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SIFISO E50 000 CHAMP AGAIN!

09/10/2017 08:43:00 BY NTOKOZO MAGONGO

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LOBAMBA – Sifiso Sibandze has emerged as the king of the Imbube Marathon, again.

The USDF runner did it again in the Imbube marathon as he won the second edition, pocketing a sum of E50 000. The 28-years-old Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) athlete has pocketed E100 000 in 12 months as he was crowned the champion in the first edition last year. He clocked 2:30:10 hours to finish first ahead of Zimbabwe’s Collin Kanyimo and South Africa’s Grahyam Malinga who came second and third, respectively.
Last year, the first edition stated at Mavuso Sports Centre in Manzini and finish at Prince of Wales in Mbabane while this year it started at Somhlolo National Stadium and ended there. He improved his last year’s time from 2:37:19 hours to 2:30:10 hours.

Upon crossing the finish line in front of a crowd of over 1 000 people who met him with cheers, he cried for water before he fell on the ground.
He started leading the pack of athletes from the start at Somhlolo National Stadium until the start of Malagwane Hill. Halfway through Malagwane hill he got the better of the 11 athletes. He dashed away with the runner-up and third finishers. He was first at the end of the notorious Malagwane hill. He continued with his lead around Mbabane CBD and things turned for the worse for him when Kanyimo catched up with him just at the start of Malagwane. They went down the mountain side by side until they reached the foot where Sibandze showed his prowess as he dashed off until the finishing line.

He was met by the jubilant athletes and Minister of Sports Culture and Youth Affairs David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala, who was in the company of Swaziland National Pension Fund (SNPF) CEO Prince Lonkhokhela who both congratulate him for the achievement. Sibandze was presented with the trophy by His Majesty King Mswati III. He won E25 000 for the overall winner and the first Swazi. “It was tough but I was well prepared. I knew that I will be the target and I just stayed with the leading pack until I saw that I have to set the pace myself. Malagwane is not a challenge to me when I am going up but I struggle when going down,” he said. Meanwhile, in the ladies section, Zimbabwe lady athletes Thabitha Tsatsa defended her title and she pocketed the first prize of E25 000 while second was Diola Dlamini.