“It all seems to be dark until someone sees your value” - Edgar (2021). 

In Africa, people tend to support you only when you are on top, rather than when you are going through the process of struggles. 

However, among all types of reasons, there are those few people who have the vision to see potentials and skills on others without them noticing they have it; those who turn the unknowns to the very famous person; those who turn the unrecognised to prestigious people, and those who elevate the weak to have a strong mindset.

Allow me to talk about coach Henk Botha, the mastermind that led the first Namibian girl to win a medal; the one who had the tendency, courage and determination to envision those girls capabilities and led them to Olympics Games – the rest is a historic momentum.

He is the only one who stopped the rejections, give them an opportunity and aid the girls to not be defeated by their fears, doubts, lack of confident, and so on.

Coach Botha applied a lapidary process on the girls, which is basically the processing of shaping the stones, minerals; this technique involves the lapidarist to cut the stones, grind it and polish it until it becomes the final product (diamond) that everyone admires.

Coach Botha protected the girls from the negative influence that would eventually happen during the games – as Napoleone Hill, said: “The most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving their minds open to negative influence of other people”. For example, being disqualified from the 400m due to the high level of testosterone did not prevent the girls from moving forward with their goals.

Coach Botha is a true leader, and he deserves this silver medal by believing and discovering the great talents.

“Servants and leaders are agents of change; they are more likely to elevate the best on others, rather than their own.” 

Congratulations coach Botha and our Namibian diamonds!