• By Michael Uugwanga

Fifteen-year-old table tennis player Lian Gebauer says she is excited and happy to be ranked the top female table tennis player in both the junior and senior categories, after a blistering career in the sport.

 It is rare in any sports discipline to find a teen dominating a code in both junior and senior categories, however, this appears not to be a problem for Gebauer. 

The sport of table tennis keeps on growing, especially at the grassroots level with many young players coming through the ranks by competing in various competitions, particularly those in Windhoek. Meanwhile, the Namibia Table Tennis Association (NTTA) is working tirelessly in ensuring that the sport is played in all 14 regions. Gebauer remains one of the few local table tennis players to have won a big trophy for Namibia abroad. 

“My year has been good ever since I won the Commonwealth Games trophy in Botswana in December 2024. I am very proud of myself for that. I have taken part in lots of tournaments this year. I have won lots of Arysteg Simonis Storm school leagues.

Namibia host the 11th edition of the African Union Sports Council Region (AUSC) 5 Youth Games in Windhoek and Swakopmund from July 4 to 13 July and table tennis is one of the few codes to be played. “It feels amazing to play for both the senior and junior categories, while I will only be turning 16 in July.” 

“My next competition will be the junior championships at Wanderers Hall. However, at the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games I hope to go very far as I can because winning a medal will mean that the country has lots of talent,” said Gebauer.  
She added that in order to achieve that, she will have to train even harder. 

“That is already happening, because I train in the morning from 9 am to 11am and then in the afternoon from 3 pm to 7pm.”