Hesron Kapanga

PARIS – Namibia’s Paralympic athletes Ananias Shikongo and Johannes Nambala added two more medals to Team Namibia’s tally on Saturday night after finishing second in their respective finals.

In the 100m final at the Charlety Stadium, T11 sprinter Shikongo and his guide Tjiuiju equalled their African Record of 11.11 seconds to finish second behind Greece’s world record holder, Athanasios Ghavelas, who also equalled his championship record of 10.93 seconds to be crowned T11 100m world champion.

Meanwhile, T13 sprinter Nambala ran a seasonal best of 48.14 seconds to finish second behind Japanese sprinter Ryota Fukunaga, who ran an Asian record of 47.79 seconds to be crowned the new T13 400m world champion.

In an interview with Nampa after the race, Nambala said winning the medal was motivation for him to work hard ahead of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

“New guys are coming into the category, and they are working hard; therefore, I am encouraged and motivated to keep working hard so that I can keep up with them,” he said.

Shikongo, for his part, said that he was happy to win a silver medal after having a tough race in the 400m.

“Things did not go my way in the 400m earlier in the week, but winning a silver here is encouraging as age is not on my side and I am begging to wind down on my career. I am now going back to the training field to continue working hard as we still have the Paralympic Games coming up,” he said.

Michael Hamukwaya, the secretary general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee and team manager at the World Athletics Championships, said credit should be given to the coach who did a good job in preparing the athletes.

“Athletes picked the right time, and all that credit should be given to their coach. We know what goes on behind closed doors, and it’s not easy; therefore, credit should be given to him for having his three athletes win medals for the country and slots for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. As a movement, we are proud of the work that Letu Hamhola has done with his athletes,” Hamukwaya said.

After eight days of competition, Namibia has won three medals, which are silvers from T11 female sprinter Lahja Ishitile in the 400m and T13 Nambala, as well as T11 Shikongo.

Meanwhile, Ishitile (guided by Sem Shimanda) reached the final of the women’s T11 200 metres after finishing third in the 200m semi-finals yesterday at the same event.

The pair ran a seasonal best time of 25.78 seconds to finish third in heat one.

The final will take place later this evening.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) 2023 World Para Athletics Championships are currently underway in Paris, France.

- Nampa