27 May 2014

The badminton team added to Team Botswana’s medal tally by grabbing two bronze medals in the individual event at the ongoing Gaborone 2014 African Youth Games on May 26.

Tumisang Olekantse won a medal after defeating Adham Elgamal 2-0 to reach the semi finals of the men’s singles. Even though he lost 3-1 against Mauritius’ Julien Paul in the semi finals, Olekantse was already guaranteed a medal by reaching the last four stages.

Olekantse then partnered with Tshepo Perekisi in the men’s doubles after the two had qualified for the semi finals earlier that day. The encounter saw them meet Paul and Kounal Soubbaroyan from Mauritius. The Mauritians were determined to reach the finals and they hit hard on their opponents and won 2-0.

Despite failing to reach the finals, Olekantse and Perekisi earned Botswana a medal. Olekantse, who is also the team captain, said his overall performance was better compared to his previous tournaments.

He said he first won a medal at the All Africa Games. “I only reached the quarter finals in the last two tournaments but this one shows much improvement because I won two medals” he said.

Olekantse said the support and the involvement of psychologists also motivated them to improve. He said he was grateful for the coach’s guidance throughout the games and also hailed support from his teammates. ENDS