Respectfully, the history of Namibian sport will be incomplete if the name Frank ‘Tokkie’ Bombosch is omitted from the narrative.
The multi-talented stocky athlete has represented his motherland on many fronts with great aplomb.
Apart from chasing an inflated piece of leather (football) the energetic, multi-
talented athletic Bombosch was equally home in swimming, cycling, road-running, gymnastics, and cross-country races.
A very strong swimmer and formidable cyclist, Bombosch excelled in the highly demanding triathlon discipline and held
the position of the country’s undisputed number one triathlete for many years.
He represented Namibia internationally
at various sport gatherings rubbing
shoulders with global sporting icons. His impressive rich resume includes gold medals in the gruelling Mariental Chamber of Commerce Triathlon held at Hardap dam.
This particular competition always attracted the crème de la crème of triathletes from other parts of the continent including leading South African entries.
Despite the presence of the big names, Bombosch was not to be intimidated and
went about his business unhindered and silenced the doubting Thomases.
He fashioned astonishing wins with breathtaking pace in the cycling leg that put him up there with the very best on the global podium.
On the football pitch, Bombosch was equally unbeatable in one-on-one confrontations stopping marauding attackers right in their tracks with his resolute tight marking and hard tackles. The stocky fullback played a blinder when Ramblers won the prestigious Xmas Cup in Swakopmund in 1985.
He was also a valuable squad member of the all-conquering Ramblers side that lifted the coveted Mainstay Cup in 1985. Rammies saw off Tsumeb-based outfit Chief Santos 4-0 at the old Katutura stadium.
Regrettably, an assortment of niggling knee injuries hamstrung his progress and promising career on the football field as Bombosch was eventually obligated to call it quits and concentrate on triathlon and cycling.
Born in Namibia’s commercial hub Windhoek on 24August 1968, the super energetic blond boytjie was always destined for greatness.
The boy with the Midas touch was a mean gymnast cutting his teeth in the South African Inter-Provincial Schools Championships where he won bronze medal. He also excelled in the A-5 Springboard diving and swimming.
His blossoming sporting career took off with victory in the maiden edition of the SWABANK/Nedbank cycle race that saw him clinch gold. He added another gold medal to his collection in the Old Mutual Namib Triathlon in addition to the MTN Off-Road Triathlon Friedenau in 2013. A proud product of the revered Deutsche Horere Privat Schulle (DHPS) in Windhoek, Bombosch also played for the school’s football first team.
“Look, it was great playing football against other school teams from the previously marginalised communities, I vividly remember marking Frank Fredericks at the gravel field at Dobra, it was an awful experience on its own, as it exposed us to racial integration at an early age. I was also very lucky to be at Ramblers where I was mentored by great men with vision.
“The likes of Manuel Coelho and Andy Alfheim recruited players of colour to set up and we really had great fun playing alongside the likes of Bertus Damon, Joseph Martin, Jeff Luck and Bobby Craddock,” recalls Bombosch with a twinkle in his eyes.
Bombosch has represented his motherland with pride in the Triathlon World Championships in Cape Town 1993, tailed by participation in subsequent August gatherings in Greater Manchester, England, Stuttgart, Germany, in 1995 and 1996 respectively.
He was also part of the Namibian Triathlon team at the 2002 Athens Olympics. Bombosch was the fourth best-placed African at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur 1998.
Sadly, an combination of niggling knee injuries halted his progress and forced him to quit competitive racing.
He turned his focus to coaching
upcoming cyclists while occupying several high-profile roles in the Namibia Triathlon Association including being team
manager between 2000 and 2004 as well as 2006 and 2010 for the Commonwealth Games.
Off the track, Bombosch is a successful businessman, the owner of Cycletec, a company he started with a paltry N$30 000 in his pocket.
He has since built Cycletec into an empire, arguably one of the biggest brands, in Namibia.
Bombosch is happily hitched to his childhood sweetheart Madeleine, who bore him three beautiful children, a boy and two daughters.
A chip off the old block, the boy stepped into dad’s sporting footsteps and is formidable hockey goalkeeper.