JOHANNA Benson wrote her name in the annals of Namibian sporting history when she won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in London on 5 September 2012.
Competing in the women’s T37 200m final at a packed London Olympic Stadium, Benson powered down the home straight to win the gold medal in a new African record time of 29,26 seconds.
It was her second medal on the world’s biggest stage after she had won silver in the 100m final three days earlier, while it was also the first time that Namibia had won a gold medal at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
“I was so excited to win the gold medal and to be the first Namibian to win a gold medal, and then at the end of the day my medal was handed over by Frankie Fredericks which was very exciting and I was so thrilled, ” she said in a recent interview.
Her victory and her newfound fame thrust her under the international spotlight, while she returned home to a heroes welcome in Namibia.
“It was very exciting when I came back. I was informed by my family and friends that there would be a lot of people at the airport when we arrive back, but I didn’t expect so many people, ” she said.
The Namibian government also showered gifts on her as she received N$170 000 in cash and a new house, while she had a street named after her in her hometown of Walvis Bay.
She was also nominated as a finalist in the prestigious international Laureus Awards, while she became a role model for Namibians of all walks of life, but she said the newfound fame did not change her character or lifestyle.
“Many people think that I have changed, but I’m just my normal self. I’m just the way I was before I won the gold medal I’m still the same person, ” she said.
Benson was born with cerebral palsy on 17 February 1990 in Walvis Bay, where she grew up and attended Duinesig Primary School. She didn’t do much sport in her early years, but when she reached Kuisebmond Secondary School she started participating in athletics events and soon caught the attention of Tsire Tsausab, the then president of the Namibian Federation for People with Disabilities.
“In the beginning I used to run against the able bodied athletes and sometimes I won some races but other times they beat me. Uncle Tsire saw me running and thought I’d be a good athlete so he introduced me to the Namibian Paralympic Committee and then I started running in their competitions. ”
Benson competed in the T37 category for athletes with cerebral palsy and made an immediate impact when she first competed at the 2006 Nedbank SA Championships for the Disabled, winning two gold medals in the 100m and 200m.
In 2007 she won three gold medals, with the addition of the long jump, but due to a lack of funds Namibia did not compete at the SA Championships for the next two years.
By 2010, however, at the age of 20, Benson announced her arrival with some superb performances on the African continent and abroad.
She once again won three gold medals at the South African Championships in March and then three months later repeated that feat at the African Championships in Morocco. In August she competed against Africa’s best at the Great Lakes IPC Championships in Nairobi, Kenya where she once again won three gold medals, setting new African records in the 200m (30,73 seconds) and the long jump (3,71m) in the process.
The best was yet to come though and on 7 October she excelled at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, winning a bronze medal in the 100m in a personal best time of 14,81 seconds.
It was one of only three medals that Namibia won at the Commonwealth Games, but Benson said that she received little support on her arrival back home.
“The Commonwealth Games was my first experience out of Africa and the competition was very tough. In Africa I was the best, but here I was competing against the best in the world so it was very challenging. I was very happy with my performance, but when I came back to Namibia it was hardly news and I didn’t receive much support or congratulations, ” she said.
In 2011 Benson competed at her first IPC World Championships in New Zealand and although she failed to finish amongst the medals, she qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Games, and it was there, in London, that she became a global star.
“It was a great experience to be at the Olympic Games for the first time I was nervous but at the same time I was excited. At first I didn’t think I could win because there were so many people and athletes, but when I won my 200m heat, I knew I could win the gold medal. I had the fastest time in the heats so I was just focussed and confident in the final, ” she said.
Since her crowning glory, Benson has continued to excel on the international stage, although she is yet to reach the heights of London again.
In 2013 she won two bronze medals at the IPC World Championships in Lyon, France in the 100m and 200m, with the latter coming in a new African record of 29,13 seconds.
In 2014 she won a bronze medal in the long jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and in 2015 she won another bronze medal in the 200m at the IPC World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Benson is now hard at work preparing for her second Paralympic Games, but she has been struggling with a leg injury in recent years and didn’t want to make any promises for the Rio Paralympic Games.
“I don’t want to promise anything, but I just want to do my best and I hope my leg will be fine because I’m still struggling with it. I’m getting physiotherapy and I’m just training to be the best I can be for Rio, ” she said.
One on one with Johanna Benson
17 February 1990, Walvis Bay.
Schools attended:
Duinesig Primary and Kuisebmond Secondary School.
