Weekend Vodacom Premier League games rescheduled

Bantu fans will have to wait a week before they can
celebrate again...

All Vodacom Premier League games scheduled for this weekend have been postponed, the premier league has announced. This coming Saturday and Sunday was due to see the second round of matches of the 2016/17 league season which started this past weekend.

However, all games have been postponed because the national side Likuena will be playing against Algeria in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Algiers on Saturday.

The league will resume its next weekend with its September 10 and 11 fixtures. This weekend’s postponed games will be rescheduled for a later date. Bantu are the early leaders of the Vodacom Premier League after a 3-1 win over Rovers on Sunday. A Matšo Matebele are followed by Kick4Life who beat Likhopo 2-0 in their season opener.

The national side Likuena left the country today for their tie against Algeria which is a dead rubber. Algeria has already qualified for next year’s finals in Gabon while Lesotho is bottom of Group J. Likuena coach Moses Maliehe has kept faith with the same squad that reached the quarterfinals of the COSAFA Castle Cup in June. Lesotho will once again be captained by defender Basia Makepe.

Elsewhere, the Minster of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation, Mathibeli Mokhothu, has rewarded the team that represented Lesotho at the 2016 Rio Olympics with M120 000.

Team Lesotho arrived back in the country last Tuesday.

The money will be shared by the eight athletes that went to Rio and each will receive M15 000. Team Lesotho comprised of track athletes Mosito Lehata, Nomakoe Nkhasi and Tšepang Sello, marathon runners Tšepo Mathibelle and Lebenya Nkoka, boxers Inkululeko Suntele and Moroke Mokhotho, and cyclist Phetetso Monese.

Although none of the athletes won a medal, minister Mokhothu said qualifying for a major sporting event such as the Olympics was significant in its own right and deserved recognition.

Lioli snap up Thapelo Tale from Likhopo

Lioli's new front-man... Thapelo Tale

Champions Lioli have finally made a splash in the transfer market by completing the signing of Lesotho international striker Thapelo Tale from Likhopo. The 28 year-old has moved to the Teyateyaneng giants on a three-year contract and fills a need Lioli have been trying to fill since the end of last season.

With the CAF Champions League on their schedule next year, Tse Nala have been looking to strengthen their attack.

Despite winning the league last season, Lioli’s top scorer – striker Nkoto Masoabi – only scored eight goals.

Lioli chased Sundawana’s Roboama Koloti as a solution and made an offer for the Under-20 star. However, the champions were rebuffed by Sundawana’s M2 million asking price.

Lioli have also completed the signing of midfielder Setho Moshoeshoe who is returning to his childhood club after spending ten years in the United States.

The two signings bolster an already star-studded Lioli squad looking to win its third successive championship in the 2016/17 Vodacom Premier League season.

In other transfer news, Likhopo have completed the signing of Lereko Matsipa from Liphakoe.

Matsipa, who began his career at Likhopo, has re-joined the club on a free transfer.

The former Likuena international joined Liphakoe in 2014 and immediately helped the Quthing side gain promotion to the Vodacom Premier League and last season was an important contributor as Liphakoe maintained their premiership status.

The versatile Matsipa, who can play in defence or defensive midfield, won two Premier League titles with Likhopo in 2005 and 2006. Matsipa also enjoyed a successful spell with Lioli winning the title in 2009. His experience will be a valuable asset to a talented but youthful Likhopo squad.

To the Olympics and things have not gone well for Team Lesotho so far. Both of Lesotho’s boxers, Inkululeko Suntele and Moroke Mokhotho, were beaten in the first round of the boxing tournament.

Boxer Moroke Mokhotho

Suntele lost to Tunisia’s Bilel Mhamdi in the 52 kilograms flyweight class on Friday while Mokhotho was defeated by Achraf Kharroubi of Morocco on Sunday in the 56kg competition.

In athletics, Lesotho’s main hope Mosito Lehata also suffered disappointment when he missed out in the 100 metres heats.

Lehata will get a chance to bounce back in the 200 metres which start on Tuesday. The second and final week of the Olympics will also see Tšepang Sello, Namakoe Nkhasi, Lebenya Nkoka, Tšepo Mathibelle and Phetetso Monese get their taste of the action. The Rio 2016 Games end on Sunday.

Mosito Lehata begins Rio 2016 campaign

Mosito Lehata (left) begins his Rio 2016 run

Mosito Lehata begins his Rio 2016 Olympics on Saturday evening when he races in the 100 metres.

