By Michael Uugwanga
One of the country’s longest serving and most successful paralympian sprinter Johannes Nambala has said that retiring is not yet on his mind, despite his next big competition only being next year’s World Championships.
Next year, Beijing, China will play host to the World Athletics Championships, of which Nambala will be one of the country’s top participants alongside other local paralympians.
At 35, Nambala still feel young and want to continue running until his body calls it time, having already made history by becoming the first Namibian paralympian to win a world championship in 2013 in France, when he won the T13 400m.
Other gold medals won at the world championships by Nambala was at the 2015 in Doha,Qatar in the T13 200m , followed by the 2019 T13 400m win in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nambala is also a two time paralympic silver medalist winner, after claiming the two medals at the 2016 Rio Janeiro Summer Paralympics, before winning a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games in Japan.
Speaking to Confidente this week, Nambala who has not been active in athletics this year due to lack of competitions and financial difficulties for paralympians said he has been training hard.
“No, I am not going to retire soon. I have been training since the beginning of the year. Sportis quiet here in the country, as there are not lots of competitions to take part in. Retiring maybe only after the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, USA, and that is a maybe,” said Nambala.
Besides being an athlete, Nambala is already looking at life after sport and that is to be in the media industry, as he is a student at the College of the Arts.
“I am doing a diploma in new media design,” said Nambala.
