June 14, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr
Sierra Leonean youngster Ishmael Kamara last Saturday clocked a season’s best in the 100 metres dash to match his personal best of 10.77 seconds at the just concluded Zone II Junior Athletics Championships in Banjul, The Gambia.
It was Kamara’s first International medal for Sierra Leone and the young sprinter was delighted for having been given the opportunity.
“It is always a good feeling as an athlete to achieve something for your country and yourself. I am grateful to the Athletics Association for such opportunity and pleased to win the silver medal, although disappointed not to have grabbed the gold,” Kamara said.
Another Sierra Leonean who scooped a medal in the championship was long distance runner Isatu Turay, who grabbed a gold medal in the 1500m women’s category event, while Osman Charlie secured gold in the 5000m men’s category.
Elsewhere, Sierra Leonean United States of America-based 400 metres hurdler and recent Masters Graduate, Aisha Naibe-wey of the University of Virginia, came close to achieving the 2016 Rio Olympic Games standard time in the 400 metres hurdles when she clocked a season personal best on Saturday, 11 June, 2016 at the University of Virginia Track, with a time of 57.01 seconds.
The Rio standard time is 56.20 seconds and she will have another chance of qualification to Rio when she competes at the African Athletics Championships in Durban, South Africa for Sierra Leone in less than two weeks time.