Small-town hero

Lesley Klim is no ordinary Polytechnic of Namibia student. He is a strong-willed and dedicated individual. If there is a phrase that would describe him it would be “a jack of all trades” but even that is an understatement for the rugby player. It all began in the small southern town of Namibia, Keetmanshoop. Hidden and tucked away, unbeknown to the world, was a young Lesley Klim trying to polish his rugby skills. Klim started playing rugby at the tender age of eight while he was at Kronlein Primary School. “It used to be an ironic story, because I was taught and introduced to the game by two female teachers. Ms Alta van der Merwe and Ms Roos, but now women play rugby too,” says Klim. Klim made his debut for the national team, the Welwitschias, in a Vodacom Cup match against the Golden Lions on March 6, 2015. Even though it was a momentous career highlight for him bad luck struck right after he played his first match for the national rugby team. Klim suffered a grade two tear in his left hamstring after the game against the Golden Lions while he was getting out of a car. “It was a very depressing time for me. And it happened in a very odd way, in front of our house, as I was getting out of the car.” But not even an injury could get him down because Klim was proud of having donned the national rugby team’s shirt. “I represented my country for the first time at this year’s Vodacom Cup. It was a dream come true. I’ve grown up with the desire and I still honour it,” he says. Klim is no stranger when it comes to representing the country on the rugby field, though. He represented the country at the U/18 Academy Week in South Africa in 2013, played in the TISAN Sevens team in Brazil and the National U/19 team in the CAR tournament in 2014 and then the National U/20 team at the Junior World Rugby Trophy in Portugal in 2015. Besides playing rugby Klim also represented the Karas Region at The Namibian Newspaper Cup football tournament in 2011 and 2012. But he decided to swap his soccer boots for rugby ones. “I could actually have played the tournament for three more years but it was after that time that I decided to choose rugby and focus on it,” he says. When he is not on the rugby field Klim is busy pursuing his studies at the Polytechnic of Namibia where he is a second-year Geographical Information Technology student. Asked how he balances his studies and sports career, he replied: “I prioritise and try to work as hard as I can at both.” So what does the future hold for him? “I want to make rugby my profession. I’ll work as hard as I can to get my degree, but rugby is my passion.” POSHONA NGAVA