Rower targets Olympic top 10
By Michael Uugwanga
THE country’s top female and Olympic bound rower, Maike Diekmann has said that her target at in Tokyo, Japan this year is to finish in the top 10 at her first Olympic appearance at the age of 26.
At the 2019 World Rower Championship in Linz, Australia, Diekmann finished in 16th position, and now wants to beat her own personal best at the Summer Olympics after becoming the first Namibian rower to qualify to the global showpiece.
The Olympic Games will be celebrated from July 23 to August 8 2021.
Diekmann grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Otjiwarongo and spent most of her childhood doing activities such as horse and motorbike riding in the bush, camping trips across the country, mountain climbing and adventuring around the farm.
Ironically, Diekamann started rowing in 2015 while a third-year student at Rhodes University in South Africa and the following year she represented Namibia at the U-23 World Championships 2016 in the Netherlands.
Talking to Confidente Sport recently, Diekmann said before going to the Olympic Games she will be partaking in two big international rowing events.
“My goal for the Olympics is to place top 10 in my category in the Women’s Single sculls.
I will hopefully be participating in two more international competitions before the Olympic Games. My participation in these regattas are not confirmed yet due to financial and logistical reasons.”
In April, Diekmann outclassed some top rowers at the Memorial Paolo d’Aloja International regatta when she finished second overall, a big achievement for someone who only started rowing just some few years ago.
“I placed second in both regattas in Italy.
The regatta is called Memorial Paolo d’Aloja International regatta at the Lake Piediluco in Piediluco”.