Tanzania Athletes Flop in Dar

SOME athletes who will represent the country at the forthcoming 20th Commonwealth Games have proved a failure in the two-day National Athletics Championship which ended at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

In men's 10,000 and 5,000 meters, Dickson Marwa of Mara and Joseph Theophil dominated the two races and scooped the top positions.

Marwa was in the list of athletes earmarked to go to Ethiopia to prepare for the Commonwealth Games set for July 23 to August 3 in Glasgow, Scotland but his name was removed because he was regarded to be old.
In 10,000-meters race on Saturday, Marwa won the 10,000m after clocking 28:30.82 while Fabian Nelson and Wilbeard Peter who had camped in China finished fifth and seventh in 28:59.96 and 29:49.35 respectively.

Marwa also excelled in 5,000m, winning the race in 13:38.61 followed by Nelson in 13:39:58 while Peter was ninth in 14:05:59. Theophil, who was second in 10,000 meters, finished third in 5000m.

Another Glasgow-bound sprinter Gulam Ally Chicks, failed to impress in 200m when he finished third in 22:21 seconds. He trailed Adnan Haruna who won the race in 21.18 secs.

Speaking after the race, Marwa said that only coaches know the reasons for his exclusion from the Commonwealth Games squad but he believes that he has no opponent in the 5,000 and 10,000m.
Athletics Tanzania (AT) Secretary General Suleiman Nyambui said that Marwa was in the initial list of athletes earmarked for Glasgow but he was omitted on grounds that he is old.

"Marwa was in the initial list but I was told that I had chosen an old player and only young athletes were needed as they would represent the country for a long period," he said.

Nyambui admitted that Marwa is a good athlete but his winning the 5,000 and 10,000m does not mean he can win medals at the Commonwealth Games as he needs to put up more efforts. In other races, Failuna Abdi from Arusha continued to dominate the women's 10,000mm which she won in 33:32:80.

Failuna was also runner-up in 5,000m on Saturday after clocking 16:00:59 while Jackline emerged champion in 15:58:63. The women's high jump was won by Elizabeth Mwita of Mara region in 1.47 metres.

Sabas Daniel of Coast won the men's javelin after clearing 54.76 metres followed by Arusha's Daniel Mollel in 53.50m while Gilia Shegembe of Tabora finished third in 51.02m.

Hafisa Ally of Zanzibar Urban West cleared 37.84m to win the women's javelin followed by Tanga's Mwanaamina Hassan in 35.52m. Third was Zanzibar Urban West's Tama Jaha in 35.49m.

Zanzibar Urban West athletes Mohamed Ibrahim, Ally Seif and Maulid Hamis won the first three top positions in the men's shotput after clearing 12.91m, 12.83m and 11.35m respectively.

SOURCE: allafrica.com