Benade targets Paralympics gold
Namibian Paralympian Reginald Benade is happy to return after a three-year absence from the sport due to injury.
Reginald Benade, who competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China where he won a bronze medal in the men's F35/36 discus event, made a successful return at the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) national championships held in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
While at the SASAPD champs, Benade won two gold medals in shot put and discus, recording a personal best of 10.28m in the shot put event and a throw of 30.42 in discus.
His 10.28m shot put throw qualified him for the 2020 Paralympic Games, as well as the 2019 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships.
Benade said he still has a lot of work ahead of him, as he is eager to represent Namibia at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
“I know I can do better than what I did at the SASAPD because in the past I used to throw 12 metres in shot put and 40 metres in discus, which at the moment I am very far off from, but I feel happy that after the competition I am not in pain, as I used to be in the past,” he said.
Namibia's first Paralympic Games medallist added that he went to the SASAPD champs so he could see if he could still continue with the sport.
“I used to have back pains after training but I travelled to Taipei, Taiwan for a year where I received treatment, which really helped with my back pains, because at the moment I feel really good right now,” he explained.
“I wanted to quit the sport, but after seeing that I still have something to offer, I will start training well again, so I can improve on my techniques,” he said.
Benade, who qualified for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games in Brazil but could not participate due to injury, expressed optimism about once again winning a medal for Namibia next year. “I threw a Paralympic Games qualifying standard, but it's not good enough. I have a couple of months to improve on that, because I still believe that if I get the right support, once again I can win a medal for Namibia in Tokyo,” he said.
NAMPA
While at the SASAPD champs, Benade won two gold medals in shot put and discus, recording a personal best of 10.28m in the shot put event and a throw of 30.42 in discus.
His 10.28m shot put throw qualified him for the 2020 Paralympic Games, as well as the 2019 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships.
Benade said he still has a lot of work ahead of him, as he is eager to represent Namibia at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
“I know I can do better than what I did at the SASAPD because in the past I used to throw 12 metres in shot put and 40 metres in discus, which at the moment I am very far off from, but I feel happy that after the competition I am not in pain, as I used to be in the past,” he said.
Namibia's first Paralympic Games medallist added that he went to the SASAPD champs so he could see if he could still continue with the sport.
“I used to have back pains after training but I travelled to Taipei, Taiwan for a year where I received treatment, which really helped with my back pains, because at the moment I feel really good right now,” he explained.
“I wanted to quit the sport, but after seeing that I still have something to offer, I will start training well again, so I can improve on my techniques,” he said.
Benade, who qualified for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games in Brazil but could not participate due to injury, expressed optimism about once again winning a medal for Namibia next year. “I threw a Paralympic Games qualifying standard, but it's not good enough. I have a couple of months to improve on that, because I still believe that if I get the right support, once again I can win a medal for Namibia in Tokyo,” he said.
NAMPA
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