Aspiring to be like his father
LIMBA MUPETAMI
Retired long-distance runner Luketz Swartbooi’s son Tevin says he wants to break his father’s long-standing 1992 (2:11:23) Rössing Marathon record.
Namibian Sun visited the Swartbooi household in Rehoboth on Saturday after the former athlete got a street named after him, on the same day he also received a plot.
He is the Namibian marathon record holder, with a time of 2:09:08. In the half-marathon, he set a time of 1:01:26, as well as a time of 47:47 in the 10 km.
He also set a personal best at the Boston Marathon in 1994 in a time of 2:09:08 to take bronze.
Swartbooi was in a great mood, spoke about his running days and said that his feats were not easy.
“It takes a lot of hard work; something which I keep telling my children,” he said.
The retired runner has two sons and two daughters.
One of his sons, Tevin (26), also wants to take up running.
“I think it’s up to me to carry the name forward. It’s up to me to break my father’s record,” said Tevin.
“I was supposed to take part in this year’s Rössing Marathon but it was called off due to Covid-19. My father has always been exemplary towards us, this is also who I want to be,” he added.
Swartbooi wished the Namibian Olympic team well.
“Remain disciplined, especially the young athletes, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi,” he said.
Retired long-distance runner Luketz Swartbooi’s son Tevin says he wants to break his father’s long-standing 1992 (2:11:23) Rössing Marathon record.
Namibian Sun visited the Swartbooi household in Rehoboth on Saturday after the former athlete got a street named after him, on the same day he also received a plot.
He is the Namibian marathon record holder, with a time of 2:09:08. In the half-marathon, he set a time of 1:01:26, as well as a time of 47:47 in the 10 km.
He also set a personal best at the Boston Marathon in 1994 in a time of 2:09:08 to take bronze.
Swartbooi was in a great mood, spoke about his running days and said that his feats were not easy.
“It takes a lot of hard work; something which I keep telling my children,” he said.
The retired runner has two sons and two daughters.
One of his sons, Tevin (26), also wants to take up running.
“I think it’s up to me to carry the name forward. It’s up to me to break my father’s record,” said Tevin.
“I was supposed to take part in this year’s Rössing Marathon but it was called off due to Covid-19. My father has always been exemplary towards us, this is also who I want to be,” he added.
Swartbooi wished the Namibian Olympic team well.
“Remain disciplined, especially the young athletes, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi,” he said.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article