Tanzania to feature only four runners in Paris Games
What you need to know:
- The runners who will represent the country in the Paris Olympic Games are Felix Simbu and Gabriel Geay in the men’s category, while Magdalena Shauri and Jackline Sakilu will compete in the women’s category.
Dar es Salaam. It is now official that four runners will represent the country in the Olympic Games scheduled to start on July 26–August 11 in Paris, France.
This is due to the failure of Tanzanian runner Josephat Gisemo, who clocked 2:10:25 to win the silver medal in the just-ended Generali Geneve Marathon held last Sunday in Switzerland.
The race saw Eritrean long-distance runner Ghebrezgiabhier Weldemicael Kibrom win the gold medal with 2:09:57 and qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. The third place was won by Cheruiyot Martin, who recorded 2:11:05 to win the bronze medal.
Athletics Tanzania (AT) Secretary-General, Jackson Ndaweka, named the runners who will represent the country in the Paris Olympic Games as Felix Simbu and Gabriel Geay in the men’s category, while Magdalena Shauri and Jackline Sakilu will compete in the women’s category.
Ndaweka stated that there are no athletes who will undergo Olympic Games trials ahead of the Paris multisport event.
He explained that in a marathon, they are supposed to field three men and three women.
He said that in men, they relied on Gisamo, and in women, they had Sarah Ramadhan and Failuna Matanga, who all failed to make it.
“For the marathon, the door has been closed as there are no runners who will go searching for qualifying marks. We are now focusing on track and field, whose qualifying times will be in early June,” said Ndaweka.
Apart from runners, swimmers, amateur boxers, and judoka are also in search of qualifying marks for the Olympic Games.
So far, no swimmer, amateur boxer or judoka has secured qualifying marks, as the deadline is around the corner.
