SA, MOZ RUNNERS CONQUER WAFA WAFA ½ MARATHON

MATSAPHA – Athletes from neighbouring countries outshone locals to win the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) Wafa Wafa Half Marathon yesterday.

South Africa’s (SA) City of Mbombela Athletics Club Sifiso Ngcobo outpaced his competitors to claim the E4 000 champion prize money in a dramatic way. Ngcobo finished with a time of 1:30:43 hours. The race was closely contested, with Ngcobo narrowly beating his closest rival by just a few seconds. UEDF’s Melusi Lukhele initially crossed the finish line first, but it was later discovered that Ngcobo had been leading the race before being misdirected upon entering the St. George’s Army Barracks, causing him to miss the finish line. It was reported that he followed the car that was leading the race to the parking lot, not aware that he was not supposed to do so. For diplomatic reasons, Army Commander Mashikilisane Fakudze explained that they decided to award Ngcobo the first place and Lukhele the second.

However, Ngcobo said the victory came as a result of familiarity with the local terrain. “The race went well and I ran at a good pace. I didn’t start too fast and picked up speed along the way. It was due to hard training and building on some mistakes I learnt from the Lubombo Marathon, where I came second. The only challenge I had with the race was at the finishing line, which was resolved amicably,” Ngcobo said. Correctional’s Sipho Mamba secured the bronze medal position. Meanwhile, the female 21km podium finishes were dominated by athletes from Mozambique, SA, and Zimbabwe. Mozambique’s and Swazi Slojos Zanele Sehohle was the champion. She also received E4 000 with a time of 1:36:32 hours. “It was a very difficult race, especially after deciding to upgrade from the 10km race, which is my speciality. After reaching about 11km, I was already praying to God for the strength to finish the race, and it was ‘God, God, God’ until the finish line,” Sehohle said.

She admitted to struggling throughout the race, knowing her opponents were tough. However, she praised her strategy of not leading the race, but instead closely monitoring her opponents and surprising them towards the end. In other events, Tenkhosi Dlamini won the women’s 10km, while Correctional’s Siyabonga Simelane triumphed in the men’s category. They each received E2 500 for their victories. Additionally, Zwane was awarded E1 000 by the Minister of Sports, Culture, and Youth Affairs, Bongani Nzima. Nzima encouraged Zwane to use the money to purchase running shoes. Nzima said Simelane was a proud am

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