‘I will be back’ – De Sousa
Namibian track and field athlete Sade de Sousa is not done with the track.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
WINDHOEK
There was a time Sade de Sousa made headlines in Namibian track and field circles, but then she disappeared from the radar for about two years.
In 2017, De Sousa scooped gold in the 200 metres and silver in the 100 metres at the national championships. Her performances in the 100 m (11.85 seconds) and 200 m (24.30) both qualified her for the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships held in Kenya.
She took fourth place in the 100 m. In 2018 at the Algiers African Youth Games, she ran to a fourth finish in the 100 m, and had to settle for eighth spot in the 200 m final.
Namibian Sun caught up with the athlete, who is currently in her first year studying for a bachelor’s degree in human performance and sports science at New Mexico Highlands University.
She said she is settling in well in the United States and has been following the latest track and field news.
She said she would have enjoyed competing at the Under-20 World Championships with the likes of Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi if she could have qualified.
She explained that several factors played a role in her absence from the track.
“I had a knee injury that required me to get surgery. It left me out of action for the year 2019. Then the following year (2020) the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This meant that another year out of action.
“Then after that, I moved to the United States for school. Earlier this year, I got another injury. Since then I have been focusing on recovery.
“It’s been a long two years, and a lot of unfortunate events. but I’ve been training a bit and building my strength. I just want to make sure my body is 100% ready before I go back to competing again. Just to avoid further injuries,” said De Sousa.
WINDHOEK
There was a time Sade de Sousa made headlines in Namibian track and field circles, but then she disappeared from the radar for about two years.
In 2017, De Sousa scooped gold in the 200 metres and silver in the 100 metres at the national championships. Her performances in the 100 m (11.85 seconds) and 200 m (24.30) both qualified her for the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships held in Kenya.
She took fourth place in the 100 m. In 2018 at the Algiers African Youth Games, she ran to a fourth finish in the 100 m, and had to settle for eighth spot in the 200 m final.
Namibian Sun caught up with the athlete, who is currently in her first year studying for a bachelor’s degree in human performance and sports science at New Mexico Highlands University.
She said she is settling in well in the United States and has been following the latest track and field news.
She said she would have enjoyed competing at the Under-20 World Championships with the likes of Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi if she could have qualified.
She explained that several factors played a role in her absence from the track.
“I had a knee injury that required me to get surgery. It left me out of action for the year 2019. Then the following year (2020) the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This meant that another year out of action.
“Then after that, I moved to the United States for school. Earlier this year, I got another injury. Since then I have been focusing on recovery.
“It’s been a long two years, and a lot of unfortunate events. but I’ve been training a bit and building my strength. I just want to make sure my body is 100% ready before I go back to competing again. Just to avoid further injuries,” said De Sousa.
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