Because Lehata is a ranked runner he will not compete in the preliminary round which starts from 19:30 (CAT). Instead, he will race in the first round heats which start at 22:00 (CAT). The semi-finals and the final of the 100 metres will be on Monday.

Lehata is in good form heading into his Rio bow.

He won silver in the 100 metres at the Africa Senior Championships in South Africa in June where he set a new personal best time of 10.04 seconds, which is also the Lesotho national record.

Speaking on Friday, Lehata said he hopes to lower his 100 metres mark again and reach Monday’s final.

“I don’t know how far God can carry me but I am hoping for a new national record and to make to it to the final. That is what I am praying for. Hopefully God hears me cry,” Lehata said.

Lehata will also race in the 200 metres which starts on Tuesday.

His personal best time in the event is 20.42 seconds which he set last July in Tomblain, France.

The 100 and 200 metres record holder is Lesotho’s biggest draw at the Rio Olympic Games.

He fine-tuned his preparations at a training camp in Nancy, France from July 14 to 30.

Lehata also has solid championship pedigree. He was in a finalist in the 200 metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he eventually finished fourth. 

Team Lesotho’s Rio 2016 schedule

Moroke Mokhotho will begin Lesotho's
Rio 2016 campaign

The first Lesotho athlete to taste action at the Rio 2016 Olympics will be boxer Inkululeko Suntele when he faces Tunisia’s Bilel Mhamdi in the early hours of Friday morning. Suntele, who will compete in the 52 kilograms flyweight class, will box in the round of 32 clash at 03:15 CAT on Friday.

The winner of the Suntele-Mhamdi bout will meet Argentina’s Alberto Ezequiel Melian or Ghana’s Abdul Omar on Monday in the round of 16.

Suntele’s fight will launch Team Lesotho’s Rio 2016 campaign.

On Saturday, Lesotho’s leading man and flag bearer Mosito Lehata will hit the track when the 100 metres preliminary heats get underway.

After that, Suntele’s boxing teammate Moroke Mokhotho will get his turn in the ring when he meets Achraf Kharroubi of Morocco on Sunday morning. Should Mokhotho advance he will face Cuba’s Yosbany Veitia in the next round of the 52kg flyweight competition.

With most of Team Lesotho involved in the athletics programme, the majority of the action for Lesotho will take place in the second week of the Olympic Games.

Team Lesotho, Events and Dates:

Athlete: Moroke Jeremia Mokhotho (Boxing)

Date of Birth: November 12, 1990 (Age 25)

Events: Boxing Men’s Fly (52 kg)

Dates: Sunday, 14 August - Round of 32 v Achraf Kharroubi (Morocco), 04:00

 

Athlete: Inkululeko Suntele (Boxing)

Date of Birth: April 30, 1994 (Age 22)

Events: Boxing Men’s Bantam (56 kg)

Dates: Friday, 12 August - Round of 32 v Bilel Mhamdi (Tunisia), 03:15

Athlete: Tšepang Sello (Athletics)

800 metres runner Tšepang Sello

Date of Birth: February 23, 1997 (Age 19)

Events: Athletics Women’s 800 metres

Dates: Wednesday, 17 August – Women’s 800m Round 1 Heats (starting 20:55)

Athlete: Namakoe Nkhasi (Athletics)

Date of Birth: January 10, 1993 (Age 23)

Events: Athletics Men’s 5000 metres

Dates: Wednesday, 17 August – Men’s 5000m Round 1 Heats (starting 15:05)

Athlete: Mosito Lehata (Athletics)

Date of Birth: April 08, 1989 (Age 27)

Height and Weight: 1.77 metres - 69 kg

Events:

Athletics Men’s 100 metres

Athletics Men’s 200 metres

Dates:

Saturday, 13 August – Men’s 100m Preliminary Round Heats (starting 19:30)

Tuesday, 16 August – Men’s 200m Round 1 Heats (starting 21:50)

Athlete: Lebenya Nkoka (Marathon)

Date of Birth: October 19, 1982 (Age 33)

Events: Athletics Men's Marathon

Dates: Sunday, 21 August (19:30)

Athlete: Tšepo Mathibelle (Marathon)

Date of Birth: June 30, 1991 (Age 25)

Events: Athletics Men’s Marathon

Dates: Sunday, 21 August (19:30)

Athlete: Phetetso Monese (Cycling)

Date of Birth: September 22, 1984 (Age 31)

Event: Cycling Mountain Bike Men’s Cross-country

Dates: Sunday, 21 August (22:30)

Lebenya Nkoka gunning for history at Rio 2016

Nkoka running for history

Marathon specialist Lebenya Nkoka is out to make history by becoming the first Lesotho athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

The 33 year-old is one of eight athletes that will comprise Team Lesotho at Rio 2016. The others are runners Mosito Lehata, Tšepang Sello and Nkhasi, marathoner Tšepo Mathibelle, boxers Inkululeko Suntele and Moroke Mokhotho, and cyclist Phetetso Monese.

