Agnes close but not close enough

NAMIBIA’S top middle-distance runner Agnes Samaria says despite being mentally strong and having the strength and confidence to compete, her body was letting her down at crucial moments.

Samaria just failed to reach the finals of the 800-metre race during the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, on Sunday. Samaria told The Namibian Sport from Finland yesterday that she was disappointed with her performance.”I was not tired.My mind was there.I could see the people going past me, but my body could just not respond to stay in the mix.It was really a frustrating 15 metres to the end,” she said.Samaria led the race in the last 300 metres, but faded in the last stretch to end in fifth place behind Cuba’s Zulia Calatayud, who was first, Russia’s Svetlana Cherkasova in second and Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica, who ended third.Samaria clocked 2 minutes and 00,13 seconds, behind Canada’s Diane Cummings, who was fourth.Samaria in fact had the ninth fastest time in the semis.”Maybe it is an area that we have overlooked and we need to work on it with my coach.Sometimes I feel that I am not race fit.But after the race I think to myself that I should have done this or that.If that happens, it means that you have not raced at all,” she said.Another factor that also affected her race was a nagging Achilles tendon injury.She added that she was running against the odds, as only the two first finishers could qualify for the finals.Samaria generally had a poor stint in Europe ahead of the world championships from earlier this year, but thinks that she will bounce back with time as soon as they address some shortcomings with her coach.She said she wanted to return to Namibia, but would instead compete at a Golden League race in Zurich, Switzerland, on August 19.After that, she will run in another race in Brussels, Belgium, on August 26 before returning to Namibia.Samaria, who has since retired as a teacher by profession to join the paid-ranks of athletics, is one of the only athletes who keeps NamibiaŽs flag high on the international scene.With former Namibian sprinting great Frank Fredericks, who has since retired, Samaria is the only surviving member of the team that competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.Samaria has made the 2008 Olympics in Beijing her target and aims to be one of the serious challengers for the 800 metre title then.At that time, Maria Mutola Another potential athlete, Christie van Wyk, who studies in the United States, was also expected to compete at the world championships, but did not make it as he failed to apply in time for his travelling documents.Van Wyk competes in the 100 metre event and dismally failed at the Athens Olympics last year, as he was knock-out in the first heat of his race.Samaria told The Namibian Sport from Finland yesterday that she was disappointed with her performance.”I was not tired.My mind was there.I could see the people going past me, but my body could just not respond to stay in the mix.It was really a frustrating 15 metres to the end,” she said.Samaria led the race in the last 300 metres, but faded in the last stretch to end in fifth place behind Cuba’s Zulia Calatayud, who was first, Russia’s Svetlana Cherkasova in second and Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica, who ended third.Samaria clocked 2 minutes and 00,13 seconds, behind Canada’s Diane Cummings, who was fourth.Samaria in fact had the ninth fastest time in the semis.”Maybe it is an area that we have overlooked and we need to work on it with my coach.Sometimes I feel that I am not race fit.But after the race I think to myself that I should have done this or that.If that happens, it means that you have not raced at all,” she said.Another factor that also affected her race was a nagging Achilles tendon injury.She added that she was running against the odds, as only the two first finishers could qualify for the finals.Samaria generally had a poor stint in Europe ahead of the world championships from earlier this year, but thinks that she will bounce back with time as soon as they address some shortcomings with her coach.She said she wanted to return to Namibia, but would instead compete at a Golden League race in Zurich, Switzerland, on August 19.After that, she will run in another race in Brussels, Belgium, on August 26 before returning to Namibia.Samaria, who has since retired as a teacher by profession to join the paid-ranks of athletics, is one of the only athletes who keeps NamibiaŽs flag high on the international scene.With former Namibian sprinting great Frank Fredericks, who has since retired, Samaria is the only surviving member of the team that competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.Samaria has made the 2008 Olympics in Beijing her target and aims to be one of the serious challengers for the 800 metre title then.At that time, Maria Mutola Another potential athlete, Christie van Wyk, who studies in the United States, was also expected to compete at the world championships, but did not make it as he failed to apply in time for his travelling documents.Van Wyk competes in the 100 metre event and dismally failed at the Athens Olympics last year, as he was knock-out in the first heat of his race.