A group of twelve marathon runners, who also donated running shoes to the Tjipuka Foundation for five athletes from Highline Secondary School, are in Namibia to prepare for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Their coach, Grete Koens, accompanied them.

Two athletes have already qualified, with the rest aiming to secure their spots. We are here to train and have a good base for the upcoming season. I have two athletes with me to follow athletes to Belgium, and they are already almost qualified for the Olympics as well, so if everything goes well, I expect all six athletes to go to Paris.

Among the long-distance runners, Maureen Koster is the only female athlete who has already qualified for the Olympics. According to Koens, the rest of the team has two more events to attend to qualify for the Olympics. This is Koens' fourth visit to Namibia, with her first trip in 2021.

Koster explained her qualification process for the Olympics and the reasons behind training in Namibia. Afterward, the team will return to the Netherlands to compete in the Dutch Championship, where some athletes will participate in the second-to-last event of the Olympic Qualifiers.