Here follows some memorable quotes during 2008.
I am so happy with my performance. I'm the first African and I have shown that I can do it, be in the front with the world’s best and there is definitely more to come. – Erik Hoffmann, after finishing 22nd in the cycling road race at the Beijing Olympics.
As they say, you can never say never, but I will never coach again. I’m finished with rugby and I think it’s a chapter which I have closed. – Former Springbok coach Jake White at the launch of his book in Windhoek in January. Before the year was out he was back coaching the Barbarians and French side Toulon, while he took up a consultancy role with UK club Saracens for 2009.
I decided to go for my shots and when they pitched them in my area I just hit them right out of the park. Some four or five balls just went right out of the stadium so there was some big hitting on my part, just to stamp my authority on the game. I wanted to show them that if they wanted to take me on and bowl straight at me I would hit them out of the park. They also started changing their line and length which suited my game plan perfectly. – Namibian batsman Gerrie Snyman talks about his innings of 230 runs that he scored against Kenya in January.
To compete at the highest level against professionals that we only saw on TV before was indescribable. We had a bad start, but we are proud of what we achieved in the end. There was a great atmosphere in Ghana where the people love soccer. On the streets people were wearing the Ghanaian colours and cheering for their team. And on the pitch, just to play against professionals like Michael Essien, John Mensah, Sulley Muntari, Junior Agogo and Asamoah Gyan was an amazing experience. – Brave Warriors captain Michael Pienaar, reflecting on Ghana 2008.
I can’t explain how I feel about qualifying for the Olympic Games because I am so excited. It has always been my dream to go to the Olympics and when I qualified I thanked God for helping me achieve my dream. – Marathon runner Helalia Johannes, after qualifying for the Olympics at the Seoul Marathon.
I’m feeling very happy because it’s my first time to go to the Olympics and I have created history. I’m proud of the fact that I’m the first Herero boxer to represent Namibia at the Olympic Games and I want to thank my coaches for their support and belief in me. – Desmond Kasuto after beating Nickson Abaka of Kenya to win the gold medal at the second African Olympics qualifiers.
My aim is to put the pride back into Namibian rugby and to start winning some trophies. I’ve worked with the best coaches in South Africa, I’ve learnt a lot and I have won trophies. My philosophy is to develop a player to his full potential, both in terms of rugby skills and life skills. My ultimate aim will be to finish amongst the top eight teams at the 2011 World Cup. But all the smaller nations have become more professional, and we will have to become semi-professional by 2011 as well. – Namibia’s new rugby coach, John Williams.
It feels good to be at the top of the log, but now we can expect a lot of pressure. But that’s a good thing because it will show if we can handle the pressure and whether we are made of championship material or not. – Ramblers coach Tollie van Wyk. In March. Before the end of the season van Wyk had resigned and Ramblers went on to finish third on the log.
John Muinjo phoned me and said he was not happy with the team’s performances. He asked me to attend a meeting to discuss the way forward. I told him then that I would resign so that we won’t waste each other’s time. – Arie Schans, who resigned as Brave Warriors coach at the end of June.
We must not reject these people. We must make them feel that we also care for them. You will never get infected if you care for them. The community must help these people and they must change their mentality… I urge all footballers to come out and go for testing and to control their lifestyles. For footballers it is easy to get girls, but they must lead by example – come out and know your status. – Nawa Sport ambassador Congo Hindjou.
I am a sportsman and I am here to get good results. It does not matter what sport I play, I always want to win. I am very eager and motivated to be successful in Namibia and to make a long-term commitment to Namibian football. I need this kind of pressure to bring the best out of me. – Tom Saintfiet, who became the new Brave Warriors coach in July.
We as Namibians don’t have to think that we cannot be there (at the World Cup) as a small country. It is an honor for the players and I to bring this victory to the nation. – Saintfiet, after Namibia beat Zimbabwe 4-2 in October.
It was wonderful to win the league in Otjiwarongo. There was a marvellous atmosphere, fans arrived at our lodge early in the morning and throughout the day gave us great support. Afterwards they were ecstatic and I had to greet at least 300 fans by the hand. They all wanted a photo taken with me. – The owner of Orlando Pirates, Hendrik Dawids, after they won the Premier league title for the first time in June.
I was already going flat out, but I realised I had to sprint if I wanted any chance of catching him. The road had four lanes and the Moroccan was in the left lane, taking the shortest route to the line. But when he saw me coming past on his right, he moved across all four lanes trying to push me into the guardrails. With the African title on the line I was not going to break and so the two of us hit shoulders as I came past him. I don't think that he was expecting me to react this way to his dirty tricks and as a result he crashed a mere fifty metres from the line as I went on to take the title. – Dan Craven who became the African cycling champion in Morocco in November.
I am humbled and honoured … I will rely on my fellow athletes for guidance to ensure the voice of the athletes stays up to date and active in the IOC and that we remain constant of the fact that the Olympic Games are for athletes. I will continue to support the fight against doping, because it is athletes who cheat but also athletes who are cheated. Thank you for your support and I will do my best to serve you well. – Frank Fredericks, after being elected as the new chairman of the Athletes Commission of the International Olympic Committee in August.
Our poor performance in Beijing comes as no surprise. We cannot expect miracles or medals when the government or the private sector does not provide enough resources to support our athletes. – MTC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Albertus Aochamub,
I am a motivational speaker and I train people to feel good about themselves and not to give up. I encourage them to keep on striving for success and that everything is possible. So I wasn’t down for too long. I just told myself, I am an individualist and I work for myself. I have walked this road so long on my own and I have come so far and nothing has pulled me down. Things like this are good for me because they just make me stronger and more determined to think positively, to say that I can and I am capable of anything. – Reginald Benade, on not being nominated as a finalist in the Sportsman of the Year category.