Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallist, Christine Mboma was on Tuesday appointed as the Sam Nujoma Goodwill Ambassador, following her rapid ascent to the women’s 200-metre final race.

En route to the Olympic final, Mboma, 18, smashed some long-standing records. She set an unratified African senior and world under-20 record in the 400 metres in Bydgoszcz, Poland in June after running 48.54 seconds to break the 49.10 seconds set by Falilat Ogunkoya-Osheku in 1996, which made her the seventh fastest woman of all time at the event with the 12th fastest result ever.

Mboma’s silver medal in the 200 metres at the just-held Summer Olympics in Tokyo has made her the first-ever Namibian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Founding President Sam Nujoma in a statement on Tuesday stated that given that the Sam Nujoma Foundation has been founded upon the principle of self-reliance and capacity building, throughout the process leading up to the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Summer Olympic Games, Namibian athletes have demonstrated a high sense of self-reliance in their abilities, raw talent and above all patriotism towards their motherland.

“It is against this background that I, in my capacity as Founder of the Sam Nujoma Foundation, appoint Ms Christine Mboma as Goodwill Ambassador of the Sam Nujoma Foundation,” Nujoma said.

He also praised Mboma and fellow 200m sprinter Beatrice Masilingi’s coach Henk Botha for his leadership in guiding both athletes to victory.

“His passion for sports has not gone unnoticed and his generosity, not only in mentoring these young athletes but also by contributing financially to their upkeep, deserve accolades,” he said.

Nujoma further congratulated all Namibian athletes for consistently representing the country on the world stage, stating that their performance and tenacity “make us proud as Namibians”.

Source: Namibai Press Agency