Young Mooketsi rules the ping-pong roost

Mooketsi is the top ranked ping pong player. PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
Mooketsi is the top ranked ping pong player. PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

Two years ago, a diminutive player introduced himself on the elite table tennis scene. Standing at just 1.6m tall, Tshenolo Mooketsi has proven, height does not matter and recently won the Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) Grand Finale to affirm his place as the new king of ping-pong. The country’s youngest ever top-ranked table tennis player shares his journey with Mmegi Sport Correspondent, KABELO BORANABI

From a sporting background, Mooketsi developed the love for the table and racket as a Form One student at Linchwe Junior Secondary School in 2012. This was, however, after niggling injuries cut his football career short. He needed just a week in training to impress the coaches as the fairy tale began at the Botswana Integrated Sports Association (BISA) Games in 2013.

“I started playing football at school, then I had a leg injury, and every weekend I would have an injury. So I had to find another sport that had minimum physical contact. I tried chess but I was not that good, so indoor sports became my last hope. I first tried badminton, but the players pool was very wide, so I settled for table tennis.”

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up