The yin to my yang

LIMBA MUPETAMI

WINDHOEK

Local track and field athlete Sem Shimanda has been guiding Paralympic athlete Ananias Shikongo since 2013.

The two have been inseparable since, training together, sharing jokes, and on many occasions sharing meals together.

Shimanda, a 400 m athlete, says Shikongo is very easy to get along with. He says the athlete is the joker of the group who is always cracking everyone up, even if he is struggling with something.

“He always has a positive attitude and sees the best in everyone. We met while I was training in the north (including Johannes Nambala), the team saw me running and invited me to join them and I haven’t looked back ever since.

“I mean, I have my own competitions and aspirations but there are so many challenges in athletics. We are suffering.

“You train every day at your own cost. Now imagine if you are unemployed? Where does the money come from to survive? if you are employed – the money is never enough. So, I rather focus on guiding my friends.

“I guide Shikongo and Lahja Ishitile in the 400 m events. We gel. But it’s a rhythm we worked hard to achieve,” said Shimanda.

He admits that he didn’t have a clue what to do at the first training session.

“It wasn’t difficult to get into how things work, but I didn’t know what was expected. They taught me everything.

“I learned that you don’t force anything, but you work very hard. Both of you. You are the eyes of the athlete. You can’t drag them, you just run alongside them, like a shield.

“You have to be faster than the athlete, or else he or she will leave you behind and head into a different lane,” he added.

He also talked about how difficult it is to get recognition in Namibia.

“The problem in Namibia is that people don’t understand the importance of the guide. When the congratulatory messages come in, the guide is always at the back.

“They don’t understand that there is so much work going into the athlete’s success.”

He explained how he has to constantly remain in communication with the athlete.

“The 400 m track has curves. How does one run on the track if he can’t see? I have to tell Shikongo how far we are from the curve, I have to tell him the distance left or else he will either exhaust himself or head into someone else’s lane.

“Now at Paralympic Games, they call us all on stage to hand over the medals, because we are a team. I appreciate that. When a guide is not happy, the athlete can easily lose. We need to speak the same language – and that includes the chemistry on and off the field.

“We have that and so far, we are good. He is my brother. We have travelled to so many countries together. I have his back.

“It’s important that guides aren’t changed just like that. You need rhythm and that takes a while to get into,” added Shimanda.

He further said that he aspires to one day reach the Olympic Games: “That’s every athlete’s dream, but until that day, I will continue to be the eyes of Shikongo.”

Shimanda was born in a village called Okawe in the Okongo area of the Ohangwena Region. He attended Oshisho Combined School, representing the school as well as the region at regional competitions.