When Namibian Paralympic T-11star Lahja Ishitile stepped off the track in Paris last year, with a gold medal around her neck, she thought she had conquered the greatest test of her life.

Little did the 200 and 400 metre runner know that another race awaited her, one that began in the quiet hours of the maternity ward.

Earlier this year, the 27-year-old sprint sensation gave birth to a baby boy. The transition from champion athlete to new mother tested her endurance and strength in ways no stopwatch ever could. “Being a new mother is honestly hard. I was always fit and active, so being confined indoors felt lonely. But I needed to give my baby full attention,” she said.

Now, just months later, the Namibian star is tying her spikes once again. Her return comes with impeccable timing: the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, set to run from 26 September to 5 October, where she will begin her quest for back-to-back Paralympic glory. 

Balancing sleepless nights with training sessions has been far from easy, she said. She admits that the physical toll lingers. “The more I train, the more my milk production reduces. But I am taking it slow, with guide runner Sem Shimanda’s help, to rebuild my strength.”

For Ishitile, perseverance is nothing new. Born on 21 July 1997 in Outapi and raised in the tiny village of Okapanda, her life changed at seven years old, when she began losing her sight. By 11, total blindness had set in. Instead of surrendering, she discovered athletics at Eluwa Special School in Ongwediva. Her speed, discipline, and partnership with guide runners turned her into one of Namibia’s brightest stars.

Her career highlights tell the story of a fighter. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she stormed to gold in the 400m T11 in a record 56.20 seconds, becoming Namibia’s first champion at the games. She added bronze in the 200m T11, building on earlier success at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships (silver and an African record in the 400m T11), as well as bronzes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 African Games.

Here at home, in Namibia, Ishitile’s heroics have been recognised with multiple Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability titles. In 2024, she capped her career by claiming Sport Star of the Year and the NSC Chairperson’s Award of Excellence.

Still, the track is not her only battlefield. She remains deeply grateful to the doctors and nurses at Katutura Hospital, her supportive mother, and her partner, who stood by her through sleepless nights. With her son now under the care of a nanny, Ishitile is back chasing the finish line.

Her message to other mothers, especially athletes, is “There is really nothing we cannot do.” 

– lmupetami@nepc.com.na