With the dominant nation South Africa not eligible for continental Olympic qualification, much attention was focused on the runners-up spot in the K1 and K2 200 metre events.

Tunisia’s Mohammed Ali Mrabet clocked a time of 37.42sec to finish 0.03 seconds behind South Africa’s Chrisjan Coetzee in the men’s K1 200m final as Egypt’s Karim Abdelsamie took third spot.

“I am really happy to have qualified for the Olympics for a second time,” Mrabet, who competed at London 2012, finishing 18th in the 200m and 13th in the 1,000m, said. 

“I am excited to see the standard of racing so high at the African Championships.

“I hope I can do my country proud in the Olympics.”

Mrabet’s compatriot Afef Ben Ismail was runner-up to Bridgitte Hartley of South Africa in the equivalent women’s showdown, coming home 1.98 seconds slower than the gold medallist, who posted a time of 43.70.

Menatalla Ali Ahmed came third, a result she replicated in the women’s K2 final alongside Samaa Ahmed.

South Africa’s Melanie Van Niekerk and Bianca Beavitt won with a time of 43.81, while Ben Ismail and fellow Tunisian Abir Ben Ismail finished second in 44.59. 

In the men’s K2 200m final, Algeria’s Oussama Djabali and Nasreddine Baghjdadi secured the spot at Rio 2016 after finishing behind South Africa’s Calvin Clack and Cameron Hudson, the winners with a time of 35.50.

Abdelsamie and team-mate Ali Ahmed ensured bronze for Egypt after clocking 36.63, 0.23 seconds slower than the Algerians.

Tunisia’s Khaled Houssine won the men’s C1 200m final to qualify for his second Olympic Games, while Nedra Trabelsi triumphed in the women’s equivalent to claim another berth.

As well as winning the women’s K1 200m, London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Hartley also came away from the three-day event with the women’s K1 500m and K1 5,000m titles to the delight of the home crowd.

Victory for Mrabet in the men’s K1 1000m final and a runners-up finish for Afef Ben Ismail in the women’s K1 500m, both held yesterday, were enough to secure the Tunisian pair’s qualification in the respective events.

Another Olympic qualification clash saw Senegal’s Abdoulaye Gueye edge out Triste Buly da Conceicco of São Tomé and Príncipe in the men's C1 1,000m.

Buly da Conceicco and compatriot Atalmiro Ferreira Viegas de Ceita were narrowly pipped by Mozambique’s Mussa Chamaune and Joaquim Lobo in the men's C2 1000m decider.