Sheefeni Nikodemus
8 December 2011
INJURY has cost female sprinter Merlyn Diamond her Olympic Solidarity bursary, The Namibian Sport has learned.
The promising 19 year-old was part of a group of six junior athletes, who earlier this year received bursaries from the International Olympic Council’s development fund to help them prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games at intensive training sport centres around Africa.
The other recipients of the bursaries include 100/200m specialist Dantago Gurirab, 400m hurdler Hardus Maritz, swimmer Daniela Lindermeier, wrestlers Sem Shilimela and Angula Shikongo.
“Merlyn Diamond pulled out because of a knee injury,” said Namibia National Olympic Committee board member Ndeulipula Hamutumwa.
Hamutumwa said a substitute for Diamond is being sought.
“Based on the medical assessment of her condition it was decided that she will not be able to recover in time.
“We are engaging Athletics Namibia to give us an athlete that’s very close to meeting the Olympic qualifying grade.
“We are looking at a senior athlete who will need to participate in international competitions in order to qualify.”
Diamond, along with Gurirab, was based at a high performance sport centre in Mauritius. The two wrestlers are in Senegal, while Maritz and Lindermeier are enroled at the Potchefstroom High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.
Thus far none of the athletes have qualified for the Olympics. However they still had time to make grade through various international tournaments planned for early next year, Hamutumwa said.
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