Wheelchair racer, Thuso Rasetapa, will look to continue to defy the odds and challenge his physical strength as he prepares to defend his Outeniqua Wheelchair Challenge title in George, South Africa.
The Outeniqua challenge is an annual wheelchair racing event designed exclusively for athletes with physical disabilities, including wheelchair racers, hand-cycle riders, adapted bicycles, basketball wheelchairs, and ordinary wheelchair participants.
The event features several distances, such as the full marathon (42.2 kilometres), half-marathon (21.1 kilometres), 10 kilometres, and a five-kilometre fun race.
It draws participants from across South Africa and neighbouring countries like Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Ghana. Rasetapa said during his debut appearance in 2024, he finished in position three before he won a gold medal in 2025. He said the plan is to defend his title as he prepares to make his third appearance at the race. “I am a half-marathon specialist in hand cycling. When we first started, we were assisted by the Botswana Council for the Disabled, and personally, I was sponsored by Security Systems Botswana for the past two years," he said.
"I now have a new sponsor being Hoisting Solutions. I met the owner, Ian Nattlle Smith, during the 2025 National Paralympic Games in Jwaneng. He just saw my hand cycle, and that was it.
"My sponsor will take care of my flight tickets, reducing the long-distance travel I used to take by bus. He has also solicited support for me in South Africa from his colleagues,” he added. Rasetapa said his sponsor will also transport him to the FNB Kazungula Bridge marathon set for February 28.
He said attending events like the Outeniqua Wheelchair Challenge is motivated by many factors, such as personal achievement, community and representation, inclusion and visibility, and support and advocacy through sport. “The bigger picture started in 2023 when we did Charleshill to Ramatlabama immediately after we introduced the sport. Towards the end of the year, we will be having a bigger epic from Gaborone to Kasane,” Rasetapa said.
