AT names 14 runners for Ghana’s All Africa Games
Tanzania’s female runner Winfrida Makenji (front) competes during a past athletic event. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Tanzania will field eight other sports, namely swimming, amateur boxing, cricket, cycling, beach volleyball, judo, karate, and women’s football.
Dar es Salaam. Athletics Tanzania (AT) has named 14 runners who will represent the country in the All Africa Games scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana, from March 8 to 23.
AT secretary general Jackson Ndaweka named male runners as Twahir Haji Ame, Peter Gidoska, Josephat Gisemo, Samir Sululu, Mao Hando, John Wele, Ally Gulam, and Gasisi Geagase.
Women runners, according to Ndaweka, are Mwanaamina Mkwayu, Transfora Musa, Anastazia Dolomongo, Winfrida Makenji, Elizabeth Ilanda, Hamida Nassoro, and Neema Kisuda. Ndaweka said the runners are now in residential training camp in Arusha under the trainers Maselina Gwandu, Francis Nade, Alfredo Shahanga, and Makame Hassan Juma.
He said the camp has been facilitated by the government, thanks to President Samia Suluhu Hassan's efforts to develop sports in the country.
“We are really proud of the government's support for sports development. AT commends President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her initiative, and we promise her that we will not let the nation down in the multisport event in Accra,” said Ndaweka.
Apart from athletics, Tanzania will field eight other sports, namely swimming, amateur boxing, cricket, cycling, beach volleyball, judo, karate, and women’s football.
The Boxing Federation of Tanzania (BFT) has already selected 16 amateur national team boxers ahead of the event. Among the selected boxers, 11 are men and the rest are women. The boxers will be under the tutelage of five trainers who will nurture their skills.
The male boxers include Abdulrazaq Hamisi Salum (48kg, light flyweight), Abdallah Mohamed Abdallah (51kg, flyweight), Azizi Chala (54kg, bantamweight), Mwalami Salum Mohamed (57kg, lightweight), and Ezra Paul (60 kg), who will compete in lightweight.
Others are Hassani Mrutu, who competes in the 60kg lightweight division, Abdallah Mfaume, Joseph Kasi (71kg, middleweight), Mussa Wambura (86kg, heavyweight), Mhina Morice, and Alex Sita, who will compete in the over-92 kg division.
The female amateur boxers, according to Mashaga, are Miriam Maligisa (48kg, light flyweight), Zulfa Macho (52kg, flyweight), Vumilia Kalinga (57kg, lightweight), Leila Yazidu (60kg, lightweight), and Grace Mwakamele, who competes in the 66 kg welterweight division.
The squad’s technical committee, led by Samuel Batman Kapungu as head coach, includes assistants Mzonge Hassan, Rogate Damiani, Muhsin Mohamed, and Makore Masaga, who is also the team manager.
The boxers are now in residential training camp in Kibaha ahead of the multisport event.
