Namibia’s medal tally at the Commonwealth Games moved up to three after an explosive night of boxing on Wednesday.
Tryagain Ndevelo gave another imperious performance to seal a unanimous 5-0 points victory against Niall Adams of Guernsey in the men’s 60kg category, while Mischa Araes was equally impressive, beating Nadeeka Ranasinghe of Sri Lankan 4-0 on points in a women’s 51kg fight.
They now both move into the semi-finals and are assured of a medal, joining compatriot Philip Haoseb, who also qualified for the semis the previous evening.
Ndevelo was in control from the start as he regularly picked off his opponent with a crisp jab and although Adams tried to close Ndevelo down and mix it up on the inside, Ndevelo was rarely in trouble.
He gave as good as he got in the close exchanges, while displaying great footwork and ring generalship as he comfortably moved out of trouble and pulled away to a commanding win.
All five judges scored the fight in his favour by a maximum 30 points to 27 margin. Ndevelo is now through to the semi-finals where he will take on Jude Gallagher of Northern Ireland at about 21h45 tonight, for a place in tomorrow’s final.
Araes, meanwhile, gave a terrific display of all-out action as she overshadowed her opponent with her relentless punching.
The two boxers often went toe-to-toe, slugging it out in the centre of the ring, but in the end Araes was a comfortable winner, with four judges scoring it in her favour (29-26, 29-26, 28-27, 29-27), while the fifth scored it as a 28-28 draw.
Araes will now face Ruby White of England in the semi-finals at around 20h15 tonight, for a place in tomorrow’s final.
Haoseb, meanwhile, takes on Jadumani Mandengbam of India in the men’s 55kg semi-finals at around 16h45 today, while the final is scheduled at around 12h45 tomorrow afternoon.
Namibia National Olympic Committee president Ndeulipula Hamutumwa has congratulated the three boxers on their outstanding performances.
“On behalf of the Namibia National Olympic Committee and the people of Namibia, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to our three outstanding boxers for guaranteeing three medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. This is a remarkable achievement and a proud moment for our nation,” he says.
“These medals are the result of years of sacrifice, discipline, determination and unwavering commitment by the athletes, their coaches and the entire support team. They have demonstrated the true fighting spirit that Namibia is known for and have once again shown that our boxers can compete with the very best in the Commonwealth,” he states, adding that the journey is far from over.
“While we celebrate the fact that the medals have been secured, we also know that the journey is not over. We believe our athletes have what it takes to progress even further, and we will continue to support them as they pursue places in the finals and, ultimately, Commonwealth Games gold medals,” Hamutumwa says.
“This success also reflects the value of the investments made by the government of the Republic of Namibia, our partners, sponsors and the Namibia National Olympic Committee in athlete preparation. It is encouraging to see those investments translating into podium performances on the international stage,” he adds.
“To our athletes, thank you for making Namibia proud. You have inspired a new generation of young boxers and reminded the nation of what is possible through hard work, resilience and belief. We look forward to standing behind you in the next stage of the competition. The entire country is with you. Congratulations once again, and may the best still be ahead,” he says.
