Islamic Solidarity Games: Women drive Cameroon's success in Riyadh

With Emmanuel Eseme, one of the fastest sprinters on the continent, in its ranks, Cameroon was one of the most eagerly awaited countries at the Islamic Solidarity Games. And, inevitably, the country of the Indomitable Lions of athletics was expected to deliver. After two weeks of fierce competition in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the results are in: 18th place out of 57 nations in the overall standings, two gold medals, two silver medals, and six bronze medals. That's ten medals for a team of only twelve athletes. A haul spread across athletics, fencing, karate, and judo.

The first gold medal came from Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium, where Nora Atim Monie dominated the discus throw with a throw measured at 57.04 m. "I am very happy. This victory is the result of good preparation. Since last October, I have been working hard to achieve this performance and win the gold medal," said the athlete, satisfied to have seen months of focused work come to fruition.

Emmanuel Eseme strikes gold

In sprinting, Emmanuel Eseme was another key figure in the delegation. He came third in the 100m in 10.32 seconds, winning his first bronze medal. His coach, Athanase Oloko, was keen to highlight the context of a final disrupted by false starts: "The athletes were penalized by the multiple starts they had to make from the semi-finals onwards. And it didn't get any better in the final. It's very disconcerting for an athlete and anything can happen after that. When you're in this kind of competition, any medal is worth taking." Fortunately, in the 200m, Eseme won gold four days later in 20.55 seconds, ahead of his compatriot Emmanuel Claude Itoungue, who took bronze.

Seven medals for the women

In the women's events, Hervege Kolle Etame took silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m, while Linda Angounou won bronze in the 400m hurdles. In judo, Georgika Wesley Djengue won the silver medal in the -78 kg category. Fencing also contributed to the medal tally. Essomba Lorina Dorothée won bronze in the women's sabre after defeating Indonesia's Indah N. Safarin and Uzbekistan's Gulistan Perdebaeva.

Earlier in the tournament, she had scored a notable victory in the quarterfinals against Azerbaijan's Sabrina Karimova, before being stopped by Tunisia's Nisanur Erbil at the gates of the final. Karate offered another medal with Dzeu Youmbi Nelly Doris' bronze in the -61 kg category.

All of these performances strengthened Cameroon's presence at the end of the competition, adding to a participation already marked by successes in athletics. With ten medals, including seven won by women, the country of triple Olympic gold medalist Françoise Mbango ended the Riyadh Games with a significant presence in several disciplines.