BoBA targets 3 boxers for Olympic Games

There is an abundance of talent in the boxing national team that is campaigning to qualify for the 2016 Rio summer Olympic Games this August.  

The team consists of seven men and three women in what is set to be a hotly-contested affair for a place in Team Botswana. The star-studded men’s team under the tutelage of Johannes Ditlhabang comprises of Mohamed Otukile (49kg), Marshall Mokgwaela (51kg), Kutlwano Ogaketse (56kg), Kabelo Bagwasi (60kg), Kagiso Bagwasi (64kg), Lentswe Zwinila (69kg) and Zibani Chikanda (75kg).

The women’s team consists of Koketso Dipogiso (51kg), Sadi Kenosi (60kg) and Keneilwe Rakhudu (75kg). The 10-men strong team has been in rigorous training since  December 7, only taking a break for Christmas and New Year’s Day.

In an interview this week, Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) president Dr Thato Patlakwe said the team will compete at the Zone IV Games scheduled for January 26 to 30 in Mozambique.

Patlakwe added that Team Botswana will be defending their Zone IV title after winning six gold and four silver medals in South Africa last year. After the Zone IV Games, the team is expected to take a one-week break before embarking on an international training camp to the eastern European country of Kazakhstan. Tthe team will then move to Morocco before eventually competing at the Olympic qualifiers to be held in Cameroon.

“Our target is that two men and one woman qualify for the Olympics,” Patlakwe told Sun Sport. Women’s coach Thebe Setlalekgosi said the three women boxers have been coping well at the ongoing camp. Nevertheless, he regetted that the three boxers were unfortunate to have been in a long lay off as they struggled to find credible opponents during interclub tournaments.

Botswana was represented by only one boxer - Oteng Oteng - during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, UK. He lost out in the preliminary stages of the competition.