Mbambani honoured to be SA’s marathon coach for Olympics
Top Nelson Mandela Bay athletics coach Michael Mbambani said his appointment as the marathon coach of the Olympic Games by Athletics SA came as a shock.
Mbambani, crowned ASA Coach of the Year in January, was named by ASA on Friday as the coach to lead the six-athlete marathon team at the global showpiece in August.
Last year, the 50-year-old
Ikhamva Athletics Club founder and coach mentored the marathon team at the World Senior Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
He said he was honoured to be entrusted again with the responsibility of leading the national athletics marathon team to a global event.
“The appointment came as a shock to me, because in the space that we are in it is very difficult to compare yourself to anyone,” Mbambani said.
“However, on the other side, the Olympics is the pinnacle of sport. It’s the highest sporting activity in the world.
“There is nothing bigger than the Olympics.
“To have your name placed among the coaches for such an event is special.
“We can only thank the crop of athletes who have paved the road for the coach to get such recognition for his work.
“As much as we coach for the love of the sport, there is no price attached to it.
“I do not charge any athlete a cent for coaching, from my development athletes to the elite ones.
“This is just a life I chose to do after I stopped running, to try to help coach the up-andcoming generation not knowing that one day I would wear the green and gold colours and represent my country at events like the Olympics and World Championships.
“It’s an honour to be given this role and a privilege to have a good crop of athletes to coach and a conducive space for the athletes to compete.”
Mbambani said the closing date for the Olympic team to be assembled was May 24.
He said ASA would then announce the athletes to represent SA at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Mbambani has dedicated the past 12 years to developing athletes.*
His phenomenal success with his talented athletes underscores his efforts.
In 2022, Melikhaya Frans competed in the NMB Half Marathon, finished second and smashed his lifetime best by over a minute as he set a new Eastern Province Athletics record.
He won his first national title in 1:01:03, and in 2023, Thabang Mosiako won the half marathon and set a personal best of 1:00:29.