Medals continue to elude Tanzania in the East Africa Secondary School Games as its athletes flopped in the boy’s 10,000 metres and girls’ 5,000m at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.
Jackson Makombe
And athletics icon Filbert Bayi attributed Tanzania’s poor performance in the Games to poor preparations. “The problem is preparation.
Our athletes were required to be in camp soon after UMISSETA Games in June, but they dilly dallied and are now paying the price,” Bayi, the former 1500 metres world record holder and incumbent Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC) secretary general said.
Commenting on the country’s lackadaisical show, another sports stakeholder, Zainab Mbiro, said she visited athletes at Makongo Secondary School a week before the Games and found that they had not started training.
“We were ready to host the Games but we were not ready to compete, especially in athletics. I went to Makongo and I asked one student about their preparations and he told me that they had not started exercises,” she stated.
Barach Alfred from Kenya won a gold medal in the boys’ 10,000 metres in 29 minutes 24.7 seconds, the silver went to Rwanda’s Ndayikingurukite Cyliague in 29:37.3 while Josephat Ledama from Kenya collected a bronze in 30:01.0. Tanzania’s Jackson Makombe from Lord Baden Secondary School finished fifth.
Mateiko Valentine of Kenya’s Kaptama Secondary School won the girls’ 5000 metres, the silver went to Chesang Asah of Northern City Secondary School while Lucy Chepchirchir of Mokwo Secondary School collected a bronze. Tanzania was represented in the race by Grace Jackson of Lord Baden Powell Secondary School.
In the girls shot put, Laker Mercy of Gombe Secondary School in Uganda won gold after clearing 10.92 metres while Maximila Imali from Mokwo Secondary School of Kenya threw 10.21 metres and Anek Winny cleared 10.00 metres to collect silver and bronze medals respectively.
Enock Kemboi from Kaptele Secondary School in Kenya cleared 1.95 metres to win gold in the boys’ high jump, followed by compatriot Richard Biwott of Kimongoch Secondary School who jumped 1.92 metres while Stephen Yuel Chol of South Sudan’s Independent Secondary took home a bronze after clearing 1.89 metres.
However, Lord Baden Powell consoled Tanzanians by edging out Kenya’s Upper Hill Secondary 68-67 in basketball to advance to the quarter-finals. Makongo netballers also made Tanzania proud by thrashing Rwanda’s GS Gahni Secondary School 46- 29 while St Juliana of Uganda pulverized Burundi’s L.C.C Islamic 135-03.
By FRANK KIMARO, Tanzania Daily News