Iuze Mukube

In the world of wrestling, where strength, strategy and tenacity collide, there emerges a shining star, Ester Abraham.

The 20-year-old female athlete, born and raised in Windhoek, is breaking the barriers in a male-dominated sport, sharing that her love and passion for wrestling began at the tender age of nine through the inspiration of her elder sisters, who were also wrestlers.

In addition to getting inspiration from her sisters to join the sport, she also looks up to another Namibian wrestler, Romeo Goliath.

“He has great skill, and I really learn about wrestling from him,” she said. 

Abraham won her first two international gold medals – one in mat and another in beach wrestling – as well as a trophy at the Indian Ocean Competition held in Mauritius in April 2023. 

She then bagged a silver medal in the 59kg junior category at the African Championships in Tunisia in May 2023.

This year, after rigorous training camps in Cuba and France, she added to her medal tally, winning a silver medal in the 59kg category at Egypt’s African Championships held in March.

Despite all these medals, what she treasures the most is the bronze she won in the 57kg category at this year’s African Games, which took place in Ghana. 

“With this achievement, I became the first female wrestler in Namibia to win at this level,” she said.

Abraham hopes her efforts and hard work can be rewarded in future. 

“I really hope to obtain a scholarship from the Namibian Olympic Committee. This will help me financially when I prepare for competitions,” she said. 

Currently, she is preparing to take part in World Olympic qualifiers set for 9 to 12 May in Turkey. 

According to her coach Luis Forcelledo Paz, she has many competitions coming up – but for now, their focus is to use the competition in Turkey to qualify for the Olympics.

Apart from gearing up for the qualifiers, Abraham is focused on upgrading her grade 11 marks at Namcol.

“I want to do well academically as well as in wrestling. I can’t have one without the other,” she said.

Despite being a great wrestler, Abraham is nervous about what lies ahead, as she will be facing far more experienced opponents who have competed in more international matches than she has.

She also finds it hard being the only female wrestler in the Namibian national team due to the lack of female involvement in wrestling in the country.

The young wrestler has had to resort to training with boys, which she says is a good advantage, as they give her tough competition.

Abraham’s goal for the future is to become the first female Namibian wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, and to be an African champion.

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