..district also hosted successful sporting events
2022 will forever remain a memorable year for various local athletes, as they put Ngamiland and Botswana in the world map throughout the year at various local and international sporting competitions and bagging medals in the process.
From the Maun BDF Athletics Club, Leungo Scotch, Anthony Pesela, Bayapo Ndori and Tshepiso Masalela this year delivered a brilliant performance at the 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships that were held in Mauritius in June.
Ndori, Scotch and Pesela were part of the 4×400 m national relay team that won gold medal at the championships, while Tshepiso Masalela won bronze medal in the 800m race. Just recently the club’s junior athletes also shined at the AUSC Region 5 games that were held in Lilongwe, Malawi.
From the competition, Winnie Sarefo won silver medal in the 100m race and gold in 4x400m relay, Obakeng Kamberuka won gold medal in 400m race, 4x400m relay and 4×400 mixed relay while Brenno Friday won bronze in shot put.
A young karateka from Delta Karate Academy, Blessing Moipudi also put up a great performance at the African Region 5 championships that were held in Durban, South Africa in May after getting a last minute sponsorship from Selbys Uniform Shop.
Moipudi managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition where she unfortunately lost to her South African opponent. Two Karatekas from the same academy, Hadia Seokamao and Yaone Kgagamedi who also took part in the 10th International KOM Karate Cup in Gaborone last month also brought home two bronze medals.
The Maun Traditional Martial Arts athletes also delivered a dominant performance at the African Wushu Friendship Tournament that was held at Francistown Club Hall in October, with the team winning four Gold medals, 16 silver medals and 17 bronze medals. The tournament brought together 106 athletes from Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mauritius.
As part of the district’s successes in sports, the region also this year hosted some of the greatest inaugural sporting events that attracted many international and local athletes and spectators.
Some of the unforgettable events that were held in the region for the first time included the Khoemacau Copper Mining GM’s Lake Ngami Cycle Classic, Run Maun Marathon and Maun Aerobics Festival.
The classic marked history in the district attracting multitudes of local and international cyclists and runners in October at Toteng village. First Lady Neo Masisi participated in the event as a guest rider.
Over 100 cyclists completed the 120 km, 106km, 60km and 30km races while 100 runners/walkers completed the 10km race/walk which was channelled along the Toteng/Sehithwa road. International cyclists from South Africa and Zimbabwe also graced the event.
The Run Maun Marathon also started bigger, attracting international athletes from Kenya, South Africa and Britain among the 502 athletes who participated in the event. The marathon which was held in September was divided into four categories being 5km fun run, 10km, 21km and 42.2km, while the 42.2km races was cancelled due to few numbers of athletes that registered for the race.
On the other hand, the Maun Aerobics Festival proved to be a thriller for multitudes who thronged to the event for a fun filled day of diverse physical activities that included, a 5 km walk, boot camp, hi-low, step and box challenge. The festival brought together 12 aerobics clubs across the country and 240 participants who registered for the event. It was held on the 10th September in Maun at The Life Centre.
