Security beefed ahead of Africa Athletics Championships

| Wednesday July 28, 2010 00:00

Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said the recent bomb attacks in Kampala, Uganda which targeted fans watching the finals of the football World Cup had forced the government to raise the security level status.

Teams from neighbouring Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia, nations that have sent peacekeepers to Somalia, are said to be targeted by a Somali militant group that claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Kampala. The Al Qaeda-inspired group Al-Shabab who claimed the attacks, the region's worst in 12 years, said they were in retaliation for Uganda's leading role in the AU's mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The LOC has appointed an Assistant Commissioner of Police Alfred Ombaba to head the security team which has already moved in to secure the teams in the country covering their training and stay in hotels. Already teams from Mali, Nigeria, Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Namibia and Botswana are in the country.  The Botswana team was the first to touch down in Nairobi amid high hopes of a medal haul.

The team, coached by Bobby Gaseitsiwe, has an array of stars led by track star, Amantle Montsho. Gaseitsiwe, who took his team of 16 athletes for their first training session last Thursday, told the Kenyan media that his team aims to improve on their performance in Addis Ababa 2008 where they won three medals.

Gaseitsiwe, a former 1,500m and 800m athlete told the media: 'We have a strong team of 16 athletes who will represent Botswana in the 200m, 400m, 800m, high jump and both men and women 4x400m relays and our target is to improve on our performance in Addis Ababa two years ago when [we] bagged two gold medals and a bronze medal.

' I love the weather. It favours us because it is somehow similar to the weather back there in Gaborone even though we were experiencing winter some time back,' he noted.

Hopes will be pinned on Kabilo Kgosiemong, who won gold in the 2008 high jump competition and 400m bronze medallist Isaac Makwala. 'Amantle, Kgosiemong and Makwala are is still top medal prospects at the championships and we also have new revelations who will be witnessed during the championships. However, we plan to have most of our athletes into the finals first before we start thinking of medals,' he said.

The reigning 400m women champion Montsho said she was optimistic of defending her title on Kenyan soil and said she would use the remaining time to polish her finishing kick.

'Two years ago I clocked 49:89 to win gold in Addis Ababa, but my personal best this season is 50:37. 'I am currently working on my finishing kick and I'm sure by the time the championship begins on July 28, I will be in top condition,' she said. (AthleticsAfrica, Mmegi Staff Writer)