14 Jun 2021

Magdeline Moyengwa has made history by being the first Botswana weightlifter to qualify for the Olympic Games.

According to the rankings released by International Weightlifting Federation, Moyengwa is in position one in Africa in the 59kg category.

Her coach, Alex Rankgwe, said he was happy that the athlete had qualified for the Olympics.

He said Moyengwa had never been outside the top five in most of her competitions, hence managing to collect most of the points that were used for qualifying in weightlifting.Rankgwe said after the points were calculated, she came out tops in her category in Africa, something which he said was due to hard work and dedication.

Furthermore, he said the future was bright for Moyengwa and that they would continue to train her to ensure that she reached her full potential.

“We are going to the Olympics to compete  and it would also be an eye-opener for the athlete, given that it would be her first time,” he said, adding that there was something that his organisation was doing right, given that the first time they tried, they qualified for the Commonwealth Games through Kgotla Kgaswane.

Rankgwe said this time, the Weightlifting Federation of Botswana tried to qualify for the Olympics and Moyengwa did not disappoint.

He thanked the federation’s executive committee, particularly president Brigadier Joseph Mathambo and vice president technical, Aaron Makara, for their support.

Rankgwe said the International Weightlifting Federation secretary had already called to congratulate them for qualifying for the Olympics.

For her part, Moyengwa said she was happy that she managed to qualify, despite not adequately preparing for the games.

The 20-year-old said the road to qualification was bumpy, but through hard-work and determination, she managed to collect the robi points that enabled her to qualify.She said although a novice, she was going to the Olympics to compete.

“I want to thank my federation, coach and my family for supporting me through the difficult journey.

It was not an easy one as you might be aware; competing internationally is not child’s play,” she said.ENDS