Bowls team fancies medals in Australia
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday August 26, 2023 06:00
The competition resumes after a temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 with participation from 44 nations ready to battle for the world title.
Scheduled across two weeks, the upcoming week, from Tuesday to Sunday, will host events such as women's singles and fours, men's pairs and triples, and para men's, women's, and mixed pairs.
Subsequently, from September 5 to 10, the focus will shift to men's singles and fours, as well as women's pairs and triples. Speaking to Mmegi Sport, George Kieni, a pivotal member of the national team and participant in the pairs and trips category, said they had a rigorous three-day training regimen before embarking on their journey.
Kieni highlighted that qualifying for the World Bowls Championships itself signifies being a formidable contender. “If you made it into this championship, it means you are tough competition. It is an issue of which countries are we facing.
I am playing pairs and fours so I am facing quite a number of countries and that means they are a threat,” Kieni said. Baven Balendra, who will be competing in the singles and triples, echoed a similar sentiment.
He said that the team underwent a training camp in Gaborone, coupled with bi-weekly practice sessions and assessments submitted to coaches. Balendra aspires to secure medals during the championships. “Our target is to get medals from the championships. We start by playing in sections, you have to play a round-robin within the section and if you get into the top two, you qualify for the quarter-finals,” he said. This marks the national team's debut at the World Bowls Championships. Balendra revealed that they initially qualified for the 2019 edition, which regrettably was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Botswana team composition:
Men: Singles and Triples: Baven Balendra; Pairs and Fours: George Kieni; Fours and Triples: Michael Gabobewe; and Fours and Triples: Andre van der Wa and Binesh Desai.
Women: Pairs and Singles: Marea Modutlwa; Triples and Fours: Mpopi Pelemo, Chakale Robert, Molatedi Douma; and Pairs and Fours: Lesedi Mafoko.