Hamstring injury grounds Molefe

THATO KALA
Correspondent | Friday July 30, 2010 00:00

The injury has kept the 30-year-old sprinter from action for the better part of this year. It caused him to miss the ongoing Africa Athletics Senior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.

'I have been out with a hamstring injury for a long time now. But I feel I should be ready to compete by March,' Molefe told Mmegi Sport.

He said he did not want to rush his return before he is fully recovered.

'I would love to start running when I feel like I'm fully fit because if I try to return before I fully recover, I may end up aggravating the injury. I tried that last time and I ended up picking up a knee injury,' he said.

The local athletics season is over and Molefe will have to wait for next year before he can start competing. He is presently doing light training. 'Since there are no competitions locally, I am doing some light training on my own.

The next competition will be in March next year. That is when I will make a return to the track,' he explained. The major highlight of Molefe's career has been winning a gold at the 2007 All-Africa Games.

He won silver at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow, becoming the first Botswana athlete to get a medal at such a prestigious event. In 1999, he got a bronze at the 1999 African Junior Championships. He competed at the 2004 Olympics, and was knocked out in the heats. He anchored the 4 x 400m relay team, which finished eighth. He set his personal best time during the heats at the 2005 World Championships with 45.34 seconds, which stands as Botswana's record.