By Michael Uugwanga
Namibia’s boxing team has secured a historic medal haul at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, after Philip !Haoseb, Michaela Araes and Tryagain Ndevelo all advanced to the semi-finals.
The achievement guarantees the three boxers bronze medals, with the possibility of progressing further to win silver or gold medals depending on their performances in the coming bouts.
!Haoseb booked his place in the semi-finals after claiming a 4-0 split decision victory over Mukuka in a closely contested bout.
Reflecting on the tough encounter, !Haoseb said he remained focused despite the intensity of the fight.
“He is a man, I am also a man. You cannot hit me and I keep quiet. We hit each other until one stops. There were a lot of things going through my head, but I focused them all on him, so I had to focus and lock in. I was not expecting much from him, but he did his thing,” said !Haoseb.
Ndevelo also progressed after defeating Niall Adams of Guernsey in the quarter-finals.
Araes created history by becoming the first Namibian female boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal after defeating Sri Lanka’s Nadeeka Ranasinghe on points.
“I want to thank my Namibian supporters and my coaches for being with me all the way. I am so proud. I want to thank my mom and dad. I balance and I maintain,” said Araes.
The last Namibian boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal was Jonas Junias Jonas, who claimed gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia after previously winning silver at the 2014 edition held in Glasgow.
The three Namibian boxers will now fight for places in the finals as they aim to add more medals to the country’s Commonwealth Games record.