Nkoka, who won the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town two years ago, believes having the same winning mentality will help his quest at the Rio Games.

“I never thought I would one day count winning the Two Oceans marathon among my successes, but I did it in 2014, beating some of the region’s top runners in the process,” Nkoka said. “It was not easy, but I believed in my ability. I had come close previously but eventually won it when I was about to give up that dream. I will carry the same spirit to Brazil and hopefully, it will work wonders for me.

Nkoka said he was looking forward to competing at the Olympics. “I know it will be a completely different setup to the races I am used to in South Africa, but I’m working hard to make a name for myself on this bigger stage. I have been hard at work because I’m looking forward to representing the country at such a big sporting event which is a dream for any athlete.”

The last time Nkoka represented Lesotho at a major sporting event was at the 2006 Commonwealth Game. The Olympics marathon will take place on August 21.

Rio Olympics football starts Wednesday

The Rio 2016 Olympics officially get underway with the opening ceremony on Friday but the women’s football tournament kicks off the action today.

The competition will kick off with South Africa playing Sweden in Group E action at 18:00 (CAT). Hosts Brazil will then face China in the other Group E encounter at 21:00 (CAT).

Group F including Canada, Australia, Germany and Zimbabwe also kicks off today.

The men’s tournament will get underway on Thursday.

Opening Rio 2016 women’s fixtures:

Wednesday

Group E

Sweden v South Africa (18:00)

Brazil v China (21:00)

Group F

Canada v Australia (20:00)

Zimbabwe v Germany (23:00)

Thursday

Group G

United States v New Zealand (00:00)           

France v Colombia (03:00)

Monese departs for debut Olympics

Phetetso Monese (left) ready to fly the flag

Lesotho’s number one cyclist Phetetso Monese leaves today for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Rio Games will be Monese’s debut at the global showpiece and he will compete in the mountain bike cross country discipline. His event is scheduled for August 21 meaning he will have two weeks to acclimatise and get ready for the race.

Monese arrived back in Lesotho last week from a month-long trip to Europe where he competed at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the BIKE Transalp stage race.

The ACE-The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team rider will be looking to continue his good form in Rio. The 31 year-old received special dispensation from the International Cycling Union (UCI) to compete at the Olympics as a result of his strong performances over the past year and Lesotho’s solid ranking.

Monese finished third at the African Continental MTB Championships in April in Butha-Buthe while Lesotho is ranked 33rd in the world.

Monese is rated 111th in the world and a good Olympics showing could see him crack the top 100 for the first time.

The Rio Olympics are Monese’s second major sporting event. He competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Monese has been sponsored with a new M100 000 bike by Giant Bicycles South Africa.

A learning experience in Botswana

To netball and Lesotho’s Under-21 netball team has missed out on the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup after going winless at last week’s qualification tournament in Gaborone, Botswana.

Lesotho finished last in the eight-nation competition won by South Africa. The top three nations – South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda – qualified for the Netball World Youth Cup next August.

Botswana, as the hosts of next year’s global finals, will also represent Africa at the championships. Lesotho will be looking to use the experience gained in Gaborone to build for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 games which will be held in Angola in December.

Final Standings

		Points
1	South Africa	14
2	Zimbabwe	12
3	Uganda	10
4	Zambia	8
5	Malawi	6
6	Botswana	4
7	Namibia	2
8	Lesotho	0

Lesotho’s Olympic team announced

Mosito Lehata (left) will lead Team Lesotho at Rio 2016

The Lesotho team for the 2016 Rio Olympic has been announced. This year Team Lesotho will consist of eight athletes, four more than the number that competed in 2012 at the London Olympics.

The increase in qualified athletes is positive news for Lesotho and there is hope this year’s squad is better prepared than four years ago.

The team for Rio 2016 is led by sprinter Mosito Lehata who will compete in the 100 and 200 metres. Lehata is in form having won silver in the 100 metres at last month’s Africa Senior Championships where he set a new personal best time of 10.04 seconds.

