Namibian track and field athletes grabbed three more medals, while the netball Under-19 team finished the group stage in fifth place at the ongoing 2022 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 games in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The medals were won during the first session of the track and field competitions which kicked off on Thursday at the Bingu International Stadium.

Hurdler Christine Mutumbi became the first Namibian at the games to win a gold medal as she crossed the line first in the girls’ 400 metres.

Mutumbi’s stellar performance was quickly followed by Nicholis du Plessis, who finished second in the men’s 400 metre hurdles event to scoop a silver medal for Namibia, before Alexandra Kaura claimed a bronze medal in the long jump.

Their official times were not confirmed at the time of going to press due to technical difficulties.

Meanwhile, the netball team lost their fourth successive game as they crashed 41-50 to Zambia on Thursday at the Griffin Saenda Indoor Netball Courts.

Namibia needed to win their match against Zambia with the hope that South Africa defeats Zimbabwe and that Malawi falls to Botswana for the Young Desert Jewels to be in contention for any medals.

However, none of the results went Namibia’s way as Zimbabwe lost to South Africa 56-34 and Botswana lost 67-33 to Malawi, with Namibia finishing fifth, ahead of Botswana, whom they play on Friday for the fifth and sixth playoff match for the overall standings.

South Africa topped the group, followed by Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with the top four teams set to compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals on Friday at the same venue.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency