Morocco claimed all but one of the cycling road race medals at the Francophone Games in Kinshasa ©Kinshasa 2023

Achraf Ed-Doghmy and Salma Hariri delivered cycling success for Morocco by capturing the respective men’s and women’s road race titles at the Francophone Games in Kinshasa.

Morocco won five of the six medals on offer in the two races as their cyclists dominated in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There was a Moroccan one-two-three in the women’s road race with Hariri taking the title in a time of 1 hour 44min 43sec.

Chaimae Ez-Zakraouy sealed silver in 1:53:01, while Wissal Baoubbuo crossed in 1:53:03 to complete a Moroccan clean sweep.

Ed-Doghmy also clinched gold for Morocco when he overcame compatriot Nasr-Eddine Maatougui to win the men’s road race crown.

He sealed top spot in a time of 2:04:26, as Maatougui claimed silver in 2:05:06.

Romania also picked up a medal as Catalin Buta finished in 2:05:38 for the bronze.


It was another good day for Romania in the freestyle wrestling as they picked up two more gold medals.

Amina Roxana Capezan won the first of those when she defeated Cameroon’s Blandine Nyeh Ngiri 10-4 in the women’s 65 kilogram final.

Maxim Vasilioglo secured another gold for Romania thanks to his 10-0 victory over Aime Mbolalalaina Joel Rakotoniaina of Madagascar in the men’s 74kg final.

It could have been a golden hat-trick for Romania only for Kateryna Zhydachevska to lose to Tunisia’s Simar Bouseta in the women’s 59kg gold-medal match.


Romanian wrestlers continued to make an impression at the Francophone Games ©FLR
Romanian wrestlers continued to make an impression at the Francophone Games ©FLR

Andy Kabeya Mukendi secured DR Congo’s first gold of the Francophone Games after capturing the men’s 79kg crown with a 7-0 win over Armenia’s Spacing Simonyan.


Senegal’s Sembene overcame Niger’s Aboubacar Ibrahim Mahaman 8-1 to clinched the men’s 86kg title.

Armenia’s Gevorg Mkheyan defeated France’s Moukhammad Amin Rouslanovitch Sangariev 4-1 to win men’s 70kg gold, while Canada’s Aleah Noelle Nickel beat home favourite Diwa Mervedie Mbemba 10-0 to seal the women’s 62kg crown.

Competition is due to continue tomorrow with medals set to be awarded in athletics and Para athletics, wrestling and table tennis.