Para cyclists relish first international participation

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Namibia’s wheelchair racers and hand cyclists say their trip to George, South Africa is one to remember and was an eye-opener for them as athletes.

The Namibia Paralympic Committee sent five wheelchair racers to South Africa to compete in the Outeniqua Chair Challenge (OCC) on Saturday.

Gabriel Nghiishililwa, who races with a hand cycle, in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday said competing in the OCC was a dream come true.

“This was my first trip out of the country and being in South Africa was already an experience on its own. I learned that I should take sports seriously,” he said.

Nghiishililwa, who finished fourth in the 41-kilometre (km) race, added that he has just started hand cycling and his dream is to represent Namibia in major cycling competitions.

Modestu Simon, who also competes with a hand cycle, told this agency their trip to the neighbouring country, was brilliant, however, several things still need to be ironed out for riders to compete well.

“We arrived just hours before our race because we drove late from Namibia due to financial constraints, but I hope for future competitions we will have sponsors coming on board early to make things easier for us,” he said, adding that his first experience at an international competition showed him what power sports have.

Modestu also said competing in the rain at the event did not make things easy, but he now knows what to expect during different weather conditions. Modestu won the 21km hand cycle category.

Meanwhile, Luka Ndahangwapo who scooped a bronze medal in the 41km hand cycle category said competing at the OCC one needs better cycling equipment.

“We need to train hard as these guys here are fast and have the latest cycling bikes. My goal is to do well so that one day I can represent Namibia at the Paralympic Games or World Champs, but that can only happen if I give it my all,” he said.

Nico Kharuxab won a gold medal in the 21km wheelchair race. He said competing in the OCC was an experience he will cherish for a long time.

“All along I used to think my chair was slow but I pushed myself to the limits. But what needs to improve in future is the transportation to competitions so that our chairs are not in the same space as us in the bus,” said Kharubab.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency