Boxer Kesemang's Olympics headache
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday May 7, 2021 14:47
Kesemang told Mmegi Sport that her illness is traumatising her particularly after the recent passing of promising boxer, Tefo Maitewa. She said when she reflects, she wonders if it is worth it to risk her life for boxing.
“It was an incident that occurred and I cannot dwell much on it. I have always suffered from migraines, but the incident that happened to me had nothing to do with my condition. I am stressed about this, I do not want to lie,” she said.
The 26-year-old said she had a dream and set herself goals, so she was wondering if she would succeed. She said her focus was not only on the Olympics but motivating other youngsters.
However, she wanted to be at the Olympics because they are every athlete’s dream. Kesemang said they started preparing for Olympic qualifiers in October and took a break in December.
“We were preparing for the World Boxing Championships qualifiers that were in France. We came back in January and continued training. During camp, I suffered an injury but I would rather not disclose details. The incident happened in February. I was then advised to take a six-month break by the doctor. They are currently running medical examinations to identify my problem and how I could be assisted,” Kesemang said.
She said the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) covered her medical bills at Gaborone Private Hospital. The boxer explained that when the injury occurred she had to stop boxing due to medical reasons. She said by then they were preparing for the world championships, which were cancelled. “After the cancellation, a new system of ranking was used. When they were released I was number six in Africa which was not correct because according to my points I was number four in my category. That meant I had a chance to qualify although it was not that much,” she said.
Kesemang has been a boxer for four years. She has been through another rough patch after suffering a shoulder injury during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She then made a strong comeback in 2019.
“I have screws in my shoulder but I have survived.
After my injury, I won a gold medal at the Zone IV championship and I was the best female boxer. I then scooped a silver medal at the African Games then another gold in the national championship. I just want to recover and prepare for another strong comeback,” Kesemang said.
Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) president, Thato Patlakwe said Kesemang is currently undergoing medical examinations. “I cannot reveal her illness because of doctor-patient confidentiality.
But so far, the headache has been identified as one of her problems.
We thought that it was wise for her to be given a break away from boxing to avoid [a repeat of] what happened to the late Maitewa,” Patlakwe said.