One jump at a time

Elizabeth JosephEmmanuel Anana Samuntu is a 19-year-old high jumper with a personal best of 2.12m.He also has a long jump personal best of 7.27m. He is currently a first-year student at the University of Namibia (Unam), Samuntu says he has big plans to improve to a world-class level.The Congolese national says his passion was fuelled by watching his brother during a competition. “Back in Botswana, I went with my mom to pick up my older brother from school. He was in the middle of a high jump competition and I remember just being intrigued. “So when we moved to Namibia, I started doing all kinds of sport, and as the years passed I focused mostly on high jump, and I've been loving it ever since,” he said. A closer lookSince its election month, The Zone asked Samuntu what some of his expectations are in terms of whoever wins the elections. He was happy to share his thoughts. “I would like for the government to really invest in all their athletes, other than just focus on football,” he said. He boasts many achievements, but his most recent was when he recently broke a meeting record with a personal best of 2.10m. He also represented the South African Christian School Spots Association that competed in Potchefstroom four weeks ago. SuperpowersIt is no secret that being an athlete of any sort requires certain character traits. Samuntu says some of these traits are mental strength, being able to visualise before executing and keeping a cool head under immense pressure.Competitions Samuntu has competed both nationally, as well as internationally. He bagged gold medals during a zonal athletics competition, and was recognised as the best male track and field athlete on the day. He also took part in the Momentum rugby tournament and his team (Moria) scooped third place overall. Samuntu has had plenty of success and says one achievement is at the top of his list, which was qualifying for the under-13 Namibian national team that participated at the Confederation of Southern African Schools Sports Association (Cosassa) Games.This was not the only Cosassa competition he qualified for and competed in other over the following years. This young athlete is committed and determined to building a future for himself, and he is doing it one jump at a time. He attributes all the medals and competitions he has won to the support he has received from his family and close-knit circle of friends. What the future holdsApart from being a world renowned athlete and having a big sporting company like Puma or Adidas sponsoring him, he also wants to break the high jump national record, which is currently at 2.18m. Fun facts · He is an introverted extrovert.· He plays the piano. · He loves taking long walks.· He shares a birthday with his mom.· He spends a lot of time with his family and absolutely enjoys it.

One jump at a time

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-03

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One jump at a time

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-03

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