Tokyo: Namibia's 800-metre sprinter, Nghihupwamunhu Nambala, missed out on a place in the final after finishing last in his semi-final heat at the Deaflympic Games in Tokyo. Nambala, who set a new personal best of two minutes, three seconds and 15 hundredths (02:03.15) in Friday's heat five of the men's 800m, found the pace unrelenting in heat two of the semi-finals.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the heat was one of the day's quickest semi-finals, and Nambala crossed the line in eighth place, clocking 02:04:15. Kenyan runner Elikana Kiprop Rono posted a winning time of 01:54.26, edging out the Czech Republic's Dalibor Tulak, who finished in 01:54.42 in a photo finish.

With only the top two athletes from each heat securing automatic qualification, Venezuela's Gonzalez Sanches progressed to the final as one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers across the three heats. He clocked a time of 01:56:00.

Nambala made a strong start and led the field through the first lap, but as the pace increased, he began to lose contact with the frontrunners. By the time the athletes approached the 200m mark on the second lap, the Namibian had little left in reserve.

Namibia is represented by 10 athletes at the 2025 Deaflympic Games, eight in track and field and two in judo, as the multi-sport event for deaf and hard-of-hearing competitors continues in the Japanese capital.