Gopolang Mogale out to turn tears into cheers
FOR years, Gopolang Mogale endured taunting in her village for her disability.
This is one of the many ordeals she had to overcome and now she has been selected for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The 17-year-old from Pankop village in Mpumalanga said she would cry when treated differently because of her mental disability.
She now plans to silence her critics and turn her tears to cheers when she demonstrates her physical prowess and represents South Africa in the 100m and 200m events at the Games.
During a farewell ceremony for her on Friday at Mantjedi Special School, the bubbly sprinter could hardly contain her excitement.
She beamed with delight as various government officials, traditional council members and fellow pupils heard about her accolades, from district to provincial and national level.
But her road to success has been a thorny one, according to her mother, Lizzy. “She was ridiculed by some in the community and previous school.
“Her peers called her hurtful names that made her feel unworthy. It cut me deep, it cut me really deep,” she said.
After realising her daughter was struggling, she moved her to Mantjedi Special School and she has not looked back.
It was there that her talent was unearthed during a sports day in 2016. Principal Maputhi Mnguni said the school immediately witnessed her sheer talent and Gopolong had been an inspiration, encouraging others to believe in themselves and embrace their disabilities.
Coupled with her intellectual disability, she also has a slight speech impediment and an attention disorder.
But when it comes to the track, there is nothing stopping her, and she leaves her competitors in the shade.
Asked who the inspiration for her ambition and winning ways was, she replied: “It’s Caster Semenya. I want to be like Caster. In fact, I want to be better than her.
“I like it when she races and does her celebratory ‘bird gesture’ after she crosses the finishing line,” she chuckled – giving a demonstration.
She said her dream was to become a professional athlete and make enough money to buy her unemployed mother a house.
“After that, I’m going to also buy myself a house… Oh, and a nice car,” she said.
For now she is depending on others’ largesse and those at the farewell ceremony scraped together some pocket money for the trip.
The biggest cause of excitement was the fact that she will be boarding a plane for the first time, and visiting a foreign country.
The Special Olympics takes place every two years and alternates between Summer and Winter Games.
More than 7 000 athletes from 170 countries will compete in 24 summer sports. These will be the first Special Olympics World Games held in the Middle East region.