DECEMBER 2000 SPORT HEADLINES

Wednesday, January 24, 2001 - Web posted at 9:26:45 AM GMT

Samaria shatters record
HELGE SCHUTZ

NAMIBIA's top female middle distance runner, Agnes Samaria, started the athletics season on a tremendous note when she shattered the Namibian 1 000m record by 12 seconds.competing in the South African ABSA athletics series in Rustenburg on Monday evening, Samaria came second overall in a time of 2 minutes 44,78 seconds, to shatter the previous Namibian record of 2:56:90 which was set in 1985.

Kelly Holmes of the United Kingdom, who won a bronze medal in the 800m at the Sydney Olympic Games, won the race in 2:43:69 - just over a second ahead of Samaria."

"I was running just behind Kelly for most of the race, but with about 80m left she sprinted and I couldn't keep up with her," Samaria said yesterday."

"I didn't expect such a good time in my first race of the season, but now I think I'm in great shape to break my Namibian 800m record," she added.

Samaria's 800m record time is 2:03:99 which she set in Germany last year and she will have two opportunities in the ABSA series to break it.

The next meeting takes place in Bloemfontein on February 2 and the final one in Potchefstroom on February 12.

Besides breaking her Namibian record, Samaria has also set her sights on qualifying for this year's World Athletics Championships in Canada in August, where the qualifying time for the women's 800m is 2:02:00."

"I still feel very bad about not qualifying for last year's Olympics so I desperately want to make it this year," she said.

She added that she prepared for the new season by running and doing weight training throughout December.

Namibian sprinters Christie van Wyk and Benedictus Botha also participated in Monday's meeting but didn't fare too well.

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