Taciana Lima Cesar captures fifth African title

The first title of the African Championships is traditionally reserved for Taciana Cesar of Guinee-Bissau. Cesar nee Lima, won her fifth consecutive African title. In the final in Madagascar she won by ippon against Olfa Saoudi, a repetition of last year’s final in Tunis. The 33-year old Cesar was Pan American Champion in 2001. In 2013 she switched from Brazil to Guinee-Bissau.

The team of Algeria has had an excellent first day of the African Championships. In Antananarivo Algeria captured three African titles and ten medals, with a judoka in six finals another great score. The final for men U66kg was all Algerian with Houd Zourdani as winner. Zourdani bested his compatriot Wail Ezzine in the final. Zourdani regained his medal that he won in 2015. In that year he won both the African title as the African Games.

Meriem Moussa won gold for women U52kg after she overcame Christianne Legentil (MRI) in the final. Legentil. who was one of the three Africans who made it to the final block of the Olympic Games,was now defeated by the 28-year old experienced Meriem Moussa.  Ten years ago she won the African Games in U48kg and last year she took the silver medal in Tunis in 2016. This time she defeated Legentil who lost her third final at African Championships.

The men’s lightweight title was for Tunisia. Fraj Dhouibi could now take the title that he lost last year. In 2014 Dhouibi won his first African title. Mohamed Rebahi was his opponent, but Dhouibi decided the match by ippon. In the women’s final U57kg a final between two super powers in African judo Algeria and Tunisia. Ratiba Tariket (ALG) and Ghofran Khelifi (TUN). The contest was again won by Khelifi who defeated Tariket like at the African Open in Tunis in 2016.

A surprise was the silver medal for Gambia by Faye Njie (born in Finland), again a good performance by the Olympian, but the gold U73kg was for Mohamed Mohyeldin. The Egyptian took another major title and successfully defended his title. For Gambia it was the first ever final at African Championships.

The title for women U63kg went to Soufia Belattar of Morocco. Against title defender Meriem Bjaoui Belattar with a wazari score and grabbed the title. A huge surprise and Morocco might be able to add a second title on Saturday in the women’s division. It is obviously the career highlight of Belattar who won the African junior title in 2012.

The open titles on Friday went to Algeria and Cameroon. Especially the gold for Nadjib Temmar of Alergia was major surprise. Not Faicel Jaballah who finished fifth but Temmar was the sensation. The Algerian heavyweight won his three contests and bested Mbagnick Ndiaye of Senegal in the final. The gold for Hortence Mballa Atangana was more expcected the women's class. She defeated Sonia Asselah of Algeria in the final and porlonged her open title of last year. In Tunis in 2016 she won the double and she's got 50% halfway. The traidtional four strongest African judo nations top the medal table again but not as dominant as expected.

Past President of the African Judo Union, Lassana Palenfo received the Honorary Presidency of the AJU for 26 years of dedication to African Judo as President.