Judgement day for Gavin Mogopa
Freeman of Swimming are some of the few athletes still trying to secure a ticket to the Olympics. Following more than 12 months of lack of action, the 24-year-old, Mogopa sprang to action this month in order to continue where he left off before COVID-19. Despite the Ramotswa native being very close to securing qualification, he carries injury he incurred in training early this year. Prior to his appearance at the Kazan Grand Slam in Russia, Mogopa injured his knee during sparring in training, an injury which crushed him out in the first round of the tourney.
When quizzed why Mogopa had to be allowed to take part in two tournaments while carrying an injury, Khupe said, “The LOC works and gets guidance from the medical team as to the state or health bill of the concerned athlete before they compete in any competition. The doctor gives progress report on injury management for each athlete and in the case of Gavin, he was cleared to be fit to compete in the just ended competition. The doctor will make another assessment upon arrival of the athlete and guide the LOC and the High-Performance Committee accordingly,” she said.
Mogopa underwent a two-week training in Cameroon before competing at the Africa Judo Senior Championships this past weekend, where he was unfortunately knocked out in the preliminaries.
The 2016 Olympian, who is currently ranked 18th in Africa and 131 globally, has already gathered crucial points in his last two competitions and needs close to 60 points to secure his slot. With World Championships and another open tournament on the cards in Budapest, Hungary, there is a possibility that Mogopa could earn more points and improve his rankings and subsequently qualify.
When asked about the future of the athlete since qualification will be closing soon on the 29th of June, Khupe said, “Gavin is expected to arrive back in the country this Tuesday, upon arrival, he will be assessed by the team doctor and the medical prognosis determined. It is therefore still early to draw any conclusions regarding his continued qualification. About his performance, the coach shall submit a report with recommendation to the LOC for consideration. Until a report has been submitted, it cannot be stated if Gavin will be dropped from the team or not,” she said.