Vera joins the elect of triple Olympians

Joining the elite club of Namibians who competed in three Olympic Games (or more) during their sporting careers, Vera Looser will be highly motivated f her challenge at Paris 2024.

The 30-year-old has come a long way since her Olympic debut in 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and will join up with the rest of the Namibian Cycling Federation’s team at the Games who travelled from Windhoek this week – mountain biker Alex Miller, national coach Hans Toit and Ermin van Wyk as the team’s mechanic.

On NMH’s Afrikaans braai and sports chat show Gooi Kole last Friday (watch: https://q.my.na/BUYO), Du Toit expressed confidence that both Miller and Looser are quite possibly in the best form of their careers.

“I reckon both of them are stronger than I have ever seen them – also with the confidence of great recent results behind them.

“To be fair, both Alex and Vera will compete in different disciplines from the marathon mountain biking in which they have won silver and gold medals (respectively) at UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Marathon Series events.

“Alex will compete in the cross-country mountain biking, which of course has more technical requirements than the pure marathon code, but he will be eager to improve even further on his credible debut at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he finished in 31st position after being the youngest of the competitors at 19 years old. Only 36 riders from all over the world makes the selection for the Olympic cross-country mountain bike race and to be among them is an honour in itself for Alex and everyone involved in Namibian cycling.”

As a road cyclist, Looser has won the African championship road race title the first time (and only time to date) over a 120 kilometre route in February 2016 in Morocco, two days after also clinching the continental crown in the individual road race.

Since relocating to Switzerland as her new base with her husband, renowned mountain biker Konny Looser, she has been competing at high-level competitions ever since.

Her determination and fighting spirit has shown through in winning two UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Marathon Series events since last year, also showing great prowess competing against specialist climbers.

Triumphs at the Absa Cape Epic and Absa Swiss Epic (with partner Kim Le Court of Mauritius) have also been impressive career highlights on the mountain bike.

Looser has been at the forefront of women’s cycling in the country, but has also contributed to the development of more Namibian competitors including Melissa Hinz, Anri Krugel, Courtney Liebenberg and the emerging Monique du Plessis, who is poised to continue the legacy.



VERA LOOSER, QUICK FACTS

Date of birth: 28 October, 1993, Windhoek (age 30)

Previous Olympic results: 2016 Rio de Janeiro road race, did not finish. 2021 Tokyo road race, did not finish.

Number of Namibian national road race titles: Eleven (2012, 2015-2024).

Number of Namibian national time trial championship titles: Eight (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024).

2024 Paris Olympics women’s road race competition day: 4 August (from 14:00).

2024 Paris Olympics women’s road race distance: 158 km long, with 1,700 metres of climbing and nine named ascents, using the same run-out and finishing circuits as the men's race and only one loop outside the city centre, through the Vallée de Chevreuse.