Former decathlon star pondering his future career

Former Namibian heptathlon and decathlon star Timon Dresselhaus is one of modern day Namibia’s most dedicated and passionate track and field athletes.

The former headboy of Windhoek High School, in 2017, is currently a proud holder of two Namibian indoor records that he set during his time at university in the United States.

He set a time of 3:01,28 in the 1 000m on 25 February 2019, during the Southland Conference in Birmingham while the ASU Kickoff Klass in Jonesboro saw him clocking an impressive 7,90 in the 55m hurdles dash on 13 December 2020.

Windhoek-born Dresselhaus grew up between the city and his family farm close to Dordabis, but he currently resides in the United States, building a future with his Texan wife.

“I started doing track and field at St Paul’s College in Grade 1 and I have never looked back. The shorter hurdle race was always my favourite and then I started doing the decathlon where I was able to practice many different events,” says the retired athlete.

“It was also important to me to be someone who was not so consumed with performance that neither I nor the people around me were having fun in practices or competitions.”

Dresselhaus says he was not a fan of the 1 500m race, but he loved the discus, pole vault and shot put.

He says he would be happy to be remembered as an athlete with humility, who did not push anyone down but encouraged athletes of all levels to be the best they can.

“There were these three boys younger than me that pushed me to my absolute limits in training while I was at Windhoek High school. That was between 2016 and 2017, and those boys would take turns trying to beat me in whatever we were training that day.

“I owe a lot of my success to them as well, because I would not let them win and I would not have trained as hard if they were not there challenging me,” says the retired star.

Dresselhaus says the ASUN Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2022 is his most memorable event because it ended up being the last competition with his coach of four years.

“My running style was characterised by both speed or technique. Participating in something as diverse as the decathlon, you need more than just one or the other,” Dresselhaus explains.

“This helped me a lot, but it also got in the way with the more technical events such as pole vault, discus and shot put. Nevertheless, being able to mix technique with speed was ultimately my strong point throughout my athletics career though.”

Dresselhaus also played rugby in Grade 8, as well as soccer, cricket and tennis in primary school.

But his favourite sport, besides track and field, was field hockey. Dresselhaus played hockey from Grade 1 to Grade 12, and still loves the sport.

“I was not approached directly but I was able to go compete abroad while earning a degree. I went to America where I spoke with some division one universities and eventually was able to get a scholarship to study at and compete for the University of Central Arkansas.

“Throughout my career, I competed in the 110m hurdles, high jump, triple jump and 4x100m relay. My best achievement in my national team colours was in Angola where I placed second in the 110m hurdles and third in the triple jump,” Dresselhaus notes.

He says his biggest regret as an athlete was that he wished he had started doing decathlons earlier.

“There is just so much to work on when you are training for the decathlon. We often had multiple days of six hours of training where we would train two events and do some running conditioning,” he says.

“I just want to make use of this platform to thank the coaches who coached me throughout my career. The ones I got along with and the ones I did not get along with. Every single one of you made me a better athlete and better competitor.”

Dresselhaus says he tries to be active first thing in the morning, whether it is a weights session or a run, thereafter he will drink plenty of water and sometimes coffee.

The athlete is currently trying to figure out what he wants to do for the rest of his life, as well as broadening his skills and looking into furthering his studies.

Asked if he is happy with his achievements as an athlete, Dresselhaus says that there are a lot of times, especially during the Olympics, that he wishes he was still competing, however, he is happy with what he was able to achieve.

As for his biggest influence and his toughest opponent, he says: “There were so many great athletes, especially the world record holders and Olympic champions that are able to do it over and over again. I had way too many toughest opponents to mention, myself included.”

“Sometimes, it is nice not to have to plan every aspect of my day like meals, sleep time, rest, recovery and training on top of trying to complete my studies and compete,” he says about missing his gruelling training regimen.

“There are times where I am grateful that I no longer have to worry about a possible injury, however small, when I want to do something fun and slightly physically dangerous or too challenging,” he says.

Dresselhaus says having something to train for, a goal, and being fit are some of the things he misses about being an athlete.

“My advice to young athletes, do not give up. There is no reason to give up. I had so many obstacles to overcome myself – money, equipment, opportunities and connections can play a role, but the lack thereof is no reason to not try or give up.

“If you need any of those, go talk to businesses and people about potential sponsorships or scholarships. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there, you might be surprised at how willing people are to help if you believe in yourself,” Dresselhaus notes.