Africa-Press – Lesotho. The roaring rise of athletics sensation Manqabang Tsibela is not going unnoticed. Since she started running in 2014 in her village in Mantšonyane, Thaba-Tseka, the 16-year-old has been a revelation.
Tsibela began her journey with a bang when she won both the 1 500 and 3 000 metre races at the Confederation of School Sport Association in Southern Africa (COSSASA) Championships staged in Lesotho in 2015. Tsibela was only 12-years-old at the time and the distance running prodigy has only gone on to add more achievements, locally and internationally.
Tsibela’s crowning moment so far came in 2018 when she claimed gold in the 3 000 metres at the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games in Botswana, a race she famously won while running barefooted.
That success brought her into the limelight and her supporters – who see her as a gem for the country – have grown. Her support base now includes Baba Malephane, ‘Mathabo Rathebe, Mofihli Makoele, Sam Seboka, Lali Lali, All 4 One and ‘Malitsietsi Zwakala who works on securing sponsorship for her.
Also involved is Kick4Life director of football, Chris Bullock, who is currently funding an academic scholarship for Tsibela to study at Masowe High School.
She has a Facebook page called ‘Supporting Manqabang Tsibela – A Young Mosotho Talent’ which showcases the young talent. Her team also includes legendary runner Thabiso Moqhali who is Tsibela’s trainer and has been a guiding force for her since 2014.
Arguably Lesotho’s greatest athlete, to this day Moqhali remains the only Mosotho to win gold at a major international championship when he won the marathon at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He has been the perfect foil for Tsibela and has watched her grow into the big hope of Lesotho athletics as many of the country’s star luminaries stars such as Mosito Lehata, ‘Mamoroallo Tjoka and Mabuthile Lebopo reach the tail end of their careers.
Moqhali is confident his star student still has more to achieve and he believes Tsibela can become an international champion, just as he was. “We cannot fail here,” Moqhali said.
“There is no way (that) you can dominate youth stages and when you go to the seniors then you become just an (ordinary) athlete.
No, that shouldn’t happen and I don’t want that to happen to her,” he added. Moqhali has of course been down the same road and knows what it takes to succeed. He said his main focus is on discipline and helping Tsibela grow her self-belief.
“I don’t want her to become just another athlete, she is well known in the youth competitions and now we want to take her to world championships because I believe she is a world champion,” Moqhali said.
“I believe she can get in the top 10 (in the world), she is that good, and when you get into the top 10 then you are a world champion, but you must believe first,” he continued.
The Mantšonyane born long distance runner has already shown she has the temperament to compete internationally having collected eight gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals from various international competitions in her young career.
In fact, so far the only stumbling block has been the current COVID-19 outbreak which has stopped her training in Maseru. Moqhali said he is disappointed because the duo was working on refining Tsibela’s technique which he said is the one area she still has a lot of room to improve.
Tsibela is now home in Mantšonyane and there is no way Moqhali can monitor her progress. Moqhali’s concern is that because she is still young, there is always a room for mistakes.
He said Tsibela is a natural talent but must work on her technique to reach her potential and compete with the best in the world. “We were working on (her) skills and technique before the pandemic, and to get that (correct) you need to believe.
I am a little bit disappointed that she didn’t believe in that, but with time she will acquire those skills,” Moqhali said. “The way she runs she cannot win major competitions, we are working on certain techniques.
You must know how to use your hands and legs, (and) why do you do certain things,” he said. “When she runs, she actually circles with her hands and she needs to run straight.
She needs to put that in her mind and must believe it will work. So she can still acquire those skills. ” Before the pandemic, Tsibela was scheduled to compete locally in district competitions.
Her last appearance was in Bocheletsane in March. For now her team has decided not to bring her to Maseru to train due to the risks of contracting COVID-19 and she will remain in Thaba-Tseka until the situation improves.
Moqhali’s confidence in Tsibela stems from her confession that she is in love with running and that it is all she wants to do. With the potential Tsibela possesses and the experience that surrounds her, it seems the sky is the limit.
“She loves running, she can see her future in athletics and has actually confessed to me that she will put in 100 percent in training,” Moqhali said.
“I am confident; she has a lot of potential to be a champion.”
