Wrestlers shine at African Champs 

Namibian wrestlers won two silver and one bronze medal at the Africa Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt over the past week. 

Competing against the top wrestlers on the continent, Ester Abraham and Lisias Shipopyeni both won silver medals and Petrus Haimbodi a bronze medal, while several other wrestlers came close to podium places. 

In the senior women’s 59kg category, Abraham secured a silver medal after reaching the final where she lost to a Nigerian opponent.

“Her performance is a true reflection of her hard work, resilience, dedication and unwavering determination to succeed. This achievement stands as an inspiration and a testament to her commitment to reaching her goals,” Anke Erasmus, the secretary general of the Namibia Wrestling Federation said in a press release. 

Shipopyeni, meanwhile, emerged as one of Namibia’s rising stars when he won a silver medal in the u17 boys Greco Roman 55kg category.

“Shipopyeni demonstrated excellent technical ability and composure, defeating opponents from Tunisia on points amnd South Africa by technical superiority. His only defeat came against a strong Egyptian competitor where he lost by a fall in the final round,” Erasmus said. 

Lazarus Haimbodi won a bronze medal in the senior men’s Greco Roman 63kg category, after he had earlier competed in the u20 category where he lost his first two matches which put him out of contention for a medal place. 

In the boys u17 category, Petrus Haimbodi narrowly missed out on a medal when he finished fourth out of seven wrestlers in the Greco Roman 60kg category, losing out to a South African wrestler in the bronze medal match. 

In the mens u20 category two more Namibian wrestlers narrowly missed out on medals, with Calvin Dreyer coming fourth in his category, while Stefanovic Stephanus, competing at his first international event, came fourth out of five wrestlers.

Henrico Durand competed at his first African Championships, and came seventh out of eight wrestlers in the u17 60kg Freestyle category.

In the senior men’s Greco Roman 55kg category, Joel Iipinge beat a South African opponent in the first round before losing to Egypt and Algeria, while in the 60kg category, Virinao Nguatjiti lost his first four fights, before producing one of the upsets of the tournament. 

Facing Abdelkarim Fergat of Algeria, a four-time African champion and two time Olympian, Nguatjiti displayed exceptional determination and skill to secure a 4-2 points victory. This upset victory highlighted his competitiveness, fighting spirit and immense potential for future success,” Erasmus said. 

Erasmus also paid tribute to national coach Luis Forcelledo Paz for his ‘exceptional work, dedication and the countless hours invested into Namibia’s wrestlers,’ as well as assistant coach Kevin Vleermuis for stepping up and making a meaningful contribution to the team. 

Abraham and Shipopyeni, meanwhile, each won a silver medal in the Africa Beach Wrestling Championships that started in Alexandria on Sunday, while Durand came fourth in his category.

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