| Namibia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | NAM |
| NPC | Namibia National Paralympic Committee |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 10 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Johanna Benson |
| Medals Ranked 53rd |
|
| Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | |
Namibia competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Prior to the team leaving for Rio, they visited the Namibia Sport Commission. [1] The team departed for Rio on August 29. [1] The team included 9 athletes, 4 guides and 7 officials. [1] The team's Chef de Mission was Nicklaus Nghumoono. The team manager was Iitwayi Johannes. The team administrator was Memory Kahlari. [1] The flag bearer was sprinter and long-jumper Johanna Benson. Benson won the country's first Paralympic gold and silver medal. [2]
The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service in Namibia was expected to fund several intensive training camps in preparation for Rio. The Paralympic movement in the country is largely dependent on the government for financial and other support, as the private sector has not contributed much to Paralympic sportspeople's efforts. [3] Additional private funding for the national team came from Coca-Cola, Seaflower and Miss Namibia 2015. [1] Athlete Ananias Shikongo raised funds through a personal crowd funding campaign to finance his preparation.
Promotional events to support Paralympic efforts were scheduled to take place around the country in the lead up to Rio. [3]
Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis. [4] [5] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability. [6]
Namibia finished seventh among all African countries on the gold medal table with 1 gold. They had 2 silvers and 2 bronzes to finish with 5 total medals. [7]
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Ananias Shikongo (Guide – Even Tjiviju) | Athletics | Men's 200 m T11 | 15 September |
 Silver | Johannes Nambala | Athletics | Men's 100 m T13 | 9 September |
| Silver | Johannes Nambala | Athletics | Men's 400 m T13 | 15 September |
 Bronze | Ananias Shikongo (Guide – Even Tjiviju) | Athletics | Men's 100 m T11 | 11 September |
| Bronze | Ananias Shikongo (Guide – Sam Shimanda) | Athletics | Men's 400 m T11 | 17 September |
One of the major target sports for Namibia to qualify for the Rio Paralympics was athletics. Athletes prepped for qualification and potential inclusion on the 2016 Games team by competing in the 2015 All African Games. Athletes the expected by Namibia Paralympics Committee to qualify for Rio included Lahja Ishitile, a bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Johannes Nambala, who won a gold medal in the men's T13 400m at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, and visually impaired short-distance runner Ananias Shikongo. [3]
Lahja Ishitile, Johannes Nambala, Elias Ndimulunde, Rosa Manjoro, Ananias Shikongo, Reginald Benade, and Martin Aloysius all attended the 2015 All African Games and the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships as part of Rio qualification efforts. [3]
Johanna Benson was a member of the Rio team, scheduled to compete in the T37 100m, 400m and long jump events. Benson had won her country's first ever Paralympic gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. [1] Johannes Nambala was selected for the team after becoming the world champion in the T13 200m event. [1] Ananias Shikongo was also selected for the Rio Games. He won 3 gold medals at the All African Games. Lahja Ishitile was selected to Rio after having medaled at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Martin Aloysius was selected to compete in the T12 400 meters. Elias Ndimulunde was scheduled to compete in the T46 100m and 400m events. Moses Tobias was scheduled to compete in the T11 100m and 400m events. [1] The guides for athletics included Sam Shimanda, David Ndeilenge, Even Tjiviju and Andre Oberholster. [1] [2] The Rio team was coached by Michael Hamukwaya, with Ivon Perez serving as the assistant coach. [1] [2]
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Ananias Shikongo (Guide – Even Tjiviju) (Guide – Sam Shimanda) | 100 m T11 | 11.17 | 1 Q | 11.23 | 1 Q | 11.11 | |
| 200 m T11 | 22.93 | 1 Q | 22.48 | 1 Q | 22.44 | | |
| 400 m T11 | 50.85 | 2 Q | — | 50.63 | | ||
| Johannes Nambala | 100 m T13 | 10.81 | 2 Q | — | 10.78 | | |
| 400 m T13 | 49.01 | 2 Q | — | 47.21 | | ||
| Elias Ndimulunde | 100 m T45-47 | 12.68 | 7 | — | Did not advance | ||
| 400 m T45-47 | DNS | Did not advance | |||||
| Martin Aloisius | 400 m T12 | Disqualified | Did not advance | ||||
| Moses Tobias (Guide - Andre Oberholster) | 200 m T11 | 24.17 | 4 | Did not advance | |||
| Moses Tobias (Guide - Andre Oberholster) Martin Aloisius Johannes Nambala Ananias Shikongo (Guide – Even Tjiviju) | 4 × 100 m T11-13 | 43.49 | 2 Q | — | 43.66 | 4 | |
| Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Aloisius | Long Jump F12 | 6.38 | 11 |
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Lahja Ishitile (Guide – David Ndeilenga) (Guide – Sam Shimanda) | 100 m T11 | 12.59 | 2 Q | 12.56 | 4 | Did not advance | |
| 200 m T11 | 25,61 | 2 Q | 25,37 | 3 | Did not advance | ||
| 400 m T11 | 58.97 | 2 | — | Did not advance | |||
| Johanna Benson | 100 m T37 | 14.23 | 3 Q | — | 14.16 | 7 | |
| 400 m T37 | 1:10.79 | 4 q | — | 1:12.35 | 8 | ||
Field
| Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johanna Benson | Long Jump T37 | 3.61 m | 6 |
Ruben Soroseb was part of the Namibia delegation in Rio, competing in powerlifting. [1] [2] The national team coach was Ndamian Ndengu. [1]
| Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruben Soroseb | Weight class -107kg | 190 kg | 9 |
Gideon Nasilowski was part of the Namibia delegation in Rio, competing in swimming. [1] [2] The swimming team manager was Sonia Lindemeier. [1]
| Athlete | Events | Heats | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Gideon Nasilowski | 50 m Freestyle S3 | 1:38.21 | 11 | Did not advance | |
Jason Smyth is an Irish retired sprint runner. He competes in the T13 disability sport classification as he is legally blind, with his central vision being affected by Stargardt's disease; he also competes in elite non-Paralympic competition. As of July 2014, Smyth holds T13 World records in the 100m and 200m events.
