Mixed results for Nam at Games

NAMIBIAN athletes at the Commonwealth games produced mixed results in their respective disciplines, with the swimmers standing their ground well, gymnasts not too convincing, while the rugby team was the least impressive.

Namibian swimmer Jonay Briedenhann made a good start at the Games when she ended fourth in her first race of the women’s 50 m butterfly on Thursday. She clocked 30,72 seconds.In her next race, the women’s 200 m individual medley, the ended in sixth position with a time of 2 minutes 33,11 seconds on Friday, before she came seventh in the women’s 100 m backstroke on the same day.In what was probably her best race so far, Briedenhann took third place in the women’s 100m freestyle when she swum in 1 minute, 02,97 seconds on Saturday.On the same day, she finished her women’s 100 m butterfly in fifth spot after recording 1 minute 08,04 seconds.He next race would be the women’s 50 m freestyle today, before she takes on the women’s 200 m backstroke later in the day.The Namibian rugby sevens team was knocked out of the competition as they failed to win any of their three preliminary matches.The sevens side has relatively experienced players such as 2003 World Cup players Corne Powell (centre, captain) and flanker Schalk van der Merwe, scrumhalf Ronaldo Pedro, flanker Herman Lintvelt and winger Deon Mouton.Younger players such as winger Melrick Africa, flyhalf Jacques Bock and centre Heinrick Bock were added to the side to get a taste of international rugby.The Namibians lost their first match 31-5 against Kenya, while they fell 41-7 to the mighty New Zealanders.Their next match saw them being pipped by Wales 40-7, while Scotland made their way past them with a 26-12 win on Friday.The rugby tournament was won by New Zealand, who defeated England 29-21 in the final on Saturday.Fiji won bronze, overcoming a gallant Australia 24-17.On the gymnastics front, Namibia’s Kimberly-Ann van Zyl was ousted from the competition after completing her three artistic items.In her first qualifying event on Friday, which was the beam, she recorded 10 700 points, while on the same day, she took part in the floor event in which she scored 10 800 points.She completed her last event, the vault, by scoring 11 800 points.Another gymnast, Ramona Beukes, accumulated 10 950 points on the beam on Friday, before she went onto the floor event in which she scored 10 950 points.In the vault item, Beukes managed to put up a score of 12 400, while she garnered 10 000 points on the uneven bars.Beukes was out of the competition on Friday.Shooter Friedhelm Sack is expected to compete today, but his counterpart Boeli Malherbe has already completed one of his events and still has several items lined up this week.Sack is due to compete in the 25 m range-fire pistol-shooting qualifier.Swimmer Danielle van Zijl also had mixed results at the Games, after she failed to finish in the top three position in her respective items.On Thursday, the sports science student finished the women’s 200 m individual medley in 2 minutes, 34,82 seconds, before she was seventh in the women’s 50 m breaststroke.Her time was 36,26 seconds.He next race was on Saturday when she competed in the women’s 200 m breaststroke.She managed to come home in two minutes, 34,82 seconds.Namibian marathon runner Beata Naigambo did not finish the 42,4 km race after she collapsed about five kilometres before the finish line.Naigambo ran well and was with the leading bunch for most of the time, but exhaustion caught up with her.She clocked 30,72 seconds.In her next race, the women’s 200 m individual medley, the ended in sixth position with a time of 2 minutes 33,11 seconds on Friday, before she came seventh in the women’s 100 m backstroke on the same day.In what was probably her best race so far, Briedenhann took third place in the women’s 100m freestyle when she swum in 1 minute, 02,97 seconds on Saturday.On the same day, she finished her women’s 100 m butterfly in fifth spot after recording 1 minute 08,04 seconds.He next race would be the women’s 50 m freestyle today, before she takes on the women’s 200 m backstroke later in the day.The Namibian rugby sevens team was knocked out of the competition as they failed to win any of their three preliminary matches.The sevens side has relatively experienced players such as 2003 World Cup players Corne Powell (centre, captain) and flanker Schalk van der Merwe, scrumhalf Ronaldo Pedro, flanker Herman Lintvelt and winger Deon Mouton.Younger players such as winger Melrick Africa, flyhalf Jacques Bock and centre Heinrick Bock were added to the side to get a taste of international rugby.The Namibians lost their first match 31-5 against Kenya, while they fell 41-7 to the mighty New Zealanders.Their next match saw them being pipped by Wales 40-7, while Scotland made their way past them with a 26-12 win on Friday.The rugby tournament was won by New Zealand, who defeated England 29-21 in the final on Saturday.Fiji won bronze, overcoming a gallant Australia 24-17.On the gymnastics front, Namibia’s Kimberly-Ann van Zyl was ousted from the competition after completing her three artistic items.In her first qualifying event on Friday, which was the beam, she recorded 10 700 points, while on the same day, she took part in the floor event in which she scored 10 800 points.She completed her last event, the vault, by scoring 11 800 points.Another gymnast, Ramona Beukes, accumulated 10 950 points on the beam on Friday, before she went onto the floor event in which she scored 10 950 points.In the vault item, Beukes managed to put up a score of 12 400, while she garnered 10 000 points on the uneven bars.Beukes was out of the competition on Friday.Shooter Friedhelm Sack is expected to compete today, but his counterpart Boeli Malherbe has already completed one of his events and still has several items lined up this week.Sack is due to compete in the 25 m range-fire pistol-shooting qualifier.Swimmer Danielle van Zijl also had mixed results at the Games, after she failed to finish in the top three position in her respective items.On Thursday, the sports science student finished the women’s 200 m individual medley in 2 minutes, 34,82 seconds, before she was seventh in the women’s 50 m breaststroke.Her time was 36,26 seconds.He next race was on Saturday when she competed in the women’s 200 m breaststroke.She managed to come home in two minutes, 34,82 seconds.Namibian marathon runner Beata Naigambo did not finish the 42,4 km race after she collapsed about five kilometres before the finish line.Naigambo ran well and was with the leading bunch for most of the time, but exhaustion caught up with her.