Athletics

Paulus Iyambo of the Namibian Defense Force (NDF) retained his title of national marathon champion of Namibia when he finished the Rössing National Marathon Championship in a new personal best winning time of 2:18:16 on Saturday.

Looking relaxed after the race Iyambo said:

The Rossing National Marathon Championships take place in Swakopmund on Saturday morning.

The 42,2km marathon will start at the Vineta Athletics Stadium at 07h00 and follows the same route as in 2012, from the stadium onto the Henties Bay road.

Entries will be accepted on Friday, 15 February at the starting point from 18h00 to 21h00 and on the morning of the race from 05h30 to 06h30.

The entry fee is N$60 per Namibian athlete and N$100 for non-SADC runners. The cut-off time is five hours or 12h00, while the prize giving is at 12h30.

The third and final leg of the Bank Windhoek Grand Prix ended on a high note on Saturday February 2 in Swakopmund when 280 athletes competed in the prestigious competition.

Caroline Kutzner who celebrated her 16th birthday on the day set a new national record in the women’s pole vault event after vaulting to a height of 2.22m.

She improved on the previous record of 2.10m that was set by Fienie Theron in 1998.

Saturday, February 2 will see the third and final leg of the Bank Windhoek Grand Prix taking place at the Swakopmund Stadium.

A total of 280 athletes have registered to take part in the prestigious event that will see athletes vying for top honours.

Moreover, the athletes will be using the Grand Prix as an opportunity to qualify for the World Championships that will take place in August later this year.

Rössing Uranium will present the Rössing National Marathon Championship, hosted by Swakop Striders Athletics Club, in Swakopmund on Saturday, 16 February 2013.

The event will crown Namibia’s national marathon champion in both the Men’s Open and Women’s Open categories.

As in previous years, a 10km Run, a fun relay event over the same distance, reserved for teams from uranium companies in the region, and the Fun Walk for charity in aid of the Cancer Association of Namibia will form part of the day’s events.

Beata Naigambo gave a great performance to finish ninth against a top class international field at the Dubai Mararthon on Friday.

Naigambo finished the marathon in a new personal best time of 2:27:54, which smashed her previous best time of 2:29:20 that she set at the same event last year.

The race was won by Tirfi Tsegaye of Ethiopia in 2:23:23, with Ehitu Kiros of Ethiopia coming second in 2:23:39 and another Ethiopian Amane Gobena coming third in 2:23:50.

Ethiopian athletes dominated the women’s race by taking the first six places and seven of the top ten places.

Namibia’s Paralympic gold medallist Johanna Benson left for Glascow, Scotland on Wednesday to participate in a European indoor athletics event where she will compete over 60m for the first time.

Following her heroics at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, where she won a gold and a silver medal, Benson received an invitation from the IAAF to participate in the event.

Namibia’s top athletes are confident of qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in August this year, after putting in some good performances at the second leg of the Bank Windhoek Grand Prix series on Saturday.

Hitjiverue Kaanjuka won the men’s sprint double, winning gold in the 100m in 10,51 seconds and another gold in the 200m in 21,08.

These times compare well with his personal best times of 10,32 and 20,80 seconds respectively, but he is still well off the qualifying times for Moscow.

Hitjiverue Kaanjuka of Welwitschia 77 Athletics Club was back to his best as he won the sprint double at Saturday’s Bank Windhoek Grand Prix, taking gold in both the men’s 100m and 200m.

He won the 100m final in 10,51, with Ismael Tjirambe coming second in 10,95 and Josep Lundulukeni third in 10,99. Kaanjuka also took the gold in the 200m final with a time of 21,08, ahead of Frank Puriza (21,27) and Even Tjiviju (21,45).

Namibian athletes put in some fine early season performances at the second leg of the Bank Windhoek Grand Prix in Windhoek on Saturday.

Hitjiverue Kaanjuka of Welwitschia 77 Athletics Club was back to his best as he won the sprint double, taking gold in both the 100m and 200m.

He won the 100m final in 10,51, with Ismael Tjirambe coming second in 10,95 and Josep Lundulukeni third in 10,99. Kaanjuka also took the gold in the 200m final with a time of 21,08, ahead of Frank Puriza (21,27) and Even Tjiviju (21,45).