Athlete scores from Frank Fredericks Foundation

Limba Mupetami WINDHOEKLocal sprinter Sebastian Nyambe, a member of the Namibian Defence Force Athletics Club, will receive N$10 000 from the Frank Fredericks Foundation (FFF) as he prepares to travel to France for the 2020-2021 French Athletics season.The 29-year-old track and field sprint athlete has been selected by the French Athletics club ASUL Bron to take part in the season, which is an annual indoor and outdoor track and field competition organised by the French Athletics Federation.Nyambe reached out to the FFF requesting financial assistance for his accommodation while in France.“I’m truly grateful and over the moon because I didn't know where I would acquire the necessary funds to assist my housing expenses during my first few months in Europe,” he said. ‘Embrace the challenge’The FFF chairman Frank Fredericks said that he has fond memories of Liévin in France where he set the world indoor 200m record at the International Meeting in 1996.“I wish Nyambe all the best and hope he will embrace the upcoming challenge while he continues to learn and improve so he can bring his lessons learnt abroad to help other athletes in Namibia.”The donation will not cover all Nyambe’s expenses and the FFF encourages others to assist the talented athlete.No is no stranger to the competition, the sprinter took part in France last year as well, and impressed the coaches with his abilities.His personal best in the 100m is 11.12 seconds, which he set last October at the Five Rings Sports Centre in Wuhan, China, at the Military Games. In the 200m, his best is 22.81, set in 2017 in Windhoek. Meanwhile, just last month, he ran the 300m in a time of 36.22 at the second leg of the Erens Narib Golden Spikes event to set another best.More help neededEven with FFF sponsorship, the athlete still needs help with finances for his return ticket and other funding for four months of accommodation.Training at the French Athletics season will help him prepare and hopefully qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games, set for 24 July to 9 August 2021, as well as competitions such as the World Athletics Indoor Championships, which take place from 19 to 21 March 2021.Fighting to qualifyNyambe needs to beat a time of 20.5 seconds to qualify for next year’s Olympics.The sprinter said he should already be in France, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, he couldn’t travel.“I now have three weeks to make it there,” he said. “I missed my scheduled flight.”Asked whether he is related to Blackburn Rovers’ Ryan Nyambe, the athlete said he wasn’t sure, but added with a chuckle that if he is, he would be the footballer’s uncle.

Athlete scores from Frank Fredericks Foundation

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-23

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Athlete scores from Frank Fredericks Foundation

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-23

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