Lahja Ishitile

Lahja Ishitile (born July 21, 1997) is a Namibian Paralympic T11 track and field athlete.

Early life Ishitile was born in Outapi, a town in northern Namibia. She grew up in the village of Okapanda, located in the Omusati Region. Ishitile began losing her eyesight at age 7 due to a medical condition, and was completely blind by age 11. At age 10 she began attending Eluwa Special School in Ongwediva, where she began participating in sports and running. She competed in the finals of both the 100m and 400m events.

Ishitile competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in long jump, 400m, and 200m. That year she also won a Regional Annual Sports Award from the Namibia Paralympic Committee.

As of 2023, Ishitile runs with guide Sem Shimanda. after running the fastest time in qualifiers and in the semi-final. She also won bronze in the women's T11 200m. She also served as one of Namibia's flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony.

Education Ishitile is currently (2024) pursuing a Bachelor of Library and Information Science at the University of Namibia.