The Sierra Leone delegation to the Junior Commonwealth Games in India Pune, have received certificates at the NOC Headquarters at Howe Street in Freetown.
The certificates were prepared by the committee responsible for the games in India, for their performances in the just concluded competition.
Among those who received certificates are: the leader of delegation Pamela Williams and the five athletes who represented Sierra Leone in the games.
The five athletes are Abubakarr Bangura, Emmanuel Gboyah, Michaela Kargbo, Umaru Allie and Solomon Kambay. The NOC President Henry Moore said that, all the athletes did very well, with special reference to Michaela Kargbo.
On behalf of NOC, he thanked the athletes for their performances during the games and appealed to them to do more in future international competitions so that they would put the country on the map.
The leader of the delegation, Pamela Williams gave a full report of the games, noting that the delegation departed the shores of Sierra Leone on the 9th of this month to participate in the third edition of the Junior Commonwealth games in India.
The team arrived in India on the 11th of this month through Nairobi-Kenya where they delayed for a whole day due to their national holiday which led to the cancellation of the flight.
She mentioned that 71 countries took part in the competition with about 3,000 Athletes and volunteers in nine disciplines, noting that they were warmly received by the Indian CGA.
She disclosed that the next day they had their first encounter in Lawn Tennis with Abubakarr Bangura from Sierra Leone defeating Taylor from Bahamas in which he excelled to quarterfinal; where he was knocked off by a Cyprus Lawn Tennis player.
In the Table Tennis Emmanuel Gboyah who represented Sierra Leone lost all his three matches. On 14-16 October 2008, the Athletics Championships began at the Shree-Ship Chatrapati Sports Complex Balewadi Stadium.
She noted that Umaru Allie, the Triple and Hurdles jumper qualified up to finals in the triple Jump with a score of 5.89 meters thereby taking the 10th position out of 15 participants. In the hurdles, he qualified for the semi finals with a best time of 13.99 secs.
While Solomon Kambay a University Student of the MMCET did the 200 meters and 100 meters which took him to the semi-finals and finals with the time of 11;12 secs and 22;92 secs respectively.
Michaella Kargbo the only female athletes qualified in the 200 meters and Long Jump events respectively, which elevated her to the finalist elimination, with best distance of 5;85 meters and 26;08 secs.
She could not attempt the 100 meters, as the event went on simultaneously with the Long Jump; but there was break in communication between the ‘Call Room’and the venue due to the fault of Technical Officials, which resulted in an apology after she made an appeal.
She disclosed that the next Junior Commonwealth Games would be held in the Isles of Man, an Island in England. The team returned to Freetown on Sunday 19th October 2008.
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