A promising future for Namibian hockey

Tunohole MungobaThis was the highest position that Namibia had achieved at the World Cup, after they came tenth at their only previous appearance in 2011, and with a largely youthful side picking up valuable experience, Namibia can look forward to the future with confidence and heightened expectations. At the welcoming ceremony on 14 February 2018, minister of sport, youth and national services, Erastus Uutoni congratulated the team and applauded their efforts for reaching thus far. “As we were following the different games, we realised that our hockey team was the only representative from the African continent and indeed you kept the continent’s burner lighting in the competition,” says Uutoni. “We note that you had five matches of which you lost two against Germany, the host country and Czech Republic. You draw two matches against Russia and Australia and you recorded victory against Ukraine. “Uutoni announced that Kiana-Che Cormack of the girls’ hockey team shared the top goal scorer of the tournament with Yana Vorushylo of Ukraine. The 16-year-old Cormack had a superb tournament with nine goals from six matches. Cormack attends school at St. Mary’s in Durban Kloof on a sports bursary she received in grade 8. Currently playing for the Saints club in Windhoek, Cormack was happy of her performance and says enjoyed every minute of the cup. “I started playing hockey at 5 years and I played my first tournament for the under 13 national team at nine years old,” she says. She thanked her team for working hard together with one aim in mind which was winning each game. “I am so proud of the team as it was really amazing playing with them and I think we really deserved to come ninth, especially if you look at how hard we prepared and how hard we fought to come back. I think that we really put Africa on the map and I think that next time we will do much better than now, so I am very proud to be part of a team that made history at the World Cup,” she says. Words from the coach Edwin Handura, coach of the team says it feels good to be home after a long trip. “We have been away for almost a month and we have missed the sun. In Europe, it is winter and the weather could not be compared to home,” he says. “We did not face a lot of challenges because our team was very well mentally prepared and they were much focused. So even if the team was presented with some distractions, they managed to get back on track. Other challenges included local transport and the time management was also difficult.” In terms of the game, Handura says the Russian game was a challenge because the team felt the referees were biast and felt he could have influenced the match better. “The highlights however, as a country as playing six games which was winning two games, drawing two games and losing the remaining two games. Comparing to the previous World Cups we attended in 2011, we only won one game. This was a very young team and the players were never exposed to such games before. I am truly proud of the team and the performance we made,” he says. “Our team also had the youngest player in the entire tournament and this was amazing for us as a country. All the teams in our pool came to know us and we really became competitive as well.” The task as a coach was not an easy, but Handura says the team had a mission and this made the journey easier. “We made sure we had bible study every night. We prayed a lot and God showed us His presence during our journey. All the girls gained a lot of spiritual wisdom.” The importance of sports in a country “It is crucial that all Namibian sectors unite to invest in the youth and sports. For example, the South African team almost missed the World Cup, because of lack of funds until a Good Samaritan came to save the day at the last minute. They performed so badly, because they were not focused. I would like to thank Seaflower and the Namibian government for coming on board to help us achieve our goals,” he says. Captain of the team, Maggy Mengo shared the same sentiments. “I want to take a moment and really applaud Seaflower for believing in us and believing in our dreams and goals. We appreciate it a lot and they made it all possible. This is a standard set by Seaflower for other corporates to follow and invest in sport. They touched lives and made dreams come true by supporting the team for past 2 years.”Namibia's fighting spirit was also led by her as she refused to lose focus and win all the games presented to them. “We had little challenges. Everyone including management was ready for the tournament and we were all looking forward to each and every game. The challenge was only the pressure of performing, but we were prepared physically and mentally,” she says. As the captain of the team, she says knowing your players is key when it comes to helping the team staying focused. “It was not easy, but it is a duty that is in my veins. I need to know each individual in the team to analyse them daily and see whether they are ready or not for the day and it starts from the time you go to breakfast as a team,” says Mengo. “Mentally on and off the pitch, I had to constantly read each player and encourage them throughout the games and competition. I cannot afford to have one of those off days hence I was chosen as a leader. Pep talks and sometime hard talk at some players bring out the best of each.”The balancing act between her sports, professional and personal has always been a challenge, but she has found her feet. “I have a day to day agenda every day for everything. My family supports me and at the World Cup was the first time I got to sleep 8 hours a day actually,” she says jokingly. It was also the end of the road for Mengo, who announced her World Cup retirement after the match, although there is still a chance that she will play one more international match. “This is indeed my final World Cup, but I might still play one more match for Namibia. I have 49 caps now so the hockey president said it would be nice to close off with a 50th cap so I might just play one more game to conclude my hockey career on a high note. It is emotional, but everything comes to an end and one has to start with a new chapter in life again,” she says.

A promising future for Namibian hockey

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Namibian Sun 2026-06-08

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A promising future for Namibian hockey

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Namibian Sun 2026-06-08

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