Naseb qualifies for U20 world championship

Athletics Namibia’s national senior track and field championships last weekend delivered three national records and one qualification for a major world event.

The 18-year-old sprinter Magano Naseb qualified with 20.95 seconds in the 200 meter final for the Under 20 World Championships to be held in Lima, Peru, later this year.

His time of 20.95 places him currently at 31st on World Athletics’ rankings of best times by under-20 sprinters so far in 2024, led by Xavier Butler (USA) and Miguel Angel Marte (Dominican Republic).

Naseb still has time to also qualify for Lima in the 100 metres. He ran 10.47 in the heats, but the wind from behind was at more than the legal limit.

Although he qualified for the 100 final, he did not compete in the final.

• Five athletes took gold medals in two events each at the national championship held at the Independence Stadium.

Christine Mboma won double gold in the 100 and 200 metre sprints, Gilbert Hainuca (was king in the 100 and 200), Tuulike Angala came first in 400 and 800, Frieda Iithete (triple jump, long jump) and Marike Weitz (shot put, discus throw) also did a double.

Iithete was the first athlete to break a national record when she improved her own triple jump best from 12.11 to 12.30 metres on Friday.

Coenraad Kühn followed a little later in the shot put. Kühn’s first record attempt improved Derreck Wiggill’s 55-year-old record from 17.10 to 17.29 meter. With his final push he extended his record and personal best to 17.54 m.

On Saturday the junior women’s hammer thrower Annelize Smith (18) improved Nadine van der Merwe’s 29-year-old national record from 33.24 to 36.03 meter. Smith only started this technical item in 2022.