Triple jumper leaves for US, blasts BAA
Tlotlo Kebinakgabo | Wednesday January 25, 2017 16:23
Mosheleketi, who will be based at Kentucky’s Lindsey Wilson College accused the athletics mother body of failing to support him on his move.
But BAA secretary general, Kebaitse Legojane said they were unaware that Mosheleketi was going to the US. “He once came to us asking for our assistance but he ended up withdrawing his request saying he is going to seek for help from the ministry (sport),” he said.
Legojane went on to say that the BAA does not deal with athletes as individuals, but rather with clubs as their affiliates.
“Even his club contacted us for help, but I am not in a position to reveal what went (on) between us. We cannot discuss internal issues with the media,” he said.
Mosheleketi will pursue a degree in Physical Education. He will be under the tutelage of coach Jamaine Gordon and the college will be responsible for paying his tuition and upkeep expenses.
Mosheleketi told Mmegi Sport he was happy to move to the US as it will help improve his career. “The college facilities are incredible and I will be working with a professional coach, in a professional setup, something that gives me hope that I will improve. The college also has athletes that have qualified for major international competitions before, particularly Jareis Gotch who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics,” the 23-year-old athlete said.
He added that the move is going to give him a great chance to qualify for the IAAF World Championships.
“My aim is to qualify for the World Championships of which I am positive I am going to attain. I intend to train for the first two weeks when I get there, then I am going to compete on the third week. Coach Gordon has been coaching me from USA so I understand his training programme. I am going to compete in 10 indoor and 15 outdoor competitions for this year in the US,” Mosheleketi said.
He is not the first triple or long jumper to move abroad for training as he joins the likes of Gable Garenamotse and Larona Koosimile.
Mosheleketi holds a personal best of 16 metres in the triple jump and 7.91 metres in long jump.
The Lobatse-born athlete won triple jump bronze at the 2011 African Junior Championships that were held in Gaborone. He took part in the 2012 Barcelona World Junior Championships where he managed to impress many USA-based colleges even though he did not get a medal.
He finished fourth in the long jump at the African Senior Championships held in Durban, South Africa last year. It is not the first time for Mosheleketi to move to the US as he was once based in Texas from 2013 to 2015.