Namibian sprinter Beatrice Masilingi delivered a jaw-dropping performance at the IFam Indoor Gent in Belgium on Saturday, setting a new national record and personal best in the women’s 60-metre race. 

With a blistering time of 7.44 seconds, Masilingi clinched first place, leaving her competition trailing behind.

In second place was The Netherlands’ Ama van Bussel, who posted a time of 7.46 seconds, while Camillie Sonneville of Belgium took third with a time of 7.57 seconds.

But Masilingi’s remarkable day didn’t end there. Later, she also competed in the 200m event, where she crossed the finish line in 23.6 seconds, securing a solid third place. Rani Rosius of Belgium won the 200m race in a time of 23.13 seconds, while Isabel van der Berg of South Africa took second place with a time of 23.4 seconds.

Masilingi’s coach, Henk Botha, was elated with the results, praising his athlete’s performance. “Christine Mboma, one of our other top athletes, is also preparing for her indoor season, and will be competing in April,” he shared.

In an exciting turn of events, Masilingi had initially won the 60m race in the pre-event, before being invited to run in the main event. She posted a time of 7.35 seconds in the semi-finals and advanced to the final with a time of 7.39 seconds, ultimately finishing in seventh place.

“Considering we only landed here in Belgium on Friday and will be heading to Finland for the next indoor event on 6 February, Beatrice’s performance is nothing short of impressive,” said Botha.

–lmupetami@nepc.com.na