African Combined Events Championships

The African Combined Events Championships (French: Championnats d'Afrique d'Épreuves Combinées) is an international athletics competition between African athletes in the disciplines of men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. It became part of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge circuit in 2011.[1]

The two-day event was established in 1999, when it was held in the Algerian capital of Algiers. A second edition was scheduled for 2003, to be held in Réduit, Mauritius, but this plan was abandoned.[2] The second edition of the event was held in Tunis two years later and it was held along with the African Race Walking Championships.[3] Réduit has been the regular host for the competition since 2009, with the last three championships having been held at the town's Maryse Justin Stadium. In 2012, an open track and field meeting, organised by former Mauritian sprinter Stéphan Buckland, was held alongside the main combined events meeting.[4]

Ghana's Margaret Simpson and Ali Kamé of Madagascar are both three time champions of their respective events. Kamé's winning score of 7685 points in 2011 is the event record for the decathlon (as well as being a Malagasy record).[5] Simpson set the current heptathlon record of 6184 points in 2012.[6]

The titles contested at this championships are considered separate from the combined events that feature on the programme at the biennial African Championships in Athletics.

  1. ^ van Kuijen, Hans (2012-01-02). 2011 IAAF Combined Events Challenge REVIEW - Suarez and Chernova the overall winners. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-23.
  2. ^ African Combined Events Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2012-05-22.
  3. ^ Mzoughi, Hassen (2005-05-22). Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa triumph at the African Championships for Combined Events and Race Walking . IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-23.
  4. ^ Athlétisme : 5e meeting d’Afrique des épreuves combinées et Meeting international de Maurice - L’heure de vérité (in French). L'Express (2012-04-13). Retrieved on 2012-04-23.
  5. ^ 2011 African Combined Events Championships Decathlon - Men Standings after Event 10. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-23.
  6. ^ Kamé and Simpson retain titles in Mauritius - IAAF Combined Events Challenge. IAAF (2012-04-15). Retrieved on 2012-04-23.