Runners sweep top honours in Pretoria
Namibian distance and adaptive sports athletes recorded strong results at the Southern Africa Confederation of Athletics and African Union Sports Council Region 5 Championship in Pretoria last Sunday, securing key podium finishes across open and adaptive categories.
International distance runner Lavinia Haitope, from Eenhana in the Ohangwena region, produced a solid performance in the women's open half-marathon.
Executing a measured race strategy over the Pretoria course, Haitope crossed the finish line in 1:14:41 to secure first place overall and earn N$50,000.
Haitope finished 30 seconds ahead or South Africa’s Irvette van Zyl, with Karabo Mailula (RSA) in third position. Runners from Lesotho (4th), Botswana (7th) and Kenya filled the rest of the top ten.
In April this year, Haitope also won the prestigious Two Oceans half marathon in Cape Town. She followed up in June by successfully defending her Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon title in Gqeberha.
In the men's 21.1 km event, Simon Matias led the Namibian contingent, stopping the clock at 1:05:47 to finish third overall and collect N$10,000.
Simon Paulus clocked 1:14:36 to finish seventh for N$2,000 in prize money, while Welhem Shipopyeni completed the half-marathon course in 1:17:48 to place 34th overall and second in his category.
Consistent top-five results in 10 km
Namibia's distance pipeline, drawing talent from northern regional hubs, demonstrated continued strength over the 10 km distance.
In the women’s 10 km, middle distance track athlete Tuuliki Angala competed against an international field to cross in 35 minutes 51 seconds, placing fourth overall and earning N$5,000.
Shivoomwene Shilongo finished closely behind in 0:36:27 to take fifth place and N$4,000, while Neumbo Penongheda placed 20th overall (third in category) with a time of 44:13.
In the men's 10km event, Joshua Titus recorded a time of 0:36:31 to finish 48th overall and second in his category.
Wheelchair racers own the podium
Namibia’s adaptive sports delegation, featuring international wheelchair racers based in Windhoek, delivered a complete podium sweep in the invitation-only one-mile showcase.
Roodly Gowaseb led the group, taking first place in 5 minutes 37 seconds to earn N$5,000.
Nico Kharuxab placed second in 5:41 for N$3,000 while Matias Angula completed the podium in third place with a time of 6 minutes 42 seconds, earning N$2000.
Sanctioned by regional governing bodies to build competitiveness and foster regional integration, the championship highlighted Namibia's athletic presence across both open and adaptive sports.
