Africa-Press – Namibia. NOT many people will claim to have come from a small village like Tses, which is a settlement in the //Kharas region – with an estimated population of 1 000 – to acquaint themselves on the Namibian sport scene the same way that Lilanne Klaasman did.
Also known as ‘Lani’ by her peers, Klaasman starred in the athletics, hockey, netball and girls soccer disciplines at junior level during her schooling days, before she became the stellar middle distance runner that the athletics world came to know.
A product of Keetmanshoop Primary School and PK de Villiers Secondary School, Klaasman started to represent the country at under-13 level already when she toured with the netball team to Johannesburg and the hockey team to Cape Town in South Africa.
“I was a jack of all trades sports-wise, growing up. Apart from being an 80m and 100m runner at primary school, I also played netball, soccer and hockey. My netball and soccer careers blossomed when I went to high school. I was the toast of my town.
“I was a prominent member of the u13 //Kharas regional soccer team under coach Jacky Gertze who is now a big gun in the Namibia Football Association set-up. I also played right-wing for the u20 //Kharas regional soccer team,” she explains.
She says she finally discovered that she was an exceptional runner in 2002 after she beat her high school rival Natasha Mungunda in the 100m sprint, who seemed unbeatable, and even Mungunda’s brothers showed great sportsmanship by congratulating her afterwards.
The southern sprint star then caught the eyes of the junior national team selectors and she was called to go run in the 100m hurdles and was also co-opted on the 4x400m relay team during the Ball Games in Lesotho in 2006 and Mozambique in 2007.
She also competed in the long jump and high jump disciplines at secondary school.
Klaasman joined the Welwitschia 77 Athletics Club in 2009 where she continued doing the 100m hurdles and the long-jump while she added the 400m hurdles to her programme.
“I can only count myself very fortunate to have been chosen as one of the prominent young Namibian athletes who were sent on the athletics training camp to Jamaica. It was done in 2013 through the government’s athletics development initiative called Vision 2016.
“Now that was an opportunity of a lifetime and what I experienced in Jamaica was something beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. I have learned very valuable lessons like self-respect and respect for others and that to be humble will take you very far in life,” she says.
She points out that she has also learnt never to be angry when she loses because competition was not only about winning and that you have to respect another athlete’s time if that person beat you to the gong because they have also worked as hard as you to deserve the win.
Klaasman said she only started to run the 400m because of a shortage of athletes.
“I only came to Windhoek from Keetmanshoop to participate in the 100m hurdles at the Zone Six Games in 2006. I had just finished the race when my Cuban coach Carlos was approached by coach Letu Hamhola and his team to ask if I could run in the 400m hurdles.
“I have never run that race before nor have I even trained to run the 400m hurdles. Now that is a very specialised race. I agreed and I could have never thought I would make it through the first round. I had four coaches over the track and I defied all the odds to reach the final,” she notes.
She says she was just too happy to qualify for the final and, although she did not win the race, she was happy to go back home with a silver medal.
She decided to switch to the 400m when she joined Welwitschia Club in 2013 and her impressive performances saw her being elected as the only athlete for that discipline at the Jamaican training camp.
Klaasman was still in Jamaica with her Namibian teammates when she was called up for the 2015 All-Africa Games in Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and what an unforgettable championship it turned out for her.
“I thank my lucky stars I switched to the 400m hurdles because after years of trying to come back home with a medal from continental competitions, I eventually ran my most memorable race ever to set a new Namibian record at 58,68, which still stands until today.
“The year 2015 was a very exciting year for me, because together with Globine Mayova, Tjipekapora Herunga and Mberihunga Kandovazu, we managed to lower the 4x400m Namibian relay record in 3:40.21 at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas,” she says.
But earlier in 2013, Alissa Conelly, Herunga, Mayoya and I became the toast of Namibia when we set a new national record in the 4×100 relay in a time of 45,49 in Lucerne, Switzerland.
That record was eventually shattered recently by the devastating quartet of the sensational Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi, Ndawana Haitembu and Nandi Vass in a very impressive time of 43,76 at the World U-20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
The retired athlete is a proud mom of a lovely five-year-old daughter Taragi and she is currently employed by the Namibian Police Force on the rank of Warrant II.
“I’m currently employed as an assistant transport officer at the Wanaheda Police Station, which covers a area of the city like Grysblok, Soweto, Havana, Goreangab, Hakahana, Okuryangava, Okahandja Park and the Mix settlement behind Brakwater.
“My challenges for the day already start while I’m still 50m away from the station as I go to work. I was tasked to inspect the police vehicles if the tyres are still roadworthy and also make sure that the cars have fuel before they leave the station for patrols and investigations,” she explains.
She says although she loves every minute of her job, there are big challenges coming with it as well, especially when there is no vehicle at the station with so much happening, especially during the weekends of month-end.
Klaasman, who was greatly inspired by 800m, 1 000m, 1 500m and mile record holder Agnes Samaria, who was also her coach at some point, says that she is very happy with her achievement on the track so far, but feels that she could have still achieved a little more.
“My biggest regret as an athlete came on the day I decided to go netball for the Khomas Police Club shortly after I gave birth to my daughter in 2017. I just feel that I could have still continued running at the highest level until even now,” she enthuses.
She considers herself as a great ambassador for the people of the south of the country and thank those who still recognise her on the streets and praise her for what she has achieved.
Klaasman, who mentions her former teammate Tjipekapora Herunga as her biggest rival in the 400m race, advises young athletes of today that respect and discipline are the two key words for any sports person to succeed.
“Respect yourself and others, be disciplined and put in 120% effort during training. You have to sacrifice a lot, your lifestyle and your usual diet. And you have to take your schoolwork very seriously. Education is key to a comfortable life,” she says.
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