Young Adara's Olympic dreams

With a Namibian national under-15 high jump record to her name since she was 13, 14-year-old Adara Gey van Pittius shows no sign of slowing down.

Her mother, Polyanna Gey van Pittius, remembers Adara’s humble beginnings in sport.

“Her teachers thought she might be good at it and suggested we take her to the track to practice because they didn’t have the right equipment. I took her to the track and later we met her coach Hennie Horn, who said he would like to work with her,” she said.

For coach Horn, Pollyanna has great respect. “Hennie is so good with the kids. He knows how to work with them and he is so gentle and kind and manages to bring out the best in them,” she said.

She believes that great character not only sets Adara’s coach apart, but also Adara herself.

“I think what sets her apart is that she’s got nice sportsmanship – she treats everyone with respect.”

More than just respecting her competition, coach Horn believes that Adara’s ability to keep cool under pressure is an immense asset.

“During competitions, she can handle any pressure and remain calm,” he said.

Horn also noted that the 14-year-old’s ‘can-do’ attitude makes her every coach’s dream.

“Adara is hardworking and very intelligent – she can make adjustments herself during a jump,” he added.

Horn first became acquainted with Adara in 2018 when she was 10 years old and almost immediately noticed her talent, he said.

“I noticed that she has a great talent, especially after she had some training exercises, one could clearly see her potential."

The bigger picture

Pollyanna said she makes an effort not to overinflate Adara’s performance and achievements.

“I try not to make too much of a fuss of it at home. I have two other children and I don’t want them to think that she is everything, but sometimes I do have to pinch myself,” she said.

According to her, Adara is more than a high jumper. She enjoys other types of sport like hockey and has an immense love for animals and art.

She narrated the young athlete's inclination to take up sport as a career, but is careful not to rule out the possibility of philanthropic career ventures.

“She’s very interested in sport science so she’ll enjoy something like physiotherapy or a charity type of thing like Doctors Without Borders,” she said, noting that her daughter has plenty of time to decide for herself what career path she would like to take.

“She’s only in grade eight now, so she has time.”

Pollyanna encouraged sport as a means of keeping youth humble and child-like.

“I think sport gives them something to do and keeps them young. It keeps them away from bad influences and just lets them be kids,” she said.

A coach’s dream

“I think there are great things ahead of her. We have short-term and long-term goals,” said Horn, who noted Adara’s work in moving the national under-15 record up to level the current under-17 national record at 1.70 metres.

The coach is especially proud of the young athlete’s achievements, given the supposed disadvantage of her age.

The young Gey van Pittius only turned 14 yesterday, and was able to clinch a record in the age group above her own.

Horn expressed plans of tackling the South African record of 1.76 m, which was set in 1996 in Cape Town.

This challenge stands before Adara at the South African Christian School Sports Association and North West University top 30 later this year. “It’s completely doable,” Horn promised.

In the long term, the duo dreams of elite competitions like the African championships and the Commonwealth Youth Games as well as the World Under-20 Championships – not excluding the highest of honours, the world championships and the Olympic Games.

“It’s not easy, but for an athlete like Adara, anything is possible,” Horn said.