Also coming in to unify his division, after winning junior lightweight gold in 2023, Likobele made history also by becoming the owner of a huge IMMAF record, that of the fastest-ever KO. DR Congo’s Jeremie Likobele needed a mere five seconds to beat Angola’s William Bombo, eclipsing the previous record by Patrick Habirora, from Belgium – nine seconds.
Joining Likobele as a two-time African champion was hometown hero Damian Muller. Despite being taken to the limit by a valiant effort from South Africa’s Obakeng Mahura, Muller once again prevailed, successfully retaining his flyweight crown, this time in front of passionate supporters.
Another name that made history in the final day was Anderson Gouveia. A 2023 heavyweight African champion, he dropped down to light heavyweight this year. His campaign started with victory over Mario Stefan, the previous 205-pound champion, and this Saturday, Gouveia became a two-weight, two-time African champion by defeating DR Congo’s Herve Zeng with a beautiful display of jiu-jitsu.
Team Angola topped the medal table again with a whopping 11 gold medals, followed closely by South Africa, which took home seven golds. DR Congo came in third with two gold medals, followed by Zambia, hosts Namibia, and Zimbabwe with one gold medal each. Cameroon and Egypt also earned silver and bronze medals.
IMMAF returns next with the Asian Championships taking place in Lahore, Pakistan for the first time between August 18 and 22.
