Fredericks ‘sees four’ Tokyo medals

ATHLETICS legend Frank Fredericks believes Namibia will win at least four medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games, which start on Friday.

Fredericks did not specify which colour in a message of encouragement posted on his Facebook account yesterday in which he briefly reminisced about his glory days.

The four-time Olympic medallist raced against the world for over 12 years in his quest to bring prestige to Namibia while cementing his legend on the track.

“In a few days, the Olympic Games will start. All the best to all the athletes with their last preparations to achieve their dreams,” he wrote.

“The Games of 1992 forever changed my life. It was a wonderful feeling to be the flag bearer and also to be the first to win a medal for my beloved Namibia,” Fredericks recalled.

Another high profile sportsman, boxer Immanuel ‘Prince Naidjala, responded to the post with a prediction that the upcoming Games would see the end to Namibia’s 25-year-old Olympic medal drought.

Fredericks is the country’s sole able-bodied athlete to have made the podium at an Olympics. He amassed four silver medals for finishing second in the 100m and 200m at Barcelona 1992 and again at Atlanta 1996.

“This year, I see gold and two more other medals. You laid the foundations for us. I may not have achieved on the Olympic stage but being a flag bearer at a continental event is forever special,” said Naidjala, who has gone on to fight for the world title and held multiple international belts since graduating from amateur level boxing.

The comment prompted Fredericks’ forecast.

“I see four medals this year,” he responded.

Such is his legend that Fredericks, who has competed at three Olympic Games, established himself as the most successful sprinter Africa has ever produced. Injury ruled him out of the 2000 edition in Sydney, Australia.

Fredericks holds the men’s world indoor record for the 200 metres, with a time of 19,92 seconds set in 1996.

He also claimed the 200m gold at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart (Germany), to go with three silvers over the same distance in 1991, 1995 and 1997. Moreover, he claimed the Commonwealth Games 200m gold on two occasions (1994 and 2002), a 100m and 200m double at the African Games in Cairo (Egypt) in 1991, and was crowned African champion three times (200m in 1998, 100m and 200m in 2002).

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