• Home
  • SPORTS
  • De Sousa motivated for youth championships
De Sousa motivated for youth championships
De Sousa motivated for youth championships

De Sousa motivated for youth championships

Yanna Smith
Namibian sprinter, Sade de Sousa, says she is motivated to give her best at the 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Youth Championships to be held from 12 to 16 July.

The championships for Under-18 athletes will be held in Nairobi, Kenya at the Moi International Sports Centre.

On Monday, during a capping ceremony at the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), De Sousa said she has trained well for the competition and is looking forward to the challenge.

“I am not promising medals but reaching the finals will be one of my biggest goals,” she said.

De Sousa will compete in the 100 and 200-metre sprints.

She added that the competition will give her a chance to challenge herself against the world’s best - every athlete’s dream and goal.

The young sprinter, who clocked 11.85 seconds in the 100-metres final to be crowned Namibia’s female champion at the 2017 National Championships for elite women in April this year, also ran 24.30 seconds in the 200-metre race and she finished second and qualified for the world youth championships.

Three other Namibian athletes will represent the country at this international competition. They are Ivan Geldenhuys who will compete in the 400-metre sprint, Theron Human who will compete in the 100-metre and 200-metre sprints and Ryan Williams, who will compete in the discus event.

Addressing the athletes on Monday, NSC chief administrator, Freddy Mwiya said the time has come for Namibian athletes to prove that they “also belong in first class.”

Team manager, Leoni van Rensburg said the athletes are prepared well for the competition and she is confident they will compete well against the world’s best.

This will be the 10th and last edition of the biennial international athletics competition for youth athletes. In August 2016, the IAAF decided to cancel the World Youth Championships as from 2018, saying it is not the best pathway for the athletes at their career levels opting to instead focus on regional competitions.

NAMPA\

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-05-06

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment