Kauanivi, Haitope triumph in Omaruru

Omaruru was turned into a hive of activity on Saturday morning when the first ever Erongo Powersave Street Mile was held in the town.

Mynhardt Kauanivi and Lavinia Haitope, both athletes from Nampol, won the senior men and women’s categories.

Kauanivi won the senior men’s category in 4 minutes 6 seconds, beating his team mate Johannes Skrywer by two seconds in a sprint to the line, while Uveni Kuugongelwa of the NDF finished third in 4:11,34.

The senior men’s category saw a strong turnout of 74 participants, including other top athletes like Daniel Nghipandulwa, Frans Hosea, Oscar Komeya, Robert Kaxuxuena and Paulus Iiyambo.

The senior women’s race had an equally impressive field, but here the young Haitope was a clear winner, breaking the line in 4 minutes 41 seconds.

Namibian marathon ace Beata Naigambo followed in second place, 10 seconds behind, while Leena Ekandjo of Nampol came third in 4:54,08.

The Erongo Powersave Street Mile saw a total turnout of 480 athletes who competed in eight different categories, with the athletes coming from all over Namibia.

The Kavango region had the most entrants with 63 athletes, while the junior men’s category had the most entrants with 133 athletes.

The organiser of the event Bethold Karumendu said it was a big success and destined to become an annual fixture on the Namibian athletics calendar.

“The people of Omaruru have never seen anything like this, it was a huge success. Omaruru’s main street was lined by a throng of people, cheering the athletes on, and there was a great atmosphere throughout the day,” he said.

According to Karumendu, the Erongo Powersave Street Mile had come to stay and he planned to make it one of the top events on the Namibian athletics calendar.

“The sponsors were very happy with the turnout and the organisation of the event, and they have already committed to sponsoring the event next year again. This is a unique event and I hope that it will grow to eventually also attract top athletes from neighbouring countries,” he said.

The main sponsor of the event was Erongo Wholesale Powersave, while other sponsors included FNB Omaruru, Bank Windhoek Omaruru, Coca-Cola and Marathon Sugar.

The other category winners were as follows:

Mathias Mutota of Swakopmund won the veteran men’s category in 4:53,46, followed by Kristof Ndunga of the NDF and Ananias Sheehama of Oshikoto, while Jef Kavetuna of Si Gobs won the veteran women’s category, followed by Brigitte Gaoses of Omaruru and Hendrina Gebhardt of Omaruru.

Ruben Hamukwaya of Kakadhin won the junior men’s category in 4:26,80, followed by Lasarus Paulus of Kavango and Veiko Sexelen of Kavango, while Rauna Lukas of Oshakati won the junior women’s category in 5:20,64, followed by Sarah Johannes of Oshakati and Rauna Lebeys of Ohangwena.

Tuliyameni Shipila of Uis won the Primary School boys’ category in 5:02,90, followed by James Kasona of Kavango and Muvuta Kamwanga of Uis, while Selma Makavi of Flamingo won the Primary Schools girls category in 5:37,48, followed by Martha Masheke of Sikanduko and Maria Katombela of Omaruru.

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