August 10, 2016 By: Sahr Morris Jr. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Two month ago, Sierra Leonean sprinter Hafsatu Kamara had a disappointing show at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Senior African Championships in Durban, South Africa, as she failed to advance through the first round of the 200 metres.
The 24-year-old came 5th in her heat with a time of 24.99 seconds, which was not enough to move forward to the next round, but she is now eager to put that disappointment behind her back in the Olympic Games.
As she is now getting ready to compete in the 100 metres event at the Rio Olympic Games this Sunday, the U.S based sprinter said: “The African championship was a good lesson for me, I learned a lot from it,” and revealed that jet lag, lack of coach, physiotherapist were some of the reasons for her poor display in Durban.
“This is the Olympic Games and I want to improve on my time and do Sierra Leone proud. Like any other athlete, I am happy to represent my country in the Games and it is an incredible experience so far, it is a good feeling and I want to pay back for the confidence and opportunity that was given to me,” she said.
The US-based sprinter is currently Sierra Leone’s national record holder in the 100 metres with a time of 11.61 seconds, which she set in May this year at the Altis summer series in Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
The Olympic Games will be Kamara’s biggest event in her career although she had represented Sierra Leone in several International sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and most recently the African Championship. She was born in Virginia, USA.
Credit: Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL), fully supported by Ministry of Sports (MOS)