Staff Reporter
NAMIBIAN sprinters and record breakers, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi said that they are ready to leave their competitors trailing behind during the Tokyo Olympic Games taking place later this month.
The two renowned young athletes before leaving the country visited Informanté radio where they were interview by the Morning Mix Crew, during which the 19-year-olds shared their experiences, as well as preparations for the Olympic games.
Mboma, sharing her recent successes, which include setting a new world record in the 400m race, stated that running with other world renowned athletes has been an awesome experience.
She added that while she only started taking part in athletics in grade seven, her coach Henk Botha has improved her technique and discipline in the sport.
“I started athletics in grade seven, however, I never went to the nationals. The governor of the Kavango Region, where I originate from, asked coach Botha if he could assist me and the rest is history,” Mboma noted.
Equally talented Namibian sprinter Masilingi, who currently hold the national record for 200m, explained that she never knew she would be a world-class athlete as she mostly only played soccer, netball and rugby at school.
The teenager further added that she started participating in athletics in 2018 while in school.
“I saw that I had more potential in athletics and shortly after, I moved to Grootfontein from the Kavango Region and gained a sponsorship with Coach Botha. He has been like the father I never had, everything I know he taught me,” Masilingi stated.
Touching on their ban from taking part in the 400m sprint after testing positive for high testosterone levels, Masilingi stated that the news came as a shock as they only received it a day before she was set to compete.
“I got the message a day before the race. It almost got me down, but I decided to stay focused and not let it affect me as I had to compete in a 200 metres sprint the next day,” Masilingi, who moved up to second place in that race after the athlete who came first was disqualified.
She further added that she is looking forward to the Tokyo Olympic Games, especially at destroying the competition in the 200m race in which both her and Mboma are still allowed to compete.
Joining in on corporate social responsibility, local businesses showed their support to the athletes, with MTC sponsoring N$2million each to the well decorated athletes, whilst Namdia sponsored over half a million to the young sprinters.
