Johannes shaping the next big runner

On Saturday morning, Namibia&#039;s marathon queen Helalia Johannes donated shoes to her running team to aid their ambitions.One of the country&#039;s most decorated athletes, Johannes said running requires a lot and because she didn’t get much support when she started out, she wants to make sure that the &#039;next big thing&#039; in long-distance running has a better chance.The shoes, she said, come from a company in America she will be working with closely in future.She also shared some words of wisdom with the team, encouraging the runners to listen to their coach, Robert Kaxuxuena. She explained that all her accolades were achieved through years of training, eating the right food and listening to her body and her coach.Breaking records“Back in day, when I didn’t win, I would always ask myself: Why the Kenyans and Ethiopians, why not me? And those questions really motivated me. I stayed committed to training. I listened to my coach and I put in a lot of effort.”Johannes can attest to this with her many titles over the years, having represented Namibia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has won medals at world championships, Military World Games and the All-Africa Games.The five-time winner of the Two Oceans Half Marathon holds the current record of 01:10:29, and also won Namibia&#039;s second gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she won the women&#039;s marathon.In 2019, Johannes broke three Namibian records, one of which includes the Namibian marathon record, when she won the Nagoya Marathon in a time of 02:22:25.In December 2020, she broke her own national marathon record, placing third at the Valencia Marathon in a time of 02:19:52. With this achievement, Namibia became the third African country to break the 02:20:00 barrier in women&#039;s marathon after Kenya and Ethiopia.&#039;I was hungry for it&#039;According to the marathon queen, the race in which she earned a bronze at the Doha World Athletics Championships was her best. “The weather was hot, but I was ready. I really put in a lot of work for that race."It is a huge achievement, I was hungry for it and it was a dream to win a medal. I really want athletes to aspire for more and to believe that they can achieve it.”Currently plagued by an injury, she said she is recovering well and is starting with training soon.“I want to get back on the road, I miss it," the 42-year-old said.She further congratulated 29-year-old Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon, who over the weekend broke the Monaco Diamond Race in 04:07.64 seconds to smash Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan&#039;s 2019 mark of 04:12.33.Amongst those who received training shoes was Daniel Paulus of the Namibian Correctional Service, who is also the national 5 000-metre record holder. He said Johannes inspires him to continue pushing himself.“I train with the best of the best. I’m here to learn and one day reach the heights that she has reached,” he added.

Johannes shaping the next big runner

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-11

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Johannes shaping the next big runner

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Namibian Sun 2026-05-11

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