HENTIESBAY – The name of Phillipus Albertus Bredenhann, better known as ‘Flip’ among his circle of buddies in the sporting world would certainly go down in the history as one of the most celebrated athletes of his generation prior to Namibia’s Independence in 1990.
The gangling athlete is a product of the cattle country Gobabis, holed up approximately 200-kilometers east from the Namibian commercial capital Windhoek.
The laid back enclave of Gobabis, is known for producing athletes of note led by the legendary Springbok Jan Ellis, Koos Engelbrecht, better known as ‘Lang Koos’, multi-talented sprinter and rugby player Hawie Engels and former South west Africa (SWA) Rugby Fifteen (Biltongboere) skipper, Wally Bredenhann, elder brother of Flip.
After all, noteworthy footballers in the shape of Atab Wermann, Bernard Diocothle, Abraham Goeieman, Epson Kapuire, Amos Tjombe and Dorich Tjerivanga all hailed from that neck of the woods.
In today’s edition of our weekly feature, Tales of the Legends, we will bring to you our esteemed readers the life story of one of Namibia’s most outstanding athlete of all time, one Flip Brendehann.
Although Flip Bredenhann was born in Gobabis, the beanpole hurdler only rose to prominence when he arrived at the Windhoek High School to further his education in the city of lights. Young Flip took local athletics by storm as he brushed aside his competitors with ease in the 110-metre hurdles.
His excellent performance on the field caught the eye of talent scouts from the Police Athletics Club in Windhoek, who snapped him up.
Coached by astute athletics mentor, Arend de Waal at school level, Flip showed maturity way belying his tender age when he clocked a life time best of 14-point-12-seconds in the 110-meter hurdles to set up a national record which remained intact for more than four decades to be precise, set up in 1982.
Flip made a big statement about his promising athletic career when the multi talented athlete smashed an all time best of 10 comma 5-0 seconds in the men’s 100-meter sprints.
He would compete fiercely at the highly competitive South African National Championship from 1975 until 1982, where he represented his native land with distinction on several occasions in provincial meetings.
His sudden rise to stardom can be attributed to the timely intervention of well known athletics coach, Willie Olivier, who took the gangling sprinter under his wing in South Africa. In later years, the latter was appointed the national head coach of the South African athletic team.
Back home, Flip became a valuable member of the golden generation of track and field athletes that included legends Daniel Haitembu, Frank Fredericks, Gerhard Barnard, Lazarus Kapolo, Herman //Garus-Oab, Rooies Mostert, Frank Kayele, Lucky Gawanab, Santie Binneman and Abes Soabeb among many unsung heroes.
The highly gifted multi-talented athlete started his impressive sporting career as a goalkeeper (football) and played cricket for the Orban Primary School in Windhoek.
It was not long before he exchanged his allegiance to the oval ball game (rugby) while he could also not resist the lure of showing his competitors a clean pair of heels on the athletic track.
A member of the Police Rugby Fifteen, Flip represented South West Africa (SWA)as well.
he contributed immensely to the country gaining promotion highly competitive South African Provincial Sports Pienaar Trophy en route to gaining promotion to the elite Currie Cup, South Africa’s flagship rugby competition.
He went onto earn an astonishing 59 caps for the untouchable Biltongboere in a career that saw the giant wing carved himself a berth in the starting lineup for the South African Districts Invitational side where he was to be capped 15 times – certainly no mean feat.
Flip easily combined his flourishing athletics career with rugby uninterruptedly between 1975 and 1983. With father time calling while getting a bit long in the tooth and finally called it quits – bringing down the curtain on his astonishing athletic career in 1982. He wasted little time and replaced his trusted running shoes with tracksuits pursuing a career in coaching.
He coached many upcoming local athletes for an entire decade before bidding farewell to athletics. Those who have benefited handsomely from Flip’s coaching artistry include the legendary Frank Fredericks, Hannes Pienaar, Moses Maasdorp, Wilma van Vuuren, who went onto obtain the sacred Springbok colours and national accolades respectively.
Flip led the first athletics team coach in a democratic Namibia for the country’s maiden appearance at the continental All Africa Games in Cairo in 1991, where debutants Namibia collected a total haul of 12 medals which culminated in an impressive overall 9th place on the podium out of 43 participating nations.
He also led the Namibian junior athletics team entourage to Germany as manager/coach and also accompanied the team to neigbouring Botswana for another assignment and also served as the national convener for hurdles until 1992.
When sports authorities resolved to call into life the long overdue establishment of the Namibia Amateur Athletics Union (NAAU) it was only fitting and rightly so that Flip would be among the newly elected leadership, arriving there on the ticket of the Police Athletics Club.
Flip played an instrumental role organising the popular annual SWABOU Combined Forces Athletics Meeting until he finally retired from active athletics in 1992.
A 16 handicap, Flip will be nowadays seen regularly swinging golf clubs at the Henties bay golf club golf course during his spare time and says he enjoys the game very much.
“Golf takes pressure and stress away from one’s mind but the most important aspect about the game of golf is that you play against yourself and the course which makes it an extra-ordinary challenge with no team mates to assist you or disrupt your rhythm”.