Tokyo: Namibian sprinter Elifas Nghikevali missed out on a place in the final of the men’s 400 metre (m) race after finishing sixth in heat three at the Deaflympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The 2025 Games are underway in the Japanese capital, with the athletics events being held at the Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground Athletic Field.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Nghikevali, the only Namibian athlete to progress beyond the opening round of his event on Monday, competed in the final heat of the 400m semi-finals, which was one of the fastest races of the day. The Namibian sprinter clocked a time of 54.00 seconds to finish sixth. Japanese sprinter Maki Yamada electrified the home crowd with a run of 49.03 seconds to win the heat. Colombia’s Fernan Alvarez followed in 49.73 seconds, while Slovenia’s Tadej Enci finished third in 50.07 seconds, improving significantly on his earlier heat-winning time of 51.74 seconds.
Only the top two athletes from each of the three heats qualified automatically for the final, with the remaining two spots allocated to the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. Speaking to Nampa after the morning session, Namibia Deaf Sport Federation President, Abner Sheya, emphasised the importance of global competition for the development of deaf sports in Namibia.
‘International exposure is crucial for the development of deaf sports in Namibia. This year marks a historic milestone, as it is the first time our team has successfully participated in the Deaflympics after attempting since 2017. The impact is already visible, for instance, our athlete Elifas (Nghikevali) reached the semi-finals of his first 400m heat, and other athletes are preparing to compete in the 200m and 800m events,’ he said.
Team Namibia is represented by 10 athletes at this year’s Deaflympics across athletics and judo. The two judo competitors were unable to take part after failing to meet the required weight categories, while the track athletes have so far competed in the 100m and 200m events. They are expected to return to action on Friday for the men’s and women’s 200m heats.
The Deaflympic Games are a multi-sport event for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and recognised by the International Olympic Committee.