Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA is guaranteed at least three boxing medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after Mischa Monique Araes, Tryagain Morning Ndevelo and Philip Pumulo Mutakela Haoseb secured places in the semi-finals with quarter-final victories.
Araes, the first Namibian woman boxer to compete at the Commonwealth Games, enjoyed a memorable debut by defeating Sri Lanka’s Nadeeka Ranasinghe in the women’s flyweight (51kg) quarter-final.
The victory secures Araes at least a bronze medal and keeps her in contention for gold as she prepares to face England’s Ruby White in the semi-finals on Friday, 31 July.
Speaking after her victory, Araes thanked God, her coaches, family and supporters for helping her reach the milestone.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to my Lord, Heavenly Father, for taking me through this journey. I thank my coaches for being by my side all the way. I want to thank my mom and dad for allowing me to come here. I also want to thank my supporters, especially my female Namibian supporters. Thank you so much,” she said.
Araes added that remaining composed had been key to her success.
“I balance, I maintain. That’s all I can say.”
Meanwhile, Tryagain Morning Ndevelo also booked his place in the men’s 60kg semi-finals with a commanding 5-0 victory over Guernsey’s Niall Adams.
The victory secures Ndevelo at least a bronze medal and keeps him on course for a place in the final. He will face the winner of the quarter-final between Wales’ Owain Harris-Allan and India’s Sachin Siwach in Friday’s semi-final.
Speaking after the bout, Adams praised Ndevelo’s performance.
“It was tough, he was awkward to get into,” Adams told the BBC.
“I should have just done better. I hate losing, so it’s a bit gutting.
“But it’s not bad considering I only started boxing again eight months ago, so I’m happy, but obviously I wish I could have done better.”
Philip Pumulo Mutakela Haoseb also booked a place on the podium after defeating New Zealand’s Alex Mukuka by a 4-0 split decision in the men’s 55kg quarter-final. Haoseb advanced to Friday’s semi-finals, where he will face India’s Jadumani Mandengbam for a place in the gold medal bout.
The three semi-final appearances mark a historic achievement for Team Namibia, with Araes, Ndevelo and Haoseb now aiming to secure places in their respective gold medal bouts.
Photos: Screen grab SuperSport
