There were mixed results for Namibian athletes on the first day of the Africa Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon on Friday.
In the women’s 100m heats Christine Mboma and Sade de Sousa both qualified for the semifinals after Mboma came second in Heat 6 in 11,97 seconds and De Sousa second in Heat 5 in 11,83 seconds.
Ndawana Haitembu, however, failed to go through to the semis after coming fourth in Heat 2 in 12,09 seconds.
In the Men’s 100m, Gilbert Hainuca qualified for the semis after coming third in Heat 3 in 10,43 seconds, which was well off his personal best time of 9,89 seconds which he set at the national championships two months ago.
Gregor Apolls and Hatago Murere however failed to make it to the semis after Appols came sixth in Heat 1 in 10,94 seconds, while Murere came third in Heat 9 in 10,61.
In the women’s 400m heats, none of Namibia’s athletes made it through to the next round, with Kazaatjo Kambiri coming eighth in Heat 1 in 58,25; Tuuliki Angala seventh in Heat 2 in 58,25 seconds; and Napuumue Hengari fifth in Heat 3 in 58,07.
In the men’s 400m heats none of Namibia’s athletes made it through to the next round after Elton Hoeseb came sixth in Heat 2 in 48,57 seconds and Elvis Gaseb fourth in Heat 4 in 47,58 seconds, while Ivan Danny Geldenhuys did not start in Heat 1.
In the men’s shotput final Cornelius Kuhn finished out of the medals in sixth position, although he managed to break his own national record of 17,54m with a new distance of 17,65m.
In the men’s longjump qualifier, Lionel Coetzee came fourth in 7,55m to make it through to the final.
On Saturday, Mboma and De Sousa will be in action in the women’s 100m semifinals; Hainuca in the men’s 100m semifinals; and Coetzee in the men’s long jump final.
Andre Retief will be in action in the men’s 400m hurdles heats; David Dam and Tuuliki Angala in the men and women’s 800m heats; and the relay team of Kuhanga Tjimatjitjitua, Mahhad Bock, Napuumue Hengari and Kazaatjo Kambiri will be in action in the 4x400m mixed relay final.
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