A tale of an Olympian lost to culture :: Mmegi Online

In 2021, Botswana sport wrote its own piece of history; Magdelene Moyengwa became the first local weightlifter to qualify for the Olympic Games. But four years later, Moyengwa has disappeared from the sport surface, swallowed by insurmountable barriers that have claimed countless women’s talents across the globe, writes MQONDISI DUBE

At 20, Moyengwa had the world at her feet. She was rated as Africa’s top weightlifter in the 59kg, she had made history by becoming her country’s first weightlifter to participate at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championship, before the most prized; being the first Botswana weightlifter to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2020.

A sparkling career was rapidly taking shape, and Botswana’s sport authorities were elated with Moyengwa’s progress in a sport that does not command a huge following. Moyengwa was fast changing narratives as the global media zoomed in on her achievements, with a lot more expected to come from the rising star.