Malawi’s female top short distance athlete Asimenye Simwaka has described winning bronze in the 200 metres (m) category at the Senior African Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon, as a milestone in her career.
Simwaka set a new national and personal record after clocking 23:05 to finish third.
The Malawi Defence Force athlete said she was determined to win a medal at the continental games.
“When I was starting off from home for this competition, I kept encouraging myself to aim high. It was my mission to be the competition attracted top athletes but I was not afraid. I just kept focusing on my goal of returning home with a medal. I thank God for giving me the strength to run,” the multitalented athlete, who also plays for the Malawi Women’s National Football Team, said. in the top three. Of course
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Simwaka finished the 200m final behind the Ivory Coast duo of Jessika Lauren Maca Gbai and Maboundu Kone.
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Maca Gbai won gold medal after finishing the race in 22:84.
The trio missed the standard Olympic qualification time of 22:57 but they have a high chance of representing their respective countries on Universality, which is a format that considers athletes’ good rankings based on their previous performance.
Malawi Olympic Committee Secretary General Henry Sakala applauded Simwaka for her feat, saying the athlete will represent the country at the Paris Olympic Games.
“Asimenye is on an Olympic Solidarity scholarship and she has done well in this event. She will surely be at the Olympics because of her outstanding performance and good ranking,” Sakala said.
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In the 100m final, Simwaka clocked 11:49 to finished sixth.
Gina Mariam Bitaye of Gambia emerged winner after posting 11:14 while Maia McCoy of Liberia was second in 11:16.
Maboundou Kone of Ivory Coast finished third in 11:24.
They all failed to meet the standard Olympic qualification time of 11:07.
But she set the record in the semifinals when she ran 11:35, making her the first female local athlete to run this fast.
She reached the semifinals after posting a record of 11:51 which was her personal best but also a national record in the 100m category.
