Malawi athlete wins bronze at South African road race
Malawian long distance runner Chiyembekezo Jamali finished a 30km Rac Lodge Road race held in Randsburg, South Africa on third position to win bronze medal last week Sunday.
Jamali, who is based in South Africa finished the race on third after clocking 1 hour 50 minutes 5 seconds behind the winner’s time of 1 hour 47 minutes 13 seconds and runners-up time of 1 hour 47 minutes 29 seconds.
In a telephone interview from South Africa, the athlete was excited with the performance saying it was tough race which drew a many athletes.
“I am very happy that I have won this race because it was tough but I had prepared for this race to win at least a medal which I have done,” he said.
But soft-spoken athlete however said the feat had also opened a window of opportunity for him as one of the companies had shown interest to offer him sponsorship.
“I have not only managed to win a prize money which I cannot disclose but what is more important is the fact that I was approached by company so that I could join their athletics club,” he said.
“I am expecting to get more details of the nitty-gritty of the contract after meeting them for official discussions.”
The athlete’s local manager Mzee Makawa said he was happy because he encouraged him to compete.
“When he asked me to run I told him to go ahead but should seek clearance from Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM) which he did,” Makawa said.
But he has advised the athlete to look carefully at the contract before committing to sign.
