Kavango West’s golden girl Kanyanga shines
At 19, Maria Kanyanga from Mukekete village in the Tondoro constituency of the Kavango West region is already a double southern African champion, but says she is only at the beginning of her athletics journey. Kanyanga, a pupil at Kandjimi Murangi Senior Secondary School, recently represented Namibia at the Southern African Countries Athletics Championships in […] The post Kavango West’s golden girl Kanyanga shines appeared first on The Namibian .
At 19, Maria Kanyanga from Mukekete village in the Tondoro constituency of the Kavango West region is already a double southern African champion, but says she is only at the beginning of her athletics journey.
Kanyanga, a pupil at Kandjimi Murangi Senior Secondary School, recently represented Namibia at the Southern African Countries Athletics Championships in Mauritius, where she won gold medals in the women’s under-20 800 metres and 1 500 metres.
Speaking after a celebration held in her honour, Kanyanga said representing Namibia was both a proud and humbling experience.
“I felt proud to carry the Namibian flag, but I also felt a big responsibility. Winning those two races showed me that I can compete with the best in the region, but it also reminded me that I must work even harder,” she said.
Kanyanga’s athletics journey started on dusty school tracks. She was first noticed in 2020 while running for Sotopongo Combined School during school competitions before progressing to zonal and regional levels, where she consistently finished first.
