Namibian junior triathlete a go-getter

Maja Brinkmann, a 15-year-old up-and-coming triathlete, has made impressive strides in triathlon and recently placed second after Kadence Ribbink at the African Triathlon Junior Cup.

Brinkmann clocked in at 01:17:39, a minute away from Ribbink.

In her second competitive race and a qualifying competition for the Commonwealth Games, Brinkmann proved to be a force to be reckoned with.

Brinkmann explained that she lost some time in the transition zone and struggled to close the gap between her and Ribbink again. However, the triathlete put up great competition throughout the race by staying close on Ribbink's heels during the cycling portion of the race.

"I came out of the water with the top junior triathlete, Kadence Ribbink, and managed to stay with her for the entirety of the bike, which was surprising as someone who is very new to cycling," Brinkmann said.

Support spurs her on

She said the 5 km run took a lot out of her, especially coming out of a difficult race with Mikhaela De Oliveira close on her heels. "With the support of my home crowd, I managed to dig deep, as my dad says, and pick up my pace to hold my second position until the end of the race," she said.

An online blog, The Sport Rifle, explained that Brinkmann was ahead after her first transition after the swim and seemed to be a threat to Ribbink’s first-place position. The tight competition and the prospects thereof only left Brinkmann in awe. She said the experience has been memorable.

The fun of the game

Brinkmann's athletic prowess can be credited to the passion her extended family has for sport.

"My extended family is passionate about sport, so I grew up with it," she said.

Without her family’s involvement in sports, Brinkmann said she wouldn’t be doing what she is doing.

Her life growing up included taking part in various friendly games and doing sports for the fun of it.

"When we were younger, my cousins and I could compete, and now that we are older, we are able to challenge our parents as well," she said.

She added that it is great having a support system where they wish each other the best.

Training takes up most of her time, as she follows a strict schedule with swimming classes in the mornings on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before school and training with her biokineticist on a Tuesday.

Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are dedicated to cycling, running, or both.

"I would try to do a longer run and ride over the weekend as well," Brinkmann explained.

Passion

Swimming remains one of Brinkmann's favourite disciplines, and it was the sport that she focused on before trying her hand at triathlons.

After breaking her collarbone, she decided to take a different route. "When I broke my collarbone and triathlon became an option, I jumped at the opportunity to try something new."

With her jam-packed schedule, Brinkmann spends most of her time training, and when she is not training, she focuses on her school work. Although she would like to make more time for her friends as a "typical teenager," she explains that socialising remains a problem.

"I often don’t have time for anything other than school and sport," said Brinkmann. As a learner at St. George's College, Brinkmann also takes part in athletics at her school. She will soon be taking part in the 1500 m at the Khomas regional athletics event.

Brinkmann's advice for aspiring triathletes:

"If you want to compete as a triathlete, start by swimming and then move across to the other disciplines. Triathlon is all about the swim; if you can’t swim, you’ve almost already lost the race. Also, make sure to enjoy yourself; it’s not worth doing anything if you don’t enjoy it."