He is also the most experienced member of the team having competed at the London 2012 Games and finished fourth in the 200 metres at the 2004 Commonwealth Games.

Lehata will be joined by track athletes Nomakoe Nkhasi and Tšepang Sello, marathon runners Tšepo Mathibelle and Lebenya Nkoka, boxers Inkululeko Suntele and Moroke Mokhotho, and cyclist Phetetso Monese.

The majority of the team is out of the country finalising preparations for Rio.

Lehata is fine-tuning his preps in France, boxing duo Suntele and Mokhotho are in Cuba, Mathibelle is in Kenya, Monese is competing Switzerland and Austria, 5000 metres runner Nkhasi is in South Africa and 800 metres specialist Sello is in Germany.

Lesotho will also be sending an official to the Olympics. Lesotho Taekwondo Association president Moshoeshoe Molapo has also been selected as a match referee for the Rio taekwondo tournament.

The Games begin on August 5 and finish on August 21.

Lesotho’s delegation for Rio 2016 Olympics:

Athletics

Mosito Lehata - 200 metres, 100 metres

Nkhasi Namakoe - 5000 metres

Tšepo Mathibelle - Marathon

Lebenya Nkoka - Marathon

Tšepang Sello - 800 metres

Coaches

Kenneth Hlasa

Stephen Buckland (Mosito Lehata’s coach)

Derick van Rensburg (Tšepang Sello’s coach)

Boxing

Moroke Mokhotho

Inkululeko Suntele

Coaches

Sibusiso Keketsi

Moeketsi Liphalo

Cycling

Phetetso Monese

Coach

Mark West

Team Lesotho head of delegation: Letsatsi Ntsibolane

General manager: Lekomola Moholo

Team doctor: Dr ‘Mamello Sekese

LNOC CEO: Morake Raleaka

LNOC president: ‘Matlohang Moiloa-Ramoqopo

Referee (Taekwondo): Moshoeshoe Molapo

Women’s national rugby team coming soon

More developments coming to Lesotho rugby...

A women’s national rugby team is in the pipeline, according to the Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR).

Although Lesotho is yet to have a women’s league, the FLR currently has five women’s rugby teams – NUL Spears, Maseru Warriors, Mabote Beavers, LCS and LDF.

The teams take part in mini-tournaments throughout the year and the FLR is hoping to launch a national side by the end of 2016.

The move is part of the federation’s efforts to continue the development of ladies rugby in the country. The FLR was formed in 2012 and has made big strides in developing the men’s game however women’s rugby has been left behind.

The FLR has also confirmed that a Maseru Select women’s team will take part in the Eastern Free State Ace Magashule Rugby Cup tournament to be held next month in the Free State, South Africa.

To boxing and national coach Sibusiso Keketsi says he is happy with the month-long Cuba training camp for the Olympic-bound pair of Moroke Mokhotho and Inkululeko Suntele. The two boxing hopefuls arrived in Cuba two weeks ago.

They are undergoing final preparations at the Cuban High Performance Training Centre in Havana ahead of next month’s Olympic Games. Keketsi said the camp will sharpen Mokhotho and Suntele.

“This camp is very important for our boxers because they will be using world-class facilities. Training with top boxers will help them gain the much-needed experience and international exposure,” Keketsi said.

The Olympic boxing tournaments are scheduled to take place from August 6 to 21.

Finally to football and the Lesotho Under-20 side is finalising preparations for Saturday’s 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifier second leg against South Africa. The Makoanyane XI will face Vodacom Premier League side Sundawana this afternoon in their final tune-up match.

Lesotho is trailing South Africa 2-0 from the first leg played last Sunday at Setsoto Stadium. 

Lesotho's Monese qualifies for Olympic Games

Rio bound... Phetetso Monese

Mountain bike rider Phetetso Monese has qualified for next month’s Rio Olympics taking Lesotho’s tally at the Games to eight.

Monese’s place at Rio 2016 was confirmed last week by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and he becomes the first ever cyclist from Lesotho to qualify for the world’s biggest sports event.

Monese joins track athletes Mosito Lehata, Nomakoe Nkhasi and Tšepang Sello, marathoners Tšepo Mathibelle and Lebenya Nkoka, and boxers Inkululeko Suntele and Moroke Mokhotho on the plane to Brazil.

The 31 year-old rides for the ACE-The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team and is the highest ranked black African rider on the UCI rankings with a rating of 111th in the world.

