Keisha Kalomo, a former sprinting sensation, was a bright student who showed great potential but never reached the heights she was expected to.
She was born and raised in Windhoek and won almost every race at Van Rhyn Primary School. Jan Mohr Secondary School also had her.
Kalomo, a Namibian athlete, set the scene for the Namibian athletics scene in 2005 when she finished fourth in 100m at the Coca-Cola Top Ten Club Championships held at Independence Stadium in Windhoek. She was just 14.
Charmaine Smit (a former top Namibian sprinter) was defeated by Charmaine and placed fifth during her thrilling adventure.
Her consistent performance in the 100m was a reason she was selected to be one of seven local athletes who were awarded a scholarship by the Frank Fredericks Foundation. This scholarship was after they won the Coca-Cola Frank Fredericks Athletics Invitational 2008.
“Those were the days. I have done my best to win the races that I competed in during my athletics years. However, I am disappointed that our country hasn’t invested in athletics like other nations.
“My four-year stay in Kingston, Jamaica, introduced me to a completely different world of athletics. The young athletes are treated as seasoned athletes from an early age.
“They receive the best attention and training possible,” she says.
Kalomo was among the athletes sent to Jamaica by Namibia’s government to study sport science and receive world-class training.
However, the initiative was thwarted by a lack of financial support from the government. Kalomo spent only four years in Jamaica.
Despite this, she was able to enjoy one of the greatest moments in her athletic career.
“I must thank coach Letu Hamhola for believing in me by calling me out of retirement to join the training camp in Jamaica. He said he saw potential and he wouldn’t let it pass by.
“I set a new 60m record in a time of 6,57 seconds, which still stands,” she says.
The record time was set in 2016 at the Kingston Queens Grace Jackson Track Meet, which attracted stars like Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce (Elaine Thompson), Shaniqua Ferguson, Carrie Russel, and Carrie Russel.
Kalomo ran during her school days and was able to attend events such as the Cosafa Under-17 Championships, Swaziland, and the Southern African Development Community Under-19 Youth Games.
She represented Namibia at both the All Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games.
Kalomo said she had a great time with her athletics career and named Merlin Diamond, a former youth sensation, as her fiercest competitor in the 100m/200m races.
Globine Mayova was also part the quartet with Tjikapora Herunga, Globine Mayova and Lelanieklaasman that set the 4x100m relay time record at the MVP Track Meeting, Montego Bay, Jamaica in 2016, in 45,53 seconds.
FAMILY, WORK
Sticks Kalomo was Kalomo’s father and refers to him as her first coach. Annie Kalomo was a star netball player in central Africa for both the Namibian national team and Black Africa.
Kalomo, in addition to her athletics, also took after her mother and played netball at primary and high school.
She was still dictating matters concerning Black Africa in the court’s centre until recently.
She also toured in 2003 with a group of junior netball players to Durban, South Africa’s Love Life Games.
Kalomo, who is currently employed at a Pionierspark medical practice as a receptionist/office administrator, has also studied sport management at Northlink College in Cape Town, South Africa.
She was previously an administrator at the Namibia Association of Women in Sport Association. She says she quit unceremoniously in 2020.
“I am now working with a smile every day. It’s fun to work with two girls from my department.
“I have learnt a lot working here medicinewise, and its interesting to come across the different diseases and to see how people go through the different stages of illness,” she says.
Despite the satisfaction she receives from her job, she admits that it can sometimes be difficult to deal with impatient clients.
Kalomo, who says she is no longer involved with athletics, admits missing the travelling that comes with representing the country around the continent and in other parts of the world, “especially in beautiful places like Jamaica”.
The pint-sized former sprinter’s advice to aspirant runners is: “Always follow your dreams and identify a role model whom you can approach for advice and guidance. Never stop believing in yourself.
Source: namibian
