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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Economics, Philosophy, Politics - Stellenbosch University: South Africa |
General Interest | |
| Famous relatives | His grandfather Danie Craven played for and coached the South African rugby union team. He was also president of the South African Rugby Board for 36 years. (bbc.co.uk, 30 Jan 2014; telegraph.co.uk, 09 Oct 2010; independent.co.uk, 05 Jan 1993) |
| Hero / Idol | Namibian sprinter Frankie Fredericks. (bbc.co.uk, 30 Jan 2014; telegraph.co.uk, 09 Oct 2010) |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 06 Jul 2021) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Axel Theissen [national] |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He cycled to school as a child. He took up competitive cycling as a student at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. After graduating, he moved to Switzerland in 2005 to follow his dream of becoming a professional cyclist. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | In 2013 he suffered from the coxsackie B virus that left him fatigued and with stomach problems. (bbc.co.uk, 30 Jan 2014) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | "We lived in a town called Swakopmund in Namibia and I and my two elder sisters used to ride to school. I can't actually remember learning to ride a bike, it just feels like I've always been on one. They've just always been around me and my family." |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | His mother. (telegraph.co.uk, 09 Oct 2010) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English, Italian |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Dan from Nam (Twitter profile, 01 Jul 2021) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | ''Enjoy yourself. Definitely enjoy yourself. Cycling is too hard a sport to do well at if you don't do it for 'yourself' first. And always be willing to learn and grow, even if it hurts.'' (bicycling.co.za, 23 Oct 2014) |
| Other information | UNEXPECTED RIO TIME TRIAL At the 2016 Olympic Games in Tokyo he was due to only compete in the road race, but due to injuries to other riders he was offered the chance to also compete in the time trial. He initially refused as he did not have a time trial bike and felt he was not professional enough, but soon reconsidered. He ended up finishing last but, as one of the earliest to start, got to sit in the podium hot seats temporarily when he finished. "I rolled across the finish line, and I got to sit in the hot seat for a minute. I was in second position when I crossed the finish line. It was amazing. I heard a statistic that for every 12 extra tourists per year to Namibia, a new job is created in the tourist industry. Every time I get mentioned on Eurosport, how many people who have never heard of Namibia go, 'What, where?' And then Google it? And if you Google it, you're going to go, 'Oh my goodness, I've never heard of this place but it's amazing'. When I was a kid growing up in Namibia, watching Namibians in the Olympics was like, 'Wow, we can be there'. Okay, yeah, I'm going to come last, but there are going to be some Namibians at home that go, 'But we can be there; it's possible'. Look at me. I'm talking to [you], standing here, wearing 'Namibia' across my chest. I'm such a proud Namibian. I love my country. The chance to do this. I can say I competed in an Olympic time trial." (granfondoguide.com, 10 Aug 2016; velonews.com, 10 Aug 2016) |
| Milestones | In 2009 he became the first Namibian cyclist to compete in the elite category of the road race at the world championships. He also became the first cyclist from Namibia to start and complete a Grand Tour at the 2014 Vuelta a Espana. (confidente.com.na, 30 Oct 2014; allafrica.com, 15 Sep 2014; cyclefit.co.uk, 01 Jan 2013; cyclingnews.com, 27 Sep 2009) |