The Crystal Gold Quinton Steele Botes Athletics Coaching and Training Clinic takes place for the 32nd consecutive year this week with an array of top-class coaches lined up.
The annual training clinic, which takes place at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium from today till Friday, has become an institution on the Namibian sporting calendar since it was launched by Botes in 1993, and continued by Leonie van Rensburg after his death from cancer in 2014.
Many of Namibia’s top athletes like Frank Fredericks, Sherwin Vries, Benedictus Botha, Agnes Samaria, Roger Haitengi, Ryan Williams, Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma have all participated in the course through the years, with several ploughing their knowledge and expertise back into the course.
Haitengi, who still holds Namibia’s triple jump record of 16,78m set nine years ago, has gone on to become a top triple jump and long jump coach in South Africa, as the manager and coach of the University of Johannesburg’s athletics club, while he has also been instrumental in developing UJ’s athletics programme. He will be back as the long jump and triple jump coach.
Other Namibian athletes who have become talented coaches include Ryan Williams, the current Namibian men’s discus record holder with a distance of 61,15m and FC Pieterse who was Namibia’s top male hurdler for many years. Pieters will conduct the hurdles coaching course, while Williams will be in charge of discus and shot put.
Henk Botha, the acclaimed coach of Namibian sprinting superstars Mboma and Masilingi, will be back, taking charge of the sprints, while other Namibian coaches include Nadine van der Merwe (hammer throw), Matt Isaacs (middle and long distance), Lucky Gawanab and Chantelle van den Berg (kids athletics).
Impressive list
This year’s clinic also has an impressive list of foreign coaches who will add great value in terms of scientific expertise and experience.
One of Germany’s top athletics coaches, Hans Peter Thumm, who previously worked in Namibia during the early Nineties when he helped establish athletics development structures, will be back and boasts an impressive resume.
He has built up extensive experience in physical education, youth sports development and talent identification programmes and has worked in various countries like Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Gambia as well as in partnership with the German Olympic Sports Federation.
According to a press release issued by Van Rensburg, Thumm has led several sports development initiatives globally, focussing on creating sustainable systems for youth sport, physical education and talent development.
Top Dutch middle and long distance coach Grete Koens will once again be back to conduct long distance coaching sessions.
Koens participated in the clinic last year when she also brought some of The Netherlands’ top middle distance prospects along for a Namibian training camp in preparation for the European season.
Koens currently leads the Valley Running Team, consisting of some of the Netherlands’ top middle and long distance athletyes, while she also offers running guidance and clinics to runners of all levels, sharing her passion and expertise through personalised training programmes.
Markus Pingpank, a former German long distance athlete who has transitioned into coaching, specializing in running training and preparation, will be responsible for the children’s athletics programme.
After retiring from competitive athletics, he established ‘Pingpank Running’ – a coaching service based in the northern German city of Hannover. His programmes cater for runners of various levels, offering structured training plans, group runs and preparation for marathons and half marathons. Pingpank Running has several training camps planned for 2025, in diverse places like Hannover and Mallorca, while he plans to return to Windhoek in April to conduct a high altitude training camp.
Some of South Africa’s top coaches who have a long history with the QSB Athletics Coaching and Training Clinic will once again be back. They include long jump coach Charley Strohmenger who has been associated with the clinic for more than 20 years, and will this time cover hurdles, and high jump coach Jonathan Greyvenstein who has been a participant for more than 10 years.
Other South African coaches include Morne van As, who will be responsible for javelin coaching and Louis Nienaber, who leads the Boland Pole Vault Academy.
The clinic will consist of morning sessions (08h00 to 12h30) for the kids athletics programme as well as primary and intermediate children, and morning as well as afternoon sessions (15h00 – 18h00) for high school and senior athletes.
Crystal Gold is the main sponsor of the clinic, while the supporting sponsors include Konica Minolta Namibia, Pupkewitz Toyota, Interpack Beverages, ATKV, Food Lovers Market, Coca-Cola and Arrebbusch Travel Lodge.
More information can be obtained from Leonie van Rensburg at 081 1271193 or Chantelle van den Berg at 081 8755241.
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