Times Of Swaziland: CARLOTA, MFANAWEKHAYA FOR WORLD CHAMPS

CARLOTA, MFANAWEKHAYA FOR WORLD CHAMPS
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Nimrod Hlophe on 26/05/2023 09:20:00


MBABANE – Eswatini’s World Taekwondo Championships squad is no longer a
secret.
The Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) has revealed two artists to represent
the country on the biggest stage. This 26th edition will be staged in Asia in
Baku, Azerbaijan. It will run from May 29to June 4 at the Baku Crystal Hall.
Carlota ‘Lota’ Munave will be competing in the women +73kg category. It will
be her third appearance as she has represented the country during the 2015 and
2017 global showdowns.
“I ‘m  hoping to put on the best performance, at most win a fight. It will
be a very tough competition where everybody will bring their best game. Despite
that it has been quite some time of inactiveness, I do have some confidence
drawn from the bronze medal I brought home last from African championships,”
‘Lota’ said.
Meanwhile, Mfanawekhaya Dube will be hoping to make the country proud in the men
category. He eyes to dish out some top performance in the -54kg as he makes his
second appearance after debuting in 2017. They will be under the guidance of the
country’s 2023 Outstanding Coach Mancoba Motsa. Motsa was named the
country’s finest coach in March following his 10 medal haul from two regional
tournaments dating back to 2021. They are set to leave the country on Sunday.
The battle lines of the tournament will be drawn on the July 29.
“We are hoping that they will represent the country well because it will not
be their maiden appearance in the championships.  We hope that the experience
they have will come in handy and help them win against their opponents. They
have had enough time doing preparations and it is now time to display what they
have been practising through some performances,” ETF Secretary Sizwe Mabuza
said. Mabuza had confidence on the pair by virtue of their ability to conquer
inlocal tournaments. He hoped that the games would also assist them towards the
Paris 2024 Games qualifications.  Sought for comment, Eswatini Olympic and
Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) Marketing and Communications Officer
Mkhulisi Dlamini had faith that Munave and Dube would make the country proud.
“We are extremely impressed with the current preparations and progress EOCGA
has done in terms of assisting athletes and associations with regard to
attending and participating in their international competitions. Each decision
to assist is highly based on the background knowledge of the athletes in terms
of their ability to perform at the highest level in order to achieve podium
finish,” Dlamini said.