Will the real Mr Motsoeneng please step forward . . .
VISION: Optician to the stars Will Luff fits glasses for Lindiwe Mkhize in KwaZulu-Natal this week IS ultramarathon cheat Sergio Motsoeneng the one running today’s Comrades, or is it his brother?
While Sergio has said he will be making the 89km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban today, race officials have no record of his entry — but they do have an Arnold Motsoeneng, which happens to be the name of Sergio’s twin brother.
In 1999, the Motsoenengs were caught cheating, and disqualified.
They had run the marathon in relay fashion, dressed exactly alike and “passing the baton” in a portable toilet near the halfway mark.
But they were caught out when pictures showed them wearing their watches on different hands. They were banned for five years.
Sergio was banned again in 2010 for two years for using a banned substance.
This week, Comrades organisers warned potential cheats that they were being watched.
“Running clubs across the country have this year raised their concerns and alerted the Comrades Marathon Association to be on the lookout for transgressors. Some have gone as far as submitting names of potential cheats to be watched.
“We are asking the public to be vigilant. If they see anything that looks irregular they must bring it to our attention,” said Comrades general manager Chris Fisher.
Sergio said he regretted what he did in 1999.
“I am not a cheat like before. I was young and needed the money . . . That incident is history. I do not like to talk about it. The issue of the banned substance, I did not have money to fight the claim. I never took any drugs.
“I was good in running but unfortunately no one sponsored me. I also came from a poor background and ended up doing things that were not OK and ended up regretting it. It is not good to cheat. It affected my running career,” said Sergio.
He said he would clarify the name confusion with the Comrades organisers. Arnold, he said, would not be running. WATCH THIS: Sergio Motsoeneng and his twin brother, Arnold, were disqualified for cheating in 1999