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03:18Last update on: 12 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Mon 12 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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| 2013-08-09
Athletics stars ready for World Champs
Helge Schutz
SUPER FOCUSED ... Helalia Johannes (left) is one of four Namibians who will compete in the women’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships tomor- row.
THE 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships will kick off in Moscow tomorrow with four of Namibia’s six athletes competing on the opening day.Long distance runners Helalia Johannes, Beata Naigambo, Alina Armas and Leena Ekandjo all qualified for the women’s marathon, which will start at 11h00 Namibian time tomorrow morning.
Johannes and Naigambo both qualified on their times at the London Olympics last year but are well down the list of top times recorded in the world this year
Johannes and Naigambo both qualified on their times at the London Olympics last year but are well down the list of top times recorded in the world this year
Johannes came 12th at the London Olympic Games last year in a time of 2 hours 26 minutes 9 seconds, which is also the Namibian national record time, and that time would place her 42nd on the list of top marathon athletes this year. Her top time this year is 2:29:20, when she came sixth at the Tokyo Marathon in February and that time placed her 77th in the world this year.
Johannes has however concentrated on shorter distances to build up her speed and put in some great performances over the past few months.
On May 11 she broke the Namibian 10km record with a time of 32:34 in the 10km category at the Steinmetz Marathon in Botswana, and on June 2, she smashed the Namibian 5 000m record by 43 seconds at the Southern African Athletics Cham- pionships in Botswana, with a time of 15:44,53.
Naigambo set a personal best time of 2:27:54 when she finished ninth at the Dubai Marathon, but that time placed her 64th in the world this year.
The top times in the world this year have been dominated by athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia, with nine of the top ten athletes coming from these two countries.
Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya leads the way with a time of 2:20:15, and is followed by Feyse Tadese of Ethiopia (2:21:06) and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya (2:21:32).
Each country may however only enter five athletes in the marathon, which will strengthen the other countries’ chances of finishing higher in the rankings. Johannes will therefore stand a good chance of im- proving on her 12th position in London, as will Naigambo, who came 38th in London.
Alina Armas and Nangula Ekandjo will both compete at the World Championships for the first time. The 29-year-old Armas made the qualifying time of 2:43:00 twice - when she won the Rossing Marathon in February in 2:35:53 and when she came 15th at the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea in 2:41:27.
The 23-year-old Ekandjo qualified when she came second at the Steinmetz Marathon in Botswana in 2:41:32.
Herunga, Kaanjuka ready to go
Namibia’s other two athletes at the cham- pionships are Tjipekapora Herunga who will compete in the women’s 400m and Hitjiverue Kaanjuka who will compete in the men’s 200m. Herunga’s best time this year of 52,35 puts her 106 on the list of the top performances this year, while her personal
best and Namibian record time of 51,24 that she set last year, would place her 33rd on this year’s list of
top times. The
defend- ing world champion, Amantle Monthsho of Botswa- na will be the strong fa- vourite to retain her world championship title after she won Botswana’s first ever gold medal at the previous championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.
Montsho has set this year’s fastest time of 49,33 seconds, while she has also set four of the fastest six times this year, going under 50 seconds each time.
The women’s 400m heats will start at 15h05 Namibian time tomorrow and Herunga’s coach Letu Hamhola said she was determined to do well.
“Tjipe has concluded her preparations and she is physi- cally fit and in good shape. We will now just continue and increase the mental preparations before we receive the start list on Friday when we will devise our race plan,” he said.
“At the last world champion- ships in 2011, Tjipe didn’t make it past the first round and she definitely wants to improve on that. At last year’s Olympics in London she made the semifinals and that showed she can compete at this level, therefore she is ready to go,” he added.
Hitjiverue Kaanjuka set a personal best time of 20,69 seconds in the 200m when he won the Namibian National Champion- ships in Windhoek in February. That time, however was only the 135th fastest this year, with Usain Bolt of Jamaica setting the fastest time of 19,73.
Kaanjuka’s first round heats only start next Friday, August 16, and Hamhola said he was fit and ready to go.
“Hitch is making his return to this stage for the first time since 2007 when he com- peted in Osaka, Japan. He is in a physically good condition and we still have five more days before we conclude his preparation,” he said.
“He is motivated and looking forward to compete against the world’s best and has adopted the motto that ‘when opportu- nity knocks at your door, kick it down
and present yourself,’” he added.
Johannes has however concentrated on shorter distances to build up her speed and put in some great performances over the past few months.
On May 11 she broke the Namibian 10km record with a time of 32:34 in the 10km category at the Steinmetz Marathon in Botswana, and on June 2, she smashed the Namibian 5 000m record by 43 seconds at the Southern African Athletics Cham- pionships in Botswana, with a time of 15:44,53.
Naigambo set a personal best time of 2:27:54 when she finished ninth at the Dubai Marathon, but that time placed her 64th in the world this year.
The top times in the world this year have been dominated by athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia, with nine of the top ten athletes coming from these two countries.
Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya leads the way with a time of 2:20:15, and is followed by Feyse Tadese of Ethiopia (2:21:06) and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya (2:21:32).
Each country may however only enter five athletes in the marathon, which will strengthen the other countries’ chances of finishing higher in the rankings. Johannes will therefore stand a good chance of im- proving on her 12th position in London, as will Naigambo, who came 38th in London.
Alina Armas and Nangula Ekandjo will both compete at the World Championships for the first time. The 29-year-old Armas made the qualifying time of 2:43:00 twice - when she won the Rossing Marathon in February in 2:35:53 and when she came 15th at the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea in 2:41:27.
The 23-year-old Ekandjo qualified when she came second at the Steinmetz Marathon in Botswana in 2:41:32.
Herunga, Kaanjuka ready to go
Namibia’s other two athletes at the cham- pionships are Tjipekapora Herunga who will compete in the women’s 400m and Hitjiverue Kaanjuka who will compete in the men’s 200m. Herunga’s best time this year of 52,35 puts her 106 on the list of the top performances this year, while her personal
best and Namibian record time of 51,24 that she set last year, would place her 33rd on this year’s list of
top times. The
defend- ing world champion, Amantle Monthsho of Botswa- na will be the strong fa- vourite to retain her world championship title after she won Botswana’s first ever gold medal at the previous championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.
Montsho has set this year’s fastest time of 49,33 seconds, while she has also set four of the fastest six times this year, going under 50 seconds each time.
The women’s 400m heats will start at 15h05 Namibian time tomorrow and Herunga’s coach Letu Hamhola said she was determined to do well.
“Tjipe has concluded her preparations and she is physi- cally fit and in good shape. We will now just continue and increase the mental preparations before we receive the start list on Friday when we will devise our race plan,” he said.
“At the last world champion- ships in 2011, Tjipe didn’t make it past the first round and she definitely wants to improve on that. At last year’s Olympics in London she made the semifinals and that showed she can compete at this level, therefore she is ready to go,” he added.
Hitjiverue Kaanjuka set a personal best time of 20,69 seconds in the 200m when he won the Namibian National Champion- ships in Windhoek in February. That time, however was only the 135th fastest this year, with Usain Bolt of Jamaica setting the fastest time of 19,73.
Kaanjuka’s first round heats only start next Friday, August 16, and Hamhola said he was fit and ready to go.
“Hitch is making his return to this stage for the first time since 2007 when he com- peted in Osaka, Japan. He is in a physically good condition and we still have five more days before we conclude his preparation,” he said.
“He is motivated and looking forward to compete against the world’s best and has adopted the motto that ‘when opportu- nity knocks at your door, kick it down
and present yourself,’” he added.
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(August 12)
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