Injury scare for aging athletes
in her running career, she might be prone to injuries. It is alleged by those close to the athlete that a decision to have the 400m runner take part at the Africa Athletics Championships is still under debate and discussion.
Local athletics analyst, Billy Tambula believes athletes who are aging should not have their program disturbed. He mentioned that they need to filter through the season and look for competitions to take part in. “I think if they are to participate at the Africa Athletics Championships, then they have to take part in the Relays because the individual events are demanding; they will have to participate in the heats, semifinals and the finals,” he stressed.
Unlike younger athletes, the older athletes have to adjust to competitions and find their peak before the major competitions, he further noted that Montsho qualified at her peak but her progress was halted by the Covid - 19 pandemic. “Makwala has been struggling to improve his time locally but after the World Relays in Poland, he beat the Olympic qualification mark, I believe we do not have to overload them with races.”
For his part, National Team Coach Justice Dipeba said the athletes will be given a chance at the Africa Championships but with a high monitoring of their program. “We will monitor their events and instead of running three they will run in one or two races,” he said.
He admitted that at their age, injuries might be a scare but he said the most important thing is to monitor their programs and their competitions, “there has been a blank out of events so we ought to give them a chance at the Africa Athletics Championships.”
Quizzed if Makwala was spared from participating at the Finals of the National Athletics Championships hosted at the National Stadium a few weeks ago, Dipeba had this to say: “That was tactical, it’s a standard rule that an athlete who has qualified can be excused depending on what the meet organizers and the association agree on, it was to give other athletes an opportunity to qualify.”