Maurice Kambukwe
Following remarkable individual performances at the Josef Odlozil Memorial recently in Prague, the Czech Republic, two of Namibia’s foremost sprinters Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi will be back in action on
Saturday.
The two young sprinters, who are currently camping in Italy ahead of their participation in next month’s Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan, will compete separately in Spain and Poland.
Speaking to New Era Sport yesterday, Mboma and Masilingi’s head coach Henk Botha said preparations have been well on track for both athletes, and this weekend will be another opportunity for both to further improve their times and overall readiness for the Olympics.
Botha shared that Mboma will compete in 200m at the Madrid Meeting in Spain, while her ‘partner in crime’ Masilingi will be in action at the Orlen Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland competing in the 400m race.
“We have done some intensive sessions and now we are slowing down, building up towards the competitions which are set for this coming Saturday. Overall, the girls are in good shape and ready to go out there to compete against the world’s best,” he said.
Botha said both athletes will be leaving for their respective destinations tomorrow, and he expects nothing but fireworks from them. “Christine will go to Madrid on Thursday, while Beatrice will also travel to Poland on Thursday as well, where they are set to compete at these different competitions. We will continue to work hard and perform well at these vital competitions.”
During their last participation in the Josef Odlozil Memorial recently in Prague, Mboma clocked a remarkable time of 22.67 seconds to win gold in the women’s 200m race. Not only did she scoop gold, but her winning time became the new meeting record, crashing the previous record time of 22.74 seconds set by America’s Stephanie Durst in 2007. It also became Mboma’s new personal best and Namibian national record. Her compatriot Masilingi managed to secure a bronze medal in the same race with her impressive time of 22.82 seconds.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na