Mabjaia is one of the youngest athletes participating in the games. She is just 12 years old, and only began training a year ago in the sailing school of the Maputo Maritime Club. In order to reach the sailing school, she catches a train every day from her home in Marracuene, 30 kilometres north of Maputo.
Tunisian Ines Gmati won the optimist women’s final, while the silver medal went to Emma Clark of South Africa.
In the optimist men’s final, South Africa took gold and bronze – David Wilson came first, and Rubin Heard was in third position. The silver went to Abdelkhalek Boussouar of Algeria.
In the 420 Open race, two Mozambican crews (formed by Celso Goncalves and Estaline Sofiano, and by Emmanual Goncalves and Guy Rosario), took part, but came in fourth and fifth places.
The gold went to the South African pair Eben and Johan Vivier, while two Angolan crews (Gilson Tenazinha, and Joao Montenegro, and Matias Montinho and Paixao Afonso) took the silver and bronze.
In the men’s radial class, Tunisian Youssef Akrout won the gold, while Stefano Maria of South Africa and Mohamed Midoun of Algeria were in second and third positions. There were no fewer than four Mozambicans in this event – Adriano Candido, Bartolomeu Ernesto, Alico Junior and Miguel Marques – but they occupied 9th, 11th, 12th and 13th positions.
As for the women’s radial class, South Africans Bridget Clayton and Jess Deary took the gold and silver medals, and the bronze went to Fatima Mahmoudi of Algeria. The sole Mozambican in the race, Joana Prista, came 8th and last.
Mabjaia’s bronze brings Mozambique’s medal haul so far to seven – the other medals won were a silver in swimming, a silver in karate, two bronzes in boxing, a bronze in karate and a bronze in canoeing.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News