WINDHOEK, June 7 — Namibian coach Henk Botha has assured the country that sprint protege and Olympic medalist Christine Mboma will still train with him despite a statement issued by Newton Sports Agency in South Africa on Monday.
The agency in its statement allegedly on behalf of Mboma and fellow sprint partner Beatrice Masilingi thanked Botha for his guidance in helping the duo make their “first move into being professional athletes” and that they were changing coaches.
“As we have had time to reflect on this journey and plan our steps to Paris 2024, we have made the difficult decision to change coaches and join renowned sprints coach Hennie Kriel,” the statement read.
Botha, currently in Mauritius for the African Athletics Championships in a statement on Monday evening denied the reports and said that Mboma was equally shocked and “not happy about the press release.”
He clarified that Masilingi stated her desire to leave and that she had informed him she was struggling to train with Mboma.
“Mboma had never indicated that she wanted to join a different coach. She is not happy about the press release and will decide what her next steps will be,” Botha added. (Xinhua)
