Relative ease, overflowing confidence and glaring determination are some of the characteristics that resembled the breathtaking performances of two of Namibia’s foremost sprinters, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, who took Spain and Poland by storm over the weekend.
On Saturday, Mboma – who a few weeks ago also stormed to victory in the 200m race (22.67 seconds) at the Josef Odlozil Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic – was back in the thick of things again when she destroyed a field of strong competitors on her way to victory in the 200m race with a time of 22:79 seconds during the World Athletics Continental Tour in Madrid, Spain.
Not only did the 18-year old Mboma clock an impressive finishing time, but she won the race with great ease and confidence as she brushed aside her foes on her way to the home stretch before accelerating to cross the line in 22:79 seconds.
Ecuador’s Gabriela Suarez, who tried her best to catch up with lightning-fast Mboma, but to no avail, took second place with her time of 23.18 seconds, followed by Spain’s Maria Vicente in third place with a time of 23.29 seconds.
Mboma’s performance had all in awe, especially the limited crowd that was in attendance, who gave the young Namibian sprinter an overwhelming round of applause for her great display.
Yesterday at the World Athletics Orlen Janusza Kusocinskiego Memorial in Poland, Mboma’s ‘partner in crime’ Masilingi delivered a jaw-dropping performance as she stormed to victory in the women’s 400m race, crossing the line in 49:88 seconds.
Just like her compatriot in Spain a day earlier, Masilingi yesterday showed no signs of weariness or rough edges as she dominated the race from start to finish. Cuba’s Roxana Gomez claimed second place with her time of 50.76 seconds, while Poland’s Justyna Swiety-Ersetic finished third in 51.04 seconds.
The two athletes are using the races as part of their ongoing preparations for next month’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Their coach Henk Botha expressed great delight with their performances, saying: “I am so excited for these young women. All this is part of our preparations, and something that most people are forgetting is that they are both just 18 years of age and are (already) competing well at the world stage. We must know that there are some nerves, and I am proud of what we have seen so far.”
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na