Dar Es Salaam — TANZANIA started on a wrong foot its campaign for laurels at the 17th Senior Africa Athletics Champions, after all her 100-metre sprinters failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

The men runners in the 100-meter dash were Musa Mlekwa, Lista Matonya and Muhidin Yassin who were among the last seven in the inventory of 48 short distance athletes.

Mlekwa who was listed in heat number three with a personal best of 10.40, finished fifth after posting 11.13 behind the qualifying candidates from Ghana, Zambia, and Uganda and attained the 42 position overall.

Matonya finished at 44 overall positions and failed to beat his personal best of 10.27 after he recorded 11.10 to finish the last in his heat, while Muhidin Yasin finished 45 with personal best of 10.21 and recorded 11.35 at the race.

Tanzania, that has a 24- strong team of athletes in the championships, also saw Najima George Kalekwa fail to shine in the women's 100-metres race, finishing 22nd among 25 sprinters in the race that was dominated by Nigerians.

This certainly was a dreadful start for the Tanzanian trainers Edwardo Baro and his assistant Jorge Luis Bravo from Cuba, debuting with a dismal performance in a premier tournament.

But critics are in defence of the Cuban trainers, saying the athletics landscape in the country is in shambles before the government brought them in to rectify matters, therefore they should be given time.

Already the government is on record to have categorically stated that it was not happy with Athletics Tanzania, falling shy of calling the resignation of all AT's officials most of them former track stars.

As for the National team in Nairobi, all signs of failure were vividly seen even before the team left, having camped for hardly a week before they embarked on the important continental meet.

Those who qualified for the semis are Nigeria's Obinna Metu (10.38), Ben Youssef Meite (Ivory Coast), Amr Ibrahi Mostafa Seoud (Egypt) Suwaibu Sanneh (Gambia), Ogho-Ogene Egwero (Nigeria) Gerard Obeane (Burundi).

Zakari Aziz (Ghana), Aziz Ouhadi (Morocco), Benjamin Adukwu (Nigeria), Hannes Dreyer (South Africa) Mouhamadou Lamine Niang (Senegal), Fabrice Coiffic (Mauritius) Hua Wilfrieds Serg Koffi (Ivory Coast) and Pierre Paul Bisseck (Cameroon).

Others are Wendyam Innocent Bologo (Burundi), Ibrahim Kabia (Sierra Leone) Kipkemoi Soy (Kenya) Simon Magakwe (South Africa) Moussa Sissoko (Mali)Delivert Kimbembe (Congo Brazaville), Hitjivirue Kaanjuka (Namibia).

Other semi-finalists are Godwin Hukporti (Ghana), Jesse Devin Uri-Khob (Namibia), Richard Chitambi (Zambia) and Lazarous Inya (Uganda).