Thando gets special moment with his idol
This picture will be in my heart forever, says Roto
“Good luck for the season, focus on your training and run faster.”
This is a brief message that Usain Bolt left behind for SA rising sprinter Thando Roto, making the 22-year-old one of the fortunate few who got their special moment with the Jamaican legend during his stopover in Johannesburg this week.
Roto is ambassador of the Puma School of Speed, where the sport science student serves as “vice-principal” to Bolt.
“I was just invited to support the meeting [at Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort on Monday] and I never really imagined that I’ll be sitting alongside Bolt at the top table. This picture will be in my heart forever,” Roto told Sowetan.
“Bolt is the greatest of all time and being in his company is a chance that comes once in a lifetime and I’ve grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“He and Justin Gatlin [100m world champ] are some of the top sprinters I look up to,” said the lad from Dimbaza township near King William’s Town, Eastern Cape.
Roto is rated the third-fastest of all time behind his local idols Akani Simbine and Wayde van Niekerk in the South African 100m rankings.
Roto is excited that local athletics has the five-legged schools track and field competition, having also started at this level.
Bolt said the idea was borne out of the boys and girls championship in Jamaica.
“We got it here for you guys and the bigger it gets, the government will have no choice but to invest in track and field. You’ll see a lot more elite athletes coming out of it,” he said.
Meanwhile, two-time SA Junior 100m champion Roto is still recovering from the after-effects of an achilles tendonitis he picked up at the World Student Games where he won silver in Taipei last year.
“I am now back at training but I’m not sure of the return date [to competition].
“If everything goes according to plan, I could run faster than last year and more consistently, meaning more sub-10 performances,” Roto said.