Lesotho to shoot for gold at 2018 Africa Youth Games

Team Lesotho heads to Algeria...

Lesotho will compete in six disciplines at the 2018 Africa Youth Games next week looking for its first gold medal at the showpiece.

The championships will be held in the Algerian capital Algiers and will see the continent’s best young talents converge for glory.

The Africa Youth Games are held every four years to complement the All-Africa Games and are contested by athletes between the ages of 14 and 17 years. This year’s showpiece will run from July 17 to 27 and will serve as a qualifier for the 2018 Youth Olympics Games which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina later this year in October.

In Algeria, Lesotho will compete in athletics, beach volleyball, boxing, taekwondo, tennis and weightlifting; in total, the team will comprise 18 athletes.

Team Lesotho will be spearheaded by the athletics team which will comprise Matšeliso Seatle in the girls’ 1500 metres, Mojela Konoshe in the boys’ 100 metres and Tšepang Motjolopane in the boys’ 3000 metres races.

Lesotho also has high hopes in boxing where Phomolo Lengola will compete in the boys’ 56 kilogram class while Lehlohonolo Pitso will box in the 75kg competition. The Africa Youth Games will be Lengola’s second major youth competition in just over a year after he reached the quarterfinal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas last June.

In beach volleyball Lesotho will have a girls team of Montšeng Mabea and Matšeliso Nchakha and a boys pair of Nqheku Lepheane and Liteboho Mohau.

In taekwondo, Teboho Phasumane and Katleho Mokone will compete in the girls’ competition while Tumelo Mosala will fight in the boys’ section. In weightlifting Relebohile Mokhele will contest the girls’ 44 kg and Raballo Ramoneng will compete in the boys’ 56kg.

Finally, in tennis, Kekeletso Moseme and ‘Manyama Maisa will compete in the girls’ event while Nyathi Motlojoa and Mpaleng Sempe will be in the boys’ draw. The four prospects will also compete in the doubles and mixed doubles tournaments.

Team Lesotho will leave for Algiers on Sunday, July 15, and will return on July 29.

Ramonene aiming for World Championships spot, Bohosi eyeing Two Oceans

Tšepang Ramonene taking victory at the Nelson Mandela Marathon

Lesotho distance specialist Tšepang Ramonene will be out to secure a spot at the 2017 World Championships when he takes the field at the Zuma Marathon on April 30 in Durban, South Africa.

The annual race is named after South African president Jacob Zuma and will see the best runners from the region converge on the 42 kilometre course.

The race will be Ramonene’s second international race of the year after he finished 16th at last month’s Seoul International Marathon in South Korea.

He said he is confident of winning the Zuma Marathon. The World Championships will be held in August in London, England.

“The good thing about this race is that it will be on the hill and I enjoy running on hills more than flat races so I am confident I will win this one,” Ramonene said.

Ramonene has recent success in South Africa to call upon. He won the Nelson Mandela Marathon last August in a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 14 seconds (2:29:14 hours) and he said he is looking to set a new personal best of under 2 hours, 10 minutes in Durban.

“I am looking forward to setting a new personal best of under 2 hours and 10 minutes because that is normally the standard qualifying time for international competitions, so I will need to work even harder,” Ramonene said.

Ramonene, who is also a member of the Durban-based Phantane club, has been training with local teammates at the Khubetsoana Athletics Club in prepartion for the marathon.

Meanwhile, fellow distance runner Sechaba Bohosi is preparing for the 48th edition of the Old Mutual Two Oceans marathon which will be held on April 15 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bohosi started preparations last September in South Africa under his coach George Gutry who managed to secure the runner a short-term contract with the Nedbank Athletics Club.

Bohosi said in order to earn a long-term deal he needs to finish amongst the top ten at the Two Oceans race.

“I am working hard to finish in the top 10 and anything more than that will be a bonus,” he said.

“I have been focusing on speed while in South Africa, running short distance races. I only began running long distances in March to gear up for the Two Oceans marathon.”

Lesotho has fine recent history at the Two Oceans marathon. In 2015, Motlokoa Nkhabutlane won the race while last year Nkhabutlane and Mabuthile Lebopo finished in the top five. There was also victory for Lesotho in the 21km half marathon race last year with Namakoe Nkhasi claiming honours in a time of 1:03:38 hours.

Lehata and Tau to become Clean Sport ambassadors

Mosito Lehata (left) is set to become an ambassador in the fight against doping

Top Lesotho athletes Mosito Lehata and Michelle Tau have been chosen to become ambassadors for Clean Sport which is a body promoting education against doping in sports.

The Clean Sport initiative is part of the Africa Zone VI Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO Zone VI). The organisation was established in 2006 by national Olympic committees and government representatives from Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe with the assistance of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to foster doping-free sport in the Zone VI region.

Lesotho Olympic sprinter Lehata and taekwondo specialist Tau were nominated by their respective associations to become the country’s role models in the drive to eradicate sports doping.

