Exciting duels to keep an eye on at CAA 2022 African Athletics ChampionshipsAs expected, the men’s 100m sprint will be one of the key events to watch, featuring some of the best sprinters on the planet.This week in the island capital of Port Louis, the reigning African champion Akani Simbine of South Africa faces a deep field that includes Kenya’s Omanyala, the continent’s fastest man from his 9.77 run last September in Nairobi.After racing to a world lead of 9.85 seconds in the men’s 100m on 7 May at the Continental Tour Gold Athletics meeting in Nairobi, the 26-year-old Omanyala is the favourite for his first championship gold.The African record holder beat the American pair of Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley and Isiah Young when he sped to his season-best.“I am the African record holder but ironically I don’t have the title so that’s what I am going for,” the 26-year-old who will also compete in the 4x100m relay and 200m told the BBC.”I love that I am coming to the Championships with all eyes on me. It’s good pressure and something that gives me a lot of courage and motivation to perform because I need to live up to the standards.The Kenyan will be wary of the threat posed by one of the most experienced sprinters on the blocks, Simbine. The South African, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics won by Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, lost to the Kenyan at the Athletics South African Grand Prix in April 2022.Simbine hopes to defend his title from 2018 Asaba as part of his tuneup for the worlds in Oregon.There is also the reigning All African Games champion Raymond Ekevwo of Nigeria, looking to bag his second continental title after shinning in Rabat in 2019.The World U20 champion Lestsile Tebogo, the prodigy from Botswana who dashed to a sub-10 in April, is also competing in his first major senior event.Other stars to watch at the COCAAS22 champs in MauritiusAnother World U20 gold medallist to keep an eye on at the Cote d’Or stadium is 17-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the two-lap race. The Kenyan is now the second-fastest man this season over the 800m after his 1:45.47 victory at the Diamond League in Rabat that followed up another daring win in Ostrava.The focus on the women’s 5000m will not only be on the traditional long-distance rivalry between Kenyans and Ethiopians but the return of South Africa’s three-time world gold medallist Semenya.After stepping up the distance from her preferred 800m due to the World Athletics rule that prevents female athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD) from competing in events from 400m to one mile (1600m), unless they reduce their high testosterone levels.The five-time African champion has a modest target of bettering her personal best of 15:31.50 and attaining the qualifying mark for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 5k after failing to meet the standards for the Tokyo Olympics. The entry mark for the women’s 5000m for the championships in Eugene is 15:10.00.The 22nd edition of the African championships will be Semenya’s first major championship race since the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she topped the 800m and the 1500m.Olympic javelin stars Yego and Ihab Abdelrahman of Egypt are set to excite the in-field. The Kenyan seeking a return to form that saw him win a surprise gold at the 2015 world championships that he followed up with silver at Rio 2016, has his eyes on bagging his fourth African title.Julius Yego at age 24Nigerian Brume, the reigning African long jump champion, and Burkina Faso’s triple jumper Zango are tipped to shine in the events that earned them historic bronze medals at the 2019 world championships in Doha.The presence of double world medallists in the field, Zango seeking to defend his triple jump title, and Brume seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive women’s long jump gold after opening her season with silver at the world indoor championships in Belgrade, is also certain to stir the crowds in Mauritius.Read more: Nigerian jumper Ese Brume: “I want to make young girls believe all things are possible”Women’s Long Jump Final – Athletics | Tokyo 2020 ReplaysThe return of Kenya’s world and Olympic champion Kipruto after a long injury layoff is sure to ignite the steeplechase race.“It has been very difficult. As an athlete, to try and compete again after injury is so hard. The mentality to race after a long time is not easy to achieve,” he said in an interview with Kenya’s Capital Sports on his struggle back to form.Ghana’s record holder Joseph Amoah and the Gambia’s star sprinter Gina Bass, the African Games gold medallist, are expected to provide some key moments in the 200m.Ghana’s rising sprint star Joseph Amoah believes he can be better than BoltFull schedule and how to watch the 2022 African Athletics ChampionshipsThe Mauritian Broadcasting Corporation, MBC, is the official broadcaster of the event and is streaming the event here.Coverage is also available on the MAA website here.Click here for the full programme of competition, starting with the women’s heptathlon at 08:30 local time on Wednesday 8th June, and ending with the relay events on Sunday afternoon.Share articleMore fromConseslus KIPRUTOCaster SEMENYAAkani SIMBINEEse BRUMEFabrice ZANGO HUGUESOlusoji FASUBAFerdinand OMURWAJulius YEGOAthleticsGO OLYMPIC. 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