Evan George O'Hanlon, is an Australian Paralympic athlete, who competes mainly in category T38 sprint events. He has won five gold medals at two Paralympic Games – 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. He also represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, winning a silver medal and a bronze medal respectively. In winning the bronze medal in the Men's 100m T38 at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, O'Hanlon became Australia's most successful male athlete with a disability. His bronze medal took him to 12 medals in five world championships – one more than four-time Paralympian Neil Fuller.
Johanna Benson is a Paralympian athlete from Walvis Bay, Namibia. She competes in T37 long jump and sprint events and at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London she won the women's 200 metres race in her classification. Her 200 metres success in London made her the first Paralympic gold medalist in Namibia's history.
Algeria competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Singapore competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Kenya competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Nigeria competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Nigeria's delegation of 23 sportspeople was mostly composed of powerlifters, with the country sending 14 lifters to Rio. Ahead of the Rio Games, the National Sports Commission promised Paralympic medals to erase the country's Olympic shame.
Egypt competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country sent a delegation of 44 sportspeople. The team included 16-year-old Ayattalah Ayman, the youngest member of the delegation and the first woman to represent Egypt in swimming. It also included 41-year-old Ibrahim Al Husseini Hamadtou, the only table tennis player to compete while holding the paddle in his mouth.
Alexander Zverev is a Paralympian athlete from Russia competing mainly in category T13 sprint events. Zverev has competed at two Summer Paralympic Games, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 at London. At the 2012 Games he won silver in the 400m sprint.
Zimbabwe sent six athletes across two different sports to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Ananias Shikongo is a Paralympian athlete from Namibia competing mainly in category T11 short-distance events. He was born in 1986 and lives in Windhoek, Namibia. He shares a shack in the Katutura township with Paralympic silver medalist and school friend Johannes Nambala.
Uganda sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the eighth appearance of the country in the Summer Paralympic Games after it debuted forty-four years prior at the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics. Athletics track runner David Emong was the sole athlete representing Uganda in Rio de Janeiro. He took part in the men's 400 metres T45–47 competition on 8 September and did not qualify for the finals because he was fifteenth overall. Emong participated in the men's 1500 metres T45–46 event later that day and he took Uganda's first medal in Paralympic competition by coming second in the final.
Mozambique sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the country's second time competing at a Summer Paralympic Games after making its debut at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Mozambique was represented by one athlete, Edmilisa Governo, a short-distance sprinter. She competed in two events, the women's 100 metres T12 competition and the women's 400 metres T12. Governo reached the semi-finals of the women's 100 metres T12 and took Mozambique's first Paralympic Games medal in the women's 400 metres T12 by placing third in the final of the competition.
Lesotho sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the fifth time the country competed in the Summer Paralympic Games after it made its debut sixteen years prior at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. The delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: sprinter Sello Mothebe and discus thrower Litsitso Khotele. Mothebe originally came third in the heats of the men's 200 metres T12 and the men's 400 metres T12 events but he was retroactively disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance. Khotele ranked tenth in the women's discus throw F43–44 competition with a throw of 19.91 metres.
Ivory Coast competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Ethiopia competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
Cape Verde sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the nations' fourth appearance at a Summer Paralympic Games since it made its debut at the 2004 Athens Summer Paralympics. Cape Verde was represented by two athletes in Rio de Janeiro: sprinter Gracelino Barbosa and javelin thrower Márcio Fernandes, who qualified for the Games by meeting the qualification standards of their events. Barbosa won the country's first Paralympic medal with his third-place finish in the men's 400 metres T20 competition and Fernandes came ninth in the F44 men's javelin event.
The Faroe Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. They sent one participant, Krista Mørkøre, who participated in three events in swimming. Her top finish was 10th in women's 400 m freestyle S10, and she did not qualify for the finals of any of her three events.
Johannes Nambala is a Paralympian athlete from Namibia competing mainly in category T13 sprint events. In 2013 he became the first Namibian to win a gold medal at an IPC Athletics World Championships, when he won the 400m sprint in Lyon. As well as World Championship success Nambala has also won two silver Paralympic medals, both silver, and both won at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Namibia competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