Mannerea Ramotšo, who is a board member of RADO Lesotho, said Lehata and Tau have been selected because they have been exemplary athletes that have not tested positive for any prohibited substances.

“They will be given certificates of recognition for complying with RADO and will be used as role models to encourage other aspirating athletes to stay clean by Clean Sport,” Ramotšo said.

Ramotšo said there has been progress in the fight against doping judging from results of testing done at the High Altitude Summer Marathon that took place in December in Mokhotlong.

Eight runners had their samples tested and all have returned negative for any banned substances.

In contrast, in 2015 women’s champion ‘Mamoroallo Tjoka and fellow runner Ramolefi Motsieloa were slapped with a two-year bans after testing positive for banned substances after the 2014 High Altitude Summer Marathon.

Meanwhile, Sekeke Lesole is serving an eight-year ban for being a repeat offender of doping offences.

The 2016 men’s High Altitude marathon was won by Teboho Sello while the women’s race was won by Moleboheng Mafata. Both champions won M100 000 each.

Lehata and Tau are set to be given special awards at the first-ever Lesotho Annual Sport Awards which will be held on March 18 at Avani Maseru Hotel for their exemplary efforts.

Moyeni Primary rules Quthing rugby

Rugby fever at the Berltex Quthing rugby schools tournament

Moyeni Primary School were crowned champions in the both the girls and boys competitions in the first-ever Berltex Quthing rugby schools tournament held this past weekend.

The tournament was held at Villa Maria in Quthing and saw the best rugby school teams from the district battling for bragging rights.

The competition was part of a drive by the Federation Lesotho Rugby to boost grassroots development in the country. The FLR is planning similar events in Teyateyaneng and Leribe.

The Berltex Quthing tournament was also attended by Lesotho national coach Roy Zhou-Nyasha and Likatola captain Samuel Takama who kept an eye on Quthing’s upcoming talent.

To athletics and Lesotho has selected a team of 12 athletes to represent the country at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games set for December in Angola.

The Under-20 championships will begin on December 4.

The team includes 18-year old prospect Tšepang Sello who competed in the 800 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics in August.  One athlete, however, has been expelled from the squad after misrepresenting their age.

Lesotho's Lehata victorious in Germany

Lehata (left) shines in Germany

Lesotho’s Mosito Lehata got his season off to a perfect start with victory in the 100 metres at the Ellwangen Sparkassen-Meeting in Germany on Saturday.

Lehata won the race in a time of 10.13 seconds.

It was the first major event of the year for the 100 and 200 metres specialist and he finished ahead of Great Britain’s Josh Swaray and Roscoe Engel of South Africa.

It is a good start to the year for Lehata who ran a personal best and national record 100 metres time of 10.11 seconds last April in Mauritius but was hampered by injuries for the rest of the 2015.

Next month he is due to compete at the 20th Africa Senior Championships set for Durban, South Africa from June 22 to 26. The big one, of course, is the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil in August where Lehata is set to compete in both the 100 and 200 metres.

Lehata has two more races lined up in Europe this month. On May 26 he is scheduled to run at the 55th Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in Czech Republic. On May 29 Lehata will race at the Meeting International de Forbach Porte de France as he continues to fine-tune for Rio 2016.

Ellwangen Sparkassen Race Results:

100 metres

1. Mosito Lehata (Lesotho) 10.13

2. Josh Swaray (Great Britain) 10.23

3. Roscoe Engel (South Africa) 10.38

4. Deji Tobais (Great Britain) 10.41

5. Jacques Riparelli (Italy) 10.54

Mosito Lehata to race in Germany

Speed-Man... Mosito Lehata

Lesotho’s top sprinter Mosito Lehata will race at the Ellwangen International meet in Germany on Saturday. The race is part of Lehata’s preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.

Lehata is also set to compete at the African Athletics Championships next month in South Africa.

Lehata will have a slimmed down programme in an effort to avoid fatigue ahead of the Olympics. The 26 year-old said this is a change he has made after having too many events on the schedule last year ahead of the IAAF World Championships and All-Africa Games.

“I made a mistake and took part in too many competitions last year and in the end paid the price as I struggled with my fitness and did not perform well at the World Championships in Beijing, as well as the All-Africa Games in Congo-Brazzaville,” Lehata said.

“I will not make the same mistake again, so at the moment, the focus is on Ellwangen and then the African Championships.”

Lehata has been based at a high-performance training centre in Mauritius since 2011. Last year, he set a new Lesotho 100 metres record of 10.11 seconds in Reduit, Mauritius.

“It is never easy to prepare for a big event such as the Olympics, but you have to keep pushing hard and be hopeful. What I can also tell you is I owe my country a big performance after the disappointments of last year,” Lehata said.

Lebopo: ‘I still have plenty in the tank’

40 years young... Mabuthile Lebopo

40-year-old marathon specialist Mabuthile Lebopo, who finished fourth at the Two Oceans Marathon last month, says he is far from retiring.

