Steady flow of medals for Namibia

The 2014 Commonwealth Games under way in Glasgow, Scotland, are ending this weekend, with Namibia guaranteed to come home with at least three medals. That feat would equal the haul from four years ago when the country claimed a silver medal and two bronze medals. For some, Namibia’s medal haul will be considered as somewhat of a failure but a look at previous events shows that the country has consistently come back with similar results from the ‘Friendly Games’. Since competing at its first Commonwealth Games event in 1994, Namibia won 15 medals in the five editions prior to the Glasgow event. In Canada in 1994, sprinting icon Frank Fredericks opened Namibia’s account when he claimed a gold and bronze medal in the 200m and 100m dash respectively. Four years later in Malaysia, Namibia won three medals as Fredericks added to his personal collection by claiming silver in the 100m dash while Elizabeth Mongudhi claimed a bronze in the marathon. The third medal was won in lawn bowls with Cathelean du Plessis and Lynne Lindsay-Payne garnering a bronze in the doubles competition. Biggest haul Namibia’s biggest haul came in 2002 in Manchester when the country came home with five medals thanks to a golden performance from Fredericks in the 200m race and four bronze medals from the likes of Joshua Veikko (featherweight boxing), Paulus ‘Ali’ Nuumbembe (welterweight boxing), Agnes Samaria (800m) and the shooting pair of Andre Malherbe and Friedhelm Sack (air pistol). But that high was countered four years later in Australia where Namibia claimed only two medals - boxer Jafet Uutoni claimed a gold medal and Sack secured bronze in the 10m air pistol shooting. The country bounced back somewhat in 2010 in India where Uutoni won his second medal - albeit a silver one this time - with two bronze medals coming from Johanna Benson in the T37 100m race and Gaby Ahrens in the women’s trap shooting competition for a three-medal haul. This year Benson claimed bronze – in the T37 long jump - while Lahja Ishitile duplicated that by coming third in the T10 100m dash and boxer Junias Jonas, who is set to fight England’s Samuel Maxwell today, is guaranteed to get at least a bronze medal. Difficult to compete If none of the other athletes still to compete add to that tally, Namibia would easily have matched the previous years but would remain a great distance behind the leading countries. What is also clear, judging by how Namibia has performed during the previous events, is that the country needs to do more if the athletes are to come back home with more medals. In an interview with Namibian Sun two years ago, Fredericks, who still holds the Commonwealth Games 200m record of 19.97 seconds, reflected on what it took for him claim his medals. “It cost at least N$500 000 per year in preparation for me to claim my medals... That is the kind of money we need to put in as that will give our athletes access to professional training. Without that it is not possible to compete,” he said unequivocally. WINDHOEK-HECTOR MAWONGA