OMARURU: David Dam and Alina Armas emerged victorious in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, at the Erongo Powersave Street Mile, thrilling local fans and showcasing their athletic prowess in the 11th edition of the race held in Omaruru on Saturday. Dam, representing Namibia Correctional Services, won a closely contested men’s race, while Armas, from the Namibian Defence Force, dominated the women’s event.
According to Namibia News Agency, David Dam, a 26-year-old native of Omaruru, successfully defended his title in a dramatic photo finish against Wilhelm Hangula of the Namibian Defence Force. Dam completed the 1.6-kilometer race in 04:17.02, narrowly beating Hangula, who clocked 04:19.00. Last year’s third-place finisher, Hangula, was followed by Lisia Theofelus of Cheetah Club, who came in third with a time of 04:21.09. In the women’s category, experienced marathon runner Alina Armas secured victory with a time of 04:58.06. Armas outpaced junior athletes, including runner-up Lucia Anolrek from
Oshikuku, who finished in 04:59.06, and third-place Angala Tuuli from Namibia Correctional Services, who clocked 05:02.08.
In the junior women’s race, rising star Frans Nyanyukweni from the Omusati Region claimed victory with a time of 05:08.00, narrowly missing her own course record for the under-21 category. Erongo’s Sara Shikongo placed second with a time of 05:11.03, followed by Monica Kandjebo of Ohangwena in third with a time of 05:16.02. In the junior men’s category, Fune Jerusalem from the Khomas Region won with a time of 04:30.09, followed by Rayno Haipindi of Kavango West in second place with 04:31.05, and Simon Shifidi from Ohangwena in third with 04:36.03.
Over 1,500 athletes from across Namibia participated in the event, which also saw international entrants from the Orapa Athletics Club of Botswana. For their achievements, Dam and Armas each received N$7,000, while Nyanyukweni and Jerusalem earned N$5,000. Event organizer Bethold Karumendu expressed satisfaction with the turnout and participat
ion, despite facing challenges in organizing the event. He highlighted the importance of mass participation and thanked sponsors such as Erongo Powersave, FNB Namibia, Coca-Cola, the Municipality of Omaruru, and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service for making the event possible.