Lebopo ran the Cape Town ultra-marathon in a time of 3 hours, 16 minutes and 31 seconds (3:16:31).

It was a performance that belied Lebopo’s age.

Lebopo won the prestigious Two Oceans back in 2010 and he said he is still focused on improvement.

“It is all about believing in yourself. For me, it is not about age, but being passionate about what I do for a living. I never think about my age but just focus on training for the job at hand,” Lebopo said.

Lebopo ran his personal best marathon time of 2:13:42 hours at the Durban City Marathon in 2009. He said he still feels in good shape and that he has at least two more years of competing at the highest level.

“I’m still feeling very fit and good enough to run for at least another two years. I think my body will tell me when the time has come to retire. But for now, I’m embracing this sport with a smile, the way it has been for me over the years,” Lebopo said.

Mabuthile Lebopo Performances:

Two Oceans Utlra Marathon:

11th in 2014 (3:16:33)

17th in 2012 (3:17:51)

12th in 2011 (3:13:59)

1st in 2010 (3:06:18)

Other races:     

2012: 3rd in Soweto Marathon (2:17:14)

2011: 7th in Soweto Marathon (2:20:27)

2010: 6th in Soweto Marathon (2:22:22), 7th in PetroSA Half Marathon (66:46)

2009: 1st in Durban City Marathon 2009 (2:13:42), 2nd in Soweto Marathon 2009 (2:19:19)

2008: 1st in Durban City Marathon 2008 (2:13:52)

Personal Bests

Event	Time	Venue	Date
10,000 metres	28:57.07	Port Elizabeth (RSA)	16.02.2001
10 km Road	29:11	Holcim (RSA)	03.10.2004
Half Marathon	1:03:39	Cape Town (RSA)	15.04.2006
Marathon	2:13:42	Durban (RSA)	08.02.2009

Two Oceans Marathon: Nkhabutlane, Lebopo in Top 5, Nkhasi wins half-marathon

Lesotho’s Motlokoa Nkhabutlane and Mabuthile Lebopo cracked the top five of this year’s Two Oceans Marathon but narrowly missed out on victory finishing three minutes behind the winner, Mike Fokoroni of Zimbabwe.

The overcast and rainy conditions at the start of the day made it a slow race and, in the end, Fokoroni’s winning time of 3 hours, 13 minutes and 36 seconds (3:13:36) was the slowest winning time in 22 years.

Winner last year, third this year...
Motlokoa Nkhabutlane

Fokoroni was followed by countryman Collen Makaza in 3:14:48.

Nkhabutlane, who won last year’s race, finished third in a time of 3:16:54 while Lebopo, a winner in 2010, finished fourth in 3:16:31.

In the women’s Ultra, South Africa’s Caroline Wöstmann defended her crown beating countrywomen Tanith Maxwell who had led for much of the race. Amelework Fikadu Bosho of Ethiopia finished third.

There was victory for Lesotho in the 21km half marathon race. Namakoe Nkhasi claimed race honours with a time of 1:03:38.

Two Oceans Ultra Race Results:

Men

1. Mike Fokoroni (Zimbabwe) - 3:13:36

2. Collen Makaza (Zimbabwe) - 3:14:48

3. Motlokoa Nkhabutlane (Lesotho) - 3:16:54

4. Mabuthile Lebopo (Lesotho) - 3:16:31

5. Porthiper Dombojena (Zimbabwe) - 3:17:43

Women

1. Caroline Wöstmann (South Africa) - 3:44:44

2. Tanith Maxwell (South Africa) - 3:45:55

3. Amelework Bosho (Ethiopia) - 3:47:40

21km Results

Men

1. Namakoe Nkhasi (Lesotho) - 1:03:38

2. Elroy Gelant (South Africa) - 1:03:40

3. David Manja (South Africa) - 1:03:45

Women

1. Irvette van Zyl (South Africa) - 1:13:14

2. Onneile Dintwe (Botswana) - 1:17:15

3. Alina Armas (Namibia) - 1:18:05

Profile: Thabiso Moqhali

Legend
Thabiso Moqhali

Thabiso Moqhali is one of Lesotho’s greatest ever athletes.

He was born Thabiso Paul Moqhali on 7 December 1967.

His achievements include winning the Belgrade Marathon in April 2000.

Moqhali began as an 800 metres runner and competed at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland in the event.

After the 1986 Commonwealth Games, Moqhali was recruited to run for a South African mining club in the then Orange Free State.

He worked as a recreation officer in Welkom and drove home every weekend to Mazenod to train.

The advantage of Mazenod was that its running trails were situated at well over 3000 metres, higher than in Welkom.

Moqhali worked his way up through the 5000 and 10 000 metres and he ran his first marathon at the South African championships in 1989. He finished third in a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds (2:10:30).

He competed at the 1992 London Marathon and there he set his personal best time of 2:10:55 hours.

His finest hour came at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He won gold in the marathon in a time of 2:19:15 hours. It remains Lesotho’s only gold medal at a major international Games.