�The Majestic� Makes A Strong Return
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday February 12, 2018 10:40
Malunga proved that she is the queen of kata when she scooped position one during the first leg of the karate senior national team selection over the weekend.
The Majestic had to work extra hard to reclaim her throne from Lame Hetanang of JKA club who has been sitting on it during her absence. Hetanang finished in the second spot followed by Entle Madungwa. Malunga told Sport Monitor that making a comeback was not easy because a lot of things had changed.
“Hetanang has been doing well in my absence and upon my return I have to show her respect. There are other athletes such as Centy Kgosikoma who just graduated from the junior team into our category. She is a talented karateka and I had to make sure that I do not lose focus. The judges were also judging me expecting the old Malunga before I went on a break. That meant I had to compete against myself,” she said.
The Majestic said the first leg of the selection was an indication that making it into the national team would not be easy. She said everyone has to work hard.
An excited senior national team assistant coach, Sensei Peter Molefhe said the fitness level of most karatekas was top notch.
He said it shows they were working hard in training during the off season. Molefhe said he was impressed by the level of competition especially from those who were making a debut in the senior team selection.
“Those who were graduating from the senior team did not show any respect to the senior karatekas. Some of them went an extra mile to eliminate the seniors. The technique here was good. You could see good use of space and leg movements were also impressive. Those things were not there before,” Molefhe said.
He said Botswana as the Region Five champion, are doing pretty well but the main focus is World championship. He said it has been years since the country won a medal at the world stage. He revealed that Botswana Karate Association will host the 2018 Region Five championships and will be allowed to field a good number of athletes.
Some of the results
from different categories:
Kumite (women): Oratile Nkhumisang (Glen Valley), Hetanang (JKA), Khumoyaone Maduma
Kata (men): Ofentse Bakwadi (Hayashi), Boemo Ramusimang (BUIST), Thebe Letshwiti
Women (kumite+68kg): Tshegofatso Mangadi, Malebogo Robert
Male (kumite 67kg): Kabelo Molefe, Gabriel Ramasimang, Raphael Reid
Women (+68kg): Thabang Maleke, Tsholofelo Maduma