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2021.08.14 00:31 GMT+8

TOKYO 2020: African athletes return with 11 gold medals

Updated 2021.08.14 00:31 GMT+8
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18-year-old Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui stunned the world on July 25 when he won the gold medal in the Men's 400m freestyle. Hafnaoui clocked a time of 3:43.36. (Image via CFP)

Selemon Barega bagged Ethiopia's only gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after taking victory in the Men's 10,000m race staged on July 30. Barega clocked a time of 27:43.22. (Image via CFP)

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker won the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Women's 200m breaststroke on July 30 with a stunning world record time of 2:18.95, breaking Denmark's Rikke Moller Pederson's eight-year record of 2:19.11. This was Schoenmaker's second medal at the Games after already bagging a silver in the women's 100m breaststroke. (Image via CFP)

Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco won the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Men's 3000 meters steeplechase title on August 2. Soufiane clocked a winning time of 8: 8.90. He was Morocco's only gold medalist at the Tokyo Games. (Image via CFP)

Emmanuel Korir clinched Gold in the Men's 800m event staged on August 4, becoming the first Kenyan Gold medalist at the Tokyo Games. Korir clocked a time of 1:45.06. (Image via CFP)

Uganda's Peruth Jemutai won gold in the women's 3,000m steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics on August 4. The victory made her the first female Olympic gold medalist for her country in a time of 9:01.45. (Image via CFP)

Joshua Cheptegei took a first 5000m Gold for Uganda on August 6, with a time of 12:58.15. The Gold engraved Cheptegei's name in Uganda's book of legendary athletes. (Image via CFP)

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon won the Women's 1,500m Gold with new Olympic record of 3:53.11 on August 6. This was Kipyegon's second consecutive Olympic victory in the event, a win she dedicated to her daughter, born in June 2018. (Image via CFP)

Egypt's Feryal Ashraf Abdelaziz won the Gold Medal in the Women's +61 kg event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She defeated Azerbaijan's Iryna Zaretska in the event staged on August 7, making her the first ever woman to win an Olympic Gold for Egypt. (Image via CFP)

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir won gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Women's Marathon event staged on August 7. Jepchirchir crossed the finish line in a time of 2:27.20, making her only the second Kenyan to win an Olympic Women's Marathon after Jemima Sumgong who took Gold in Rio 2016. (Image via CFP)

Kenya's legendary marathoner Eliud Kipchoge won the Olympic men's marathon with a commanding performance in Sapporo on August 8. This was his second straight Olympic marathon gold medal, having also won in Rio 2016. Kipchoge, 36, clocked a time of 2:08.38. (Image via CFP)

Having been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympics were finally held in Tokyo, Japan, in July-August.

Hundreds of African athletes participated in the three-week-long Games, gunning for the coveted Olympic medals for their countries.

At the end of the Olympics, 11 athletes from seven African countries had won a gold medal.

Kenya finished with the highest number of gold medals, with four athletes securing victories in their competitions.

(Cover Image: Uganda's Peruth Chemutai celebrates after the women's 3000m steeplechase final during day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 4, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo Ben Stansall - Pool/Getty Images via CFP)

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