The return of Helalia Johannes, the queen of Marathon

• By Rudolf R. Gaiseb

Namibia’s renowned marathon runner, Helalia Johannes, has returned and will take part in the Spar Namibia 10 km Women’s Race 10 km that will hit the tracks at the Wanderers Sports Ground in Windhoek on April 6 this year in Windhoek.

When asked by Confidente, the queen of marathons, who has been inactive in sports for the past couple of months, said that she has recovered completely and is fit to participate in the spar women’s race. “I am very excited. I didn’t expect to be back on track so soon after my injury,” Johannes said.

The 43-year-old gold medallist and 2018 Commonwealth Games champion was hibernated after a calf injury she sustained at the beginning of 2023. In the same year, she missed the sparse women’s race. In 2019, Helalia Johannes won the Spar Grand Prix.

She again recorded a world best as she sprinted to victory in the SPAR Women’s 10km race in 31.53 minutes at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, in May 2022. She became the first woman in the world over 40 to run 10 kilometres in under 32 minutes.

In 2018, she won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. In 2019, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships held in Doha, Qatar, before winning a bronze medal at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.