Januarius Bonkiyung came overall first and Immaculate Wirngo second in the female category.
After football, Cameroon is beginning to make a name internationally in athletics. Four Cameroonians excelled in the Texas Marathon race that took place last Sunday April 1, in Dallas-USA. Two Cameroonians came first in their respective categories. The current mount Cameroon champion, Januarius Bonkiyung came first in the 26-kilometre race, while his fellow compatriot, Immaculate Wirngo, who won the 2006 edition of the Mount Cameroon race in the female category, came second in the female race. The current queen of the mountain and 5000 metre champion of Cameroon, 15-year-old Nadeche Wirnkar, came first in the Half Marathon and second in the overall junior classification. Francis Yenka Njeije developed a muscle cramp but managed to make it to
the finish line. The Cameroonian athletes were cheered along the race course by Cameroonian living in Dallas.
The Cameroonian team made up of athletes from the North West province and trained by the Kumbo-based Milano Sports Academy, will arrive in the country next Saturday, April 7. They are scheduled to take part in athletic competitions in Boston, Tokyo, Madrid, Chicago, New York, London and Melborne. The victory of the Cameroonian trio calls to mind that of late Timothy Lekunze, who left the Mount Cameroon race to win marathon races across the world. This is proof that Cameroon is a hub of marathon talents that just need to be nurtured. Bonkiyung had complained about the absence of competitions to enable Cameroonian athletes build a career. Hopefully, the Texas victory should inspire him to more international victories.
