Swakopmund — The third and decisive final leg of the annual Bank Windhoek Grand Prix ended on a high note in Swakopmund on Saturday, with 280 athletes competing in the prestigious competition.

Caroline Kutzner, celebrating her 16th birthday on the same day, set a new national record in the women's pole vault event, after vaulting to a height of 2.22m.

She improved on the previous record of 2.10m set by Fienie Theron in 1998.

Globine Mayova took the sprint double in the women's 100m and 200m with times of 11.78s and 24.39s respectively, while Hijivirue Kaanjuka was victorious in the men's 100m (10.72s) and 200m (21.40s).

Sportswoman of the Year, Helalia Johannes, set a high standard to launch her 2013 campaign, when she cleared the field in the women's 5 000m run.

Johannes used the event for speed training ahead of the Tokyo Marathon later this month.

Notable performances were also set in the middle distance events by Daniel Nghipandulwa, who reigned supreme in the men's 800m (1:49.36) and 1500m (3:49.62) events, while Lavinia Haitope retained her Grand Prix titles over the same distances with times of 2:09.48 and 4:25.85 respectively. The total prize money over the three-leg series amounted to N$164 000 through the generous sponsorship of Bank Windhoek.