Namibia's athletics team coach, Zidane Gawaseb, said the country's athletes are ready to compete at the Commonwealth Games scheduled for next month.

The selected athletes have shown their potential on the continental stage and are ready to represent Namibia at the competition, according to him.

The athletics team consists of long jump national record holder Lionel Coetzee, discus national record holder and African champion Ryan Williams, national 100 and 200-metre champion Charley Matundu, and national 400-metre champion Elvis Kasep.

Gawaseb expressed satisfaction with the team's selection.

He said that while physical preparation remains important, mental strength will also play a key role as the athletes compete against opponents from around the world.

Zidane Gawaseb said, "For basically the Namibian nation, we would basically expect them just to compete to the best of their ability and then represent the country with pride and professionalism. Mental preparation is really important. Like, physical training alone doesn't do the job alone, so mental preparation basically comes into play when athletes are at their final jump, at their last 20 metres or so; who can stay the calmest under pressure, basically? So that also plays a big role with all athletes, especially at such a big competition, at such a calibre, basically.”

According to Gawaseb, athletes who remain calm under pressure have an advantage during competition.

He further highlighted the importance of international exposure and said major competitions provide learning opportunities that cannot be replicated during training sessions.

He added that participation in such events contributes to both athlete development and the growth of athletics in Namibia.

“I might say it's actually very important for athletes and for both athletes and the country, because for athletes, they do not get this type of exposure, or you can't basically replicate such experiences at training sessions. So when you put them in such fields, they would be able to develop not only as athletes but also as people and contribute to the development of the sport in the country. So it's basically a big, important factor."

Gawaseb also called on Namibians to continue supporting the athletes throughout their preparations and during the competition.

He expressed hope that Namibia will be able to send a larger athletics team to future international events.

"Hopefully next time, with the number of athletes that we are currently having, we'll be able to send more athletes and not just four in females and males. but in all of them. So we should ask athletes and coaches to try to push our athletes, keep them, let them stay disciplined, and train, and then hopefully we can maybe send a bigger team to the upcoming African Games, which will be around the beginning of next year.”

Namibia's athletics team will represent the country at the Commonwealth Games next month, aiming to compete against international opposition and gain experience on the global stage.