Namibia’s youth wrestlers excelled to win a total of 22 medals at the South African Youth National Championships in Cape Town over the weekend.
The team won 10 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals in the various age categories as well as the Presidents competition.
“These results are a positive reflection of the hard work, commitment and consistent training invested by the wrestlers and their coaches in preparation for the championships,” the NWF said in a press release.
“While the medal achievements are certainly worth celebrating, the NWF’s primary objective in participating in competitions of this nature remains long term athlete development. Providing our young wrestlers with exposure to larger, highly competitive tournaments is an important part of developing confident, experienced and resilient athletes,” it added.
“The NWF is proud of every single youth wrestler who had the courage to step onto the mat and represent Namibia. Regardless of whether they returned home with a medal, they demonstrated grit, guts, determination and sportsmanship. Competition experience of this nature is invaluable to our young champions and contributes directly towards building the next generation of Namibian wrestlers,” it said.
The NWF also extended its appreciation to the South African Wrestling Federation (SAWF) for welcoming the Namibian Wrestling Federation and for hosting a well-organised championship.
“Opportunities to compete alongside our South African counterparts remain extremely valuable to the development of wrestling in Namibia, and we greatly appreciate the continued sporting relationship between our federations,” it said.
The NWF also thanked their referees, Alvaro Eixab and Erika Theron, for their contribution during the championships and for representing Namibia as technical officials on the international stage.
“Their continued development and exposure at high-level competitions form an important part of strengthening wrestling in Namibia as a whole,” it said.
“We wish Alvaro and Erika every success as they travel onward to participate and represent Namibia at the Veteran World Championships in Amman, Jordan this upcoming week. We are proud to see Namibian referees continuing to develop their skills, gain valuable international experience and advance along the international refereeing pathway,” it added.
The NWF also thanked the coaches, team management, parents, guardians, clubs and supporters who contributed towards making the tour possible. “Youth development is a long-term investment, and every competition, every match and every lesson learned represents another step forward,” it said.
The various medallists were as follows:
U8: Pieter van Niekerk (gold); Haiki Haimbanga (bronze).
U9: George Haimbodi (gold, bronze), Liam Slabber (gold).
U10: Immanuel Kaamukulwa (2 x gold); Frans du Rand (silver), Matheus Pauls (silver), U11: Nathan Vleermuis (2 x silver).
U13: Twakulilwa Haimbodi (gold, bronze).
U15: Arno Maritz (bronze).
Women: Jasmine Gawases (2 x gold); Elle Hansen (2 x gold), Laura Theron (silver, bronze); Amalia Venonya (2 x bronze).
