The national athletics championship got under way yesterday with gruelling heats in track and field events as budding athletes run for medals in team and individual events. Athletics officials said the large turn out and keen contests in the heats suggests a tough and exciting final is in store tomorrow and
Close to 20 athletics clubs honour the event producing over hundred participants. This year’s event is competed among entirely home-based athletes chasing national records and the few places in the national team preparing to go to next month’ s African athletics championship in Mauritius.
The Gambia’s top athletes in Gina Bass, Adama Jammeh based at the IAAF Centre of Excellence in Dakar are currently in France attending invitational events.
Arthur Jackson, secretary general of the GAA said the championship is very timely as it will help guide the technicians build the national team.” We want to identify as much talent as possible so that we can have a large pool of athletes to draw from,” he said. Jackson said the Gambia will send a team to Mauritius but its size would have to depend on the amount of funds mobilised for the event.
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