Female short-distance athlete Asimenye Simwaka finished sixth in the final of the 100-metre (m) race at the ongoing African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon on Saturday.
The country’s sole representative at the continental event crossed the finish line in 11.49 seconds, at least 35 milliseconds behind the eventual winner Gina Marriam Bitaye of The Gambia.
Simwaka’s time was also 42-milliseconds short of the Olympic qualification time.
The 26-year-old qualified for the final after topping heat two of the semi-finals with a finishing time of 11.35 seconds. With this result, she also broke her own and Malawi’s record by 16 milliseconds.
“It was tough to compete twice in a single day, but I am happy with my results so far,” she said.
The Malawi Defence Force (MDF) athlete is hoping to engage an extra gear to break the Olympics’ qualification jinx as she competes in 200m race tomorrow.
National athletics coach Pachisi Nyasulu yesterday said it was not easy for Asimenye to maintain her focus and composure after participating in two events within a few hours.
He said: “She is improving well in terms of her overall performance and I am hopeful that she will improve further in her next competitions. Now, our focus is on the 200m race this Tuesday.”
Nyasulu said Simwaka’s overall performance by the end of the competition will determine whether she will qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, France scheduled for July.
“There is a system that determines qualified athletes for the Olympics depending on the points accumulated and we are keeping fingers crossed that all will be well with us at the end of the competition,” he said.
Simwaka is the only Malawian representative in Cameroon after her male counterpart Stern Lifa pulled out of the trip because dates for the tournament clashed with the period of his officer cadet interviews at MDF.
Lifa and Simwaka went straight into camp in Lilongwe upon their return from the All Corner International Meet in Zambia where they won gold medals and made a cut for the African championship, which is Malawi’s only remaining chance for the 2024 Olympics qualification.
Malawi hopes to produce a qualified athlete for the Olympics for the first time since the country’s inaugural participation in 1972.
Malawi is the only country in the 10-member African Union Sports Council Region 5 yet to produce a qualified athlete for the 2024 Olympics
