• Swimming

Esterhuizen wins country's first gold in Angola

• 20 Hours Ago

The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation (Nasfed)’s swimmers have boosted the country’s medals tally at the 4th African Youth Games in Angola – which included the nation’s only gold so far won by Lorenzo Esterhuizen in the 200 butterfly. Esterhuizen’s winning time of 2 minutes 07.2 seconds also set a new national age record. He later added a bronze in the 200 backstroke. Madison Bergh took the bronze in the 400 freestyle, after also earning a silver in the 1500 metres freestyle. Another silver was won by the 4x100 mixed relay team of Bergh, Esterhuizen, Rodney Feris and Victoria de Sousa. Feris won an individual bronze too, in the 100 freestyle. Swimming (concluding today), boxing and 3x3 basketball are the sports codes in which Namibians will still be in action this week. GOLF Golfer Samuel Nel from Walvis Bay Golf Club secured a silver medal on Sunday. Nel was the joint leader after round one (on one-under-par 71 with Destiny Oyero of Nigeria) and was also ahead after round two (72, to remain one-under-par) against Munesu Chimhini of Zimbabwe on two over par. However, Chimhini delivered an outstanding three-under 69 in the third round against Nel’s 74, securing the Zimbabwean (215) the victory by two shots. The pair were way ahead of the bronze medallist from Ghana (+9) and the rest of the field. Zimbabwe also celebrated the triumph of the women’s champion, Miriam Masiya. Namibia Amateur Golf Union president Today Gurirab extended his congratulations. “Our young star once again showcased a brilliant performance. Samuel Nel continues to impress with his consistency, discipline, and maturity on the course. “The Golf Union and the Junior Golf Federation are closely monitoring his development, as he currently stands as the number one junior golfer in the country. His growth in the game is evident, and his potential is undeniable.” ATHLETICS At the conclusion of the somewhat disorganised track and field athletics program held in the rural Bengo Province, Namibia finished with four medals. Lumé Jansen van Rensburg (100 hurdles; 14.66) and Alexandra Scheepers (high jump; 1.70m) each won a silver medal, while Roots Gymnasium sprinter Miheshco Mouton will bring home two bronze medals for 100 and 200 metres (10.78 and 21.66). Pro-Ed Akademie’s L’Wyk Viljoen was third in the hammer throw and finished just outside the medals with fourth places in both discus throw (50.18m) and shotput (15.46m). In men’s high jump, Anro Bouwer’s 1.85 metres placed him fourth. Coach Henk Botha says out of 39 countries, the above medals put Namibia in 11th place on the standings. “The first scheduled day of athletics were nothing but confusion and so it was postponed to start the next day. On day two, still nobody knew what was going on. Eventually, we gathered everyone together and took control ourselves. South Africa’s coach Seef le Roux handled the entries and I handled technical aspects. CYCLING In Sunday’s cycling road race (seven laps of a flat 13.48 km course, total 94.36 km) on a blistering hot day, Mike Baartman of Namibia finished in sixth position in a big sprint finish, with his team mate Theodor Janse van Vuuren following in 17th position. Eighty-seven riders were entered from 19 nations. Julius Braun withdrew from the race with a broken gear cable, after he had to catch up following a puncture and a wheel change, while Gero Friederich was forced out by a crash. National cycling coach Hans du Toit declared himself satisfied with the effort of the boys. “We brought some young names who many in Namibia will not be too familiar with. In terms of balance and depth this is one of our best age groups. These riders will enter the UCI junior category (U18) for the first time next year, joining up with our three proven junior contenders and others with good potential. “There were a lot of inexperienced riders in the bunch who were doing irresponsible things, and unfortunately it led to Gero Friederich crashing out during the final lap despite looking very strong. If Julius Braun could have been present in the final stages it could also have been important to us. But Mike and Theodor finished very well. “Many African countries put a lot into cycling. Algeria used their team of six to the maximum which resulted in them winning the road race. “The outstanding support that we received from volunteers – coordinated by Angolans living in Namibia – with things like a team vehicle, and providing food and ice on the hot day probably gave us an edge over many other teams." • In a very competitive team time trial (26.96 km), the four Namibians finished in fourth place behind Algeria, Mauritius and Ethiopia. • In the individual time trial on a flat and fast 13.48 km, Mike Baartman and Theodor Janse van Vuuren finished in respectable sixth and seventh positions out of 28 riders.