Henk Botha, the head coach of Namibia’s multiple medallist Christine Mboma, yesterday said they will be kicking off their 2023 activities by first competing in two local events before turning their full attention to the international athletics front.
Mboma, the country’s Tokyo Olympics 200m silver medallist, enjoyed a moderate 2022 on the track due to an assortment of injuries but has since recovered and looks set to hog headlines again in the international arena.
“We have started well with our preparations for the new season and have been doing some light training. Before the international competitions begin, we plan to first start off by competing in two local competitions as that
will help us see how far we have come in terms of preparations.
We have been training here at home in Namibia and I say all has been going quite well,” said Botha.
The World Athletics calendar for the year is packed with exciting events from around the globe, and both Botha and Mboma are expected to have a busy year.
“After the local events, we will turn our attention to major competitions such as the Gaborone International Meet, which takes place end of April, and also the Kip Keino Classic in Kenya taking place at the beginning of May. At the moment, we are busy putting in the work so that we start the season on a high note.”
He continued: “We have not yet specifically decided which local events we will be competing in but very soon we will share that info”.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, at just 18 years of age, Mboma became the first-ever Namibian woman to win an Olympic medal and breaking a world U/20 and African senior record when she scooped a silver medal in the 200m final with a time of 21.81 seconds.
She would go on to win 200m gold at the 2021 World U/20 Championships and at the Diamond League final, improving her record mark to 21.78 seconds in the process. She also set a world U/20 and African senior record of 48.54 seconds in the 400m, which made her the seventh-fastest woman of all time at the event.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na