Three athletes qualify for London Olympics

MASERU — Three more Lesotho athletes have qualified for the 2012 London Olympics Games bringing to five the number of athletes who will take part in the games. The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) this week said Mabuthile Lebopo, Motlokoa Nkhabutlane and Tiisetso Ramokheseng will take part in the games by virtue of their previous outstanding records. The three will compete in the 42.2-kilometre marathon. The games are scheduled to
run from July 27 to August 12 in London. Lebopo has a personal best of two hours 13 minutes which he recorded in 2009 during the Two Oceans marathon in Durban. Nkhabutlane is just a minute behind from Lebopo with a personal best of 2:14 which he achieved in 2009.

Ramokheseng has a record of 2 hours 15 minutes which he attained in the 42.2-kilometre marathon in Botswana in 2010. Based on these records, the IAAF said the three athletes are eligible to compete at the games. Lesotho Amateur Athletics
Association (LAAA) public relations officer, Sejanamane Maphathe, told the Lesotho Times the local athletics governing body this week received the IAAF’s correspondence that the three had been given the green light to compete at the
games. “The correspondence however states that the three can only compete if there is nothing that can prevent them from competing,” he said. He said his association was yet to sit down with the three athletes to discuss their plans.

The trio’s qualification brings to five the number of athletes in Team Lesotho. Jobo Khatoane and Tsepo Ramonene were the first to qualify for the games last month in Botswana after records of 2:16:49 and 2:16:51 respectively. Lebopo, who represented the country at the last Olympics in Beijing, could not comment on Tuesday. “I can’t really comment on this matter because we are yet to sit down with the association and hear what they have to say,” Lebopo said.