Blignaut to face Crouser at Olympics

Athletics
Tielman Van Lill
Six athletes from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will represent the region in high jump, long jump, and shot put at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

From South Africa, the representatives are:
- **High Jump**: Brian Raats
- **Long Jump**: Jovan van Vuuren, Cheswill Johnson
- **Shot Put**: Ashley Erasmus, Miné de Klerk, Kyle Blignaut

The rest of Africa has produced 13 athletes competing from August 1 to 11 in high jump, triple jump, and shot put at the Stade de France in Paris.

### High Jump

**SADC**
- **Women**: None
- **Men**:
- South Africa: Brian Raats (2.25m, 42nd seed)

**Rest of Africa**
- **Women**:
- Ghana: Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah (1.97m, 7th)
- Nigeria: Temitope Simbiat Adeshina (1.97m, 7th)
- **Men**: None

**2024 Women's High Jump Top List**
- Ukraine: Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2.10m, 1st)
- Australia: Nicola Olyslagers (2.03m, 2nd)
- Jamaica: Lamara Distin (2.00m, 3rd)

**2024 Men's High Jump Top List**
- Italy: Gianmarco Tamberi (2.37m, 1st)
- New Zealand: Hamish Kerr (2.36m, 2nd)
- USA: JuVaughn Harrison (2.34m, 3rd)

### Pole Vault

**SADC/Rest of Africa**
- **Women**: None
- **Men**: None

**2024 Women's Pole Vault Top List**
- Britain: Molly Caudery (4.92m, 1st)
- Australia: Nina Kennedy (4.88m, 2nd, tied)
- Switzerland: Angelica Moser (4.88m, 2nd, tied)

**2024 Men's Pole Vault Top List**
- Sweden: Armand Duplantis (6.24m, 1st)
- USA: Christopher Nilsen (6.00m, 2nd)
- Philippines: Ernest John Obiena (5.97m, 3rd)

### Long Jump

**SADC**
- **Women**: None
- **Men**:
- South Africa: Jovan van Vuuren (8.30m, 9th), Cheswill Johnson (8.22m, 12th)

**Rest of Africa**
- **Women**:
- Burkina Faso: Marthe Koala (6.72m, 33rd)
- Egypt: Esraa Owis (6.68m, 40th)
- Nigeria: Ruth Usoro (6.87m, 11th), Ese Brume (6.84m, 18th), Prestina Oluchi Ochonogor (6.79m, 24th)
- **Men**: None

**2024 Women's Long Jump Top List**
- Germany: Malaika Mihambo (7.22m, 1st)
- USA: Tara Davis-Woodhall (7.18m, 2nd)
- USA: Jasmine Moore (6.98m, 3rd)

**2024 Men's Long Jump Top List**
- Greece: Miltiadis Tentoglou (8.65m, 1st)
- Switzerland: Simon Ehammer (8.41m, 2nd)
- Jamaica: Wayne Pinnock (8.40m, 3rd)

### Triple Jump

**SADC**
- **Women and Men**: None

**Rest of Africa**
- **Women**:
- Senegal: Saly Sarr (14.18m, 25th)
- **Men**:
- Algeria: Yasser Mohammed Triki (17.35m, 8th)
- Burkina Faso: Hugues Fabrice Zango (17.57m, 5th)

**2024 Women's Triple Jump Top List**
- Dominica: Thea Lafond (15.01m, 1st)
- Cuba: Leyanis Pérez Hernández (14.96m, 2nd)
- Bulgaria: Viyaleta Skvartsova (14.85m, 3rd)

**2024 Men's Triple Jump Top List**
- Spain: Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortun (18.18m, 1st)
- Portugal: Pedro Pichardo (18.04m, 2nd)
- Jamaica: Jaydon Hibbert (17.75m, 3rd)

Shot Put

SADC
- Women:
- South Africa: Ashley Erasmus (18.17m, 42nd), Miné de Klerk (17.79m, 54th)
- Men:
- South Africa: Kyle Blignaut (21.26m, 23rd)

**Rest of Africa**
- **Women**: None
- **Men**:
- Egypt: Mohamed Khalifa (20.91m, 32nd), Mostafa Amr Hassan (20.86m, 34th)
- Nigeria: Chukwuebuka Cornnell Enekwechi (21.91m, 9th)

2024 Women's Shot Put Top List
- Canada: Sarah Mitton (20.68m, 1st)
- Netherlands: Jessica Schilder (20.33m, 2nd)
- Germany: Yemisi Ogunleye (20.19m, 3rd)

2024 Men's Shot Put Top List
- USA: Joe Kovacs (23.13m, 1st)
- Italy: Leonardo Fabbri (22.95m, 2nd)
- USA: Ryan Crouser (22.84m, 3rd)

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