Hafsatu Kamara, Sierra Leone’s best female sprinter, raced past the old national records in the 200 and 100 meters for women with an off the record books to set new ones at 11.78 seconds for the 100 meters and 24.14 seconds in the 200 meters.
The old 100 meters record of 11.87 seconds set by Fatmata Bangoura in 2009 is now history and the time sets by Hafsatu Kamara on Saturday May 23rd 2015 of 11.78 seconds will now have to be ratified by the Sierra Leone Amateur Athletics Association and the IAAF as the new national classic record for women.
In the 200 meters, the Old records which stood at 24.32 seconds, set by Eunice Barber back in 1996, and has stood for 19 years will however still continue to stand as the time ran by Hafsatu Kamara in her race was recorded with a ‘tailwind’ reading of over 3 miles per hour.
And, therefore, is considered Wind Aided but at the rate that Hafsatu is currently going, it is only a matter of time before she breaks that 200 meters record again with a legal wind reading of below 2 miles per hour which is considered legal and acceptable to stand as a record.
Hafsatu Kamara currently trains at the World Athletics Training Center in Phoenix Arizona on an IOC Solidarity Scholarship.
The scholarship was awarded to Sierra Leonean athletes by the IOC for the country’s athletes to prepare for next year’s Olympic games in Rio.
Courtesy of the efforts of the SLNOC executive team led by Dr. Patrick Coker, Mr. Alie Koroma and the head of the SLAA Mr. Karim Sesay who is already paying dividends this early and bodes well for the country’s efforts to put up a good showing at the Olympic Games next year in Brazil.