Misilingi ready to go places
By Michael Uugwanga
THE country’s female 400m record-holder, Beatrice Misilingi has revealed that she is proud of her current achievements and is focused on becoming a world class athlete competing on the global stage.
Misilingi (17) who broke the 400m record of Tjipe Herunga’s 51.
24 and is already being compared to legendary sprinter Frank Fredericks, was born in the Zambezi region, but was raised in Rundu in Kavango-East.
She is currently on a scholarship from the Namibia National Olympic Committee and is also a learner at Grootfontein Agri College under the High Performance Centre.
The soft-spoken Misilingi who also specialises in the 200m heat idolises fellow sprinters, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of Bahamas and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica.
Misilingi therefore has said that her target is to break records in the 100m and 200m in the near future so that she becomes one of the greatest living sprinters of all-time.
“I am currently receiving good support from my coach (Henk Botha), friends, fans and family.
What keeps me succeeding is hard work and keeping my goals that I have set.
I was inspired by Miller-Uibo and Fraser-Pryce because they are my alternate favourite athletes as I love their speed, form of running and mostly their personalities.
“All I can say is that records are meant to be broken and I do believe that there is always that small Misilingi that will run faster than me in the future.
I run to improve and for the love of the sport and not just to break records, but if I do that then it is always a bonus for the hard work I have put in. I just want to be one of the greatest athletes that lived,” she said.
Misilingi who also played rugby in her early teen years said that she is proud of her current achievements.
In the 400m race she is ranked 107 in the world, while in the 200m she is ranked 369.
“My coach always makes sure that I do not eat sugary and oily food as he has advised me to always take in carbohydrates and drink lots of water.
“Being a world class athlete and making the rankings in the world is something that I did not see coming, so I am really proud of it because it is not easy,” said Misilingi.