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Home / Namibia claims two gold medals at global showpiece …Brilliant Jonas and Johannes, the pride of the nation
Namibia claims two gold medals at global showpiece …Brilliant Jonas and Johannes, the pride of the nation
2018-04-16Staff Report 2 Carlos Kambaekwa Windhoek-All the traumas of the last couple of months were temporarily put aside when Namibian boxing sensation Jonas Junias Jonas claimed a prestigious gold medal at the quadrennial multi-sports Commonwealth Games in the men’s 64kg division (super flyweight) in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday. The Namibian defeated Canadian opponent, Thomas Blumenfield, via a unanimous point decision to become Namibia’s only second boxer to win gold at the global showpiece after flyweight Japhet Utoni also won gold at the same games in Melbourne in 2006. Jonas was the subject of a nasty incident when he was put under house arrest after he was accused of having indecently fiddled with a housemaid at the Games Village during the Rio Olympics in Brazil, in 2016. Still at the Commonwealth Games, veteran long distance queen, Helalia Johannes, became the first Namibian to win the grueling 32km marathon at the quadrennial multi sports games. The gorgeous lass boasts a remarkable record in international long distance competitions. She surprised friend and foe when she showed her more celebrated competitors a clean pair of heels to break the tape in 2 hours 32 minutes and 4-0 seconds – certainly a remarkable feat considering her shoddy preparations. Interestingly, Johannes is the spouse of former Commonwealth gold medalist Japhet Utoni, making the pair the only couple of husband and wife sharing combined gold medals from an august gathering. Namibia’s relatively small contingent of athletes competed in seven different disciplines at the Commonwealth Gamers namely; athletics, bowls, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, para-sports and triathlon. 2018-04-16Staff Report 2
