Namibia misses world relays over poor standards

Coach Letu Hamhola says substandard training and poor administrative support have caused Namibia to miss out on the recent World Athletics Relays.

“It was disappointing not to participate in such a world-class event,” he says.

Hamhola, who is also Khomas Athletics’ national relay coach, says Namibia’s absence shows the country must work harder to regain its place among the world’s best relay nations.

Namibia competed in the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas in 2015.

“I’m confident that, given our talent, we can compete again. The primary reason for our absence is that our teams have not been training and competing at the required standard.”

He points to the women’s 4x100m team of Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi, Nandi Vass and Ndawana Haitembu, who won silver at the 2021 World under-20 Championships in Nairobi.

“That’s the world stage, however, the question remains: Where are these athletes now, and why have we not built on that success to remain competitive?”

Hamhola says relay teams require more exposure and regular training camps to perfect their technique.

“Relays are highly technical, and execution must be flawless,” he says, adding that countries such as Japan remain competitive because of hard work and consistency.

“Namibia has a strong track record, but we must support and retain our top athletes to prevent them from leaving the sport. I’m also very much encouraged by the potential of our junior talents.”

‘BRIGHT FUTURE’

Hamhola says young athletes such as Charley Matundu, Ruano de Carvalho, Wilbard Hamukonda, Magano Naseb, Miheshco Mouton, Kimi Mbaha, Ovaua Katjioungua and Yoritha Delie have a bright future if properly guided.

“Relays represent our best opportunity for Olympic qualification and medals at the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Games,” Hamhola says.

“We still have significant work to do to meet Olympic qualifying standards,” he says.

Hamhola says Botswana’s success should serve as motivation.

“In the same competition, we participated only in the men’s 4x100m relay, and won only two medals, while Botswana earned seven medals, including two gold and five silver, even without their regular champions like Tebogo Letsile and Kebinatshipi Collen.”

Namibia’s poor international presence highlights the need for greater athlete exposure and stronger relay structures, he says.

“Namibia has made progress in relays, with foundations laid by athletes who participated in Jamaica under the sport ministry’s athletics development programme,” he says.

“These athletes competed in the Penn Relays (USA vs the World) in Philadelphia, which enabled Namibia to qualify for the 2015 World Relays in the Bahamas.”

“That foundation also led to a silver medal in the men’s 4x100m at the 2015 African Games in Congo-Brazzaville.”

Hamhola says southern Africa now hosts several high-quality competitions, including the Botswana Golden Grand Prix and the Akani Simbine Classic, where Namibian athletes should compete regularly.

He says there has been a decline in Grand Prix races in Namibia under the current leadership, leaving athletes with limited preparation opportunities.

“For example, the athletes heading to the Mauritius African Junior Championships have no competitions left to prepare for.”

Hamhola says Namibia risks falling further behind without investment and proper planning.

“Currently, administrators remain hesitant to fully support our athletes. For example, our 4x100m team competed at the Akani Simbine Classic but finished behind Eswatini, largely because the athletes had not trained together as a quartet.

“Success doesn’t come by accident, we must work and plan for it,” reiterated Hamhola.

He also criticises travel arrangements for elite athletes.

“After competing in the National Athletics Championships, they travelled to the Akani Classic by bus under the Podium Performance Programme, and only days later, they participated in the African Championships.”

That approach is unsustainable, he says.

“Even primary schools in Windhoek fly their teams, but our teams are still on the bus.”

Hamhola says Namibia must regularly compete against stronger nations to improve its world rankings and qualify for major championships.

“Achieving a position among the top 16 nations globally will enable us to participate in the World Athletics Relays, World Championships, and Olympic Games,” he says.

He believes relay camps for both junior and senior athletes are urgently needed ahead of future events.

“I believe Namibia will progress more rapidly if administrators delegate technical high-performance planning to qualified experts.

“We are fortunate to have individuals such as Frank Fredericks who can mentor our young athletes, but we behave as if they don’t exist.”

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