Times Of Swaziland: ATHLETE KHANYISILE BEAT PB IN 1 500M IN NAIROBI

ATHLETE KHANYISILE BEAT PB IN 1 500M IN NAIROBI
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BY NTOKOZO MAGONGO on 17/07/2017 08:21:00


MBABANE – For long distance athlete Khanyisile Hlatshwako, the IAAF World
Junior Championships in Nairobi, had some silver lining to savour about.
The 15-year-old might have ended last in the 1500m race but she was able to
better her personal record after clocking 5:05 minutes. Her previous record was
5:30 minutes. The Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) athlete was the only
athlete from the country who travelled to the competitions.
She finished last in the race where 13 athletes started.
She competed with the best athletes in the long distance. The starting list was
dominated by athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia who are well-known to be doing
well in long distances. Athletes from the two countries had dominated in
competitions including the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympics
Games among others.
Athletics Association of Swaziland (AAS) Secretary Thoba Mazibuko said despite
the position, the athletes competed well. He said most countries were avoiding
competing in the 1 500m, and the other long distance events    as they were
dominated by Kenya and Ethiopia.3
“She is young and the fact that her times have improved shows potential. She
did well considering that most countries were avoiding competing in the long
distances due to Kenya and Ethiopia domination,” he said.
Hlatshwako attended the competition having won the KwaMagogo annual 10km race
held at Zakhele Sports Ground, Manzini in June. She had taken the reins on the
road races and Mazibuko attributed that she still had a long way to go to start
winning at international level. The athlete was accompanied to the competition
by her coach Bonginkhosi Tsela.