Namibia’s Maike retires from rowing
Namibia’s Olympic rower, Maike Diekmann announced her retirement earlier today.In a media release, the athlete said that she has been thinking a lot about the right words to use to close this chapter of her life.
“It’s been a crazy last few months, transitioning to a ‘normal’ life after living a lifestyle that so few get to experience. I have had a lot of time to think about all the great things this sport gave me, the journey that I went on, and my rowing story that started in 2015 in the small Eastern Cape town of Grahamstown.”
She said that while she is still playing with the idea to write a few more lines and, maybe a few chapters about her journey as the first Namibian Olympic rower, “for now, I am sticking to a few lines and I know that I owe it to all my amazing supporters and the rowing community to not walk away from this sport without a proper goodbye. But I owe it to myself, even more, I have put so much time, sweat, tears, hard work, and sacrifices into the last few years of my life to create something very special and I am extremely proud of that and whom I became through that process.”
Achieving goals
Dieckmann said that she somehow always had the feeling that after Tokyo she would be done with rowing professionally. “I have realized that I am a person who loves challenges of any type. I love to try new things and learn new skills. I am also someone that can easily decide to put all my effort into something and achieve the goals set out for myself, that’s what I did with my rowing. I do enjoy a good routine it keeps me grounded but if I do not feel a spark of adventure and joy anymore then I know it’s time to find a new adventure.
“The thing is I loved the challenges rowing provided me. I loved proving people wrong and I loved working hard and training to become the strongest and fittest version of myself. I like to choose paths that not many have walked, the ones that have known me well for a while would agree with this. Raised to become a very independent woman, I have always managed to do many things on my own, to keep going when no one is watching, and keep moving forward when challenges arise.
“I think that because of that personality, my work ethic, and some blessed genetic athleticism from my parents I have been able to achieve all the things I did during my rowing career.”
However, she says that looking back at the years of her rowing career, she has come to realize how amazing people around her responded to her story and how willing they were to support her when I needed help.
Falling into place
“At first, there was no real plan in place on how I was going to achieve my Olympic dream once it had formed. I just remember getting up and training and continuing working with what I had, with or without coaches and a structured program. At times things seemed very chaotic, and unrealistic and often I asked myself whether I had made a silly decision to pursue this crazy dream. But like anything in life things start to fall into place just the way they are supposed to.”
She says she met the right people at the right stages of her rowing career that had a big influence on her and her development as an athlete.
“You know who you are, and I count myself lucky to have had the chance to work and train with all of you. You all taught me that what I was doing was so much bigger than just achieving my own dream, it was about inspiring young girls, becoming a role model for women in sport, and creating a long-lasting legacy in Namibian sport, especially rowing.”
And that is what she strives to do many months and years beyond her active rowing days.
“I want to give back to the Namibian sport, help other athletes achieve their dreams, and develop rowing into a bigger sport. As the current Namibia Athletes Commission Chairperson, I have been able to already give back and plan on helping to develop coastal rowing in Namibia,” she said.
“Now I am on a path of rediscovering myself, who I am outside the sport and what other passions I will pursue to find my purpose in life, I look forward to this new chapter, even though it scares me. For now, I want to thank you with all my heart that I was able to share my journey with you. Thank you to all from Namibia, South Africa, Europe, Japan!”