Banner Left
Banner Right

Top wrestler Abraham off to India and Japan 

Namibian wrestler Ester Abraham (second from left) with Herman Davin of the Janine & Suzelle Davin Sport Trust Fund, coach Luis Forcelledo and Colin Steytler, president of the Namibia Wrestling Federation. Photo: Helge Schütz

Namibia’s top female wrestler Ester Abraham yesterday left for India to attend an all-women training camp as part of her long term goal of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. 

After India, Abraham will also attend an intensive training camp in Japan and will only return to Namibia in mid-March. 

Abraham, who is only 21 years old, last year established herself as one of Namibia’s top wrestling prospects in many years when she won a silver medal at the Africa Wrestling Championships in Egypt and a bronze medal at the Africa Games in Accra. 

Now she has been invited by the international motherbody, United World Wrestling to attend the India camp, while the Janine and Suzelle Davin Sport Trust Fund has also come on board with a N$100 000 sponsorship to enable her to continue training in Japan. 

The president of the Namibia Wrestling Federation, Colin Steytler said they had worked out a long-term plan to try and get Abraham onto the podium at the Los Angeles Olympics. 

“Ester is a real star in the making and she’s going to be our hope for a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, so we are working on a four-year plan to get her optimally prepared,” he said. 

“The Indian training camp is being sponsored by United World Wrestling, but since it’s so close to Japan, we decided to get her into that programme where she will be for six weeks. Japan has absolutely dominated the women’s wrestling scene for the last eight years and they have the best programmes in place so this will be of great value to Ester,” he added.

“The Davin Sport Trust Fund has generously partnered with the NWF in this journey to the Olympics so we want to thank them for their assistance,” he said. 

Herman Davin of the Davin Sport Trust said thy had sponsored N$100 000 towards Abraham’s trip to Japan.

“Ester is the first-ever ladies wrestler that we are supporting, so hopefully its going to be a four-year deal until we’ve finished with Los Angeles Olympics. Hopefully we will stand here again in four years time and you’ll have a medal around your neck like Christine Mboma, but her’s was silver, so maybe you should go for the gold,” he said. 

Abraham said she would work hard to achieve her goals. 

“I’m grateful to get this opportunity to start training earlier and to compete in other countries. The Davin Trust sponsorship is something new for me, I never dreamed of this, but I’m going to work hard, there’s no time to rest. 

“The plan is to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2028 but through the journey I still want to win medals at the Africa Championships where I’m aiming to win the gold medal; the Commonwealth Games that’s coming up, and I’m motivated to qualify for the World Championships – this is my year and definitely NASA (Namibia Sport Awards), I’m coming for you,” she said. 

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News