Botswana boxing remains regional powerhouse
The games saw only female boxer, Lethabo Modukanele winning gold while established talents like Rajab Mohamed, Sadie Kenosi and Kobamelo Molatlhegi won silvers. Treasure Moremi, George Molwantwa and Phekie Bele managed to bring home bronze medals each. “If you look at the last 2019 Zone IV games held here in Gaborone, before the COVID - 19 pandemic, we had Gold medals from Molwantwa, Treasure Moremi and Mohamed while Kenosi managed bronze so the team has not fallen far off,” said Botswana
Boxing Association ( BoBA) Secretary General, Taolo Tlouetsile.
According to Tlouetsile, preparations ahead of the games in Mozambique were not smooth as they had hoped with the interim national team coach, Thebe Setlalekgosi having been roped in at the last minute, which did not leave enough time for the team. “We had to resort to Plan B given the last- minute changes to the national team and this was not all as we contested with budget constraints,” he said. Tlouetsile said they were generally happy with the fourth- place finish at Mozambique as they could only field seven athletes while other countries like the host nation could field two athletes per weight class category.
Moving on from the regional games, Tlouetsile said focus is now squarely on the upcoming Women’s Boxing World Championships scheduled from 9th to 20th May in Istanbul, Turkey. The team comprises of Lethabo Modukanele and Aratwa Kesemang under coach Setlalekgosi and his two assistants, Gibson Rauwe and Pearl Mooketsi. Tlouetsile further explained that BoBA is happy with the progress achieved in women’s boxing after Keamogetse Kenosi became the first female boxer to qualify for the Olympic games last year.
Quizzed on why Kenosi was not part of the team that will compete at the World Championships, Tlouetsile said there were questions surrounding the boxer’s availability after the 2020 Olympics. Meanwhile, Tlouetsile said coach Setlalekgosi is expected to lead the boxing team until the Commonwealth Games scheduled for UK this August. “The Botswana National Olympic Committee ( BNOC) has given us four slots and the team will comprise of Rajab Mohamed, George Molwantwa, Lethabo Modukanele and Aratwa Kesemang.”