WINDHOEK – Namibian amateur boxers delivered some inspired and courageous performances at the recently concluded African Boxing Confederation (ABC) Zone-4 Elite Boxing Championship held in Pretoria South Africa recently.
Although a few of the boxers experienced some difficulties in dispatching their opponents, most of the fighters were highly determined and went on to scoop up a total of 8 medals to finish 2nd overall at the tournament. From a total contingent of 10 boxers, only Mujandjae Kasuto, Immanuel Shapaka and Lazarus Shaningwa withstood the stern test of the competition when they won gold medals in the Flyweight, Lightweight and Heavyweight divisions respectively. In total, Namibia won 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals. Hosts South Africa were the comfortable winners of the championship after collecting a total haul of 9 medals (4 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze), while Mauritius also gave a good account of themselves when they managed to finish in 3rd place after collecting 5 medals (2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze).
Speaking at a brief press conference yesterday, Kennedy Kaunda Muatara, who was the team manager, expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying to finish 2nd overall is a clear indication of how hard the boxers have worked to bring medals back home. However, Muatara expressed dismay over the poor quality of refereeing in some bouts, saying Namibia could have bagged at least another two gold medals, but were clearly denied victory in two fights. Team mentors Mistake Gariseb and Joshua Veikko were both happy with the boxers’ showing during the course of the tournament, despite having been accorded little time to prepare for the highly competitive competition.
By Otniel Hembapu