Being selected by the Namibia Cycling Federation (NFC) to represent the country at the 2021 Olympic Games is a dream come true, national Mountain Bike (MTB) champion Alex Miller has said.
Miller won the national MTB title a month ago and his selection means the four spots allocated to Namibia at the Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan have now been filled. To be chosen as a representative in the male category for MTB, Miller overcame a tough challenge from African MTB champion Tristan de Lange.
In an interview with Nampa on Sunday, Miller said being selected for the Olympic team is a dream he has had for a long time. “Since I started riding, the Olympics was something like a vague dream… so to actually hear that I’ve been chosen is almost unreal. So much has to be said about all the support I get from the people behind me, my family for always supporting me and encouraging me and my coach who puts in so much effort and has always believed in me from the start,” he said.
The Food Lovers Market Individual Time Trial champion added that Mannie Heymans from Mannie’s Bike Mecca should also be given credit for putting in a lot of effort and making sure that he always has the best equipment.
“Mannie has supported me from basically when I started racing. Pupkewitz Megatech have also believed in me and provided a lot of the much-needed support, as well as Nedbank Namibia, and of course, to all my friends and fans, people always see a person winning but forget to see the people backing them up,” said Miller.
The Namibia Cycling Federation has now completed its quota of four cyclists who will represent Namibia in mountain biking and road racing. Dan Craven and Vera Adrian will compete in the male and female categories of the road race, while Michelle Vorster and Miller will be the country’s representatives in the male and female MTB events.
Marathon runner Helalia Johannes, boxer Junius Jonas and rower Maike Diekmann also form part of the Namibian team that has thus far qualified for the 2021 Olympic Games. – Nampa