Leemisa Thuseho
OLYMPIANS, Tebello Ramakongoana and Neheng Khatala, are winners of both the male and female categories of the fourth edition of the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km race.
They each won first prizes in their respective categories after their top class performances in the event that took place at Kings Park Outer Fields in the South African city.
Ramakongoana emerged winner of the male category after clocking in at 28:06, beating one of the race’s favourites, Elroy Gelant, a South African who settled for second position with 28:07.
They were followed closely by Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo who secured the third spot in the time of 28:09.
For the victory, Ramakongoana earned M37 500 while Gelant and Mofolo settled for M30 000 and M27 500 respectively.
That was Ramakongoana’s first official race on the back of his historic achievement at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, from 26 July to 11 August.
Ramakongoana made history there, finishing in the top 10 of the 42.2 km men’s marathon.
That was the first time a Lesotho runner had ever finished in the top 10 at the Olympic Games.
To be exact, he finished in position 7 setting Lesotho’s new national record of a time of 2:07:58 in that gruelling race.
In a brief post-race media interview, Ramakongoana told journalists that he had entered the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km on Sunday to test his body since returning from the Olympics.
“After tough competition at the Olympic Games, I came here (Hollywoodbets Durban 10km) to test my body and I am happy to have won,” Ramakongoana said.
Ramakokoana further indicated that the triumph was not a walk in the park, admitting the field was very strong.
“The field was very strong…at the start, I told myself that I’m going to lead from the front. The competition was very tough, so I had to stick close to those good guys,” Ramakongoana said.
“The first 2km was fast. Then afterwards, the wind by the sea was too strong and the pace slowed. At 6km, I decided to surge. Most of the guys failed to respond and that’s when I realised that it’s all in my hands if I want to win the race.
“In the end, I am very happy to have won even though I had planned to run the 10km national record. It didn’t come because of the wind.”
He said he was happy for the win, further indicating that this had been one of his best years of his career.
“This has been a great year, and I hope to maintain this standard next year,” Ramakongoana said.
The win was also a huge boost for Ramakongoana ahead of the Mountain Marathon 21km race on 26 October 2024 in Qacha’s Nek.
The start will be at Ha-Noosi village while the finish line is set for Melele Ground.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Durban 10km race, also saw top local female runner, Khatala, steal the show to win the women’s category in a time of 32:25.
South Africa’s Cacisile Sosibo finished second in 32:48 time, while Lesotho’s Mokulubete Makatisi rounded out the podium in 33:06.
Speaking to the media after the race, Khatala was also happy with the victory, especially after the challenging week she had in the lead up to the day.
“I am very happy to have won the race. In my mind, I didn’t see myself as the winner,” she said.
“On Monday, I visited the doctor as I was feeling sick (didn’t disclose what she was suffering from). Then I didn’t train for three days as I was on antibiotics. I only managed to do a little bit of training before the race. So, winning is pleasant especially because it was unexpected.”
