Mogomotsi Moloi
26 March 2008
Gaborone — Botswana has got off to a bad start at the ongoing African Olympic qualifiers in Windhoek, Namibia with two of the six boxers falling at the preliminary stages. Moabi Mothiba (69kg) and Kgomotso Bok (51kg) lost their chances to represent Botswana at the Olympics slated for Beijing, China in August when they were beaten by opponents from Tunisia and Zambia respectively during the Easter holidays.
Mothiba of Botswana Diamond Valuing Company (BDVC) Boxing Club lost his bout 14-4 while the less experienced Bok was outclassed 26-8. The two are part of the six-man Botswana team that is trying its luck in the last African Olympic qualifiers in Namibia. The good news is that Bathusi Mogajane (48kg) and Gomotsang Gaasite (60kg) have advanced to the next stage of the tournament. Mosojane made it after winning his bout 18-13 while Gaasite was favoured by the toss and was awaiting the winner in the bout between boxers from Ghana and Gabon that took place yesterday.
Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) publicity secretary Willough Kemoen said they have not lost hope since they still have four boxers in the race. Herbert 'Hit Man' Nkabiti (54kg), Thato 'Hands of Stone' Batshegi (57kg) were billed to fight yesterday. Nkabiti was expected to take on a tough boxer from Cameroon while Batshegi took on a Rwandan opponent. "We started badly but we are still hopeful," Kemoen told Mmegi Sport yesterday. He conceded that it is a dog-eat-dog competition in Namibia but they still have hope. Twenty-eight countries have sent 148 boxers in Windhoek to vie for about 79 slots at the China Olympics.
Kemoen pointed out that the recent results show the high standards of the competition. He said Bok and Mothiba are still on a learning curve and they will mature with time. They got exposure and experience, which would definitely help them in future. Kemoen said they do not regret the results because the two boxers are still learners. "We have our fingers crossed that the remaining boxers qualify," he said. Khumiso Ikgopoleng (54kg) is currently the only Botswana boxer to qualify for the Olympics. He made a return to the Olympics after the qualifying leg held in Algeria last month.
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