THE Namibian Sport is running a profile series on the country’s elite athletes bound for next month’s World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Thirteen of the qualified athletes are presently in camp at Swakopmund, with two preparing for the global competition in Windhoek.
Full Name – Johanna Benson
Date of birth – 17 February 1990
Impairment class – T37 Cerebral palsy
Home town – Walvis Bay
Sporting discipline – Track 100m, 200m, 400m and relay
Motivation as an athlete – I just love sport, and coming from a sporting background, it is in my blood.
Training routine – I train five days a week, and sometimes on Saturdays.
Best achievement to date – I won gold at the Paralympics in 2012 in the 200m, and also silver in the 100m.
Representing Namibia – I’m very excited. I love the opportunity to represent my country, and am looking forward to my third World Championships.
Dubai ambition – My goal is to improve my personal best time. If that means including a medal, that would be fantastic.
Training camp – I have really enjoyed the camp and training within the team environment. No challenges. I’m really happy with my preparations so far.
Full Name – Denzel Namene
Date of birth – 25/09/1994
Impairment class – T44 foot deformities
Home Town – Outjo
Sporting discipline – Track 100m and 200m
Motivation as an athlete – When I was young, I used to compete against able-bodied athletes, and I just wanted to show them how good I could be.
Training routine – I train five days a week.
Best achievement to date – Finished third in the 100m and second in the 200m at the 2019 IPC Grand Prix meet in Paris, France.
Representing Namibia – Excited, as this my first World Championships, and I don’t want to disappoint.
Dubai ambition – I just want to do the best I can, and improve my personal best times.
Training camp – It’s been great, and I have really enjoyed it. No challenges, as my body is in great shape and am ready to perform.
Full Name – Marungu Christoph
Date of birth – 11/04/1999
Home Town – Rundu
Sporting discipline – Track 400m
Motivation as an athlete – I was watching my athletics idols on TV, and said I wanted to be just like them.
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