s 50 Free: Malawi — Filipe Gomes, 24.00
  • Men’s 50 Free: Niger — Alassane Seydou, 24.75
  • Men’s 50 Free: Benin — Marc Dansou, 24.99
  • Men’s 50 Free: Burkina Faso — Adama Ouedraogo, 25.22
  • Men’s 50 Free: Rwanda — Eloi Maniraguha, 25.38
  • Men’s 50 Free: Togo — Mawupemon Otogbe, 25.68
  • Men’s 50 Free: Guinea — Mamadou Bah, 26.52
  • Men’s 50 Free: Ethiopa — Abdelmalik Muktar, 26.65
  • Men’s 50 Free: Cameroon — Charly Ndjoume, 27.22
  • Men’s 50 Free: Gabon — Langlad de Girard, 27.66
  • Men’s 50 Free: Equatorial Guinea — Diosdado Miko Eyanga, 31.03
  • Women’s 50 Free: South Africa — Emma Chelius, 24.65
  • Women’s 50 Free: Cameroon — Norah Milanesi, 26.41
  • Women’s 50 Free: Uganda — Kirabo Namutebi, 26.63
  • Women’s 50 Free: Ghana — Unilez Takyi, 27.85
  • Women’s 50 Free: Burundi — Angelika Ouedraogo, 28.38
  • Women’s 50 Free: Benin — Nafissath Radji, 29.99
  • Women’s 50 Free: Swaziland — Robyn Young, 30.41
  • Women’s 50 Free: Rwanda — Alphonsine Agahozo, 30.50
  • Women’s 50 Free: Sierra Leone — Tity Dumbuya, 31.56
  • Women’s 50 Free: Central African Republic — Chloe Sauvourel, 32.18
  • Women’s 50 Free: Gabon — Aya Girard de Langlade, 32.24
  • Women’s 50 Free: Burundi — Odrina Kaze, 33.39

ALL TOKYO 2020, AFRICA RECAPS — By Day

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About Nick Pecoraro

Nick Pecoraro

Nick has had the passion for swimming since his first dive in the water in middle school, immediately falling for breaststroke. Nick had expanded to IM events in his late teens, helping foster a short, but memorable NCAA Div III swim experience at Calvin University. While working on his B.A. …

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