The Namibian Cycling Federation’s (NCF) president, Axel Thiessen, says the upcoming African Cycling Confederation (CAC) African road championships will be used as an Olympic qualifier for Team Namibia.

Held since 2001, the African Continental Cycling Championships are a series of cycling races held annually in Africa, where the African cyclists are crowned champion for the year.

The NCF selected four female cyclists who will represent Namibia at the African Road Championships that will be held in Accra, Ghana from 08 to 13 February 2023.

In a recent interview with Nampa, Thiessen said the African road championship team will compete for a spot in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

‘Our immediate goal is to use this opportunity to gain points for the Olympic qualifiers. The more points we get from this championship, the better chance we stand on gaining a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games,’ he said.

The four female riders who will represent the country at the CAC road African championships are Vera Looser, Courtney Liebenberg, Melissa Hinz and Anri Krugel.

Out of the four riders, Looser was crowned African women’s road race champion in 2016, while in 2021 she ended up on the podium with a bronze medal.

The NFC’s goal for the year, the president added, is to expose as many riders to international competitions as possible so they gain points and get better ranking at the International Cycling Union.

He also stated that the NCF is at the moment focused on preparing for the nationals this coming weekend, which he believes will be an exciting race to watch.

‘It will be an exciting national as the route for the time trial and road race will be new. This will give the cyclists new challenges and ideas to do things they have never done before,’ he said, adding that having Looser competing in the national will add to the standard of racing in the women’s category.

(NAMPA)

Source: The Namibian Press Agency