Paralympic sprinter Ananias Shikongo and his guide Sem Shimanda won the first medal for Namibia in the men’s T11, 400 metres at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday night.

They won the medal after finishing second behind World champion and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games gold medalist Gerard Puigdevall Descarrega of Spain and his guide Guillermo Gil Rojo, who won the race with a seasonal best of 50.42 seconds.

Shikongo finished second with a seasonal best of 51.14 seconds.

French sprinter Gauthier Akunda who ran his personal best of 51.74 seconds secured the third medal at the competition.

Speaking to Nampa after his race, Shikongo said he has shown the world that Namibians can compete on the global stage but more competitions are still needed at the International Paralympic Committee Grand Prix so they are on par with the rest of the world.

“I promised myself I will not disappoint the Namibian people as well as those who have been supporting me throughout the years. I am proud of the job done by my guides because I managed to do well in the races I competed in, which shows that we work well together.

“I now have to turn my attention to the 100m sprint which is another tough race with a lot of stars,” he said.

His guide Shimanda said he is happy to have secured his second Paralympic Games medal saying it is a better one, compared to the bronze medal they won in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 2016.

Namibia Paralympic Committee, Secretary-General, Michael Hamukwaya said hard work and dedication paid off on the day.

“We have talented athletes in the country and the time is now for us to go out there to recruit more athletes that will come learn from the current crop of elite athletes. I hope this win will have more corporate coming on board for the athletes to compete at IPC Grand Prix and we can then talk of more medals at Paralympic Games in the future,” Hamukwaya said.

Meanwhile, another Namibian sprinter Johannes Nambala missed out on a medal after finishing sixth in the T13 100m on Sunday night.

At the 2016 Paralympic Games, Team Namibia won five medals which were two silvers by Nambala while Shikongo’s won a gold and two bronze.

Three athletes are representing Namibia at this year’s games in athletics.

Namibian athletes will be back with their competition on Wednesday when Lahja Ishitile competes in the T11 200m.

Source: Namibia Press Agency