Sadness behind Klim’s big journey
Alex Bywater talks to Namibia’s Lesley Klim about the problems he faced in his early life
HIT BY A series of family tragedies and surrounded by the temptations of drugs and alcohol while growing up in the southern Namibian city of Keetmanshoop, Lesley Klim’s journey to rugby’s biggest stage could have ended up a very different story. It is to his huge credit that it did not.
The 24-year-old winger is representing his country at the World Cup in Japan and in an age where most professional players progress through pampered academy set-ups, Klim has had to do things the hard way. It included coping with the death of his mother Susana on his 16th birthday.
It is why he is relishing every moment at the World Cup.
“I come from the southern part of Namibia. Keetmanshoop is the biggest town in that area, but if I compare it to Wales it’s quite small,” said Klim, an Ospreys player who is yet to turn out for the Welsh region after a serious of troublesome hamstring injuries.
“I grew up and went to school there, but there isn’t much happening and around me there were a lot of kids getting into the wrong way of life with drugs and alcohol.
“Those were temptations I had to work hard to avoid.
“I knew what I wanted as a kid so I stayed away from trouble. I was very lucky to have what I needed and I lived with my grandparents.
“My mother worked away on the coast and I had an uncle – Oompokkie – who was the only really good sportsman in the family. He was a footballer and told me lots of stories about how good he was, but when I was 15 he died of lung cancer.
“He passed on as did my grandfather who was in his mid 80’s. At the same time as all this was happening we found out my mother had anaemia. When you are 16 it’s a very important school year in Namibia and if you fail those exams, you have to drop out. My birthday is on January 16. On the 15th my mother wished me happy birthday but the next day, a few of my aunts came in, turned on the lights, and shook me.
“I knew straight away my mother had passed away.
“The family were very worried about me because I had to do my exams despite all of this. I used it as motivation for what I wanted to do in life. In Namibia the maximum grade you can get is 42 and I got 40 which was a big shock to most people. I had to decide then if I wanted to play football or rugby. I chose rugby. Sport gave me the means to keep going.
Klim moved to the Namibian capital of Windhoek to continue his education and it was there that his rugby ability was spotted while studying at the Namibia University of Science and Technology he quickly appeared for the international side.
Klim’s raw pace saw him score twice against Spain and Italy and he then progressed to Namibian club side Welwitschias. A switch to England with Doncaster followed. In March 2018 Klim signed for the Ospreys, but his first season at the Liberty Stadium was a false dawn because of a hamstring injury.
Now back fit, he made his first World Cup appearance against South Africa.
“I’m now in the best shape I’ve been in since I joined the Ospreys. I went to London to see a hamstring specialist and he told me there was probably only a 30 per cent chance I’d be able to run as fast as I could before the injury,” Klim said. “I had the operation and I feel very strong now.”
Namibia face their final World Cup game with Canada today.
Klim, who has eight tries in 12 Tests, said “I’m pretty excited about the opportunity. As a national team we have set a target of winning one World Cup game.
“I think about my mother and my uncle and all my family members before each game.”
“My birthday is on January 16 and my mother died that day when I was 16 years old”