Eritrea’s Merhawi Kudus and Natan Tesfalem delivered stand-out performances in men’s elite race held over 107.6 kilometres to triumph on the final day of Africa Road Cycling Championships in Kwale County.
The five-day championship was organised by the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC), and funded by Kenya to the tune of Sh250 million.
Cyclists from Eritrea swept top honours in junior men’s race, men’s under-23 category, and men’s elite race to send a big statement of the country’s potential in the sport.
In junior men’s race won by Eritrea, Kenya’s Ian Kipchirchir and Aarif Mohamed finished 28th and 30th respectively, while teammates Joseph Muiruri and Nicholas Amani did not complete the 107.6km course.
Eritrea’s rising star Tesfalem stole the show, winning gold in 2 hours, 44:19 minutes, cycling at an average speed of 39.29 km/h. Uganda’s Paul Miiro followed in 2:44:41 for silver, with Namibia’s Roger Suren took bronze in 2:45:57.
Only 40 of the 47 starters crossed the finish line, underscoring the toughness and tactical depth required to compete on the hilly coastal circuit.
Eritrea’s Kudus powered through the 163.8km route from Diani Beach to Kwale Town to win men’s elite race in 3:53:06, averaging 42.162 km/h. His compatriot Awet Aman finished milliseconds behind to seal an Eritrean 1–2, while Algeria’s Oussama Abdellah Mimouni clocked 3:53:11 for bronze after a resilient chase. Kenya’s John Muchiri time 4:03:35 to place 47th out of 51 riders in the race.
Eritrea’s clean sweep also extended to the men’s under-23 category, where Aman added gold to his silver medal from elite men’s category, reflecting impeccable teamwork and race discipline by the Eritreans.
“I cannot express my joy, I don’t know what to say. We had it all planned in the training camp back in Eritrea,” explained Kudus after his breakthrough victory. Competing in the elite category for the first time, Kudus admitted that he faced strong challenge.
Throughout the race, the Eritrean squad controlled the front, and could be seen breaking and regrouping strategically on the Diani loop, while shutting down attacks. They held formation all the way through Kombani up the final climb into Kwale town. Kudus noted that high temperatures at the Kenyan coast posed the biggest challenge to them.
The championships brought together more than 300 riders from 30 countries, supported by a Sh250 million government sponsorship package.
Kenya, which also hosted the 2024 edition of the championship in Eldoret, again demonstrated its capacity to stage high-level continental events, even though the home team struggled.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said Kenya gained valuable experience from hosting the championship twice.
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