Monese clinched his place in Rio largely thanks to his third place finish at the 2016 African Continental MTB Championships which were held in April in Lesotho. The championships carried Olympic qualifying points which gave Monese an outside chance of qualifying for Rio.

He was also helped in his cause by Lesotho’s strong ranking in the mountain bike discipline. Lesotho is rated second in Africa and 33rd in the world by the UCI.

The Rio Games will be Monese’s second appearance at a global sporting event. He placed 21st at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.

To taekwondo and the duo of Moloisane Marumo and Ramosoeu Nkuebe are in South Korea for a month-long competition and training stint.

Marumo and Nkuebe together with national coach Du-Khwi Lee will be based in South Korea until the end of July. The trip is part of the Lesotho Taekwondo Association’s on-going efforts to revitalise the sport and to start prepping for future tournaments. As things stand, Lesotho will have no taekwondo athletes at this year’s Rio Olympics.

The LTA will also hold a general tournament for children and juniors at Sefika High School on Saturday, July 23.

Two more Lesotho athletes qualify for Rio 2016

Two more Lesotho athletes will be joining Mosito Lehata (centre)
 at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Two more Lesotho athletes have secured their spots at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The two are Nomakoe Nkhasi and Tšepang Sello who secured their qualification at the Africa Senior Championships that were held in Durban, South Africa from June 22 to 26. Their trip to the Rio Games in August has been ratified by the Lesotho Amateur Athletics Association.

Nkhasi and Sello’s Rio qualification takes the number of track and field athletes to five. They join sprinter Mosito Lehata and marathon runners Tšepo Mathibelle and Lebenya Nkoka on the plane to Brazil in August.

In total, Team Lesotho currently has seven competitors with boxers Moroke Mokhotho and Inkululeko Suntele also Olympic-bound. Nkhasi qualified in the 5000 metres where he finished sixth in a time of 13 minutes, 21.58 seconds. The Mokhotlong born Nkhasi was raised in South Africa and first represented Lesotho earlier this year in Botswana. He has never competed at the Olympics before.

Sello is also based in South Africa. She qualified for Rio after placing fourth in the 1500 metres in a time of 4 minutes, 13.29 seconds.

Lesotho’s number one sprinter Mosito Lehata also continued his fine 2016 form by setting a new personal best 100 metres time of 10.04 seconds to win silver at the Africa Senior Championships.

Lehata beat his previous best of 10.11 seconds which he set last April in Mauritius. Lehata has already qualified for the Rio Olympics in August and is hoping to take his promising form into the Games.

The Rio Olympics are slated for August 5 to 21.

Tšepo Mathibelle fine-tuning for Rio 2016 in Kenya

Road To Rio: Tšepo Mathibelle (in white) in Kenya

Lesotho marathon specialist Tšepo Mathibelle says his Olympic training camp in Kenya is going well.

Mathibelle is working out at the High Performance Athletics Training Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya.

He started the camp on May 29 in preparation for the 2016 Rio Games in August.

The 24 year-old said he will not take part in any races from now until the 42.2 kilometres Olympic marathon race on 21 August.

“The competition that I am going to compete in is the Rio Olympics,” Mathibelle said. “For now I am just training. The Olympic Games marathon is on the 21st of August while other events start on the 5th; the marathon will be when the Games are being closed.”

“Training is going very well. I will be here for two months. I started on the 29th of May and will leave on the 31st of July,” Mathibelle said.

Mathibelle is part of an elite training camp featuring a number of Rio 2016 medal hopefuls.

Kenya is widely recognised as the world’s best location for marathon training and the country has a proud tradition of producing premier long distance athletes. Kaptagat is an area within the Kenyan highlands. With routes that begin at an altitude of around 2400 metres, it is known world over as an ideal place for athletes to train.

By training in Kenya, Mathibelle is looking to build on the gains he has made over the past four years.

Tšepo Mathibelle

Last year, he finished in a praiseworthy 14th place in a time of 2:17:17 hours at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

On April 3, Mathibelle finished seventh at the Daegu International Marathon in South Korea and recorded a best personal time of 2:15:39. The new mark bettered his previous best of 2:16:21 set at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“The training camp has runners from around the world that are going to Rio. Right now I am also with runners that are going to the Berlin Marathon (in September). It’s very good,” Mathibelle said.

He continued: “My personal best will go down again now that I am here training amongst the best runners in the world.”

The Rio Olympics are slated for August 5 to 21. The marathon will be the Games’ closing event.