Malawi’s top two athletes Stern Lifa and Asimenye Simwaka have qualified for Senior African Athletics Championships after emerging the best in their respective races at the All Comers Meet in Ndola, Zambia, over the weekend.
The pair has kept its 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualification chances alive after making the grade for the continental showpiece in fine fashion, setting new national records in the process.
Lifa clocked 10:22 seconds in the 100 metres (m) category and 20:75 in the 200m one to make it.
Simwaka booked her ticket to compete with Africa’s best after finishing her 100m race in 11:56 and the 200m contest in 23:16.
The results mean the two have broken their own records and have set up new personal best times after smashing national records for the first time in 2021.
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Coach Pachisi Nyasulu was excited with the development, saying it gives hope in the runners’ quest to qualify for the Olympics.
“Lifa has set two fastest times this year alone in our records for the men’s category. Asimenye has also done the same. She has set two times for our records in Malawi. So, the two have qualified for the Senior African Athletics Championships because of their finishing times,” Nyasulu said.
However, it was a different story for Sunganani Namakonje, who missed the qualifying time in the 400m and 800m races.
“Unfortunately, Sunganani did not perform very well in the 400m and 800m races. But she has the potential to do well and we will continue working with her so that she improves.
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“The immediate focus is now on Liffa and Simwaka. We must do our best to help them prepare well for the continental championship so that they book tickets to the Olympics,” Nyasulu said.
Simwaka, Lifa and Namakonje arrived in Ndola on Thursday last week and competed at Levi Mwanawasa Stadium.
Malawi Olympic Committee Secretary General Henry Sakala said Lifa and Simwaka will continue camping in Lilongwe in readiness for the continental championship.
“Lifa and Asimenye have indeed qualified, and we congratulate them, but Namakonje did not make it despite coming third in her heat. She was not as lucky.
“We will not release them from camp until they fly out to this important competition. We will do whatever we can to help them prepare well,” Sakala said.
Both Simwaka and Lifa were part of Team Malawi which performed poorly at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, about two months ago.
This meant that the country’s competitors in judo, taekwondo, boxing and swimming were not good enough for the Olympic Games.
