27 Aug 2024

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will start today with Botswana putting its trust on Edwin ‘Tiger’ Masuge and Gloria Majaga to fly the national flag high.

    Masuge will compete in the T13 400 metres men and Majaga in the T13 100 metres and 400 metres women.

  Majaga is not new to the international stage since she has represented Botswana at the last Paralympic Games edition held in Tokyo, where she finished fifth in heat three with a time of 1:04.18 in the T13 400 metres category but failed to proceed to the next round.

  Masuge finished fourth in heat two with a time of 50.13 and qualified for the final where he finished in position seven with a time of 50.54.

  The last time Botswana won big at the Paralympic Games was in 2004 in Athens, when Tshotlego Morama brought home a gold medal in the 400-metreT46 category with a 55.99 World Record.

 Team Botswana general manager, Monti Ratlou said some of the competitions the athletes took part in helped sharpen their skills.

  Ratlou said before moving to the athletes’ village on Monday, they had a pre-games training camp in Montauban, where they had access to good training facilities with less distractions.

  He said the duo was up for the challenge and trusted they would represent the country well at the games that ends on September 8.

  “We are here with the two athletes who in my opinion are fighters. They are here to compete, and we told them to enjoy their races and the rest will follow,” said Ratlou. Ends