Sichali finishes ninth in Africa
Athlete Harry Sichali returned home on Tuesday afternoon after finishing nineth in Africa and 17th in the world at the 2013 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Youth Championship in Ukraine.
Sichali participated in 3 000 metres against 77 other contesters during the event which ran from July 10-14.
Sichali said the tournament gave him a good test, towards which he did his best in the face of many challenges.
“I cover 3 000 metres in 8:39 minutes, but I covered the same distance in 8:41minutes at the tournament. I do not call this the worst performance because I arrived late at the tournament and had no time for training, let alone, resting,” said Sichali.
The 17-year-old said he had problems with visa processing that he was delayed by a day at Istanbul Airport in Turkey. He said from the airport, he went straight onto the field.
“I was in first ‘Heat’ and was transferred to the second when it was communicated that I was on my way. I could have missed it. I found my friends waiting for me. I needed some rest at least to do well,” he said, addaing that travelled without a coach because of lack of funds.
Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM) president Godfrey Phiri said his office is not disappointed by Sichali’s performance because finishing 17th in an international competition is not a joke.
“He was participating in an international competition for the first time. His performance in the previous competitions has been marvelous and we have lots of expectations from him during the next competitions. He is a candidate we are banking on most both at the Zone VI in Zimbabwe and 2016 Brazil Olympics,” said Phiri.
To qualify for the world championship, Sichali scooped position nine in Africa during the continental qualifiers in Nigeria last month.
