MBABANE – The country’s fastest female sprinter, Bongiwe ‘Smolly’ Mahlalela, is just 0.2 seconds away from qualifying for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Mahlalela made major strides towards outright qualification on Thursday during the University of Sport South Africa (USSA) Track and Field Championships, held at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) athlete was competing in the 100m, where she clocked 12.26 seconds. The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games scholarship holder noted that she needs to hit a time of 11.99 seconds to qualify for the showpiece, which runs from July 23 to August 2, 2026.
“I believe it is going to be doable before the qualification period closes. The body is responding well, and as I continue running, I am breaking the seconds down,” she said.
Notably, this new time also marks a season-best for Mahlalela.
On another note, Athletics Eswatini (AE) is currently maximising its efforts to ensure they have sprinters qualify for the upcoming games. The association recently took a group of 12 athletes to the Maseru Championships to help them shave seconds off their times, as no local athlete has secured qualification yet.
Bongiwe Mahlalela shares a special moment with her mother, Thandiwe, after being awarded a scholarship for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. (Courtesy pic)