WINDHOEK – A motivated group of six wrestlers and a coach jetted off to Nigeria on Friday to compete at the 2018 Senior African Wrestling Championship.
The Nigeria Wrestling Federation will host the championship from 7 to 11 February at the Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Centre in Port Harcourt, the capital and largest city of Rivers State, Nigeria.
The African Wrestling Championship is an annual event which showcases the best of African wrestling in the senior, junior and cadet categories of the sport.
Speaking to Nampa on Friday, team coach Luis Forcelledo said the athletes are ready to compete in Nigeria.
“We had good preparations, even though the athletes did not fight in friendly matches ahead of this competition.
“I am confident and hopeful that in Nigeria, we will win medals for the country because my athletes are ready to show the continent how good they are,” he enthused.
The Namibian wrestling team will use this championship as a qualifier for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics to be hosted in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 to 18 October.
Namibia Sports Commission chief administrator Freddy Mwiya urged the athletes to represent the country with pride.
“It is important to work hard in Nigeria, and I hope you will follow in the footsteps of the Brave Warriors (national senior football team) that did us proud when they were in Morocco.
“The Brave Warriors reached the quarter-finals of the competition. I hope you will reach the semi’s or the finals, so that you bring home the gold or silver medals,” Mwiya said.
Nigeria will be hosting the championships for the first time since its inception 42 years ago.
The Namibian athletes who will be representing the country at the championship are Asino Festus, 45kg; Salom Panduleni, 51kg; Merven Eixab, 40kg; Linus Katujanda, 55kg; and Devin Bernhard, 60kg. These athletes will compete in the cadet category.
Romio Goliath, who is 55kg, will be the only athlete in the squad competing in the junior category. – Nampa
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