Namibia shines at Africa School Games

Namibia won a total of 22 medals to finish eighth overall at the Africa Schools Games, which concluded in Algeria over the weekend. 

Namibia won two gold, six silver, and 14 bronze medals to finish eighth out of 44 nations that competed at the inaugural event.

Algeria dominated the games, winning 103 gold, 81 silver and 61 bronze medals for a total of 245 medals; while Egypt came second with 59 gold, 33 silver and 23 bronze medals; and Tunisia third with 34 gold, 69 silver and 52 bronze medals.

They were followed by Nigeria (6 gold, 10 silver, 9 bronze medals), Kenya (5 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze), Chad (5 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze), and Gambia (3 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze medals).

If nations were ranked according to the total number of medals won, Namibia would have ranked fifth, behind the north African powerhouses and Nigeria, but because they are ranked according to gold medals won, they eventually came eighth.

In the process, they beat other prominent African sporting nations like DR Congo (2 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze), Ghana (2 gold, 3 silver, 9 bronze), and the Ivory Coast (2 gold, 1 silver, 8 bronze), while they were also the best performing nation from the SADC region.

The next best was Angola, who came 16th overall (1 gold, 1 silver), Madagascar who came 18th (2 silver, 1 bronze), Eswatini who came 21st (4 bronze); South Africa and Zambia, who tied in 23rd place with two bronze medals each; and Zimbabwe who tied for 24th place with one bronze medal.

Namibia’s top performer was swimmer Victoria de Sousa, who won two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal for a total haul of five medals, while gymnast Zine-Edine Meziane won seven medals in total, consisting of one silver and six bronze medals.

Namibian cyclist Rosemarie Thiel won a silver and a bronze medal, while the Namibian junior men’s team of Marco Thiel, Christiaan van der Westhuizen, and Sean Lowe won a bronze medal in the team time trial competition.

Wrestlers Shithigona Shipopyeni, Petrus Haibodi, and Henrico Durand each won a bronze medal, while swimmer Rodney Feris won a bronze medal.

In equestrian sport, Elani Potgieter won a silver and Elbe Potgieter a bronze medal, and in athletics, Ashley Martin won a silver medal.

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