Beatrice Masilingi on Wednesday stormed into the finals of the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships underway in Nairobi, Kenya, by clocking 11:35 seconds (s) in the second semi-final of the 100 metre race.
The Namibian sprinting sensation won the race ahead of Switzerland’s Melissa Gutschmidt who was second in a time of 11:50 seconds.
Earlier on during the day, Masilingi was the fastest qualifier for the women’s 100m semi-final at the same event, storming to a Namibia national U-20 record of 11.20s to win heat 3 from Tima Godbless of Nigeria who clocked 11.59s.
Masilingi will now line up for the finals which are scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 17h30 Namibia time where she will be aiming to win a gold medal for her homeland.
Meanwhile, Elvis Khikhoe Gaseb finished sixth in the men’s 100m heats in a time of 10.87s and missed out on qualification for the semi-finals.
On Saturday, 21 August, Masilingi and Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma will be in action in the 200m race where the pair is expected to dominate.
The 4x100m relay will then take place on Sunday, 22 August.
The Namibian U-20 team at the championships comprises Masilingi (100m, 200m and 4×100 relay), Mboma (200m and 4×100 relay), Gaseb (100m), and Ndawana Haitembu, Carien Oosthuizen and Nandi Vass forming part of the 4x100m relay team.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
