{"id":86645,"date":"2026-04-14T10:05:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T10:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut"},"modified":"2026-04-14T11:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:18:56","slug":"from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut","title":{"rendered":"FROM HIDDEN TO HISTORIC ESWATINI PARA ATHLETES STUN ON DEBUT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span>Two School girls from Eswatini, once overlooked and hidden at home, stepped onto a foreign track and walked away with gold and bronze medals.<\/b><\/p>\n

Tebenguni Simelane and Sekuhle Dlamini are not professional athletes. They are pupils from St Joseph\u2019s High School, and in Stellenbosch, South Africa, they did not just participate they conquered.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Paralympics President Mcebo Dludlu described the outing as a significant milestone for the country\u2019s para sports development.<\/p>\n

The team, comprising pupils Tebenguni Simelane and Sekuhle Dlamini, travelled alongside their coach and the committee president to compete in track events.<\/p>\n

Simelane, a visually impaired athlete, delivered an outstanding performance by clinching a gold medal in the 100 metres. Meanwhile, Dlamini competed in the 200 metres, finishing sixth out of 12 competitors and earning a bronze medal. As an athlete with a physical disability affecting her ability to sit properly, her achievement reflects determination and resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was our first international competition, made possible through the support of the Sports Council of Eswatini and partners supporting athletes with physical disabilities,\u201d said Dludlu.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that the long-term goal is to nurture and develop athletes capable of qualifying for global competitions, including the Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n

The president expressed gratitude to the Sports Council for its support, while also appealing for increased backing from government and stakeholders. He encouraged more people living with disabilities to participate in para sports, stressing inclusivity and equal opportunity.<\/p>\n

The athletes who represented the country are both pupils from St Joseph<\/p>\n

Dludlu further called on parents to support children with disabilities by allowing them to take part in sporting activities. \u201cThey should not be hidden. They are part of society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that sports go beyond competition, highlighting their role in promoting health, strength and resilience. For athletes with disabilities, para sports help build physical fitness, support mental wellbeing, and foster a sense of community.<\/p>\n

The Stellenbosch competition was just the beginning, but what a beginning it was. Eswatini para athletes have arrived and they are just getting started.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Eswatini<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. Two School girls from Eswatini, once overlooked and hidden at home, stepped onto a foreign track and walked away with gold and bronze medals. Tebenguni Simelane and Sekuhle Dlamini are not professional athletes. They are pupils from St Joseph\u2019s High School, and in Stellenbosch, South Africa, they did not just participate they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":86644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-86645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"\nFROM HIDDEN TO HISTORIC ESWATINI PARA ATHLETES STUN ON DEBUT - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two School girls from Eswatini, once overlooked and hidden at home, stepped onto a foreign track and walked away with ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FROM HIDDEN TO HISTORIC ESWATINI PARA ATHLETES STUN ON DEBUT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two School girls from Eswatini, once overlooked and hidden at home, stepped onto a foreign track and walked away with ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T10:05:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T11:18:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776152511.35085.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"FROM HIDDEN TO HISTORIC ESWATINI PARA ATHLETES STUN ON DEBUT\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-14T10:05:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-14T11:18:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\"},\"wordCount\":359,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776152511.35085.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-hidden-to-historic-eswatini-para-athletes-stun-on-debut\",\"name\":\"FROM HIDDEN TO HISTORIC ESWATINI PARA ATHLETES STUN ON DEBUT - 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