• By Michael Uugwanga

VETERAN Namibian table tennis player, Christa Mrozek, who is the oldest female in that sport locally, says she owes her healthy status to eating chocolate every day.  The German-born athlete, has been playing table tennis when she was still in her early teens while in Europe and relocated to Namibia with her late husband in the 1970s.

Although Mrozek, did not attend the senior national team trials at the Wanderers ground in Windhoek the past weekend, she remains adamant that she continue playing until her legs and body calls it a day.

She boasts of being one of the few oldest female table tennis players in the world, but not the oldest player to play at the highest level of any competition. That honour belongs to Luxembourg’s former China table tennis player Ni Italian aged 61, the oldest table tennis player to play at the Olympic Games after playing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France.

This week Confidente caught up with Mrozek, as she shared her secret behind her long stay in the sport, her best moment in table tennis and why she chose table tennis over other sport codes.

Ironically, she also does some gymnastics in her spare time when not playing table tennis. “Yes, I cannot say no to a chocolate. Eating chocolates helped me stay healthy. I like eating chocolate. I train at the Wanderers Stadium. The other thing that keeps me healthy is swimming, walking and gymnastic twice weekly,” explained Mrozek. 

“In Germany I played at the highest level and that is in the league, of which people trained three to four times a week. If I am nominated to play, I will play. Table tennis is my life.”  Having played lots of games under her belt even during her old age, Mrozek is still one of, if not the best female table tennis player of all-time.

Table tennis in Namibia continues to grow when compared to other sports codes that have more fans or support, however the likes of Mrozek are making sure that the sport remains relevant and enticing.

According her: “The best moment was when the Namibia Table Tennis received the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) membership.”

“While other memorable moments for me as a player was in when I received the 1987/1988 player of the year award from Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) and the player of the year for 2023/2024 season award by Wanderers.”