NAMIBIA’S Paralympic stars Ananias Shikongo and Johannes Nambala’s bid for more success starts at the Coca Cola Club Challenge at Oshakati on Saturday.
Following their heroics at the Rio Paralympic Games in September last year when they won the country’s only medals, the sprinters look forward to another successful year.
Shikongo was the standout performer in Brazil, with a gold and a pair of bronze medals, and Nambala bagged two silvers. They also set several regional and world leading marks on their way to the podium.
The duo will use Saturday’s meeting to tune up for the upcoming 2017 World Para Athletics Grand Prix FAZAA International Athletics Competition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Dubai Club for The Disabled will host the event from 15 to 16 March.
“They’ve been training under their club, Namib Lions Athletic Club, since coming back from Rio. The training has been excellent so far. I am happy with the results. On Saturday at Oshakati, we will see if we are on track,” said Namibia Paralympic Committee secretary general Michael Hamukwaya.
The IPC Grand Prix has taken place every year since 2009, and since its inception, it has seen an increase in the number of participants and improvements in the standards of competition.
There are 10 events on the tour, but due to a lack of funds, Namibia’s Olympic heroes will only be able to attend the season-opening Dubai Grand Prix, where they will come up against old foes ahead of the 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships, which will be held in London, England, from 14 to 23 July.
“This is the beginning of our journey towards the IPC World Championships. Some of these athletes are the biggest names on the world tour and the world rankings. So, it will be very competitive,” Hamukwaya said.
“We also want to expose these athletes so that they attract sponsorships to help with their preparations for upcoming events. They are in-form at the moment in their respective categories, and we expect them to do the nation proud as always,” he added.
“We are not sure how much support we will get through the [Namibia] Sport Commission with all these budget cuts. So, it will be tough to prepare as properly as we want, but we are trying our best with the little we have,” Hamukwaya stressed.
