20 Nov 2016

About 14 Botswana fencers will take part in a two-day 2nd National Limpopo Open 2016 National Ranking competition on December 3, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In an interview, Botswana Amateur Fencing Association secretary general, Thato Gleeson said the invitation was extended to them by their counterparts, the Fencing Federation of South Africa.

He said they would be sending a team of 14 fencers made up of eight men and six women who were national team players.

“We intend to build up from last year’s Eastern Cape Open where our team performed on average, but this year, we hope to improve our performances and win medals,” he said.
Gleeson said last year, only one fencer, Thabile Pilane performed exceptionally well and managed to scoop a bronze medal.

However, this year, he said they expect a number of medals since they had a number of master fencers in their team.

He said two of their freshly master graduates, Sam Chape and Aobakwe Modise would form part of the team. The duo would join the team from Senegal after completing a one-year fencing master training.

He described them as the most excelling fencing athletes at the moment.

He noted that fencing champions and masters, Karabo Thobega and Thato Mpoloka would also make the team.

Regarding preparations, Gleeson said the team was undergoing both technical and fitness training.

“Both Thobega and Mpoloka had been helping our local players with the technical aspect of the training, while for their fitness they had been using the BNSC gym facilities,” he said.

Further, he said he believed Botswana had achieved a lot in terms of training their fencers, hence the country had masters and experienced fencers.
Gleeson also said with the experience they had, they aim to bring about five medals from the competition.

The tournament also affords training for officials, adding that he and another member would go for training for director technical position, while others would undergo training on refereeing and coaching.

He said they would use the tournament as part of the preparation for the African Championships, noting that South Africa as a power house in fencing, would be a good drill for them. ENDS