Swimmers rake in more medals
LILONGWE – Namibian swimmers on Tuesday continued their fine form as they bagged six more medals at the ongoing 2022 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games in Malawi.
This was during the second and third sessions of the competition held at the Indoor Aquatic Swimming Pool of the Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe, where Trisha Mutumbula was the first to win a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle event before Reza Westerduin bagged a silver medal in the 100m backstroke event.
The 4x100m mixed relay team of Brave Magongo, Westerduin, Mutumbula and Nico Esslinger then won a bronze medal in the freestyle relay.
The third session saw Westerduin win her second medal of the day, a bronze, in the 400m freestyle, before Jessica Humphrey got another in the 50m backstroke event. Nicole Redecker then won another bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke for Namibia before Esslinger closed off the day with the final bronze medal in the 100m backstroke event.
Baby Warriors crash out
Meanwhile, the Baby Warriors were eliminated from the Under-17 (U-17) Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Algeria 2023 qualifier in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) played at the Bingu International Stadium. Namibia fell to Losika Ratshukudu’s goal in the 72nd minute after failing to clear their lines following a prolonged period of pressure. Botswana’s victory was enough to see them finish in second place in Group A, with host Malawi winning the group.
The top two in each group advanced to the semi-finals, while the two finalists in this year’s competition win a place at the 2023 U-17 Afcon, which takes place in April.
Baby Desert Jewels struggle
In the women’s netball competition, Namibia lost 61-23 to South Africa in a one-sided match. This was the second successive defeat for the Baby Desert Jewels, whose only victory so far came against Botswana.
The defeat leaves Namibia second from the bottom ahead of Botswana, which has not yet tasted victory. South Africa tops the group, followed by Zimbabwe, Malawi third and Zambia fourth, followed by Namibia.
On the overall medal table as of yesterday, Namibia stood secondlast with 10 medals (three silver and seven bronze). South Africa tops the table with a total of 49 medals, having amassed 27 gold, 14 silver and eight bronze medals.
-Nampa