Africa-Press – Lesotho. The ongoing 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games held at Buenos Aires in Argentina from the 6th October, 2018 saw Lesotho representatives, of two athletes fail to reach the medal zones.
They are set to come home empty handed. Lesotho participated in athletics with ‘Malineo Mofolo (female) and Tefo Khoahla (male). Both are 16 year old.
This was the first time the two athletes test this extravaganza. Mofolo finished at position 19 out of 23 athletes recording a time of 11:07:40s in the woman’s 3000m race the first day.
That Mofolo’s personal best record as her previous personal best was 12:49’. Khoahla embarked on the campaign with a 1500m race in which he performed unsatisfactorily finishing 10th out of 11 athletes in a time of 4:32:98.
The duo also competed in the 4000m Cross Country race. Again in that category Lesotho still did not perform well finishing at position 47 out of 51 participants completing the course in a time of 13:13s. In the same race Mofolo finished in a time of 15:44s in position 49 out of 52 athletes.
Talking to Informative Sport from Argentina, the team’s coach Mr Khauta Makhoana said even though they finished at the bottom in all the races, he said he is happy because his player’s times were not far from those of the winners in the respective races Lesotho was competing.
He said in the 4000m where Khoahla recorded 13:13, the set time was 11:11. Also in the same race where Mofolo made 15:44 he said the winner set the time of 12:32.
Makhoana is also happy that Mofolo made his new personal best in 3000m. According to him that is an achievement for the young athletes and believes that international exposure will help them in future.
Makhoana also revealed that the two athletes were selected based on their national performance and on their performance in some races they attended in South Africa before.
“Khoahla got bronze medal in last year’s High Altitude Summer Marathon and he is the gold medalist for primary schools national championships while Mofolo obtained position four in this year’s Leribe Royal Race,” said Makhoana in giving a brief performance of the duo in recent competitions.
For Lesotho to perform better in international games he suggested there be a maximum of three years development programme for a certain group of athletes.
In response to why Lesotho send only two athletes and competed in one sporting code, one of the Lesotho team official Mr Pulumo Nchakha responded that Lesotho was only given an opportunity to send two athletes under ’Universality Invitation’.
This is because Lesotho didn’t qualify for these games under any sporting code. The games are expected to end tomorrow and team Lesotho is expected to be back in the country on Saturday.
