First athletics GP off to great start

The athletics season kicked off with the first leg of the Bank Windhoek Athletics Grand Prix last weekend at the Independence Stadium. Corlia Kruger of Swakop Striders Athletics Club was the single biggest winner, walking away with three gold medals in the girls’ 100-metre hurdles, women’s long jump and women’s javelin throw. Her club won two more medals courtesy of Carolin Kutzner in the women’s 200 metres and Francis Uatema in the men’s 400 metres. The athletes from the Windhoek Hochland Sport Club were collectively the biggest winners with 12 gold medals, followed by Golden Cheetah Athletics Club with six gold medals. Pieter-Jan Swanepoel and Anro Swanepoel of Windhoek Hochland Sport Club both excelled on the day. Pieter-Jan won gold in both the men’s shot put and men’s discus throw while Anro scooped gold in the boys’ Under-18 discus throw and shot put. Sune Engelbrecht, from the same club, won gold in the girls’ U-18 shot put and discus. Other gold medal winners from Windhoek Hochland Sport Club were Kevin Mieze (men’s 110m hurdles), Dorette van der Merwe (girls’ U-18 javelin), Michelle Pretorius (women’s high jump), Anja Brand (women’s triple jump), Jan Roberts (boys U-18 javelin) and Dirk Potgieter (men’s javelin). Alina Armas of Namibia Defence Force Athletics made her club proud by winning two of the three gold medals won by her club in the 800 and 1500 metres. The third gold medal was won by Leonard Nampala in the men’s 5000 metres. The much-anticipated men’s 100 metres was won by Gilbert Hainuca of Golden Cheetahs Athletics Club in a time of 11 seconds, followed by Even Tjiviju of Namib Lions Athletics Club in 11.4 seconds. Ismael Tjiramba of Golden Cheetahs was third in 11.19 seconds. Tjiviju went on to win gold in the men’s 200 metres in a time of 21.78 seconds. In the women’s 100 metres, national team football player Lena !Noreses, who runs in the colours of Golden Cheetahs, won gold in a time of 13.09 seconds. She was followed home by Desiree Kandovazu of Namib Lions Athletics Club in second place in 13.11 seconds and Carolin Kutzner of Swakop Striders Athletics Club in 13.27 seconds. Kutzner went on to win the women’s 200 metres in a time of 26.68 seconds, followed by Mandi Kroze and Joliene van Zyl of Windhoek Hochland Sport Club in 27.67 seconds and 27.97 seconds respectively. Salomon Tuaire, meanwhile, took honours in the high jump after beating Visamuje Ujaha and Sakaria Kakunde by successfully clearing a height of 2 metres. WINDHOEK-SPORT REPORTER