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BACK-TO-BACK MEDAL FOR ‘MSHENGU’ IN COMRADES

11/06/2019 00:29:00 BY NTOKOZO MAGONGO

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MBABANE – He is like a coat of many colours. That is Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) Vice Chairman Sizwe Mabuza, who completed a brace in the South Africa’s Comrades Ultra-marathon on Sunday. He brought home a medal last year and he did the same this year in his second appearance in the 87km race.

He finished on 10:55 minutes. Over 20 000 athletes that took part in the race that started in Durban to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Mabuza is registered under the hard working Zithande Athletics Club led by Nsizwa Thwala, who also took part in the Comrades Marathon with a lot of emaSwati.

“I was on course for a 10-hour finish but then caught up with an injured runner with 13km to the finish line so I chose to walk with him until we finished together. For me, it’s not about chasing prize monies but making friends and networking with the view of tapping into those networks in future as we try improving sports in Eswatini,” he said.

“It was an awesome experience as I was chasing the most favoured back to back medal. I did the down run last year and found it tough, but this year it was the up run. surprisingly, I found it to be relatively easier,” he said.

He said his strategy, as he is not a professional runner, was to start slow and easy, reserving enough energy.
“I pushed myself on the hills. Mental strength played a vital role as I had missed most of the hard trainings offered by Zithande coach Nsizwa Thwala because our taekwondo calendar that has been packed in this half year of the year,” he added.

encouraging

Mabuza said the atmosphere was electric, as seasoned runners were encouraging them throughout the distance to make sure he wins his back to back medal.
“I also had a chance to chat with Xolani Luvuno, the South African amputee athlete who did the race last year on crutches. He was at it again and we shared a moment to inspire each other.

I would encourage those interested in running the comrades to join running clubs or simply contact Nsizwa for his hard-core trainings,” he concluded.
Mabuza’s taekwondo team will be hosting Next Generation Taekwondo Club Championships on June 22 at Bosco Skills Centre, Manzini, starting at 8am to 5pm.