As Rhodes rower Bradley Betts and coach Chris Holliday gear up to represent South Africa in next month's World U23 Championships in Rotterdam, another Rhodes University Rowing Club (RURC) member is preparing to compete in opposition colours – continuing her remarkable rise to the top of a sport she only took up last year.
As Rhodes rower Bradley Betts and coach Chris Holliday gear up to represent South Africa in next month's World U23 Championships in Rotterdam, another Rhodes University Rowing Club (RURC) member is preparing to compete in opposition colours – continuing her remarkable rise to the top of a sport she only took up last year.
Although she will be rowing for Namibia – who she views as massive underdogs when compared to South Africa – Maike Diekmann (22) will not take the competition lightly.
"I think the biggest goal for me is not to worry too much about doing too well compared to the others, but rather, doing well for myself," she said.
"I've got a goal for my time, because it's a two-kilometre race, and I've been trying to get my time down to the eight-minute mark as much as possible – because eight minutes and below; that's what the top girls race."
Diekmann's tumultuous love affair with rowing began in 2014, when she competed in the Boat Race C-division despite not being a RURC member.
It was there that Diekmann caught Holliday's eye, and the coach pleaded with her to join the RURC on a permanent basis.
Fortunately for Holliday, Diekmann had enjoyed competing for the club just as much as they had enjoyed her presence. In January of the following year, she became an official member. By this stage, her competitive spirit had awoken and she knew that she was destined for far greater heights than the Rhodes C-crew.
Diekmann's chance to shine came when the Namibia Canoeing and Rowing Federation contacted Holliday and expressed interest in her progress.
She was given a chance to compete for them at October's African Olympic Qualification Regatta in Tunisia. Here, she finished 7th overall in the two-kilometre women's single scull, winning the B-final with a time of 9:11:14.
Since then, Diekmann has dedicated herself to improving on that performance. She has spent 2016 training with the RURC’s top rowers, and has already participated in this year’s Buffalo regatta, USSA Sprints, Gauteng Championships, and South African championships.
She plans on leaving Rhodes when she finishes her Honours degree in Geology at the end of the year, and may move to Germany for her Masters. Should this happen, her rowing career faces an uncertain future.
However, if she continues to compete, Diekmann knows exactly what she will be working towards.
"I really definitely want to try to qualify for the 2020 Olympics [at the African qualifiers] in three years… I'm aiming to train, keep training in these next years, and try go to that African champs again and try qualify a boat for my country," she said.
Should Diekmann continue to rise at the same blistering pace as she has in the last 18 months, it would take a brave punter to bet against her.
