Deaf Team: Zeroes To Heroes
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday September 23, 2019 11:03
The team participated in the first Africa Deaf Athletics Championship held here since Tuesday, missing many opportunities to bag medals.
It was a partially overcast Saturday afternoon, inside the mighty Kasarani stadium, when the 4X100m mixed relay team took to the track. Rose Moatswi was given a huge role to start the race. She started the back paddle with Kitso Rampho impatiently waiting for the baton.
Rampho had to dig deeper to close the gap and he made it easier for Janet Matebu to capitalise enroute to Kealeboga Karesaza. The last receiver had an easy jog to the finish line to grab a bronze for Botswana.
It was the first and last medal for the team that came into the competition as underdogs and seemed to live by that tag. But as African bronze medalists, they are jetting back home today in a triumphant mood.
They managed to beat odds that seemed to make it difficult for them to snatch a medal from the athletics power houses. Botswana finished in the ninth position while the host, Kenya proved their superiority as they closed the chapter in a pole position.
Botswana missed out on other medal opportunities being the marathon where Akanyang Golebamang finished in position four. He also could not get a medal in the 800 metres. The men’s 4X100m relay team was on the way to scoop a silver medal. Unfortunately Tlamelo Thomas picked a muscle injury at a critical moment. The men’s 4X400m relay team also scuppered Batswana’s medal dream.
Team manager, Edward Mbengwa told Sport Monitor that they did not come to Nairobi to compete but to give the athletes exposure.
“It has been a difficult journey for us. Most people did not believe that we stood a chance of winning a continental medal. We have proven them wrong and the athletes have proven to themselves that they can do more,” he said.
Mbengwa said the challenges they faced such as shortage of hospitality kit that saw athletes being forced to do laundry mid-week was a learning curve. He also said they intend to raise funds and supply athletes with a kit that would motivate them. He said maybe the bronze medal would turn the mindsets of the nation about deaf sport.