Sprinter Tjipe receive boost from FFF

WINDHOEK, 19 OCT (NAMPA) - Top Namibian sprinter Tjipekapora Herunga received a N.dollars 15,000 scholarship from the Frank Fredericks Foundation (FFF) on Friday.

Herunga, the Namibian 400m record holder, received the FFF’s sponsorship due to her remarkable improvement during the course of the year. Before handing over the sponsorship, trustee of the FFF, Frank Fredericks said Herunga delivered the best performance of Team Namibia during the All Africa Games in July this year when she broke the Namibian 400m record twice during the competition. She set a new Namibian record time of 52,46 seconds after improving it from 53,24. Herunga (19) first broke the long-standing 53,83s record of Agnes Samaria, twice on the same day, to 53,32s and then to 53,30s during the Southern Region Track and Field Championships held in May this year in Windhoek. Fredericks noted that Herunga improved from 55,67s, run during the Frank Fredericks Invitational in April this year, to her current time. He also commended her coach Ueitsitavi Dumont Karupa for the good work he has done with Herunga, saying the partnership between the two is working well. Fredericks added that Herunga needs to work hard and qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008, which is why the FFF gave the money early and not in November as usual. Half of the money will go towards her sports requirements and the rest towards her studies in computer technology with University for Open Learning (UoL). It is the third time that Herunga received a scholarship from the FFF. Herunga on her part thanked Fredericks for the support while Karupa, a self-taught coach, said that the money would be used to participate in international competitions. All athletes who receive scholarships will also receive MP3 players from Samsung, the FFF’s new partner. Samsung has recently donated around N.dollars 70 000 to the FFF, some of which was converted into Herunga's scholarship.