Development plan already producing world-class results

The Athletics Development Club (ADC), based in Swakopmund, is working with clubs, federations, coaches and athletes all over Namibia in order to identify talent, train the talent and give those athletes the opportunity to compete locally as well as internationally.

The Pupkewitz Foundation working side by side with the ADC is putting athletics on the annual calendar of sports events, especially with the youth, starting from as early as 6 years up to senior level.

Development starts at a young age and it is important to first introduce all the different disciplines to the young athletes. Talent identification at an early stage must be done in order to develop the athlete to his/her full potential.

Not only do we have to train the athlete, but we have to make sure we give them the opportunity to compete.

The Pupkewitz Foundation, in conjunction with ADC, currently presents four competitions for 2022.

With the first competition in April, the next Pupkewitz Foundation Open Athletics Championships will be on 9 July, followed by the third leg on 10 September.

The last leg will be the big one and will consist of a two-day training camp and competition in December 2022.

These competitions attract on average more than 500 athletes and is growing in leaps and bounds. Therefore, due to the growing number of competitors, the Pupkewitz Foundation Open Athletics Championships to be held on 9 July, will be a day-night competition and will cater for age groups 6 to senior level.

Athletes with disabilities are always welcome at any Pupkewitz Foundation competition.

WORLD-CLASS

Comparing our 2022 results with the best in the world, it is surprising to see that some of our athletes, in various age groups, form part of the top athletes in the world. This is great news for the development of athletics in Namibia.

What we must remember is that it’s neither easy to be the best in a country, nor is there a simple route to becoming a world champion, but if we are continuously aware of where we are, what we must do and how we should prepare, we can get there.

Each age group will have a different route to follow in order to be ready for a big competition. One milestone to use is the next Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar, Senegal in 2026. It will be a first for Africa and Dakar is well on track to make it the biggest Youth Olympics ever.

Will Namibians be ready?

The Youth Olympic Games are restricted to age groups 16 and 17 only, meaning our current focus, in 2022, should be on athletes aged 12 and 13. These athletes have enough time to prepare and we as clubs, coaches and interested stakeholders must ensure that that is where our focus is.

Nobody wants to get a wake-up call a few months before the Youth Olympics. Then it is too late.

The Pupkewitz Foundation, together with the Athletics Development Club, have done their home-work and a few potential athletes have already been identified.

In preparation, these athletes will compete locally as well as internationally. This is an ongoing process and new talented Namibian athletes will be identified continuously.

EXAMPLES

Two of ADC’s female high jumpers have shown exceptional promise this season.

At the NSSU national championship his year, 13-year-old Adara Gey van Pittius improved the Namibian under-15 record from 1.66 to 1.70 metres.

Arizhia van der Walt (12) took the NSSU national U13 record from 1.61 to 1.69 metres.

Both of them achieved better heights than the winning marks at the South African national schools championships. Their performances also overshadowed any of the Namibian senior women and are also compares quite favourable with the top-5 senior women at the SA national championship.