By William Kumwembe, in Accra, Ghana:
Malawi Defence Force athlete Asimenye Simwaka gave the country a glimmer of hope after reaching the semi-finals in the 400 metres race at the on-going 13th Africa Games in Accra, Ghana.
She is the only local athlete among 10 to have made it this far.
The rest did not go beyond preliminary round in disciplines such as judo, boxing, swimming and taekwondo.
In her heat, Simwaka was second, finishing the race in 53:32 behind a Kenyan athlete who recorded 52:18.
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Her coach Pachisi Nyasulu said the journey has been competitive, but Simwaka sailed through, having put up a gallant fight.
“It was a tight game as she was in lane two, which has a lot of corners, but she showed the highest level of resilience and she was consistent,” Nyasulu said.
Simwaka, who will also compete in 200m Thursday, was expected to compete for a slot in the final as we went to press.
Her compatriot Stern Liffa was fourth and could not make it to the semi-finals of the 100m. Liffa will compete in the 200m Thursday.
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Another Malawian Vester Banda will be in action tomorrow competing in taekwondo.
